Whenever Derrick Rose gets back on the court he will be wearing a protective mask while his broken orbital bone continues to heal.
But when he is fully healthy, that may not be the end of the mask for Rose. Joe Cowley reports:
I hate getting my face touched so if it’s a thing where I come out and I’m hot, I’m feeling it, and we’re playing good, you might see it for the rest of my career,’’ Rose said. Yeah, I’m going to roll with it. Who knows? It could become an alter ego, who knows?’’
As any comic book fan knows, sometimes an alter ego can take over. If Rose does start his season hot, the mask may become a permanent fixture.
Rose wouldn’t be the first player recovering from a face injury to stick with the mask after healing. Rip Hamilton wore the mask for nearly a decade after repeatedly breaking his nose.
One day after being fitted for the mask, Rose participated in a shoot-around while wearing the mask. There is still no timetable for his return.