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A lot of people have been saying that the Chicago Bulls' Round One series versus the Philadelphia 76ers is now officially over ever since star point guard Derrick Rose tore his ACL. With that, his season is now over.
However, for coach Tom Thibodeau, this doesn't mean the end of the Bulls' season. Some people have been treating like a death sentence, according to him.
"I think we all feel awful for him," Thibodeau told ESPN Chicago. "Derrick's not only a great player, he's a great teammate, he's a great person, but it's not a death sentence. It's not a death sentence for him, it's not a death sentence for our team. He's going to come back. He'll come back better than ever. It's just the way it is and we've got to deal with."
Reports say that Rose could be out for six-to-nine months, which officially takes him out of the Olympic games this summer. Thibodeau says he doesn't know of an exact timetable scheduled, or if he will have surgery.
"I think they're still going through it all right now so nothing's been finalized. He still has to talk to the doctors, (athletic trainer) Fred (Tedeschi) and then lay out the plan. Normally there's a waiting out period and then they'll do the surgery down the road."
Related: 2012 NBA Playoffs: Derrick Rose Injury Puts Bulls Championship Hopes in Jeopardy
Rose, who says he has been frustrated this season after dealing with many injuries, looks to return to the court as soon as possible. Thibodeau believes a tough-minded guy like him can do so.
"About as well as you can expect in this situation," Thibodeau said. "I'll talk to him after practice again, so he'll deal with it. He's a tough minded guy."
However, this isn't going to stop Chicago. They had enough depth to stay at the No. 1 seed for the regular when Rose was out. They can still get past Philadelphia with their depth.
"We're not going to let anybody paint the picture for us," Bulls center Joakim Noah said. "Obviously, it's tough losing Derrick. I feel for him, but we can't feel sorry for ourselves."
Chicago faces Philadelphia again on Tuesday for Game Two.
