Derrick Rose and his coach agree to rest his hamstring, people go bonkers

Every Derrick Rose Injury Update is written and eventually read by those who hope that this will be the last Derrick Rose Injury Update we’ll ever have to take in. At some point, however, we’re going to have to learn that we shouldn’t expect such things.

And that’s just fine. Even Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, the man who sees no problem with playing men working on broken legs, understands this.

Rose left Tuesday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets after ten minutes of playing time after his hamstring tightened up. Derrick returned to action the night before against Utah to cobble together a solid 18-point performance, though he played in just over half of what turned out to be a tight contest, his first in 11 days.

Earlier on Tuesday Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau lamented the lack of rhythm Rose has work through in his return from an ACL tear, a meniscus tear, two ankle sprains and a hamstring pull, but in the wake of Tuesday’s loss he seemed resigned to just how on and off Rose’s return is going to be played off as the 2014-15 season finds its figurative legs. From ESPN Chicago:

“They’ll re-examine him but there was really nothing that happened other than I didn’t want to take any chances with him,” Thibodeau said. “The way the game was going, the way we were going, I just felt at that point I wanted to go a different way. He didn’t re-injure himself or anything like that.”

Playing on the second night of a back-to-back during a tough road trip against a resurgent Nuggets team, the Bulls did fall behind early and eventually come up short in Denver. Some typical Rose theatrics may have helped the team in the fourth quarter, but he clearly didn’t have it after (say it with me now) returning from two sprained ankles and a hamstring pull, and reserve guard Aaron Brooks has proven himself more than capable of leading these Bulls to a win with his scoring prowess. Speaking as a Bulls fan, maybe if Kirk Hinrich wouldn’t wait until eight or nine seconds had elapsed off of the shot clock before initiating a play, the Bulls would have had a better chance.

Two points need to be driven home, ‘ere.

First? It’s bloody November, pal. These are knees and ankles and calves and chests and hamstrings that you want working at full strength in June. The same Bulls fans that applaud Gregg Popovich’s “bleep you” attitude toward the NBA in November as he sits his stars are crying foul when Derrick Rose talks about the big picture. It’s sickening.

Secondly? Derrick Rose shouldn’t have played basketball on Tuesday.

I get it. Rhythm! Consistency! Fake toughness! All that nonsense!

Derrick Rose tore his leg’s most important ligament, and because of the timing of it he missed an entire year of NBA basketball. He was working through both ankle and hamstring issues last year when he overcompensated and tore the scariest part of his right knee, the meniscus, last season. He needlessly stayed in a game against Cleveland earlier this season after clearly spraining his ankle when a Cavalier ended up underneath him, and then overcompensated and sprained the other ankle later on in the contest. He played a game in Milwaukee earlier in November against the team with the worst record in the NBA last season when he was obviously far from fully recovered. He didn’t need to play in the second half of a back to back in Denver on Tuesday night.

Thibodeau, of all people, may have finally realized as much. Even if it took him until halftime. Ask Rose:

"It wasn't nothing like I'm limping or I pulled it or anything, it wasn't any of that," Rose said. "It was just that I wasn't moving the way I wanted to while I was on the floor. So why push through it when I wasn't able to affect the game the way I wanted to? I came in here and talked to (Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau) and we both agreed on just sitting out."

Again, he’s not at full strength. When you have two major unlucky accidents on a basketball court, tear important parts of both knees, and miss all but 10 rusty games in 30 months, THIS IS WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN.

If Tom Thibodeau – the man who is playing 34-year old Pau Gasol 37 and then 36 minutes in consecutive days when he’s obviously not fully healed from a calf injury – gets this, then maybe everyone else needs to tag along.

The pivotal Game 5 of the 2015 Eastern Conference finals is still six months away.

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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KDonhoops

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