The Chicago Bulls welcomed back superstar point guard Derrick Rose to practice Thursday (the non-contact portion of it), and he said that he can’t wait to get back at it full-speed.
Rose is still recovering from a nasty blow near his left eye, which required surgery, and may force him to wear a facemask for a while going forward.
The 27-year-old joked that he could play at a high level with just a single eye open.
Per the Chicago Tribune:
“Every day, it’s improving. It could be quick. Who knows? It’s no timetable. It’s whenever I can go play,” Rose said Thursday after his first non-contact workout with his new mask. “I want to play. I’m anxious to play. I’m getting jittery just watching the freedom we have playing. … If I’m willing to go and I know there’s nothing in my way, I’ll play (the opener.)”
Rose, in detailing how fully opening the swollen eye causes the double vision, offered a window into his confident mindset. […] “With one eye open, I think I could play pretty good,” he said
Rose participated fully in the Bulls’ non-contact practice Thursday, which coach Fred Hoiberg said proved beneficial because Hoiberg added wrinkles to the offense. […] “He was moving, cutting full speed, getting full-speed shots up, so it’s encouraging,” said Hoiberg, who celebrated his 43rd birthday. “Now, a big part of it is getting the confidence that he can take a blow. I played with Reggie Miller when he did this, and he was really conscious of, ‘If I get hit again, is something going to happen?’”
