Derrick Rose Injury Update: Bulls Star Now Taking Full Contact During Practice

Derrick Rose’s injury will soon be a thing of the past. The Chicago Bulls star, who is recovering from a torn ACL, has started taking full contact during practices.

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said:

“He’s full-contact, yeah … He can do all the cutting, he can do shooting, he can go off the dribble … So it’s just a matter of him getting acclimated to playing in a game situation. You have to understand that in practice you’re striving to get as close to a game-like intensity as you can, but you also have to understand that you’re not going to be able to get there, so that will be a whole different level. And we have to make sure that he’s ready to handle that intensity.”

Thibodeau has refused to set a return date for the former MVP but it looks like Rose is making steady progress and could be back in the lineup after the All-Star break.

The Bulls are being very cautious with Rose and have said repeatedly that their MVP will not return until he is 100% ready to go.

On monday, Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said:

“There’s no date. The doctors say that he’s doing everything that he’s supposed to be doing and there’s no specific date. He’s not going to come back until the doctors say unequivocally that he has no greater chance of getting hurt than any other player. If there’s any risk, he’s not coming back.”

Rose was injured during the first game of the playoffs last year against the 76ers. The Bulls have done an impressive job without their star in the lineup and currently sit in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 27-17 record.

Do you think Derrick Rose will return after the All-Star break?

[Image Via Flickr]