yodurk

I was just glancing over the Bulls' schedule and had to speculate that if Rose is really getting close to being ready -- and he must be getting there, as he's doing full contact 5-on-5 and reportedly looks like the "best player on the floor" in the process -- I wonder if this Friday, March 8th is a possible return date Rose and the Bulls are thinking about.

I say that because of what the schedule looks like over the next few weeks. For starters, the March 8th game is home against Utah and there is no national attention behind it, meaning the pressure is not going to be as high (that would come two days later against the Lakers in LA on ABC, haha). Then, the 6 games afterward do not have any back-to-backs so they can monitor how Rose's knee responds to one game at a time without having to miss games. On top of that there really aren't any teams in there that concern me with dirty play until we play Indiana on 3/23 (well I guess Dwight Howard on 3/10 is a concern with his history playing Rose, but given they're both Adidas sponsored, Dwight would probably get fired if he did anything to Rose that game, haha). Then after 6 games of seeing how things go, he can try his first back-to-back on 3/23 and 3/24.

IMO, there really isn't a better time to make his return, assuming he is getting over those mental hurdles of trusting the knee. There is no doubt in my mind his knee is ready from a physical standpoint. If he misses this golden window, I have to wonder if they will make the decision of shutting him down for the season to avoid forcing him into playoff basketball. IMO, that would be a terrible injustice to his rehab so hope it doesn't come to that. Should be interesting.

Ben

They could easily bring him at any time and not play him in back to backs for a while, they don't need to rush him just for that bit of schedule.

yodurk

Oh make no mistake, they are already not rushing it. If they were rushing it then he would've been playing back in late Dec or January when observers were already saying he looked great in practice, was cutting, dunking, etc.. Given we're in early March and physically speaking his knee has been fully healed for months, he could return tomorrow and that wouldn't be rushing it per say, at least not from a physical standpoint. Mentally (trusting his knee), only Rose can speak to that, and I somehow doubt he's going to spill the beans publicly.

As for the back to back thing, maybe you're right if the medical staff makes that recommendation. But once the medical staff gives full clearance, something tells me they won't want him missing games due to the ACL. If it comes to that then they'd say he shouldn't be playing at all. However I do fully expect a minutes cap in the early going which should just be common sense after such a long layoff.

transplant

Good post...agree that the time for the Bulls rushing Rose back has long since passed.

I think Rose's ideal return date is all on Rose. While the Bulls front office would never acknowledge it, I suspect that Rose has had the medical OK for at least a week or so (if full-contact scrimmage is medically OK, why would game action be prohibited?).

Rose needs to say, "Enough of this sh#$, let's ball" and he'll be back.

__________________
I still like Derrick Rose...I just can't relate to him.

mvP to the Wee

I think he returns against the Kings. I think they rather bring him back on the road in a non nationally televised game to ease the pressure.

taco_daddy

We've got 22 games left. If Rose doesn't return this week I don't see why he'd return this season at all.

Best week for Rose's return. Rose could return Friday verses the Jazz and then have a nice streak of 10 games against weaker competition with plenty of off days in between for rest/evaluation, etc.
01 Wed 3/6/2013 Away Spurs
02 Fri 3/8/2013 Home Jazz
03 Sun 3/10/2013 Away Lakers
04 Wed 3/13/2013 Away Kings
05 Fri 3/15/2013 Away Warriors

Not a terribly bad week for Rose to return, but it would only give Rose 17 games left to develop chemistry with the team. If Rose doesn't return by 3/15/13 vs. the Warriors, I'd say it was quite doubtful he's returning this season at all.
06 Mon 3/18/2013 Home Nuggets
07 Thu 3/21/2013 Home Trailblazers
08 Sat 3/23/2013 Home Pacers
09 Sun 3/24/2013 Away Timberwolves

If Rose returns here he will have a mere 13 games to develop chemistry with the team. It would be almost completely senseless to return here. At this point I'd say Rose isn't returning this season.
10 Wed 3/27/2013 Home Heat
11 Sat 3/30/2013 Away Mavericks
12 Sun 3/31/2013 Home Pistons
13 Tue 4/2/2013 Away Wizards
14 Thu 4/4/2013 Away Nets
15 Fri 4/5/2013 Home Magic
16 Sun 4/7/2013 Away Pistons
17 Tue 4/9/2013 Home Raptors
18 Thu 4/11/2013 Home Knicks
19 Fri 4/12/2013 Away Raptors
20 Sun 4/14/2013 Away Heat
21 Mon 4/15/2013 Away Magic
22 Wed 4/17/2013 Home Wizards


If Rose doesn't return this season I'd be disappointed, but at this point the season is pretty almost over. I doubt we do anything notable in the playoffs with or without Rose. I'm already looking towards next season anyhow. I expect a 1st round exit in the playoffs for us.

__________________
It's still Heat Killa!

jnrjr79

I find all this to be mind-blowing. Only 13 games wouldn't be worth playing? The Bulls project to exit in the first round, even with Rose?

How does any of that make any sense? I want Rose back acclimating to the game as soon as he's ready, but this whole notion of "Gee, it's not even worth it" that I have been seeing a lot of places makes literally no sense to me.

The last step in his progression is playing meaningful NBA basketball games. He's not going to practice his way back to his old form. It's important he take that step.

taco_daddy

I want him back playing regular games too, and I agree that would be the last step in his recovery. But he's not going to come back on the floor as the MVP Rose that he was 2 seasons ago. He has to get back up to that. Plus, he'll be playing against well conditioned competition that has been playing and competing on a high level the whole season long. 13 games is not going to give the team time to develop chemistry, Rose to get back into form, and us to be a very competitive team. Some teams take a whole season to get their chemistry right (Lakers) and we have 13 games (if that is when Rose comes back).

__________________
It's still Heat Killa!

jnrjr79

But if this season is supposedly lost, why wouldn't you want Rose to go through the process of becoming the "MVP Rose" now, rather than in games next season. If you believe he has to play himself back a bit, what better opportunity than to do so in a season where you think nothing is really at stake?

To me, all of this stuff about it being better to hold him out this year is wholly illogical, to the extent you believe his leg is fully healed.

yodurk

That would be a solid 2nd choice if this Friday versus the Jazz doesn't work out. This would also avoid any concern with Dwight Howard cheap shotting him for a third time in his career, not to mention the attention drawn out by playing in LA on national TV in only his second game back.

I wonder what would be too few games heading into the playoffs? A solid 15-20 games while not ideal should be somewhat doable I hope.

yodurk

Yeah I agree. My biggest worry at this point isn't his knee, it's the negative effect of going 18 months straight with zero NBA game action if he's held out all season. 18 months is a loonnngggg time, I have to wonder how long if ever he would regain MVP form after that long of a layoff. I'll take the 10-11 month layoff over 18 months hands down to shake the rust off, thanks very much.

mvP to the Wee

I don't see why we're worried about the playoffs. The playoffs should just be an extension of our timetable to get Rose back to 100% game shape. We're not winning the title without him anyways or in a limited role, so as long as we're still playing, we should continuously add to his playing time. No crazy playoff time minutes jump or sudden disappearance of minutes.

jnrjr79

Exactly. It might seem axiomatic, but basketball players need to play basketball. If you hold Derrick out all year this year, presuming the knee is actually fully healed, my feeling is you probably just retard his progress.

I don't want to rush him back before he's fully healed, but I also don't want to hold the guy out of games if there is no medical basis to do so. Increasingly, my feeling is Derrick's return date has little to do with his health and a lot to do with what's going on between his ears. It seems like he feels he needs to build confidence playing in private with his teammates before returning to the court. My impression is he is fearful of coming back and immediately playing at anything less than pre-injury levels. This is a bit silly. I think everyone understands he'll have to adjust and progress. Heck, MJ wasn't MJ immediately upon returning from baseball.

Good Hope

There is no ideal date. I don't think he'll pick a game and say, this one is good, this other one, nope.

He's getting ready to start playing, there's no doubt. But when that will be will not be determined much by the scheduling vagaries.

__________________
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Heb. 11:1

There are better things to hope in than the Bulls, but its fun to try, anyway.

Good Hope

Is now a good time to mention that the Bulls will most likely reach 45-50 wins, right in the predicted (by me) window?

No, I guess not.

__________________
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Heb. 11:1

There are better things to hope in than the Bulls, but its fun to try, anyway.