Derrick Rose to resume basketball activities in two weeks following facial surgery
Derrick Rose’s latest injury does not look to be a major one. The Chicago Bulls announced Wednesday that the 2012 NBA MVP had undergone successful surgery to repair the left orbital fracture he suffered after taking an elbow to the face in Tuesday morning practice. The team expects him to resume basketball activities in two weeks, which should have him back on the court with plenty of time to prepare for the regular season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 27.
[Follow Dunks Don’t Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball]
That timetable comes as very positive news for Rose and the Bulls. While orbital fractures rarely keep a basketball player out for more than a few weeks following surgery, Rose’s injury history has turned every report on his health into cause for concern. Rose, who turns 27 on Sunday, has played just 100 out of a possible 328 games in the last four seasons following several knee injuries, including a right meniscus tear that kept him out for six weeks late in the 2014-15 regular season.
[Yahoo Fantasy Basketball: Sign up for a league today]
While this relatively short recovery time is good news for Rose and the Bulls, the point guard still must navigate what has become a complicated and controversial preseason period. An ongoing civil suit related to an alleged sexual assault in 2013 continues to dominate headlines in the face of Rose’s insistence of his innocence, and media day comments regarding 2017 free agency have inspired an admittedly minor controversy. It’s not an ideal situation for a team looking to jell under new coach Fred Hoiberg.
Yet these issues would have become much more prominent if Rose were set to miss extended time. Rose being ready for opening night may only seem positive because it’s not a worst-case scenario, but the Bulls will take any good news they can get regarding their point guard right now.
– – – – – – –
Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
