Derrick Rose Takes Calculated Risk with Quick Return from Meniscus Tear

For once, there’s good news on the Derrick Rose front.

What seemed a few days ago like yet another catastrophic blow to the Chicago Bulls’ title hopes and to Rose’s career has turned out to be just a minor setback. Rose underwent surgery to repair a torn right medial meniscus, for the second time in two years. This time, the prognosis is more encouraging.

Rose’s rehab will take four to six weeks and Bulls general manager Gar Forman said Friday morning that he expects the 2011 NBA MVP back this season.

“I know Derrick is anxious to attack this rehab,” Forman said, via the Chicago Tribune. “We anticipate a full return to activity. He’s full weight-bearing today. In about a week, he’ll be able to do basketball-related drills and increase his strength and go from there.”

It sounds a lot better than what had previously assumed to be a lost year, Rose’s third in a row. Unlike last time, Rose opted to have part of the meniscus removed, rather than repaired. This means a shorter recovery. It also means increased long-term health risks. It's a 180-degree turn from the Bulls' previous approach to Rose's injuries, and it's telling of their confidence in his ability to get back to the peak of his powers.

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Remember, this is the same player who sat out the entire 2012-13 season recovering from a torn left ACL, even after he was medically cleared to play, because he didn’t want to risk playing before he felt mentally ready.

This is the same player who missed all but 10 games of the following year with the initial tear in the right medial meniscus, having been ruled out immediately following November surgery.

And this is a Bulls organization that has stood behind its superstar through all of these injuries, through all of the criticism he took from fans and media for taking it slow. Rose’s teammates, head coach Tom Thibodeau and members of the front office defended him time and time again when it would have been easy to no-comment, take veiled shots at his mental toughness or throw him under the bus outright.

For all the controversy Thibodeau and the Bulls’ training staff have faced about their handling of injured players, they’ve been exceptionally careful with Rose from the beginning.

They have to be. He’s the face of the franchise, the hometown kid made good, and—more pressingly—a player for whom they still have $41.4 million tied beyond this year.

Rose and the Bulls have been through this several times now. They’re well aware of the level of criticism their handling of the original ACL injury opened them up to. Rose’s repeated knee injuries have allowed for extensive trial and error.

For Forman to say on the day of Rose’s surgery, in no uncertain terms, that they expect him back before the end of the regular season, the Bulls had better be sure #TheReturn 3.0 will go off without a hitch, lest they put themselves—and Rose—through a repeat of the 2013 nightmare season.

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Rose and the Bulls both realize that they will never have a better opportunity to win a title than this year, and even that is no sure thing. Even with their up-and-down play this season, they're sitting in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a 36-22 record.

Once they re-sign Jimmy Butler this summer, they’ll be locked into this roster for the foreseeable future. Pau Gasol is 34, and Joakim Noah just turned 30 and will be up for a new contract in 2016. If Rose is physically and mentally able to play, and there isn’t an increased risk of re-injury from an early return, it’s in everyone’s interests to do it.

The reality is the same now for the Bulls as it’s been all year. If Rose is healthy and playing consistently at the level he had started to reach before the All-Star break, the Bulls are the only team capable of challenging the Atlanta Hawks or Cleveland Cavaliers for a trip to the Finals out of the Eastern Conference.

If Rose is sidelined or hobbled, they’re a second-round out.

The Bulls are a lot of things, but when it comes to internal expectations, they are realistic. Rose probably could have played in 2013 if he’d wanted to, but in no universe was that team a title contender even with him on the floor. Risking his long-term health to lose to the Miami Heat in seven games instead of five would have accomplished nothing.

This time, it’s different. With Gasol and Butler playing at an All-Star level and Noah finally healthy again, this is a team that can absolutely see itself making a title run if things break right. One of those things has to be a quick, clean recovery process for Rose.

This year, unlike the last two, that’s a possibility, and the Bulls are taking advantage of it.

Sean Highkin covers the Chicago Bulls for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @highkin