Rose 'not concerned' about latest knee injury
MILWAUKEE — Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose left Tuesday night’s 106-101 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks late in the fourth quarter because of left patellar tendonitis.
“Just felt something with my left knee, like jumper’s knee or something like that,” Rose said after the game. “It just didn’t feel right while I was out there. Just got to be cautious with my body.”
Rose said an MRI on the knee has not been scheduled, and he didn’t seem too concerned about the injury after the game. Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg said Rose would be reevaluated Wednesday.
It is unclear exactly when Rose suffered the injury. He exited the game early in the third quarter and was checked out by Bulls trainer Jeff Tanaka. Tanaka worked on Rose’s left leg for a while, and then Rose rubbed a device along his leg in trying to get the muscles to loosen up.
Rose spent time during the first and second halves riding a stationary bike. He tried to come back into the game at the 5:48 mark of the fourth quarter but was moving gingerly. He was taken out after a few possessions and replaced by veteran Aaron Brooks. Rose was escorted back to the locker room area by Bulls head of security Eric Buck.
“I just remember at the half just feeling it,” Rose said. “Telling [Tanaka] when I came back out from half and actually just going through it and just being smart about it.”
Rose tore the ACL in his left knee during the first game of the Eastern Conference playoffs in April 2012. He missed three games two weeks ago because of a sore right knee and hamstring.
“I’m not concerned,” Rose said. “I’m not concerned but just trying to be smart. Coming into this year, I was trying to play in consistent games, see how many games I could play this entire year, and go from there.”
Rose’s injury is one of several issues the Bulls are dealing with.
Chicago swingman Jimmy Butler said after Tuesday’s game that he played through an ankle injury after tweaking it in the fourth quarter. He is hoping to play Thursday against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Veteran Pau Gasol suffered a strained right shoulder during Monday night’s loss to the Washington Wizards and said his Achillles tendons have been “bothering me a little lately.”
Hoiberg acknowledged Monday that the organization has had some discussions regarding whether to rest Rose or Gasol during the Bulls’ four-games-in-five-nights stretch. Gasol said he is hoping to play through the nagging injuries, but when asked whether he would play in Philadelphia, he was noncommittal.
“We’ll talk about it,” Gasol said. “I also have a couple things going on myself. But we’ll talk about it with the training staff and make a decision on it.”
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