Derrick Rose has played 10 games for the Knicks this season. He missed his eighth game in a row against the Sixers on Sunday evening.
The 32-year-old point guard did not play in March – because of the beautiful new sports term: ‘health and safety protocols’.
Finally back at the Knicks on Thursday, Rose put on shots two hours before the tip, then wore professor glasses as he sat on the bench in a white shirt for Thursday’s win over Orlando.
Under the NBA COVID-19 protocols, Rose has enough negative tests to be with the team.
According to NBA sources, Rose is in the final stages before being acquitted – he has to go through a series of workouts to make sure he can play it safe.
Last week, Thibodeau said that Rose “felt a lot better”.
The Knicks are not allowed to confirm that Rose was out for a positive test under HIPAA law. But Thibodeau’s comment recently suggested that Rose may have symptoms.
And that’s where this pandemic season is still scary and unpredictable. Scientists still don’t know the long-term effect of COVID-19 on professional athletes.
Dr. Marc Sala, a lung specialist for Northwestern University and his COVID-19 expert, told The Post that a professional athlete can still experience symptoms even after months of negative testing – let alone weeks.
Rose last played in Detroit on February 28. He was excluded from the March 2 game in San Antonio due to an inconclusive test.
“I’ve had people who were previously marathon runners and very physically functioning patients like an athlete who still have symptoms – 12 months later,” said Dr. Sala. “Breathlessness, inability to run again.”
It’s a virus we’ve never seen.
“Even after the acute viral infection is over, they can have very long-lasting symptoms, even after the virus clears,” Sala said. “We don’t know why and it’s a huge field of study right now.”
In the case of NBA players like Rose, Sala said the precautionary tests are done to check if there has been heart infection.
According to Sala, “the virus affects the heart, lungs, brain and kidneys.” Rose has likely undergone electrocardiograms and echocardiograms.
“When the heart is inflamed, activity on the heart is dangerous,” said Sala. “You’re conservative as far as you make an effort.”
Some Knicks fans are getting impatient, wondering why a Rose return is taking so long – like he’s dealing with a sprained right ankle.
Rose had false social media chatter in Chicago at a funeral for a friend. So it was rumored that he stayed off the team due to protocols. Others have pointed out that he went AWOL like during his first Knicks stint in 2016-17.
All, of course, blatantly incorrect. Rose has been in New York since she flew back with the team from San Antonio, when the team thought he was going to play the next game. All Rose needed was more negative tests.
But this is a season like no other and Rose is still out. Somehow, the Knicks survived their point guard shortage, which also left Elfrid Payton (hamstring), Immanuel Quickley (ankle) and Austin Rivers (paternity leave) missing.
“It’s extremely difficult,” said Julius Randle, who has played in all 42 games. ‘But as we have been saying all year, the next guy. That’s what we think. So the next guy to come up – guys did a good job in that role. Whatever we can do to achieve victory, regardless of the challenges we face. “
The Knicks are 3-4 since Rose retired due to COVID-19 issues. In his 10 games with the club, the Knicks are 7-3.
The Knicks are at their best with Payton as the starting point guard and Rose and Quickley as the backcourt tandem.
Payton and Quickley seem about to return. Rose too.
Mitchell Robinson, from the last 15 games with a broken hand, had a chance to return on Sunday night.
“It’s going to be a huge difference,” Randle said. “We’ll get back to work as soon as the guys get back in the line-up and get healthy and we have a full team. It’s going to be great. “
But as we all know, the still mysterious virus means that the only sure thing is that it is not certain. And we can only wish Rose the best of luck.
“We have no idea what the long-term effects of COVID-19 are on anyone – let alone athletes who previously had amazing reserve and function,” said Sala.