D-Rose Says He's Not Coming Back Unless He's 110% And I'm Totally Fine With That

(Source) Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose said Monday that he’s “far away” from returning from ACL surgery, and he vowed he won’t return until he’s “110 percent.”

Rose’s rehab has progressed to the point that he’s taking full contact, and although some have speculated he’ll return shortly after the All-Star break, Rose was more cautious.

“I don’t have a set date,” Rose told USA TODAY Sports. “I’m not coming back until I’m 110 percent. Who knows when that can be? It can be within a couple of weeks. It could be next year. It could be any day. It could be any time. It’s just that I’m not coming back until I’m ready.”

Asked how close he is to 110 percent, Rose estimated “in the high 80s.”

One source told ESPNChicago.com’s Scott Powers that the chances of Rose playing this season are “50-50.”

“You’re not jeopardizing winning a championship, but you’re jeopardizing Derrick’s career if he plays and gets hurt again,” the source said. “A lot of people are seeing him doing 1-on-1 or 2-on-2, but he’s not ready. He’s not 100 percent yet.

If you had told me two months ago that D-Rose wouldn’t be back this year I would have been pissed. My answer would have been, he should play when he’s ready, why bench him for the year if he’s ready to come back? But then you know what happened? I saw Iman Shumpert play basketball. I saw Ricky Rubio play basketball. I realized that not everyone is Adrian Peterson (does steroids) and can bounce back to 100% in under a year. So yeah, I understand this. D-Rose won’t be D-Rose this year. I know it, you know it, and we all know it. So if it makes more sense to shut him down and think long term I understand. I hate it and wish he could be back on the court tomorrow and I don’t agree with the assessment that the Bulls have no chance this year, but I understand the decision.

Gun to my head? I still think he’s back this year. I think this was just a move to temper the hype and readjust expectations. Which makes sense. He will physically be back on the court but he’ll still be far away from being 100% of the player he was pre-injury.