Standout Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose will have knee surgery on Monday and could be sidelined for the rest of the season if he decides to have his torn right meniscus reattached.
Rose tore the ligament against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday and the timetable for his return will be known once he decides how he wants the knee to be fixed, said Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Some athletes are sidelined for only a few weeks after surgery on medial meniscus tears, without the ligament being reattached, while others can be out for several months.
"We're hoping for the best," Thibodeau told reporters on Sunday before the Bulls' game against the hosting Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center.
"We of course feel very badly for Derrick. I talked to him at length (on Saturday) night. He's in good spirits, about as well as can be expected under the circumstances.
"And he's already thinking about his rehab. Typical Derrick, he's concerned about his team, his team mates. We expect him to make a full recovery. It's another bump in the road. He'll get past it."
Rose, the 2011 NBA most valuable player, missed all of last season while recovering from a ligament tear in his left knee during the 2012 playoffs.
The 25-year-old had started 10 of Chicago's 11 games during this campaign, averaging 15.9 points and 4.3 assists, before tearing cartilage in his right knee inPortland.
"I think we have an understanding of what we need to do," Thibodeau said of the task now facing the 6-5 Bulls in the absence of their star player. "That being said, we can't feel sorry for ourselves.
"We're the Chicago Bulls. We have one goal and that's to win. I believe we have the personnel in that locker room to get it done. We have to circle the wagons, and then get out there and get the job done."
Kirk Hinrich took Rose's spot in the Bulls' starting lineup as point guard against the Clippers on Sunday, and Thibodeau said second-year pro Marquis Teague would act as Hinrich's backup.
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