Derrick Rose Enjoying Time Sitting on Bench Cheering on Teammates, Still No Word on Return

Derrick Rose certainly is no Adrian Peterson.

Rose is nearly a year out from his May 2012 knee surgery to repair a torn ACL, and the Bulls point guard is taking his time getting back into the game. His teammates beat the Nets on Saturday night in Game 7, and Rose watched from the bench in street clothes.

The Bulls star has received his share of criticism for the pace of his return — especially in light of the fact that some of his teammates are playing through injury —  but Rose said he is unaware of that criticism as he doesn’t go online or watch TV.

“I haven’t had any pressure anywhere,” Rose said. “You hear stuff. People say stuff. I have a lot of people text me, asking if I’m doing all right because I guess they’re paying attention to what’s going on in social media.

“I’m far from it. I rarely watch games. If it’s not our game, I rarely watch it.”

Rose’s theory is that the longer he sits out, the healthier he will come back, and he plans to come back better than ever.

“Whenever I come back, I know I’m going to be way, way better,” Rose said. “Just having that time to relax and be patient and fully heal, that’s the big picture right now.”

The Bulls will match up next against the Miami Heat — most likely without Rose once again.