It appears that Derrick Rose is seeing double.
The Chicago Bulls guard, who is still recovering from a fractured orbital bone, is dealing with blurred vision, according to head coach Fred Hoiberg, per ESPN. Hoiberg acknowledged that Rose could potentially be dealing with blurry vision for several more months.
“[The doctors] said it could be as long as three months,” Hoiberg said. “But [the vision] has continued to improve, and that's obviously a positive.”
When he was told of Hoiberg’s comments about the possible three-month timeline, Rose appeared to be surprised.
“This is my first time hearing about it,” Rose said. “But you kind of have that hope in your mind that it gets well a lot quicker. But for this to be seven or eight [weeks] out and still the same way, I can't do nothing but live with it. Get the most out of every day, keep putting my deposits in and keep working on my game until my eye gets better.”
Rose has struggled mightily this season, averaging only 12.6 points a game, a far cry from his 20.2 career average. He is also struggling from the field, shooting a dismal 35.9 percent and only making one 3-pointer out of 18 attempts thus far.
Despite Rose’s struggles, the Bulls are off to a 6-3 start in Hoiberg’s first season as head coach, thanks to the solid play of Jimmy Butler (19.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists).
While it remains to be seen if Rose will ever recapture his form that elevated him into superstar status, the Bulls may not need him to be a star moving forward, as they restructure the team around emerging players like Butler and European big man Nikola Mirotic.