Reinsdorf says the Bulls will not rush Derrick Rose back

Don’t get your hopes up about seeing Derrick Rose before late, late in the season. After an initial report listed him back on the floor after ACL surgery in January, that was pushed back to February, then March. Now, in a radio interview in Chicago via ESPN Chicago, Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf said the Bulls will not be pushing Rose to return before he’s absolutely healthy.

“I’m not going to let him back until the doctors tell me that it’s absolutely safe for him to come back,” Reinsdorf said on ESPN 1000’s “Talking Baseball” on Saturday. “I made that mistake with Michael Jordan years ago where I think we let him come back too soon. It worked out OK, but it might not have. This time I’m not going to make that mistake. Until the doctors say he’s 100 percent and they put their reputations on the line, he’s not coming back.”

via Jerry Reinsdorf says Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose wont be rushed back from knee surgery - ESPN Chicago.

The Bulls pushed Jordan to get back from a foot injury and it did limit him. Jordan made a full recovery because he was a god among men, but Rose is only mortal, and that ACL injury can have worse repercussions long-term.

Reinsdorf also admitted during the interview that the Bulls probably aren’t winning the title. If you add up these comments and that? You get the distinct possibility that we may not see Rose in the 2012-2013 season, at all. If Chicago doesn’t keep pace until the playoffs, it might just not be worth the risk.

All of this from a team that in April of 2011 could be considered the favorite to win the NBA title. Things change just that quickly.