Fred Hoiberg initially had no timetable for Derrick Rose’s return, after the point guard underwent successful surgery to repair a left orbital fracture Wednesday morning.
It was later revealed in the day that he was expected back in two weeks.
But as the first-year Bulls coach could soon be learning, timetables and Rose never get along much anyways.
“Well, he’s still going to be here in practice, he’ll still be learning,’’ Hoiberg said of what he deemed a minor setback compared to what Rose has been through since 2012. “Hopefully it’s an injury that won’t keep him out too long. He’s in great shape. We don’t know how much he’ll be able to do even when he’s in his recovery mode, but he’ll still be here learning.
“So we’ll go as expected, as far as putting our stuff in. We added a few new ones in his absence [Wednesday morning], and again, guys seem to be picking up things very well.’’
Which means the Bulls are again simply moving on without the so-called face of the franchise. They’re basically in midseason form.
“Yeah, again we’ll get a lot of guys a lot of reps at that position,’’ Hoiberg said of possible replacements. “Again, they are guys that have played in this league a long time. You know Aaron [Brooks], E’Twaun [Moore] and Kirk [Hinrich]. Jimmy [Butler] has obviously talked a lot about being a facilitator and being a guy with the ball, seeing some time with the ball in his hands. But there’s a lot of guys that can handle that until Derrick gets healthy.’’
Hoiberg did say that he spoke to Rose after the injury, and then again late Tuesday night via text, and that the guard’s “spirits were high.’’
Considering Rose has undergone three knee surgeries since the 2012 playoffs, the fact that he’s still positive was the best news as far as his new coach was concerned.
“You know in talking to Derrick [Tuesday] night, he’s still in great spirits,’’ Hoiberg said. “He had a really good day going until he took a really unfortunate elbow, so he’s still in a good place. The great thing is it’s not structural damage to keep him out. As soon as he’s healed, ready to go, he’ll be able to get back in there 100 percent.’’
