David Kenyon
The Chicago Bulls fell to the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night, but Derrick Rose is hopeful the team didn’t lose him, too.
Although Rose exited the game early due to a left knee injury, ESPN’s Nick Friedell notes the oft-injured point guard said he “didn’t feel right” yet isn’t worried about a long-term issue.
“I’m not concerned. I’m not concerned but just trying to be smart. Coming into this year, I was trying to play in consistent games, see how many games I could play this entire year, and go from there.”
Every time Rose limps off the floor or heads into the locker room, memories of worst-case scenarios quickly reappear.
The Memphis product sat out the entire 2012-13 season due to a torn left ACL. Rose missed much of the following year because of a meniscus problem in his right knee. He returned for 2014-15 but wasn’t a consistent presence in the lineup due to various ailments and rest.
Rose has only missed five games this year due to hamstring and knee issues, so it appeared he was on the right track to complete a season while mostly remaining healthy.
Granted, that doesn’t mean Rose is back to being the same MVP-caliber player.
He’s averaging a career-low 14.7 points per game, shooting 25.0 percent from three-point range and 39.9 overall. Additionally, Rose’s 91 offensive rating is the worst mark of any rotational piece on the roster. Compare that to Jimmy Butler’s team-leading 116 clip, and it’s easy to see this is a Rose problem.
Chicago is statistically better with Rose off the floor than on it, so an injury to him wouldn’t derail the 22-15 Bulls. For Rose’s sake, though, hopefully this knee issue isn’t another unfortunate setback to a once-promising career.
