CHICAGO -- Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg hopes Derrick Rose will be able to play in their regular-season opener on Oct. 27 against the Cleveland Cavaliers after Rose had surgery on Wednesday to repair a broken left orbital fracture.
"The update with Derrick right now is he has a follow-up [doctor's appointment] on Friday," Hoiberg said after Thursday's practice. "They don't want him leaving his house at least until that time. He's very sensitive to light, they just don't want anything to happen to his eye. Surgery went great. He's been advised not to do any physical activity at all for two weeks, for two full weeks, to hopefully let that sight heal.
"And then hopefully once that two weeks is over we'll start getting him back into basketball activity. [We] don't know how long it will take him to get back into playing shape. [The medical staff] will fit him for a mask so he will have that to deal with. But as of right now, he's been advised to stay at home at least until Friday."
Rose suffered the injury when he took an elbow to the face during the first practice of the season on Tuesday. Despite the setback, Hoiberg sounds confident that Rose will be able to play against the Cavs.
"I hope so," Hoiberg said. "Once everything heals up in these first couple weeks he should be able to resume full activities. So that will give him a couple weeks hopefully to prepare and get himself ready. Again, we'll see how it is. I think the biggest thing with this [injury] is getting him back into basketball shape, making sure he's doing OK before we get him back out there and scrimmage and that type of thing."
Rose has played in just 100 regular-season games since the 2011-12 season because of various injuries, including three serious knee injuries in the past three years. Hoiberg believes that Rose will be able to get back into game shape in short order, but does acknowledge that it will take Rose some time to get his body feeling great again.
"You'd be surprised how quickly it does go," Hoiberg said of being in basketball shape. "It's just about getting [Rose's] timing back. You don't want to throw him back in that first day, just get him in a scrimmage. You got to get his legs back underneath him. So that will take a few days, but again, hopefully, with everything involved, having the two weeks completely off so his eye can heal, but he'll get it back quick because he is in great shape."