Skip to content

Derrick Rose returns from illness Monday

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

It's a good thing for the Toronto Raptors that no Chicago Bulls player has ever played well with an illness.

Derrick Rose will return from a two-game absence due to an illness on Monday when the Bulls take on the Raptors, the second time this year the Raptors have been on the unfortunate end of Rose's game-by-game status.

And so continues Rose's up-and-down season where the injury gods just won't let him get some steady momentum going. Rose notoriously spent the first month of the season day-to-day, first with ankle issues and then with a hamstring injury. He had played 11 consecutive games before the illness knocked him out for two more last week.

In those 11 games, Rose had begun to pick up steam, averaging 16.3 points and five assists, though his shooting numbers still leave something to be desired. The Bulls have been 5.7 points per-100 possessions better with him out there, and the team's upside is substantially higher when he's in full gear.

With only Doug McDermott sidelined Monday, the Bulls have nearly a full squad as they look to make their second statement against the Raptors this year and make a further claim to Eastern Conference supremacy.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox