When superstar point guard Derrick Rose crumpled to the floor during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series between the Chicago Bulls and the Philadelphia 76ers, plenty of people had questions and concerns about whether a heavy minute load led to Rose's torn ACL. Head coach Tom Thibodeau recently joined "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on ESPN 1000, and aside from noting that Rose is "doing great" in his rehab and saying the former MVP is approaching rehab workouts with the same focus he used on games and practices, Thibs also address the issue of Rose's minutes during the season:
"I look at it overall and when you look at the season, Derrick played about 1,300 minutes this year. When you look at where it ranks in the league for a player of his caliber it's really low. I think in overall minutes he was like 154th in the league (165th with 1,375). I think in minutes per game it was 28th or 30th, somewhere in that area (actually he was tied for 23rd at 37.0). I think it was unfortunate. It was one of those years where he had a lot of different injuries."
"I don't look back and regret that. I think it's unfortunate, it happened and you just have to move on."
Rose missed 27 of Chicago's 66 regular season games with an array of injuries, and now he is on the long road back to the court. Optimistic reports put Rose's return 6-9 months away, while more conservative estimates have him out for 8-12 months and then still needing time to get back up to his elite level.
For more, stick with SB Nation Chicago. For more on the Bulls, head over to Blog a Bull. Additional news, notes and analysis from around the NBA, visit SB Nation's NBA news hub.