Whenever Derrick Rose talks, it's a big deal. People hang on his every word and read into every single thing he says. I've been guilty of it myself, although I try not to do it as much anymore.

Naturally, people were hanging on Rose's every word when he spoke to the media prior to the Chicago Bulls' game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. It was the first time Rose had spoken publicly since undergoing surgery to remove the damaged part of his right medial meniscus on Feb.


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After Rose had that surgery, Bulls general manager Gar Forman said he would be out four-to-six weeks and was expected back this season. Because of that, I guess everybody wanted Rose to definitively say that he was coming back. 

Rose didn't oblige them, refusing to put any type of timetable on his return, although he sort of implied that he would indeed be back: 

On whether he'll be back this season: "That's the plan." Not putting a date on it. Fwiw he's walking without crutches or a limp.
— Sean Highkin (@highkin) March 9, 2015

This has once again created a firestorm of sorts. Many in the Chicago media weren't thrilled that Rose didn't come out with a strong statement about his return because of what has happened in the past. Many a column was written complaining about it. 

And to that I say "Phooey." 

I've given Rose a hard time in the past for some of the stuff he has said and done. I wasn't a fan of his decision to not return in 2013 following his ACL injury when he was reportedly cleared to do so more than a month before the regular season was over.

I've criticized him for sometimes putting his foot in his mouth. There's a reason I like to use the hashtag #DerrickRoseSaysStuff on Twitter. (Shouts to @BullsBlogger)

But I had little problem with Rose's presser on Monday. Would it have been nice if he came out with a strong statement saying he'd be back? Sure. Was it not the best thing to say "Who cares?" when he was asked about the organization putting a timetable on his return and saying they expected him back? Yeah, probably. 

I'm just not that worried about it because I've read enough to believe Rose will be back this season. K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reported that Rose has been telling people privately he'll be back. And some of Rose's other comments hinted to me that he'll return. Like this one, via Jon Greenberg of ESPN Chicago: 

"It was all about getting back on court," he said. "Something they had to take out. At the time, I didn't really care [about later side effects]. I wasn't thinking about the future. I didn't think that far ahead. I just wanted it out. I just wanted to walk right, get to rehab right away."

So yeah, I think Rose will be back. And if there are no setbacks and he doesn't come back, then I'll be willing to criticize. But for now, I'm just going to have faith that he'll return. 

Anyway, the Bulls did have a game against the Grizzlies, as I mentioned. Playing short-handed for a fourth game in five nights against an excellent Memphis team isn't exactly ideal, but Chicago hung around like they often do. 

Even when the Grizzlies went up 13 points in the fourth quarter, the Bulls didn't quit, and they used a 23-6 run to surge ahead by four. Tony Snell and Nikola Mirotic powered the run, with Snell scoring 11 points and Mirotic pouring in seven during the charge. 

Sadly, Chicago couldn't finish the job, and Memphis finished the game on a 17-3 run. It wasn't Tom Thibodeau's best game, as he pulled Snell in the midst of his hot streak and the Bulls were hit with a technical for having six men on the court after a timeout due to some miscommunication. Ouch. 

The 101-91 loss was Chicago's third straight defeat, but the Bulls will get a reprieve (hopefully) when they face the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. That would be a good time to get back on track.