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DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Derrick Rose's teammates and coaches remain fully supportive of the rehabbing Chicago Bulls star despite a growing sentiment that he should return to the court. That sentiment was articulated this week by former Bulls guard and Turner Sports analyst Steve Kerr.

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Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich "didn't do much" at practice on Wednesday and is considered a game-time decision for Game 6 against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday with a bruised left calf, according to coach Tom Thibodeau.

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Here is a timeline of Derrick Rose's year since tearing his ACL.

April 28, 2012: With 1:22 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Bulls' Eastern Conference quarterfinals opener against the Philadelphia 76ers, Rose drives into the lane and jump-stops before trying to elevate for a shot. But he crumples to the ground, holding his left knee. The diagnosis of a torn ACL soon follows. Some wonder if he should have been on the court that late in a game with a 12-point lead, especially considering the injuries he suffered earlier in the season. The Bulls win the game but lose the series to the eighth-seeded Sixers.

May 12, 2012: Rose undergoes surgery at Rush University Medical Center by team physician Brian Cole. His brother Reggie Rose says the surgery went great.

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Steve Kerr said Monday he thinks Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose "owes it to his teammates" to play if the only obstacle is confidence as the banged-up Bulls take on the Brooklyn Nets in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

The one-year anniversary of Rose tearing his left ACL passed Sunday. He underwent surgery on May 12 and the prognosis for recovery was 8-12 months. ESPN Chicago reported on March 9 that Rose had been medically cleared to play and he has been scrimmaging five-on-five since Feb. 19. Indications are Rose has regained his explosiveness and has looked dominant in practice, but he still hasn't played this season and has said it's a matter of regaining his confidence. He said he's not certain when he'll return.

"I think the Bulls have handled it the right way," Kerr said on "The Carmen & Jurko Show" on ESPN 1000. "Err on the side of caution, tell him, 'Hey look, when you're ready, you come back.'

"But I wouldn't hesitate to go to him today and say, 'Here's the deal. We're not going to say anything publicly. But we need you. Kirk (Hinrich) is out. We need 25 minutes. We've seen you. We've cleared you two months ago. If you're not comfortable, then that's fine, and we won't mention one word. We'll continue to go the path we've gone. But we need you.'"

The criticism of Rose has escalated as he's watched Hinrich (calf) and Joakim Noah (plantar fasciitis) fight through injuries to put the Bulls up 3-1. Hinrich has been ruled out for Game 5 on Monday in Brooklyn. Kerr, who won three of his four titles with the Bulls and is a former Phoenix Suns general manager, will work Game 5 as a TNT analyst.

"And to me, I think Derrick owes it to his teammates at this stage," Kerr said. "And again, I've been Derrick's biggest supporter on this. I've been saying all along, up until two days ago, I've been saying, 'He should not play if he's not comfortable.'

"But if this is just about not being fully confident, you've got to go out there. If this is about, 'Hey, it doesn't feel right and I'm worried I can hurt it,' then no way should he play. But if this is just about, 'You know gosh, I'm just not quite confident yet.' I would appeal to him and say, 'Can you give us 20 minutes.' And if you're Derrick, you've been watching Noah and Hinrich play on one leg this whole series, at what point do you start to feel sort of self-conscious and guilty about what's unfolding?"

Rose has said he feels no pressure to return. He also said he would return during the playoffs if he felt ready, and coach Tom Thibodeau has not shut the door on that possibility.

"It could be tomorrow and I feel like I could play the next game," Rose said on March 21. "Nobody knows but God."

Up until Saturday, when Hinrich and Noah played through their injuries to help the Bulls win in triple-overtime, Kerr had been steadfast that Rose should come back only when he's comfortable.

"It's a really tricky situation," Kerr said. "I realize the whole world's eyes are on Derrick, the basketball world's eyes are on him. And he lives in a different realm than the rest of us, so there's a ton more pressure. But if this is just about the team, then I think he kind of owes it to these guys to get out there."

Kerr was asked whether he thinks the Bulls are asking themselves privately why Rose hasn't returned. The Bulls' front office has said it wants Rose to take as much time as he needs and Rose's teammates have been emphatic in defending him.

"I think there's so much respect for Derrick because of the type of character he has and the type of person he is, what he's meant to that franchise, and the Bulls players -- the Bulls have done such a great job of putting together a group of guys who really care and are committed to the team -- so they're not going to say anything," Kerr said. "But probably privately at some point, they're going to be like, 'Hey, you know, what's the deal? Let's go, we're trying to win here.'

"But again, let me reiterate, if there's any question in his own mind about being injured, then he should not go out there. But if it's just about, 'I'm not quite confident enough,' you know what, I'm sure Joakim's not confident in his foot and Kirk's not confident in his calf. And if that's all this is about, then it's time to get out there."

NEW YORK -- The Chicago Bulls lost Game 5 – but you can’t blame the replacements.

With Derrick Rose continuing to sit, and fellow starting guard Kirk Hinrich joining him on the sideline with a calf injury, coach Tom Thibodeau gave Nate Robinson a starting nod on Monday, along with second-year man Jimmy Butler.

Both played well, keeping the Bulls within striking distance until the final four minutes, when the Nets pulled away for a 110-91 victory.

Robinson scored a team-high 20 points, shooting 9-for-19 from the field, and also had eight assists. Butler scored 18 points, and had four steals as well.

Thibodeau said that rebounding was the difference in the game. The Nets outboarded the Bulls 44-33, including 17-11 on the offensive glass, and had a 24-12 advantage in second-chance points.

“Right from the start of the game I knew [the Nets] were reacting to the ball quicker than we were,” Thibodeau said. “So I was concerned about that right from the beginning. And it never changed.”

Robinson received the loudest boos of any of Chicago’s five starters during the pregame introductions -- not surprising, considering he sparked the Bulls’ incredible comeback in Game 4 with an electrifying 34-point performance, including 23 points in the fourth quarter.

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The Brooklyn Nets won Game 5 by the same formula that worked for them in their series-opening win against the Chicago Bulls.

Let’s take a closer look at how the Nets staved off elimination.

Key Player: Deron Williams had it much easier vs Nate Robinson
With Kirk Hinrich out of the lineup in Game 5, Nate Robinson drew the start and was the primary defender on Deron Williams. Williams was 6-for-10 shooting and scored 19 of his 23 points when guarded by Robinson in Game 4.

Williams shot 33.3% (13 of 39) when guarded by Hinrich the first four games of the series.

Williams joins Jason Kidd as the only Nets player in last 25 seasons with multiple 20-point, 10-rebound games in single postseason.

The Bulls are 41-23 when Hinrich plays this season and 7-16 when he doesn’t.

When Nets score in paint, they win
The Nets scored 54 points in the paint in Game 5 and have now eclipsed 50 paint points in both of their wins against the Bulls this series. They’ve shot 67 percent in the paint in these two games

In the three losses, the Nets have averaged 36.7 paint points in regulation time and shot 51 percent in the paint for the game

By the Brook
Brook Lopez finished with a career playoff-high 28 points. He’s scored 20 points or more in all five games in this series, the longest streak by a Nets player since Vince Carter had eight straight 20-point games in 2007.

Key stat: Second-Chance Points
The Bulls allowed 24 second-chance points to the Nets in Game 5. That’s the most second-chance points allowed by the Bulls in a game this season.

Keep this in mind as the Bulls head home
The Bulls have never been forced to a Game 7 in the dozen previous instances in which they led a best-of-7 series by a 3-1 margin. They won in five games eight times and won in six games the four other occasions.

The Bulls loss did keep this stat intact: They have not won four straight games (or lost four straight) at any point this season.

NEW YORK -- Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau's worst fears were realized as he watched his team get outworked on the boards during Monday night's 110-91 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Instead of playing like a team that was fighting for its playoff life, the Bulls played like a team that knew it had a cushion. The Bulls got away from the hard-nosed attack they've shown throughout the season and replaced it with an inconsistent effort that made the veteran coach furious at several points.

"I feel like we made a lot of mental mistakes," Bulls swingman Jimmy Butler said. "We didn't get to all the loose balls, we didn't rebound, we didn't execute and on the defensive end we just made mistakes that we normally don't make because we got away from ourselves. It's very correctable. We know what we have to do for the next game."

The attitude is admirable, especially considering the Bulls were playing without defensive leader, and captain, Kirk Hinrich, but why in the biggest game of the season to date did the Bulls decide to play differently? The mental approach that has been so sharp for the Bulls went missing at the wrong time.

"We got a lot of banged-up guys but it's still frustrating to know that you had a chance to close it out tonight," Bulls forward Taj Gibson said. "When you look at it, we really played like a team that was really comfortable with just being (up) 3-1, instead of just putting our foot on their neck and winning the game. We just got to watch some film and regroup and grind on the next one."

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NEW YORK -- Let's take a quick look at how the Brooklyn Nets earned a 110-91 win over the Chicago Bulls on Monday night at the Barclays Center in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. The Bulls lead the series 3-2.

How it happened: Brook Lopez paced the Nets with 28 points and 10 rebounds while Deron Williams added 21 points and dished out 10 assists to push the series back to Chicago. Nate Robinson led the Bulls with 20 points and eight assists, but for the second straight game Tom Thibodeau's defense did not hold up well. The Nets made more plays down the stretch and also made stops when they had to do so.

What it means: The Bulls' defense was not solid but the bigger issue for Thibodeau heading into Game 6 is trying to get Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng going again. The veteran pair managed just 22 points and must be more assertive on offense. The Bulls also must do a better job of containing Williams. Without Kirk Hinrich on the floor, Williams has a little more room to roam and get his teammates involved. Hinrich also provided a steady presence on offense and helped get his teammates good looks. If the Bulls have to play Thursday without Hinrich again, they must keep Williams in check and do a better job on Lopez down on the blocks. Those two players were the major difference in this game. Now the pressure will be on Thibodeau & Co. to end this one at home and not have to face a potential Game 7 back in Brooklyn.

Hits: Jimmy Butler had a solid performance with 18 points and four steals. His defense will be needed to close out this series.

Misses: According to Bulls statistician Jeff Mangurten, Deng is now 1-for-18 from behind the 3-point line in this series.

Stat of the night: The Nets outrebounded the Bulls 44-33. Brooklyn had 17 offensive rebounds.

What's next: Game 6 is Thursday night at the United Center. Tipoff is 7 p.m. CT.

NEW YORK -- Jason Collins' announcement that he is gay might have come as a shock to some around the NBA, but Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau took the news in stride.

The veteran coach has respected Collins' game from afar and was happy for the 34-year-old big man.

"I don't know Jason well," Thibodeau said. "We met with him last summer and I was very impressed with him as a person. Two close friends of mine have coached him and they've raved about him as a person, as a player and as a leader, so I didn't think it was a big deal. I was very impressed with him and my opinion of him hasn't changed one bit and I'm happy for him."

Collins' announcement in Sports Illustrated makes him the first active player in a major American team sport to come out during his playing career.

"I just think it's reflective of society," Thibodeau said. "The NBA has always been open-minded and I think it will continue to be so, so I don't see it as being a problem."

Kirk Hinrich, Collins' former teammate in Atlanta, also saw no issue with Collins’ announcement.

"It doesn't really change what kind of person he is or anything," Hinrich said. "He's a good guy and that's just who he is."

It was a year ago, on April 28, 2012, when Derrick Rose suffered a knee injury that is still being felt by the organization, its fan base and the entire NBA.

There was 1:19 remaining in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals when Rose drove into the lane and jump-stopped. The grimace on his face was immediate as he tried to jump for a shot before crashing to the court holding his left knee.

The United Center fell silent as the worse was expected and later verified. Rose tore his ACL and would undergo surgery on May 12. The Bulls won Game 1 but would go on to lose to the eighth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in six games.

The prognosis was for Rose to take 8-12 months to rehabilitate and the process seemed to be going according to plan as periodic reports reflected steady progress. From doing basketball drills to practicing to taking full contact to scrimmaging five-on-five starting on Feb.18, Rose appeared poised to return after the All-Star break.

But suddenly the possibility that he wouldn't return this season started to surface in stories and interviews, and now it appears almost certain he won't be back at all this season.

ESPNChicago.com's Nick Friedell talked to many of those who were present at the time of the injury, and here are their stories:

Joakim Noah

"I just remember being up like 20 points and thinking we were going to win the championship. Even when he went down, it was weird but in my mind I was like, 'He could be out for a couple weeks and we'll be alright. We'll be ready for him to come back.'

"I even remember after the game I went to the Berto Center to go get some ice and get some treatment, I never do that, I was just so into it and then when I heard the news ... it was just hard. You know how hard we work every day, so to see him go down like that was tough. Not just for us as players but for the whole city."

“

It was a dark day. It was a dark day for us. We won that playoff game but Derrick getting hurt -- I'll probably remember that day for the rest of my life.

” -- Joakim Noah

When you first saw him on the ground what were you thinking?

"I just wanted to be there. Any time one of my teammates goes down I just try to be there for them. I didn't know how bad it was going to be. My mindset was more on just finishing the game and seeing him after."

How did you find out?

"My uncle called me. I can't believe I remember all this."

What was it like when you saw him the next day?

"It was hard, man. It was hard. I don't even like talking about it to be honest with you.

"It was a dark day. It was a dark day for us. We won that playoff game but Derrick getting hurt -- I'll probably remember that day for the rest of my life."

Carlos Boozer

(Long pause) "Truthfully, it was just sad, man. I couldn't really believe it. I was hoping it wasn't that serious but it was. Seeing him cry in the locker room, that was tough because he knew what happened already. It was tough, man. It's tough to talk about."

Did you know when he went down?

"No, I didn't know. I was just hoping it wasn't that bad. Honestly, I thought it was his ankle or something and then I realized he said it was his knee, so I was just hoping it wasn't that bad to be honest."

What was that locker room like?

"It was depressing, man. It was one of the saddest locker rooms -- we just won the game -- and it was one of the saddest locker rooms I might have ever been in."

What was the next day like for you?

"Tough, man. We really just met for a couple minutes, walked through a couple things and got out of there because everybody was down still. It was kind of like a ... it was just depressing, man."

Doug Collins:

"I was right in front of our bench and I saw him come down awkwardly and I just knew what he did -- I saw the way his leg buckled -- because I had that injury. And so I knew immediately.

"... I knew he hurt his knee and I was very sad. Obviously, it changed the playoff picture in our favor. They also lost Noah in Game 3, but Derrick Rose is a shining star and a bright light in the NBA and we miss him. He plays the game the way you're supposed to play it every night. He plays to win. He's a hometown kid who loves being in Chicago and representing his city. He's got a great family. And I'm one of these guys, I want to see the best players on the floor and so I hope he's going to be healthy soon and get back out there. Will that affect us? Yeah. But that kid needs to be out there playing basketball. He's special."

Taj Gibson:

"I remember it like it was yesterday. He was in the game, we talked about the game scheme, drew up a play for him to break down the defense and probably get a running hook, running floater -- he went down the lane, got a running floater, and just came down wrong. I was hoping it wasn't even his knee. I thought it was his ankle. He always had bad ankle problems, but he hurt his knee. We got a great win but the look on everybody's face wasn't even happy about the win. We were more like hoping that he's OK. You never want to see a teammate go out like that. But just the reaction when we got the news ... most of the guys just ran in the training room and we went into the training room and you didn't see him but we saw him come out with that disappointment look on his face it was surreal and we knew that it was something serious. That's what I remember the most."

"I just remember his face when he came out of the X-ray room and everybody was just shaking their head. It was like one of those scenes -- you're there but you don't know what's going on, but you know something was bad happening. It was one of those reactions, the whole locker room was just quiet, we heard people moving around but you hardly heard people say anything. That was crazy."

What was it like the next day?

"The next day was mellow. It was like you come in, it was quiet, real mellow and quiet. The only thing you mostly heard was the basketball. Guys just came in there and we got the news about how he was and it was cool because guys understood what they had to do but at the same time we really didn't understand like, 'What's the gameplan now?' How we got to adjust, we got to draw up different plays, we got to do different things like that. But guys were still like, 'Damn.' At the same time they were like, 'What could we have done differently? Maybe the second unit could have played a little harder, we wouldn't have had to worry about putting him back in the game.'"

"It was just a lot of stuff going on but then he was like, 'You got to man up. You got to get ready for the next game.' Things like this happen every day. But it was just tough because you go through a whole year of ups and downs, ups and downs, ups and downs, and get another blow like that to your teammate, you're like, 'Wow,' that was crazy. "


Sixers guard -- and Chicago native -- Evan Turner

"I think as big an icon as D-Rose has been to basketball and in the NBA and in Chicago, you're talking about a kid that's always been admired ... I root for every Chicago kid because you're putting on for the city and you inspire the younger kids coming up, (the injury) is traumatizing to a community. Chicago is on his back so you see him go down definitely is horrible because he's a pro's pro. You like watching him, you like seeing what he does, performing, so that was hard to watch, too."

What do you remember from that moment?

"I just thought he pulled a muscle because he didn't really react. I hear when people tear an ACL they start screaming and stuff. He didn't react or anything so I said he probably just caught a cramp because he's been playing off and on and that was it. I just figured nothing bad had happened, he never really got hurt before and then when it came out he tore his ACL, I was shocked because he didn't have any reaction."

John Paxson

"What I remember was there was excitement about the playoffs starting and us feeling that we had put ourselves in a position to make a run. And then we're sitting there just a short time away from winning Game 1 and knowing that every playoff game, that's the most important game you play, so we were going to have a 1-0 advantage.

"And then watching Derrick go down -- from that moment on I was just kind of numb -- because you knew it was bad when you saw him on the floor. And then the rest of the day was going to the hospital, staying with him and around him, and understanding that it was bad. And it was hard not to think about what that meant for our basketball team, but numb's the word to describe how I felt that day."

Gar Forman

"I remember when he first went down, because he had had several injuries during the year I thought ... I didn't have a good angle so I initially thought he had landed on someone's foot or sprained an ankle, I couldn't see that there was no one around. But then when I saw it on the TV, because we have a TV where we sit, then it was scary seeing him go down with nobody around. And then I just remember leaving the hospital and driving home and it just felt numb. That was about it."

CHICAGO -- In the midst of delivering high praise for Nate Robinson's epic performance Saturday afternoon, Carlos Boozer made a point to remember one of his Chicago Bulls teammates who usually gets lost in the shuffle of more important performances.

"Don't underestimate the game that Kirk Hinrich played tonight, man," Boozer said. "Kirk Hinrich did a hell of a job. Obviously he was guarding their best player in D-Will, playing 60 minutes or whatever he played tonight, he played the whole game it seemed like. Scored the ball for us when he had to, he got everybody involved when he had to, played amazing defense. Don't underestimate what Kirk Hinrich did tonight."

Boozer’s right. While Robinson's performance will get the headlines for the Bulls' 142-134 overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets in Game 4, and deservedly so, Hinrich's performance was almost as important. The veteran guard played almost 60 minutes, scoring 18 points and dishing out 14 assists in the memorable win. More importantly, Hinrich continued to frustrate Nets guard Deron Williams and set an early tone for his teammates. Williams would end up scoring 32 points, but Hinrich stayed in his face all day and stuck to his guns late as Williams managed just two points in the three overtimes.

"It was grueling," Hinrich admitted. "Just a total team effort tonight. It was just one of those things, we were having trouble stopping them, they were having trouble stopping us, and it ends up three overtimes later we finally get a winner."

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CHICAGO -- Joakim Noah's foot still hurts.

The emotion that comes from a thrilling triple overtime win isn't enough to make the aching in Noah’s right foot go away, but in the midst of an all-time playoff classic he managed to push away the discomfort he’s been dealing with for the last few months. The big man was only supposed to play about 30 minutes in Game 4, a 142-134 Chicago Bulls' win over the Brooklyn Nets, but as the epic contest played out it was clear that Noah would exceed the minutes limit that Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau had hoped to keep him within.

Noah ground his way to 15 points and 13 rebounds in 40 minutes in a performance that earned him a standing ovation after it was over.

"I don't think I have any minute limit right now," he said softly after the game.

Noah admitted that he did speak to the Bulls' medical staff as the game kept going and played coy when asked if he talked about his minutes limit with Thibodeau as things played out. Yet again, Noah found a way to impact the affair with an energy that continues to inspire his teammates and coaches.

"He’s doing it on will," Thibodeau said of Noah. "He hasn’t practiced, he’s feeling a little better. He was actually in the practice facility last night shooting. that’s usually a good sign. Haven’t seen that in a while."

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CHICAGO -- Late in this hard-fought playoff game, with the Chicago Bulls on his back and Tom Thibodeau’s breath on his neck, Nate Robinson couldn’t cool down.

If you’ve ever wondered what goes on between Robinson’s ears when he plays his special brand of basketball, just think of the announcer’s voice on NBA Jam.

“I always think I’m on fire,” he said after scoring 34 points in the Bulls’ wild 142-134, triple-overtime victory over the Brooklyn Nets. “Like the old school game, NBA Jam, you make a couple and the rim’s on fire and when you shoot the ball, the ball’s on fire. I feel like that at times. Well, all the time. When I’m in the game, I play with a lot of confidence and you kind of got to lie to yourself that you can’t miss.”

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Flip Saunders breaks down a critical mistake by the Nets in the fourth quarter that changed the momentum in the Bulls' 3OT win.

The Brooklyn Nets looked to be on their way to evening this series, with a 14-point lead late in the fourth quarter. But an epic comeback powered by Nate Robinson, thwarted the Nets efforts and made for a remarkable victory for the Chicago Bulls.

The Bulls now hold a commanding 3-games-to-1 series lead in the series. Let’s delve into the statistical recap.

A long game’s journey into night
This was the seventh playoff game in NBA history that went at least triple-overtime. Only one playoff game went quadruple overtime, a game between the Boston Celtics and Syracuse Nationals in 1953.

The game went long enough that all 10 starting players scored at least 15 points. The Elias Sports Bureau notes that since starts were tracked in 197y0-71, this was only the second playoff game in which that happened. The other instance was in 1987 in a double-overtime game between the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks,


The Bulls scored a team record 142 points, the most by any team in a playoff game since 1992, when the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Phoenix Suns, 153-151 in the highest combined scoring playoff game in NBA history.

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