Derrick Rose injury: Bulls star out for season with torn meniscus

Rose isn’t willing to rule himself out of returning this season if the Bulls make it to the playoffs.

Rose was ruled out for the season by the Bulls after undergoing surgery to reattach a torn meniscus in his right knee. He said the most painful part was that the injury came after he began to find a rhythm this season, the first time he’s felt good about his play since an ACL tear took the 2012-13 season from him.

The recovery period extends into the offseason — or at least deep into the NBA postseason — because Rose opted to undergo reattachment rather than having the meniscus removed. The latter procedure would have meant he could return sooner, but at 25 years old, the reattachment means he does not risk potential knee troubles resulting from the surgery down the road. Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade told ESPN this year that he regretted a removal of his meniscus more than a decade ago, and said it has caused him to have nagging knee issues as an older player.

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Instead, Rose seems to be leaning toward having the meniscus reattached, which could potentially end his season, sources told Johnson.

For Rose to return in six months, the Bulls would need to remain alive in the playoffs until mid-May, which is around the time of the conference finals.

Re-attaching the meniscus could jeopardize the remainder Rose’s 2013-2014 season but could elongate his career. Expect another update in the next 48 hours on the nature of the surgery.

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Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade opened up about his own meniscus surgery from more than a decade ago, noting that removing the meniscus eventually caught up to him in recent years, according to ESPN.

Such a lack of clarity seems fit for a meniscus tear, an injury that in recent memory has had various degrees of impact to different NBA players.