Derrick Rose injury: Second half return probable, according to Tom Thibodeau

Seven months removed from tearing his ACL in a playoff game, Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose remains on schedule to return in the second half of the year according to head coach Tom Thibodeau.

Thibodeau went on ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike In The Morning" on Thursday to talk about his talented point guard's rehab, and offered up rather promising news for the organization to look forward to. Despite having surgery on his knee on May 12, the former MVP winner is working as hard as ever to get back to the court.

"He's right on schedule," Thibodeau said, reported by ESPNChicago.com. "He's doing a lot, but he hasn't done anything with contact. So we're going to go step by step. First he has to get into practice and he has to practice well for a while. Hopefully at some point during the second half of the season he'll rejoin us."

Lucky to be clinging to a lead in the Central Division despite Rose's injury, the Bulls have been able to pick up strong backcourt contributions from the duo of Nate Robinson and Marco Belinelli in the meantime. Rose began cutting on his knee more than a month ago, and definitely sounds like a solid bet to return to action in the spring barring a setback.