CHICAGO — Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose faces a recovery of eight months to a year from knee surgery.
The assessment by Dr. Brian Cole on Tuesday means the star point guard could return around mid-January to early February or miss next season. The doctor added there is a chance Rose could be back sooner, but “we’re not going to rush it.”
The Bulls had already said Rose has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Cole said there were also two tears in his meniscus cartilage.
He said Rose is “doing great,” that the surgery went “extremely well” and he can still be an explosive player.
“It’s impossible to predict tomorrow,” Cole said. “Statistically, he should be that player and then some. That doesn’t mean he’s guaranteed.”
Mavs, Carlisle agree on new contract
DALLAS — Coach Rick Carlisle has agreed to a new contract with the Dallas Mavericks.
The new deal Tuesday comes a year after Carlisle led the Mavericks to their only NBA championship. Terms were not disclosed.
Carlisle just completed the final season of his initial four-year contract with Dallas. The Mavericks made the playoffs for the 12th straight season but were swept in the first round of the playoffs by Oklahoma City.
Carlisle has a 198-114 regular season record in Dallas. He is 479-325 overall as a head coach with Detroit, Indiana and Dallas.
Kyrie Irving named NBA’s top rookie
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving is the NBA’s Rookie of the Year, winning the award with the same ease as he dribbled past defenders this season.
Irving received 117 of 120 possible first-place votes from a nationwide media panel of 120 writers and broadcasters. Irving finished with 592 points, way ahead of Minnesota’s Ricky Rubio (170) and Denver’s Kenneth Faried (129), who was third.
