Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau has revealed that Derrick Rose is in "good spirits" after starting his rehabilitation from knee surgery.
Rose underwent a meniscectomy to repair a torn medial meniscus in his right knee, and has started to rebuild his strength in preparation for a potential return to the court later in the season.
The 26-year-old has been plagued with injuries over the past few years, tearing his ACL in 2012 and sustaining a torn meniscus a year later, but Thibodeau feels that his past experiences will help the point guard in his recovery.
He told reporters: "He's good. He came in, started his rehab, it's good. It's just the initial steps but we're cautiously optimistic, he's in good spirits. He's on it, so it's good.
"It's mapped out with the medical people. The one thing about Derrick is he's been through a few of them. He'll follow the plan and hopefully everything goes fine.
"He's been through two tough ones. I think he's gained confidence from that. The ACL knee is great and he knew [a re-tear] was a possibility going in. He's in a good place and he'll deal with it. He'll get past this."
Rose is averaging 18.4 points per game for the Bulls this season.
Simon Sinclair
