Derrick Rose out Friday, will have minutes restriction when back

Derrick Rose has been so close to returning so many times in the last few seasons, this was actually written on a Derrick Rose Mad Libs pad.

The Chicago Bulls point guard went through contact practice again Thursday, inching closer to a return. But close doesn't mean ready, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports that Rose will not play Friday against the Detroit Pistons.

Not surprisingly, Rose will have his minutes restricted when he returns. He had been averaging 31 minutes this season but seems more likely to hang in the low-to-mid-20s, at least for any regular season games he gets into.

While Rose is seemingly ready, conditioning aside, the decision to have him play is complicated. He probably needs a few games to shake the rust off, and the team could use him to secure the third-seed in the East and avoid a matchup with the Washington Wizards, but there's little sense in rushing him back just for that.

Rose hasn't committed to playing in the regular season, but the playoffs seem a certainty. The Bulls have hung tough without him and are a respectable 45-30 overall, but their ceiling is appreciably higher with Rose than without him, and he provides an element opposing defenses have to gameplan for.

Prior to the injury, Rose was averaging 18.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and five assists, shooting 40.7 percent from the floor and 28.7 percent from long range.

Rose has been sidelined since late February after undergoing surgery to remove the torn portion of his right medial meniscus. He opted to remove rather than repair the torn piece, a decision that brings a shorter recovery time but leaves the long-term health of the meniscus tenuous. In November 2013, Rose had the meniscus repaired, ending his season.