NBA: Rose down, again

Bulls' future uncertain as franchise star gets set for another knee operation

The nightmare has returned for Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls.

The news of Rose's meniscus tear hit hard within the organisation for a multitude reasons.

But the overall feeling from many team personnel was disbelief and sadness.

Former NBA MVP Rose, who has already undergone two knee operations, will undergo more surgery to repair a torn meniscus on his right knee.

In a statement issued late Tuesday night, the Bulls said: "An exam and subsequent MRI confirmed a medial meniscus tear of the right knee."

The club added that a timeline for recovery would be determined after the surgery.

It will be the third operation in three years for Rose, who missed the entire 2012-13 season recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee. Rose suffered that injury in game one of the Bulls' play-off series against Philadelphia.

The franchise star made a long-awaited return to the Bulls last season, but had it cut short after just 10 games after tearing the meniscus in his right knee.

Three-time all-star Rose has appeared in 46 of Chicago's 57 games this season and, with some new pieces added to the roster, many had predicted a charge to the championship.

Now, Rose's immediate future is up in the air, and there's a chance he could miss the rest of the season recovering from the injury.

And the Bulls, with a 36-21 record and sitting in third place in the East, still have a season to play.

But a team that once had championship aspirations are now once again searching for answers at the point guard position, unsure of what the future holds with their former MVP once again on the sideline.

Rose, who averaged 18.4 points, 5.0 assists and 3.1 rebounds this season, told the team earlier he was experiencing pain in the surgically repaired knee, and an MRI taken afterwards revealed the tear

This article was first published on Feb 26, 2015.
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