For Chicago Bulls fans waiting patiently for superstar Derrick Rose to recover from his injury, the wait appears to be getting shorter.
Rose was reported by the Chicago Sun-Times on Tuesday as looking "well on his way to recovery" after participating in solo shooting drills with Bulls staffers.
As Seth Gruen of the Sun-Times reported, Rose first began working by shooting with a medicine ball--customary for Rose when he gets ready for game play--before he participated in a few stationary shooting drills and even took some turnaround jump shots.
"He looked to have good stability on the injured right knee and was able to turn on both legs," Gruen reported.
It has been reported earlier last week that Rose could return to practicing with the team by Christmas, although the team has been cautionary in setting any time tables for Rose's highly-anticipated return.
"I'm just glad he's doing good," Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich told the Sun-Times. "It seems like his spirits are up. No one wants to push him or anything...but I'm excited he's feeling better."
While Rose heals, Noah thriving on offensive end
One Bulls player who may be benefiting while Rose is recuperating is Joakim Noah. Chicago's outspoken power forward is averaging a respectable 13.6 points and 10.8 rebounds this season, but Noah has shown flashes of offensive potency.
Most recently, Noah put up a career-high 30 points and a grabbed a stunning 23 rebounds while blocking two shots and dishing six assists as he powered the Bulls to a 108-104 win over the Detroit Pistons on Dec. 7.
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has expressed confidence in Noah, but added that he needed to be consistent and continue growing every game in order to become a bigger offensive threat for the Bulls.
"It's in him," Thibodeau told ESPN of Noah. "It's in him. I think he's got to continue to push himself. I think he could do a lot better than he's doing right now. He's worked at his game, but there's things (in his game) I still think that he could get to that he hasn't gotten to yet."
Noah says he is in better shape than he has been in some time, which could be a factor as to why his offensive game has been improving, averaging 16.6 points in the last three games.
"To be honest with you, I don't think that my game has changed that much," he said after the win over the Pistons. "I'm just more comfortable knowing where I can be effective, how to get my hooks off and I feel a lot more comfortable shooting the ball too. So I'm just more comfortable on the court and I work hard on my game."
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