Derrick Rose is going to be out Monday in Los Angeles as the Bulls take on the Clippers, the team announced at shootaround on Monday.
That was not really a surprise. Regardless of what you think of Rose’s willingness to play through pain (which is a silly thing to question of a former MVP, but whatever) hamstrings are tricky in that they are very easy to re-injure if you come back to quickly. He can just ask teammate Pau Gasol about that, Gasol missed time with the Lakers when he tried to come back too quickly from a hamstring strain.
Rose spoke to the media and said that he has to be cautious because after two knee surgeries he knows the hamstring is a key support muscle for the knee. Here are his quotes, via Sam Smith of Bulls.com.
Rose: "Getting better everyday but still taking my time. It's calming down and not as sore."
— Sam Smith (@SamSmithHoops) November 17, 2014
Rose said caution is vital "especially when you have knee injuries. Hamstrings are huge in the process of coming back."
— Sam Smith (@SamSmithHoops) November 17, 2014
Rose: "There's no need for anyone to play through injuries with the talent we have in this team."
— Sam Smith (@SamSmithHoops) November 17, 2014
Rose: " It's too bad it's me, but just trying to get back as quick as possible."
— Sam Smith (@SamSmithHoops) November 17, 2014
Rose said he's "in awe" of the support of teammates and others around the NBA defending his comments from last week.
— Sam Smith (@SamSmithHoops) November 17, 2014
Rose said in those comments that he had to think long term about his life while dealing with injuries, that he didn’t want to be “sore in meetings” or at his son’s graduation. It was a poor phrasing of thoughts often heard by professional athletes, they just usually say things like “I want to be able to play with my son in the backyard” or “I want to walk my daughter down the aisle someday.” Nobody has sympathy for how you feel in a meeting because nobody wants to be in those meetings anyway.
In other Bulls news, both Gasol and Taj Gibson are probable to play through minor injuries against the Clippers.
