Tom Thibodeau: Loss of Derrick Rose ‘Not a Death Sentence’


Hardly anyone considers the Chicago Bulls a serious title contender now that Derrick Rose is lost for the season with a serious knee injury, but head coach Tom Thibodeau disagrees with the doomsday outlook. From the Daily Herald: “Rose faces a 6-8 month recovery after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The rest of the Bulls must continue their playoff run without him. ‘I think we all feel awful for him,’ coach Tom Thibodeau said at the Berto Center. ‘Derrick’s not only a great player; he’s a great teammate and a great person. But it’s not a death sentence. It’s not a death sentence for him. It’s not a death sentence for our team. He’s going to come back. He’ll come back better than ever.’ Thibodeau said he has been in contact with Rose via text message. Several Bulls visited Rush University Medical Center after Saturday’s win over Philadelphia to check on their teammate. ‘I told him yesterday, this is just a minor setback for a major comeback,’ guard John Lucas III said. ‘He’s going to come back stronger than ever. His spirits were good. He told us to go out and do what we did all year and that’s win.” The next step for Rose is knee surgery at a date to be determined. It’s common practice after ACL tears for the injured party to wait a couple of weeks before surgery, allowing time for the swelling to subside and range of motion to return. Beyond that, Rose is definitely out of contention for a spot on Team USA at this summer’s London Olympics. He likely will miss all of training camp next season and figures to return to action by January, give or take a few weeks.”