Feb. 28--In case nobody got the message clearly enough when Bulls general manager Gar Forman announced Friday at the United Center that he expected Derrick Rose back in four to six weeks after successful knee surgery, the team issued a press release an hour later.
For emphasis?
"Derrick is expected to make a full recovery and he is anticipated to return to play in four to six weeks," the statement quoted Forman as saying.
That's four to six weeks, not months. That's this season, not next. Or you could sum up the Bulls' 20-minute news conference and two-paragraph declaration in four words: It's on you, Derrick.
No more games. Neither ambitious nor ambiguous, the Bulls' prognosis after the removal of his torn meniscus represented a reasonable, transparent expectation based on medical science and NBA player experience. It also marked the first time in three knee recoveries that the Bulls dared to publicly declare a timeline for Rose's return. Unfortunately, the Bulls have enough practice at orchestrating Rose rehabilitations to have learned from past mistakes.
Their silence when Rose missed the 2012-13 season with a torn ACL created a circuslike atmosphere that simultaneously built hope and began to damage Rose's reputation as he stayed idle. In 2013-14, after Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee, the Bulls immediately ruling him out for the season in November raised questions of an extreme overreaction. At times, both situations were handled clumsily by both sides -- Team Rose and the Bulls.
Intentionally or not, the Bulls wisely got out in front of this one. It was smart to avoid vagueness so it wasn't left up to Rose to decide when his body told him he was well enough to play again. Subtly, the Bulls underscored the belief that the mental challenges of this recovery exceeded the physical. Doing so let everybody know, including players in the locker room, that the goals the Bulls had before Rose's surgery will exist when he comes back.
If Rose attacks rehabilitation with the vigor the Bulls insist he will, then the pressure of having a deadline will bring out his best. If Rose's competitive streak compels him to return ahead of what is a conservative schedule, he can begin stemming the tide of skepticism that swallowed Friday's good news.
Based on email and social media, a majority of Chicago believes Rose began his summer vacation Friday. Overshadowing Forman's encouraging update was widespread civic fear that Rose will be reluctant to return for the playoffs even if cleared by doctors. Rose earned that doubt over time through words more than inaction, by saying silly things like he wanted to preserve his body for his 2-year-old's high school graduation. He left the impression that basketball didn't mean as much to him as the Adidas commercials portrayed, and nobody likes a guy who lets money change him. Rose has become that guy.
But this unexpected break allows everybody a chance to step back and re-evaluate the context of Rose's third comeback.
Reserve judgment. Circle April 11 on your calendar. The Bulls play the 76ers at home that Saturday -- six weeks and one day after Friday's procedure. Barring a setback, if Rose hasn't returned by then, by all means see red. If Rose physically or mentally falls short of doing whatever is necessary to help the Bulls win again this season, then it will validate much of the vitriol expressed in the aftermath of his latest injury. But if things go as planned, then all the recent criticism will be deemed unfair and it will be time to back off for a while.
Stop expecting Rose to resemble the MVP version of himself when he does return too. That's not fair either. It only sets up everybody to be disappointed. That was four years and three surgeries ago and, no matter what Rose says, his career ceiling has lowered. He doesn't have to be the league's best player for the Bulls to succeed; just one of the best. They can accept the All-Star level Rose began to play at before the All-Star break, a stretch of games that illustrated how dangerous the Bulls can be with him on the floor.
The Rose who returned from a five-day layoff looked like a different player, one perhaps distracted by a pain in his knee that's no longer a mystery. By saying Rose could be "feeling really good, maybe for the first time in a long time," Bulls vice president John Paxson suggested knee discomfort might have lingered. Nobody really knows how much, if any, that contributed to Rose's inconsistency. At this point, nobody really cares.
All that matters now: The Bulls expect Rose back in action in time to regain his rhythm for a playoff run they still expect to be long. Rose has four to six weeks to prepare. And, finally, he can hear a clock ticking in the training room.
dhaugh@tribpub.com
