Last year at this time Chicago Bulls fans were wondering why their MVP point guard wasn’t getting off the bench to try and help the Bulls advance in the playoffs.
This year they won’t have to worry about that, but it may be a good sign for next season that Derrick Rose is returning to the practice floor.
The Bulls made it known from the get go that Rose would be out for the rest of the season, but head coach Tom Thibodeau was always hopeful that Rose could return to the practice floor by the end of the season.
Apparently that is the case as Thibodeau said after Wednesday’s practice at the Berto Center that Rose has begun participating in non-contact drills.
“He’s moving along fine,” Thibodeau told K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. “He has picked it up a little bit. But there’s still no contact. He’s out for the year, but he’s doing well.”
Rose remains on target to participate in the July minicamp for USA Basketball, from which the World Cup roster will be selected. That squad will play in the FIBA World Cup of Basketball in Spain in September.
Given the fact that he has played in only 50 NBA games over the course of the past three seasons, Bulls fans will likely take any good news they can get at this point concerning Rose.