Derrick Rose has been known more for his comebacks than his actual performances on the floor over the past three seasons, when he has logged a mere 56 games combined due to an assortment of knee injuries.
Barring a setback, the Rose 3.0 will be on full display Wednesday night when the Chicago Bulls play the Magic in Orlando on national TV.
Well, maybe not full display. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters Wednesday that, if he makes it through shootaround with no complications, Rose would play about 20 minutes in his return from surgery to remove a portion of the meniscus in his right knee.
The original timetable for Rose's return was 4-6 weeks, and his latest comeback Wednesday night would put him a couple of days ahead of the worst-case scenario. The procedure was minor compared to a repair of the right knee meniscus he underwent last season, causing him to miss all but 10 games.
Of course, no procedure on any body part belonging to the 2010-11 MVP can be characterized as minor at this point. His latest recovery gives him five regular season games to get his conditioning and rhythm back before the postseason begins.
The Bulls were 10-10 during Rose's latest absence and find themselves in a tight struggle to hang onto the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. With five to play, the Bulls have a one-game lead on Toronto and a two-game lead on Washington for the third spot, which would give them a first-round matchup against Milwaukee.
But the Bulls of this era were not built to celebrate No. 3 seeds and first-round playoff appearances. They were built to win championships, which they have not done since Michael Jordan last laced up his Nikes. If whole and healthy, the Bulls are a clear wild card in the Eastern Conference playoffs -- a team that is fully capable of taking down LeBron James and the Cavaliers if everything breaks just right.
Everything, that is, excluding body parts.
The Bulls' problem is that they are rarely, if ever, whole and healthy. In addition to the ongoing Rose saga, they've been without Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, Jimmy Butler and Kirk Hinrich for various stretches this season. And the mounting injuries and ensuing minutes limits when players return have only placed further strain on the already tenuous relationship between Thibodeau and the front office. A league source told CBSSports.com that Thibodeau has grown increasingly frustrated with management's involvement with the handling of injuries and return-to-play protocols, which he believes should be the coach's domain.
As for Rose, all he can control now is fitting in again with his team, getting his wind back and establishing some kind of foundation for what could be a long playoff run or an early exit, depending on how effective he is.
In the top-heavy East, there's no team with a bigger upside or more treacherous downside than the Bulls. And once again, most of it rests on the talented, if fragile body of Derrick Rose.
