CHICAGO — Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose says he's still recovering from knee surgery and vows to show sitting out last season was the right decision.
In an interview posted Wednesday on the team's website, Rose said he had to be selfish in his rehab as he tried to work his way back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee even though sitting out was "one of the hardest things I've had to go through in my life."
"I'm not a selfish guy at all, but having this injury and going through what I had to go through and being smart, it's something that I had to be selfish with," he said. "I couldn't worry about anyone else but myself and my health."
He thinks fans who questioned him will realize sitting out was the right call once they see him playing again.
"I think me going on the court and showing them and letting them know it was the right decision," he said.
Rose hasn't played since he crumbled to the court near the end of the 2012 playoff opener against Philadelphia, sending the top-seeded Bulls to a first-round exit. He had surgery on May 12 that year, and his doctor said the recovery would probably take about eight to 12 months — the final stage being playing in games.
Rose practiced without restrictions the last few months of the season but never suited up for a game even though he had medical clearance. He and the Bulls never publicly ruled out a return, either.
Without him, Chicago clawed its way to 45 wins and knocked out the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the playoffs before bowing out to the champion Miami Heat. They were particularly banged up during the postseason, with players fighting through injuries and illnesses and Rose serving as a spectator.
