Tim Hardaway is outspoken in his belief that Derrick Rose should sit out this season and allow himself to heal from the ACL tear that ended the Bulls title hopes on April 29th of last year. This isn't the case of some random talking head giving medical advice to a player with no knowledge of the situation. Tim Hardaway had this same injury, a torn ACL from a similar non-contact play, towards the end of an All-Star worthy 1992-93 campaign. He sat out the entire 93-94 season and returned the following year not quite at All-Star level but with very similar numbers.
There have been significant changes in how this injury is treated since then. Hardaway has acknowledged that at the time he was put into a cast post-surgery and was unable to work out for weeks after the surgery. Today, the approach is much different. There are even pre-surgery exercises that are done to keep the surrounding muscles strong and rehab involves extensive low-impact exercise almost immediately after surgery. It's a much different (and viewed as more successful) treatment than Hardaway underwent.
For the Chicago Bulls, their title hopes depend squarely on the solid shoulders of Derrick Rose. It is certainly up for debate how good the Bulls can be without him this year. They managed to have a very successful season last year with Rose in and out of the lineup all season long, but their status as a title contender is certainly hinged on the return of Rose.
There is another freak athlete in the sports world who suffered a similar injury to Rose that may be a fair comparison. Adrian Peterson tore his ACL and also suffered damage to his MCL on Christmas Eve of last year. His rehab was a story throughout the off-season. He was constantly ahead of schedule and he was remarkably able to start in Week 1, just nine months after his December 30th surgery. From what I can gather an ACL tear with structural damage to the MCL is treated the same way as an ACL tear is, the surgery is the same (it is assumed that the MCL will heal on its own while the ACL is rested and rehabbed), and the recovery time is the same.
It is worth noting that for every individual the recovery period from ACL reconstruction surgery (both Peterson and Rose had this procedure) is different. The window is usually 8-10 months, which is in line for Peterson's nine month recovery, however that is assuming no setbacks and it is impossible to measure if the performance pre- and post- injury is at the same level. I wouldn't argue that Peterson has been playing at the same level as before his injury, but he has been effective, been hit, and has been impactful for the 4-1 Minnesota Vikings.
Rose (24) is younger than Peterson (27), similar in size (Rose is 6'3, 190 lbs; Peterson is 6'2, 217 lbs), and I think it's safe to say that both are remarkable athletes in their respective sports. Rose had his surgery on May 12th, and conservatively projecting 10 months for his recovery would place his return around the middle of March, just in time for the playoff push. I don't think it's a stretch to compare these two athletes and expect Rose to return late this season, but I also don't think he will be the exact same Derrick Rose that we remember immediately.
Just to give credit where credit is due, Stephania Bell is a great resource for information about specific injuries including Rose's.
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