Speaking to reporters for the first time in about two months at a Bulls’ charity event, Rose acknowledged that he hasn’t started running yet, but is staying in good spirits.
“I haven’t even had a chance to think about it, to tell you the truth,” Rose said of a possible return this season. “I’m just worrying about my next stage in this process and that’s running right now. I’m on the Alter-G right now running on that and hopefully be running without it pretty soon.”
After having surgery in late November, Rose was ruled out for the rest of the season by the Bulls. In his initial news conference after the injury he said he wouldn’t rule out a possible return for the playoffs, but he seemed to back off those comments Tuesday night. When asked why he was keeping the door open on a return if the organization already ruled him out, Rose hinted that he was still a long way from playing in games.
“I’m not keeping it open,” he said. “I just said that right now I haven’t thought about it. I can’t think about it right now when I’m not running yet. When I get off the Alter-G, that’s when I can say if I’m coming back or not [this year].”