In his second game back from sitting out because of ankle issues, Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose scored 20 points and showed his explosiveness before leaving a game against the Toronto Raptors Thursday night with a tweak of his hamstring. Two major knee surgeries and multiple minor injuries early this season, not to mention his comments over his careful return, haven't sat well with some fans.
Joakim Noah tells everyone to ‘chill the F*** out’ over Derrick Rose’s injuries
Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose suffered a hamstring injury Thursday night against the Raptors, and afterword Joakim Noah expressed his disappointment about how his teammate is being portrayed.
Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Joakim Noah is a little tired of the backlash, and got it off his chest after the Bulls beat the Raptors, 100-93, Thursday, reports CBS Sports' James Herbert.
“Every time something happens to him, people act like it’s the end of the world,” Noah said. “And that’s f---ing so lame to me. Relax. Like, OK, he’s coming back from two crazy surgeries. Obviously we’re being conservative with him, and when things aren’t going right, he’s got to listen to his body more than anybody. So everybody needs to chill the f--- out. I mean, I’m sorry for cursing, but I’m really passionate. I don’t like to see him down. And he doesn’t say that he’s down, but I don’t like it when, like, people portray him and judge him. ‘Cause it’s not fair to him. It’s not.”
After the game, Rose told the media, including TNT’s Rachel Nichols, his hamstring tweak felt like a cramp. ESPN Chicago’s Nick Friedell even reported Rose didn’t think an MRI Friday morning would be necessary.
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The Bulls’ win over the now 7-2 Raptors certainly feeds into the expectations they’re for real, and considering it’s November, Noah has a very valid point.
Rose has missed four games during the Bulls’ 7-2 start, but in the five games he’s played so far has been close to his MVP self, averaging 18 points and 5.4 assists per game. If he continues to miss games at that pace, it seems Chicago will be well enough off in the Eastern Conference playoff picture even by playing its point guard conservatively.
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