Derrick Rose Injury: Updates on Bulls Star's Knee Surgery and Recovery

Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose made his return on April 8 against the Orlando Magic after having surgery on his torn right meniscus on Feb. 27.

Continue for updates.

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Rose to See Increased Minutes

Saturday, April 11

ESPN.com's Nick Friedell reported Rose will see an increase in minutes in Saturday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers:

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Derrick Rose is expected to play some fourth-quarter minutes on Saturday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, which would mark the first time he has done so since returning from a meniscectomy on Wednesday against the Orlando Magic. Rose, who missed almost six weeks after the procedure, has been playing about 20 minutes a game in his first two appearances.

"We're going to add another segment to it, so we'll see how it unfolds," Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said after Saturday's shootaround. "He handled the first two (games), which was good. So we're going to go from there."

Thibodeau said the Bulls will "continue to add as we go along," in regard to Rose's increased workload.

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Rose Will Start vs. Magic

Wednesday, April 8

According to K.C Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, head coach Tom Thibodeau said Rose will start Wednesday against the Magic. Friedell added that Rose is expected to play about 20 minutes and could see time against the Heat in the team's next game as well.

Bulls center Joakim Noah previously discussed Rose's impact on the team when healthy, per Johnson: "We know when Derrick’s back right, he takes our team to a whole other level."

On March 27, Rose said he had no concerns that he wouldn't return this season, telling Johnson, "Oh yeah. I'm not worried about that. I don't have any pain."

Rose expanded on that, telling Friedell, "That would be the plan, but who knows? Whenever I'm ready to come back, that's when I'm going to come back."

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Rose Underwent Successful Surgery

Friday, Feb. 27

Friedell reported that Rose is bearing his full weight after successful surgery. Vincent Goodwill of Comcast reported that he should resume basketball activities in a week, while Friedell reported he'll begin rehab on Saturday. 

Johnson also reported that the Bulls expect Rose back on the floor this season. Johnson also noted that two sources close to Rose said he is “absolutely on board” with returning to play this season and “expects to be fine.”

Friedell provided surgery details prior to the procedure:

Rose's meniscus tear may not be as bad as the one he suffered from 2013, Johnson reported on Feb. 25:

Sekou Smith of NBA.com previously discussed whether Rose should opt to hurry back from his surgery to try to win a title this season or opt to extend his career by sitting out longer:

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Thibodeau, Teammates React to Injury

Wednesday, Feb. 25

Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau and some of Rose's teammates reacted to the news of the star's injury Wednesday, per Friedell.

"I don't know what to say other than it's so unfair," Thibodeau said.

Kirk Hinrich noted he is "still shocked" at the news, while Paul Gasol called it "heartbreaking" and highlighted that the team feels "terrible" for Rose.

Luol Deng also reacted to the news, via Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel:

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"Honestly," he said Wednesday, "I was almost in tears. It's different when you know the guy that well." ...

"He's a tough guy. I think he'll be fine," said Deng, who was dealt by the Bulls to the Cleveland Cavaliers in January 2014 and then signed with the Miami Heat as a free agent last summer. "But it's just three seasons in a row. He wants to do what he loves, but things keep happening. And honestly, a lot of people would deal with it differently. He just keeps going and keeps working hard."

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Rose Tears Meniscus 

Tuesday, Feb. 24

Sam Amick of USA Today had the devastating news: 

Johnson reported that the injury isn't supposed to be as serious as the injury he suffered in 2013. Johnson also reported that Rose was told after his last surgery that another tear was possible.

LeBron James took to Twitter to offer condolences to Rose:

James talked more about Rose's injury in the following Uninterrupted video:

Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald outlined two scenarios for Rose:

Skolnick discussed what the injury means for the Bulls' playoff chances this season in the video below:

While it's unclear when Rose may have suffered the injury, he did shoot 1-of-13 Monday night, scoring just eight points in the Bulls' 87-71 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. 

Rose has gone from being the 2008-09 Rookie of the Year and 2010-11 NBA MVP to a player whose fragile knees have made it difficult for him to stay on the court. He played just 39 games in the 2011-12 season due to injuries and tore his ACL in the first round of the playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers.

He somewhat controversially didn't play a single game during the 2012-13 campaign, recovering from the knee injury. 

Things didn't get any better for Rose during the 2013-14 campaign, as he tore his meniscus in November and only appeared in 10 games before Chicago lost him for the season.

ESPN Stats & Info broke down how much time Rose has missed in recent seasons:

The Bulls were much more careful with Rose this year, giving him frequent nights off in the early going and making sure not to overwork their superstar. But even that approach didn't keep Rose fully healthy, and questions will now persist about the 26-year-old's future in the league. 

Few players are more talented than Rose when he's on his game, and the Bulls surely were convinced they had a player who would lead them to NBA titles. Now all they can do is wonder as serious doubt creeps in.