Derrick Rose reveals a bone spur in his left ankle that could require surgery

Derrick Rose began the process of rejoining the Cleveland Cavaliers after taking a personal leave of absence from the team two weeks ago. But on Friday, Rose revealed he has a bone spur in his left ankle, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. He acknowledged surgery may be necessary if his foot does not rehab correctly on its own.

Rose flew into Cleveland on Monday morning and will meet with Cleveland front-office officials. During his absence, Rose had been “seriously re-evaluating his future in the NBA.” Rose hasn’t played for the Cavaliers since Nov. 7 due to a left ankle sprain.

Rose reportedly had positive communication with the team during his absence.

Cleveland has won 10 of the 11 games since Rose last played, including 10 straight. Jose Calderon has filled in as the team’s de facto point guard, mostly playing at the start of both halves. With the team’s win streak, even if Rose is healthy, it would be unlikely to see him supplant Calderon in the immediate future.

Rose’s career is a sad one. Since his 2012 ACL tear, Rose has dealt with constant injuries that have robbed him of his MVP form and athleticism. The 29-year-old was reportedly dealing with the mental trauma of yet another injury rehabilitation.

Cleveland has been supportive of Rose during his absence. In particular, LeBron James said Rose didn’t owe the franchise anything during his absence.

“Whenever he’s ready to tell us or whatever, we’re ready for that,” James told reporters. “You don’t ever fast-track someone’s process of what they may be going through. When they’re ready to talk about it or ready to bring it to the forefront, as his teammates, we’ll be ready for it.”

It would be hard to thrust Rose right back into the rotation when they’ve won 10 straight games. It’s possible that the Cavaliers could find a positive role for Rose, but it would likely be a limited one. Because Rose can’t shoot (he’s hitting 23 percent of his three-pointers) and doesn’t play good defense, he has to be a ball-dominant creator while on the floor to be effective.

Once Isaiah Thomas returns, it’s hard to see Rose playing much at all. Rose’s other problem is his redundancy with Dwyane Wade, another scoring guard who doesn’t space the floor well and isn’t a great defender.

Still, everyone should be rooting for Rose’s health and mental well-being. In that sense, it’s a great sign that he feels comfortable enough returning to the league. Rose is still only 29 years old, and it would be sad to see his career end like this.