Derrick Rose Hopes To Play Limited Minutes In Bulls' Preseason Finale
(CBS) If all goes to plan, Bulls point guard Derrick Rose will play limited minutes in Friday's preseason finale against the Mavericks in Lincoln, Neb., as he continues his recovering from a left orbital fracture that continues to cause swelling around his eye.
Chicago hosts Cleveland and LeBron James in its season opener next Tuesday. At Thursday's practice, Rose took contact from teammates for the first time since suffering the injury on Sept. 29, the first day of practice. He had surgery the next day.
"It's reality," Rose said of possibly playing a bit Friday and then being ready to go Tuesday. "I'm improving. The eye itself, the swelling is going down. So it's just taking my time. Practice has been going well. I've been practicing pretty hard. If everything's all right tomorrow, I'm going to play a little bit."
After sitting out the first seven preseason games, Rose called his conditioning "pretty good." Rose is now donning a clear protective mask.
"The first day was the hardest," Rose said of how the mask affects him. "When I come out of the game, I take it off, but while I'm playing, I'm not focused on the game to even notice it. It shouldn't be a problem."
Rose isn't worried about taking contact as much as he is concerned about having full vision. He's still seeing double at times, which he called "kind of bad."
"I'm not worried about (going to the basket)," Rose said. "It's just catching the ball. Sometimes it's hard to get the perception on the ball and how fast it's going."
The Bulls had indicated that Rose would miss the entire preseason, but other than his double vision, Rose is feeling well and and has made it a goal to be ready for opening night.
"It's your showcase to show people what you've been doing the entire summer," Rose said. "So it's a big night. But at the time, if I feel like I can't go, there's no point in rushing it."
