Derrick Rose suffered a facial fracture on the first day of practice, needs yet another surgery
On Tuesday evening, it was reported that on the first practice of training camp, Derrick Rose took an elbow to the face and suffered a left orbital fracture. He will have to undergo surgery, and his timeline for return is unknown.
For Rose and the Bulls, this is brutal news.
Perhaps no other great athlete in recent history has suffered worse injury luck than Rose. After winning MVP at just 22 years old during the 2010-11 season, Rose tore his ACL in the 2011-12 playoffs and missed the entire next season. He tore the meniscus in his knee after just ten games in 2013-14 and missed the rest of the year. Last season, Rose had undergo another surgery on his meniscus, but returned late in the season and played well in the playoffs, where the Bulls were eliminated in the second round.
So, finally, Rose entered an offseason healthy, and with the Bulls keeping their roster together and hiring Fred Hoiberg as coach, there seemed to be good vibes around the team. Then this happens.
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports there's optimism within the Bulls that Rose will be back in time for the October 27 season-opener against the Cavaliers. Recovery times for players in recent years, as Johnson notes, have run from five days to nearly a month.
If there's reason to be encouraged for the Bulls, Russell Westbrook suffered a facial fracture last season, got surgery, and returned just four days later to have the best game of his career.
Nonetheless, Rose is likely going to miss almost all of training camp, which doesn't help the team's transition under Hoiberg. Aside from major surgeries, Rose has proven to be injury-prone in his limited action since 2011, and even if he returns in time for the season-opener, it, unfortunately, probably won't be the last time we learn Rose is going to miss some time.