The Chicago Bulls are working to climb the ranks in the Eastern Conference in hopes of getting a better position for the playoffs. One thing they cannot afford is more injuries, as Joakim Noah, Jimmy Butler and Nikola Mirotic remain sidelined. The Bulls do not need Derrick Rose joining that list of players, so when the point guard was held out of Wednesday night's game against the Washington Wizards, there was cause for concern.
Rose was held out of Wednesday's game due to tendinitis in his right hamstring, according to ESPN's Nick Friedell. This is an issue that Rose has dealt with in the past, and while it has sidelined him for a game or two, it has never been overly serious. Rose stressed to the media that this time around is no different and he should be healthy soon.
"A little bit [Tuesday] after we practiced, while we were practicing," Rose said, via ESPN.com. "Then this morning, that's when I really felt it. I'm taking it one day at a time. Try not to risk it. That's what it's all about, just reading my body."
The Bulls are well aware of just how important Rose is to the team's quest of the playoffs. Head coach Fred Hoiberg defended the cautious approach to the hamstring injury, saying that the point guard will play when he is healthy but will not push himself to battle through something. Rose's status for Friday's game against the Atlanta Hawks is up in the air right now, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Hoiberg told the media that when Rose feels healthy, he will play again.
"Derrick knows his body, and with the hamstring the way it was, he came in and talked to me first, the symptoms and everything,'' Hoiberg said. "I was fully on board to take the cautious approach.''
The Bulls want Rose back in order for him to not lose the momentum he has gained recently. In the month of February, the point guard has been averaging 21.9 points while shooting 43.9 percent. He is on pace to play more games this year than he has in the past three seasons combined, which is good news for Bulls fans. Rose believes his ceiling this season will continue to get higher the healthier he stays.
"I just feel like I'm back," Rose said, via ESPN.com. "I'm just out there playing. Whatever I can do to get my team a victory, that's what I'm going to try to do."
