Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose may not be playing in the remaining games of the 2015 preseason and can also miss their 2015–16 regular season opener because of the swelling around his eye.
Rose suffered an orbital fracture during the Bulls' first practice held last Sept. 29 and went through surgery the following day.
After the medical procedure, Rose was expected to be back in action after two weeks; but due to the swelling, he will likely be out until they begin their new campaign on Oct. 27 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"They still want him to be a little bit careful with the swelling and making sure his vision is back to where it's supposed to be, back to where it was before he got hit, before they want him to get anything going on with his blood pressure spiking, is kind of how I understand it," new Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg explained following Tuesday's practice.
Hoiberg added, "He's probably at least a week away from that happening. And then hopefully it's full go from there to where we can get him into some contact drills, get him back running our offense and hopefully get him ready to play."
Rose's status for their season opener against Cleveland is still uncertain, according to Hoiberg who remains optimistic since the former Most Valuable Player (MVP) is making good progress and is "getting better."
Last season, the 27-year-old point guard played in 51 regular season games, his most since the 2010–11 season due to various injuries.
Rose averaged 17.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per contest to help Chicago reach the second-round of the playoffs only to be eliminated by the Cavs.
Now, as the new season opens, it seems like Rose will begin another year hurt, with Hoiberg considering not playing him for the first week of the 2015–16 season to prevent any issues.
Hoibert said that he is considering such so that the team could have Rose for the majority of the regular season and possibly the playoffs.
The Bulls head coach also preached cautiousness regarding Rose but said that if he is ready, together with the permission of trainers and doctors, they will be using him.
