Carmelo Anthony urges fans to ‘stop rushing’ Derrick Rose to return
New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony spoke out in support of Derrick Rose on Thursday, saying the injured Chicago Bulls star should not return to the court until he’s fully healed.
“I wish y’all would stop rushing Derrick back,” Anthony told reporters. “Please. He shouldn’t come back until he’s about 110 percent ready. I don’t think he should come back if he’s not ready to go out there and play.
“If he can’t compete at a high level, then what’s a couple more months going to do? What’s two more months going to do? I don’t think he should come back and that’s just my opinion.
“I really don’t know where he’s at with his rehab and stuff like that, but I feel bad for him because I know he’s got to deal with that every day, he’s got to deal with that question. And nobody really knows on the outside what he’s really going through, what his body is going through. So until he’s 100 percent right, I would hope he would sit out.”
Rose sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during last May’s playoff opener against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Rose was reportedly medically cleared to play in March, 10 months after suffering the injury, but he has chosen to delay his return until he had complete confidence in game situations.
Bulls Coach Tom Thibodeau said Thursday that there’s no set date for Rose to play.
“There’s no drop-dead date. That’s the thing,” Thibodeau told reporters. “Whenever he’s ready, he’s ready. We made that clear. That’s where it stands.”
The Bulls have secured a playoff spot and are currently in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with four games remaining in their season.
Rose is a three-time All Star and the 2011 NBA MVP, so the Bulls would certainly like to have him on the court as soon as possible, but Thibodeau maintains that they will not rush him.
“When a guy has an injury like that you have to be smart about it, you have to be patient, and you have to do what you think is right,” Thibodeau said.
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