It seems we have been asking the wrong questions of Derrick Rose.
Instead of “How are you feeling today?”, “When do you think you will be able to come back?” and “Are you making any progress?”, we should have him answer this:
Why are you refusing to continue your rehabilitation, per instruction from the team doctor? After being a model patient for months, why did you choose to stop the program at its most important time?
Rose has been green-lighted for nearly two months now, yet insists on remaining sidelined. He scrimmaged at full speed on February 18th, and the Bulls assumed – mistakenly — that he would heed the prescription from Dr. Brian Cole to complete his recovery by playing in games soon after that point.
Sources say the team was surprised and disappointed by Rose’s uncharacteristic reluctance, and decided a month ago to remind him privately of the agreed-upon timetable that included a return to the court when cleared medically. They also leaked an internet story that indicated that the Bulls expected him to play in mid-March.
This was taken as an insult by the Rose camp, despite their campaign afterward to deny that fact.