A pending return, a new sneaker debut, questions surrounding a timetable for his comeback...these are busy days for Derrick Rose.
As the Chicago Bulls superstar point guard continues to get in shape for his return from ACL surgery in the spring, Bulls officials are still being cautious and aren't rushing Rose back to the court before he's ready anytime soon.
Rose, who has been taking part in limited practice again, and has been cleared to start cutting on his knee, hasn't been involved in full contact practice yet, the action of which simulates live NBA action. Once Rose crosses that threshold, then the Bulls staff will decide whether he's ready to return to action.
But not before, Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau clarified.
"We're not worried about that," Thibodeau said. "There's constant communication between Derrick and the doctors. It's not going to be a problem.
"(Rose is) very coachable, in all areas. There's high maintenance, low maintenance and no maintenance. He's no maintenance. Whatever you ask him to do he does."
As the Bulls are limiting the amount of contact scrimmages they do because of their schedule, Thibodeau said that Rose will probably get extended practice time once he can go full contact.
"We'll do it pre-practice, post-practice, and there are parts of practice where there is contact but it's not extended right now," Thibodeau said of the strategy. "We're practicing less time."
In the meantime, while Rose might not be ready to return full time to the court, his latest shoe from Adidas is ready to hit the market.
The new sneaker, called the D Rose 3.5, is set to debut on Jan. 31 at adidas.com.
The shoe, featuring new cutting-edge technology from the shoe company called SPRINTWEB, was designed to be able to withstand changes in acceleration, explosiveness and directions in extreme fashion, friendly to the way that the energetic, hard-cutting Rose plays on the court.
But the shoe will also feature a very personal touch for Rose, who was born on the south side of Chicago, with its new D Rose logo featuring a spiraling from the emblem that symbolizes how much the superstar's success on the court and in his life have grown because of his family. A graphic with the words "Rooted in Chcago" are also featured on the tongue.