Derrick Rose Injury: Bulls PG Should Regret Gutting Through Lingering Toe Injury

Chicago Bulls superstar point guard and reigning NBA MVP Derrick Rose has missed the team's past two games with a turf toe injury.

According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, Rose sat out the Bulls' shootaround this morning at Quicken Loans Arena, and although he remains a game-time decision to play against the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight, his prospects don't look good.

What It Means

Turf-toe injuries tend to linger, so Rose made a poor decision playing in two games last weekend against the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors. Johnson said that Rose had a "little regret" that he played in those games, and I think that's a reasonable feeling to have.

Perhaps missing a game against a beatable team like Cleveland won't affect the Bulls much, but playing through the injury rather than simply resting it could have long-term implications. Rose even admitted that the injury is worse than the one he suffered in his second NBA season.

"

Injuries are going to happen. That's why I always get treatment. This is worse than my second season. That season, I just played through it but it wasn't that bad. Not being able to bend my toe in three years and somebody just forced their weight on my toe, it definitely hurt it.

"

What's Next?

Rose is going to try to warm up to see if he can give it a go against the Cavs, but that isn't likely to happen, especially since he's still wearing a walking boot. Unfortunately for Rose and the 13-3 Bulls, the condensed schedule doesn't allow for much rest time without missing games.

After tonight's game the Bulls have games on Saturday and every other day next week. Chicago has a fairly easy three-game stretch coming up with Cleveland tonight, followed by the Charlotte Bobcats and New Jersey Nets. With that in mind, there's no reason to force Rose into action.

Chicago shouldn't have much of an issue winning those three games, even with Rose in street clothes. Had Rose sat out against Boston and Toronto there's certainly no guarantee that he would be properly healed by now, but he would obviously be further along on the road to recovery.

The Bulls have to get their priorities straight, and if the top goal is to win the NBA Championship, then they need to rest Rose as long as possible. Chicago has already built an excellent record so it can afford to let Rose take his time. The last thing the Bulls need is Rose rushing back aggravating the injury yet again.