Derrick Rose Update: Coach Tom Thibodeau Says Star Ready To Play

Derrick Rose is back to the athletic, explosive form that once made him the league’s youngest MVP in history, Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau gleefully pronounced this week.

“It was great,” Thibodeau told ESPN. “I worked him out about a week ago. Watching the way he’s moving now, there’s a confidence. I think he's there now. He feels great, and that's the most important thing."

Rose somewhat shocked the hoops universe and saddened Bulls fans far and wide this season when, after being medically cleared to play, he elected to sit out the entire season in rehabbing the torn ACL he suffered in the team’s first playoff game last year.

“The kid was being totally honest," Thibodeau told ESPN of Rose’s decision and ongoing dialogue with team officials. "At the end of the day, you have to respect that. He wanted to be out there very badly. But no one knew when he would be ready, including him. It was a smart decision to wait. If you're not quite sure, and you're going to err, err on the side of caution. That's what he did. And now he feels great."

And so do the Bulls, as they eagerly prepare for next season. Thibodeau added Rose is now running, lifting and shooting. “His day is full,” he said.

While management chose to cloak most developments related to their star guard in deep secrecy most of last season, Thibodeau now seems to feel the need to be more forthcoming.

“He was practicing and he was good sometimes,” he told ESPN of Rose’s attempts to bounce back during the year. “But he also wasn’t able to make the kinds of plays he likes to make. No one is more explosive and can change direction like him. He had to be capable of doing that. That’s what makes him so unique, how quick and explosive he is.”

Thibodeau said Rose plans to leave Chicago in about a week to embark an even more rigorous schedule with his L.A. based trainer.

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