October 20th, 2009 
Stephen Rhodes 
Posted in 
To err on the side of caution is usually the route most NBA teams take with their star player(s), especially when it involves an injury this close to the regular season. The Chicago Bulls are no different in that respect as according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, it is possible that guard Derrick Rose may miss the team’s season opener on October 29 against the San Antonio Spurs.
What is making this decision difficult for team coach Vinny Del Negro is the healing time for an inflamed tendon behind Rose’s right ankle. Rose ran and shot jumpers for the second straight day on Monday and thinks that he is at around “80%” and has said that there’s no way that he would miss the team’s opener.
But it seems that Del Negro is sending mixed messages of sorts in reference to Rose’s ankle injury, stating:
“It’s an unusual injury. It’s a different injury. I want to make sure it’s healed up. He’s getting a little better every day. But I don’t want to bring him back and the next day he’s sore or the next day it’s re-injured. We want to heal it up.”
Time is running short as the Bulls have three practice days until Friday’s preseason finale against the Washington Wizards, so Rose’s health issues will need to be addressed by then as it may possibly determine any future team cuts between now and the regular season as all 32 NBA teams will have to be at the league-mandated 13-man roster.
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