Derrick Rose Starts vs. Magic

"I've been putting a lot of work in, busting my ass to get back," Rose said before shoot-around Wednesday morning. "I'm just happy that I’m able to come back to a team where I think we're playing all right basketball. I think defensively we're playing good. Offensively, I shouldn't have to worry about it, just come back and play the way I normally play."

Image Credit: Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

The original timetable for Rose's return was 4-6 weeks, and his latest comeback Wednesday night would put him a couple of days ahead of the worst-case scenario. The procedure was minor compared to a repair of the right knee meniscus he underwent last season, causing him to miss all but 10 games.

Of course, no procedure on any body part belonging to the 2010-11 MVP can be characterized as minor at this point. His latest recovery gives him five regular season games to get his conditioning and rhythm back before the postseason begins.

The Bulls were 10-10 during Rose's latest absence and find themselves in a tight struggle to hang onto the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. With five to play, the Bulls have a one-game lead on Toronto and a two-game lead on Washington for the third spot, which would give them a first-round matchup against Milwaukee.

The Bulls are 15-4 when using their regular starting lineup this season.

Thibodeau downplayed expectations for Rose. The Bulls went 10-10 in his absence.

“Him just being there is a plus for our team,” Thibodeau said. “I'm not expecting him to play 35 minutes, score 30 points. Play to your strengths, cover up your weaknesses, make your teammates better. That's all I want him to do.”

The Bulls own a one-game lead over the Raptors for the East’s third seed, though the Raptors hold the tiebreaker. Kirk Hinrich, who has missed two games with a hyperextended left knee, also will play.

Christine O'Connor

@christineeeeO

Is Derek Rose Career Over?

Just as the Chicago Bulls were primed to make a push for the NBA playoffs as one of the Eastern Conference’s main contenders, Derrick Rose’s knee has become a stumbling block. Again.

Image Credit: HuffingtonPost.com

Despite his supreme talent, athleticism and agility, Derrick Rose hasn't had the greatest fortune utilizing his abilities over the past three years due to injury. With two surgeries in two years, Rose had attempted to make yet another comeback this season. However Rose suffered a tear of the medial meniscus in his right knee—another devastating blow to what has been an up-and-down career. 

It will be Rose's third knee surgery since 2012, starting when he went down with an ACL tear in his left knee in the first game of that year's playoffs. He tore the meniscus in his right knee in Portland in November 2013 and missed the remainder of last season.

It will be impossible to trust his body anymore. You could use his knees of clay as skeet-shooting targets. Even before Tuesday’s news of a planned third surgery landed with a mushroom cloud, whatever trust there might have been was hanging by a few strands of ligament and cartilage.

After missing eight of 15 games in November, he had played 46 games this season, his most since suiting up for 81 in his MVP season in 2010-11. He hadn't missed a game since Jan. 10, a stretch of 19 straight. His minutes restrictions were over.

No timeline has been determined for Rose's recovery from the procedure, which has yet to be scheduled.

Christine O'Connor

@christineeeeO

The State of the NBA and Potential Playoff Changes

By now it's not exactly a major news flash that the Eastern Conference isn't anywhere near as deep as the Western Conference.

The Nets and Miami Heat, who would both be in the playoffs if they started today with records way below .500, wouldn't be the worst teams in NBA history to make the postseason. Chicago, San Antonio and Boston have all had teams that, when combining regular-season and postseason records, have had teams make the playoffs with winning percentages of .419 or less twice.

And the Bulls, Spurs and Celtics franchises are basketball royalty.But even they have experienced bad times.

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One of the ideas that has been talked about -- and will likely one day happen, somehow -- is for the best 16 teams to make the playoffs, regardless of conference.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver joined the Golden State Warriors' broadcast Wednesday night when the Warriors beat the Dallas Mavericks. During the broadcast, Silver talked about the idea that so many fans and maybe players in the Western Conference have been dying to hear. The commissioner of the NBA is thinking about redesigning the NBA playoffs format to have the best teams in the postseason than just the top 8 from each conference.

Conference imbalance between the West and the East has been going on for over a decade now and it's left a good team or two in the West out of the playoffs while lesser teams in the East manage to get in.

So here's a look at what that playoff bracket would look like, if this season ended Sunday:

1. Golden State vs. 16. New Orleans.

2. Atlanta vs. 15. Phoenix.

3. Memphis vs. 14. Oklahoma City.

4. Houston vs. 13. Milwaukee.

5. Toronto vs. 12. Washington.

6. L.A. Clippers vs. 11. Cleveland.

7. Dallas vs. 10. San Antonio.

8. Portland vs. 9. Chicago.

Seriously, who wouldn't take that right now (except Miami and Brooklyn, who would fall off the postseason bracket in this system)?

Anthony Davis vs. the Splash Brothers in a first-round series. Chris Paul matching wits with LeBron James to open the playoffs (and everyone who follows college basketball's postseason knows an 11 seed has to beat a 6 seed every year). Bulls vs. Blazers, a rematch of NBA Finals past in an opening-round matchup.

New York Knicks: On their way to the worst season in franchise history, the Knicks will continue their attempt to win a game without Carmelo Anthony. New York is 0-15 without Anthony this season, and visits the Celtics on Wednesday, visits the Pistons on Friday and plays host to the Raptors on Saturday.

Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers: It's not too early for an NBA Finals preview. Golden State travels to Cleveland on Thursday night, a nationally televised game that will surely get tons of attention. Golden State won the season's first meeting last month by 18, though that was with LeBron James sitting out.

Oklahoma City Thunder: Oklahoma City has climbed back onto the Western Conference playoff bracket after its disastrous start, and now tries to stay there with Kevin Durant set to miss at least a week because of pain in his surgically repaired foot. The Thunder play four games this week, including a trip to Phoenix -- also jostling for that No. 8 spot out West -- on Thursday.

Atlanta Hawks: Atlanta sharpshooter Kyle Korver's chase of history continues. Only one player in NBA history has finished a full season shooting 50 percent from the field, 50 percent from 3-point range and 90 percent from the foul line, and that was Steve Kerr for the Bulls in 1995-96. Korver is currently at 50 percent from the field, 51 percent from 3-point range and 90 percent from the line.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Kevin Garnett puts a Minnesota uniform on again Wednesday, when the Timberwolves play host to Washington. Wind chills in Minneapolis on Wednesday night are expected to be below zero, and be assured that no one lucky enough to have tickets to this one will be deterred.

Christine O'Connor

@christineeeeO