Rose has missed most of the last two seasons with various knee ailments (10 games last season, none in 2012/13) and thanks to the lockout shortened season of 11-12, hasn't played 80 games since the 2010 campaign.
This week, after so many Bulls fans had visions of their first NBA title since his Airness, Rose started singing an old familiar tune.
Knee soreness.
Oh snap. This again??
Rose has sat out of three straight days of practice and missed last night's exhibition game against the Dominican Republic (a 105-62 American blowout).
The fact that Rose not only lost his starting spot to Kyrie Irving last night, but was benched altogether, leads one to believe that where there's smoke - there are Derrick Rose's knees, strapped with dynamite and ready to blow.
When the World Cup official kicks off in Spain, Team USA will be playing 3 games in 3 nights, and 5 games in 6 nights.
Will Rose even be able to hang on to his roster spot is a huge question mark at this point. If he is cut, how tentative will the Bulls and head coach Tom Thibodeau be with Rose and his useage?
Let's be clear, the Bulls have a very good team, but without Rose playing 30 minutes a game, they will look more like the team they were the first half of last season before the acquisition of DJ Augustine.
If Rose is forced to miss a significant amount of time, he will likely lose whatever superstar status he still has remaining, and simply be labeled an injury prone guard that used to be really, really, really good.
