The Chicago Bulls will begin their 2015-16 campaign on Tuesday, October 27.
And they may not have Derrick Rose in the lineup.
Rose is still recovering from a fractured left orbital, and the timetable behind his return is not conducive to an opening night appearance. As Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters, per ESPN.com’s Nick Friedell, Rose will miss the rest of the preseason and, in all likelihood, opening night:
They still want him to be a little bit careful with the swelling and making sure his vision is back to where it’s supposed to be, back to where it was before he got hit, before they want him to get anything going on with his blood pressure spiking, is kind of how I understand it,” Hoiberg said. “So he’s probably at least a week away from that happening to where he’s able to get out and work up a sweat, and then hopefully it’s full go from there where we can get him back in some contact drills. Get him back out there running our offense and hopefully get him ready to play. So I think it’s still yet to be determined if we’re going to have him for the opener, but the good news is he’s progressing, he’s getting better, his vision’s getting better and hopefully we’ll get him back here soon.
Hoiberg would go on to point out that Rose hasn’t really done anything over the last two to three weeks, categorizing it as “total inactivity.” Even if Rose is medically cleared to run point by opening night, the Bulls may not want him to. He needs time to get his game legs under him after having missed the entire preseason. Throwing him to the wolves—in this case the Cleveland Cavaliers—as soon as he’s deemed able might not be the smartest idea.
It also runs parallel to how the Bulls have treated Rose’s injuries in the past. This one’s different, because it’s not as serious as any of the ACL/knee/leg injuries that he’s suffered over the last few years. But it’s still an injury. And Rose is still someone who has missed 212 of a possible 312 regular-season tilts since 2011-12. Exercising extreme caution, even too much caution, wouldn’t just be totally understandable, it’s expected; it’s needed.
No, the Bulls don’t have a viable option at point guard besides Rose. But 1) the Cavaliers will be without Irving on opening night, and 2) this has to be about the long haul, not just opening night, or the game after that, or the game after that.
Though much has been made about Rose’s diminished value to Chicago, he is still an important part of what the Bulls are trying to do. No-point-guard offenses, even ones as inevitably creative as Hoiberg’s, aren’t the toast of the NBA. The Bulls were still a net-positive with Rose on the floor last season, according to NBA.com, and he is still a former MVP who, judging by last year’s shot selection, is trying to adapt his game to meet the needs of his team, his body, and the direction of the NBA.
What I’m trying to say is: Don’t expect Rose to be ready for opening night.
Bask in the prospect of the Aaron Brooks-Mo Williams point guard battle that will, by default, ensue instead.
