Derrick Rose starts rehab 1 day after surgery

For the third time in three seasons, Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose will travel down the road to recovery.

Thankfully, unlike his last two knee injuries, Rose's rehab should only span four-to-six weeks after receiving a meniscectomy to repair a partially torn meniscus.

Rose began his rehab on Saturday, a day after undergoing the knife.

"We're cautiously optimistic, he's in good spirits," Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said of his point guard on Saturday to Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago. "He's on it, so it's good."

"He's been through two tough ones," Thibodeau continued. "I think he's gained confidence from that. The ACL knee is great and he knew (a re-tear) was a possibility going in. He's in a good place and he'll deal with it. He'll get past this."

Rose projects to return shortly before the start of the playoffs. The Bulls have stated that they have no plans in place to sign a replacement guard in the meantime and have indicated that center Joakim Noah will take on a larger share of playmaking responsibilities. 

Before his injury, Rose averaged 18.4 points and five assists per game.