Barring any setbacks, Derrick Rose expects to return to the lineup for the Bulls Sunday against the New York Knicks.
Im feeling good, said Rose. My groin is not bothering me. Im happy to move on and my spirits are up. Today is my first full practice, just practicing with the guys felt good out there and hopefully Ill be playing Sunday.
Coach Tom Thibodeau didnt share the point guards thought process, listing his status as only game-time and said the team is optimistic and hopeful about his return.
He just has to keep making the progress that hes making, said Thibodeau. Hes practiced well, hasnt had any problems the next day and as long as it stays that way, hopefully, hell be ready.
Rose has missed 12 straight games since straining his groin on Mar. 12th against the Knicks and the Bulls have gone 8-4 in that frame without him.
Even with the teams success without him, it appears not even his coach is going to hold him from playing on Sunday.
Its really not up to him, its up to me, said Rose. If Im feeling good, Im going to play, if I think that I need some more days of rest, than Im going to take some more days, but more than likely, Ill be out there Sunday.
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Rose also said it will most likely be up to how hes feeling regarding how many minutes he plays and joked that if the game was closed, he might have to fight his way to get back onto the court.
His conditioning also isnt a concern to him as he said he has run a lot since being cleared to along with running in the pool.
He participated in three-on-three on Friday and did some one-on-one, isolation plays that included cutting a lot and chasing after John Lucas IIII, so it sounds like all signs point to him being ready to play.
Hes never missed an extended amount of time like this before, but every other time when he comes back, he usually gets up to speed pretty quickly, said Thibodeau on Rose getting back into a rhythm. Hes been putting a lot of extra time in, so hopefully hell be ready once hes out there.
Well see where he is. Hes missed quite a bit of time. Well see where his conditioning is and how hes feeling. The important thing is we want to be smart about it.
The Bulls have just 10 games remaining until the playoffs and Sundays matchup could be a potential glimpse of who theyll be seeing in the first round as the Knicks are trying to hold off the Milwaukee Bucks for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference.