Chicago Bulls’ Key Players Progressing In Rehab
Three of the Chicago Bulls’ key players are out with injuries, making the end stretch of this season difficult. Those three, however, are progressing in their rehab, and are getting ready to return and help the team make a true playoff run.
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The Chicago Bulls are struggling a bit without their best players. Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson are out because of injuries, and after winning a couple of games, the Bulls are in the middle of a slump, losing three out of their last four games.
After a couple of weeks, these players are progressing from their injuries, hoping to get on the court sooner than later to help the Bulls make a true playoff run, and not just get some moral victories.
Let’s see how these players are doing:
Taj Gibson
Gibson has been out with a sprained ankle since February 27. It is the same ankle he’s had problems with over the last several seasons.
Gibson is out of the walking boot he had, and is participating in walk-throughs at practice. He is optimistic on returning soon, but is cautious. “I’m making progress but this one is tough, re-injuring the same one. I gotta be smart because it’s a lot more painful than (the) first one,” he said.
Jimmy Butler
Butler is recovering from a left elbow strain suffered on March 1, and was expected to miss three to six weeks. The Bulls are confident he may return sooner.
Butler has started to practice with the team, lending to the idea that he may return earlier than the original prognosis. It is important, though, that Butler not rush back. There is still time for him to recover.
Derrick Rose
Coach Tom Thibodeau says Rose is entering the next phase of his rehab. “The initial week is getting the swelling [out],” Thibodeau said before Wednesday’s shootaround. “Range of motion stuff, and now he’ll ramp it up a little bit — he can shoot, spot shoot.”
Chicago Bulls
Rose spoke to the media on Monday, and while he did not explicitly guarantee a return this season, he sounded confident that he would return this season.
It appears, however, that most in the media are looking for Rose to say outright that he will return. “I think oftentimes people try to read too much into it,” Thibodeau said. “He’s doing fine, he’s on schedule. If everything goes well, it should work out fine and that’s basically what he’s trying to say. The guy’s been through a lot, you just got to let him work his way through it.”
Rose was taking shots before Monday’s game. Unlike Butler and Gibson, Rose did not travel with the team, opting instead to stay in Chicago. He is on target, and says “Whenever I’m ready to come back, I’ll come back,”
The schedule for the Bulls down the stretch will be kind. They have 16 games remaining, and only five against teams with winning records. Two of those five games are against the Toronto Raptors, who are in the middle of a horrible stretch, losing nine of their last ten games.
That isn’t to say things will be smooth sailing. When three of your best players (and two of your top scorers) are out, no game is a gimme. The Bulls could keep their heads above water until the three amigos return. Then, when they do return, Bulls fans can expect more than just moral victories come playoff time.