Rose unsure if he'll be ready for opener: 'I can't open my other eye'

Derrick Rose is making slow progress in his recovery from a fractured left orbital bone, and it's becoming increasingly unlikely he'll suit up for the Chicago Bulls during the preseason.

The question now is whether he'll be able to play in the team's regular-season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 27.

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg already has tempered expectations on that front, and Rose himself didn't offer a particularly optimistic assessment Thursday, when he addressed media for the first time since suffering the injury in the first team practice of the season on Sept. 29.

"Who knows?" Rose said, when asked if he'd be ready for opening night.

"I can't open my (left) eye," he added. "That's when I get double vision. But with one eye open, I think I could play pretty good."

Rose, who was fitted for a face mask and took part in non-contact drills earlier Thursday, had a noticeably swollen face when he spoke to reporters - though he counts himself fortunate that the most historically fragile parts of his body are still intact.

Hoiberg said he was encouraged by what Rose was able to do in the full-speed drills, though Rose admitted the mask will take some more getting used to.

"When I first put it on it was a little uncomfortable, but through practice I got more comfortable with it," he said. "It feels alright."

Once he gets accustomed to it, though, Rose could end up wearing it for a long, long time.

"I hate getting my face touched," he said, "so if I'm feeling it and we're playing good, you might see it for the rest of my career."