Bo knows injuries...and in this case, former two-sports star Bo Jackson has some simple advice for Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose--don't rush back just to please the fans.
In the last few weeks, much ado has been made about Rose, who has publicly declared that he's still not ready to return from the ACL injury in his left knee that has kept him out of action for 10 months and counting.
And despite the insistence by Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau that Rose's absence won't be a crutch or excuse for the Bulls to not get the job done as they push for higher positioning in the playoffs, with the Bulls having lost six of their last 10 games, the pressure for the dynamic play of the only Chicago Bull to have won the NBA MVP award since Michael Jordan to come back to the court has been mounting.
Even so, Jackson, who came back from hip replacement surgery in 1993, has urged Rose to err on the side of caution. Jackson, after all, knows better than anyone how many hurdles are necessary to clear before an athlete coming back from major surgery can be 100 percent again.
"Derrick Rose or any athlete will get back on the playing field or on the court when he knows that he is ready," Jackson said Thursday. "I would say don't try to be Superman and try to please the public. Take your time, heal, come back and do what you have to because if something goes out again, guess what ..."
"The public is still going to be out there wanting more and more and more," he said. "Take care of yourself first. Take care of your family and then worry about what else is out there."
So far, Rose doesn't appear to be in any rush to come back until he is "110 percent" as he told USA Today in February. When asked about the chances that Rose could return this week, Thibodeau told ESPN Thursday that his star player was showing "daily improvement" but no date was set yet.
"I just go day by day. I just want him to continue to improve," Thibodeau said. "When he's ready, he's ready. His focus is on the rehab, the team is focused on their improvement and our opponent and then at some point hopefully he rejoins us."
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
