The Chicago Bulls suffered a bit of a scare on Monday night, as point guard Derrick Rose went down with an apparent hamstring injury and while the issue was called minor, the problem could linger later on this season as Rose continues to return from ACL surgery that kept him out all last year.
The Bulls won on Monday night to get back on track with a victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the injury to Rose dominated the headlines after and he was replaced during the game by coach Tom Thibodeau with Kirk Hinrich. According to ESPN.com, the injury was called minor after the game and as long as it isn't serious, chances are that Rose will not miss time and the Bulls need him, as they are chasing the now 8-0 Indiana Pacers in the central division after the team defeated the Memphis Grizzlies at home and now the team remains the only undefeated team in the league.
Rose was injured late in the game on a layup while driving to the rim and said that he didn't remember when it kicked in, but that it happened when he came down from the rim. Rose said he doesn't expect to miss time with the injury and that he will be reevaluated later in the week to see if there are any lingering issues. The team has a nice break before playing on Friday against the Raptors and Rose added that he knew it was a hamstring issue and not his ACL. Rose has not been too sharp since coming back, but that was to be expected and Rose said that it was the first time he came down with a hamstring injury.
The Bulls needed the win on Monday to get back to .500 at 3-3 and now they are getting ready for a game against the Raptors on Friday. The team is already four games behind the Pacers in the division and that will be a lot to overcome, but the team will have a chance later in the month when they play the team next weekend. The team has not been scoring enough this season, averaging just over 90 points, while the defense has been stellar, ranking second in the league. The team is in the top 10 in rebounding and assists and they will need to continue playing well and hope that Rose can remain healthy for the long haul of the season.
The Pacers remain undefeated after defeating the Grizzlies by nearly 20 points at home and they will face the Bucks next as they try to remain undefeated. The team ranked 23rd in scoring, but they are first in defensive scoring and that has been a big boost and they now have a nice cushion in the division and are looking like the best team in the east currently.
