Chicago Bulls' GM Gar Forman, Coach Thibodeau Claim D-Rose Could Return Thursday

Chicago Bulls fans received some of the best news they've heard all season: Derrick Rose is close to returning.

According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, the Bulls' general manager Gar Forman claimed that the star point guard's progress has been "encouraging." So much so that Forman has not ruled out Rose for Thursday's game against the Boston Celtics.

Unfortunately, Forman followed that up with a bit of ambiguity:

"

The encouraging thing about Derrick is he has never taken a step back. Obviously, the injury was pretty serious. Through the process, he has continued to make progress. [Tuesday] was his first day on the floor going full speed as far as a basketball workout — running, sliding, shooting. He was in a full lather for probably close to an hour. We'll see how he feels [Wednesday]. This was the next step. Hopefully, we'll have a resolution pretty soon.

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Regardless of when Rose returns, news of his proper recovery has to be music to Chicago's ears. The team is an underwhelming 10-6, highlighted by wins over the bottom of the league and blowout losses against equal competition. With Rose on the roster, the Bulls are 32-7.

ESPN's Nick Friedell confirmed this story. 

When asked if Rose had a chance of playing against Boston, Bulls' head coach Tom Thibodeau responded with a positive:

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Yeah, he does. But again, it's been great. He's been patient, he's done a great job with his rehab. Each day he's done more and more. He's feeling better and better, and so we'll see how he feels [Thursday]. He did quite a bit [Tuesday], and he did more today, so it's very encouraging, but we'll see where he is [Thursday].

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With two people of power each claiming Rose is close to returning, it's hard to feel anything but optimism in Chi-Town.