ESPN

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 Bulls forward Taj Gibson has made somewhat of a habit of throwing down monster dunks in the biggest of games, and Thursday night proved to be no different in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Brooklyn Nets.

With the Bulls in the midst of a 19-3 run, Gibson took a pass from Nate Robinson and roared toward the basket. As he jumped, Nets forward Kris Humphries jumped with him and Gibson ended up depositing the ball into the basket on top of Humphries' head and outstretched arm at the rim. The United Center crowd went wild -- but Gibson wasn't that impressed.

"I didn't really know he was going to jump," Gibson admitted. "I just took off so far (away from the basket). I just went to try and make a play, but he jumped late. It happens. I'll take it."

Gibson didn't think it was one of his best dunks.

"There's a lot of dunks that a lot of guys didn't see this year because we're on Comcast," Gibson said. "But it's OK, I guess."

Gibson was asked about his interest in a possible dunk contest invite down the line.

"The dunk contest ... it's so tough now," he said. "There's so many gimmicks and so many different things. But I'll give it a shot. I'll be willing to give it a shot if I could. But Nate always tells me how hard it is so I don't know."

NEW YORK -- The tone of the Chicago Bulls' hard-fought 90-82 win over the Brooklyn Nets in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinals wasn't set at any point during the actual victory on Monday night.

The tone was actually set in a lower-level meeting room in one of New York City's swankiest hotels Sunday afternoon, just hours after Tom Thibodeau's team was embarrassed in Game 1 on Saturday. That's when the hard-charging coach let his team have it for playing without the type of edge that has set them apart in a season in which expectations were tempered because of ongoing issues to key players.

"He was really laying into guys," Bulls forward Taj Gibson said inside a raucous visitor's locker room at the Barclays Center. "I never saw him so inflamed. He was really calling guys out, letting guys know what he needed (them) to do. Everybody needed to go out there and dominate their matchup, go out and just put forth effort, and he really challenged guys the last couple days."

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NEW YORK -- Derrick Rose's conversations on the sideline Monday night may give the Chicago Bulls hope that he may be considering a return during the playoffs.

Rose, who sat on the end of the bench for just the third time this season during Game 2 of the Bulls' first-round playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets, acknowledged to teammates just how much he misses being out on the floor.

"Me and him were chatting it up the whole time at the end of the bench," forward Taj Gibson said after the Bulls' 90-82 victory. "He was just eager. He was just saying like, he can't wait to get back, he can't wait to play. And just critiquing the game, talking about what we needed to do, what kind of plays. He knew a lot of the sets coming out so he would just scream out plays. He was just hyped talking about good stuff."

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NEW YORK -- Here's a quick look at the Chicago Bulls' 106-89 loss to the Brooklyn Nets in Game 1 of their playoff series Saturday at the Barclays Center:

How it happened: Deron Williams had 22 points and seven assists as the Nets dominated this game from start to finish. Brook Lopez added 21 points and five rebounds and Gerald Wallace chipped in with 14 points and five rebounds. Carlos Boozer led the way offensively for the Bulls, scoring 25 points and pulling down eight rebounds. Joakim Noah played just 13 minutes and was largely ineffective because of ongoing issues with plantar fasciitis.

What it means: Given the circumstances, this was by far the worst game the Bulls have played all season. They got out-worked throughout the night and their defense was terrible. Obviously, the Nets aren't going to shoot this way throughout the series, but the Bulls' issues run much deeper than their poor performance on Saturday night. Noah tried as hard as he could to give the Bulls something, but he looks too injured to play. Kirk Hinrich had little impact on the game and then injured his left quad in the third quarter and never returned. The Bulls' offense was lifeless and never found any kind of rhythm. But perhaps most upsetting for coach Tom Thibodeau was the fact that Luol Deng played one of the worst games of his career, scoring just six points and going 3-for-11 from the field.

Hits: The Nets shot 55.8 percent from the field and turned the ball over just eight times.

Misses: Marco Belinelli, Richard Hamilton, Hinrich and Deng combined to go just 5-for-23 from the field.

Stat of the night: The Nets outscored the Bulls 56-36 in the paint.

What's next: Game 2 at 7 p.m. CT Monday at the Barclays Center.

NEW YORK -- As the Bulls get set to open another postseason run Saturday night against the Brooklyn Nets, the similarities to last season's ill-fated run remain.

With all the injuries the team has dealt with and the fact that Derrick Rose is unlikely to play no matter how deep the Bulls go, Tom Thibodeau's players can see that their situation looks a lot like it did last season.

"It's kind of similar in a lot of ways," Bulls guard Rip Hamilton said. "It's kind of similar. It's like, if you look at both situations and you look at this year's situation, it's kind of like identical."

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ORLANDO, Fla. -- Tom Thibodeau stood to the left of the large double doors that served as the entry to a joyous Chicago Bulls locker room Monday night and pondered the question that will hover over his team throughout the playoff drive.

"The question is are we going to be sharp?," Thibodeau said after a 102-84 victory over the Orlando Magic. "You're talking about playoff basketball where the intensity level is very high, and it's the same opponent over and over. And most often times the games are decided by one or two possessions. So how you match up with people is critical. A bad matchup for a minute in the playoffs is 10 points. So we got to be right and ready."

The key for the Bulls as they head into their final regular season game Wednesday against the Washington Wizards is that they feel about as ready as they can be. The fact that Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah made their return from injuries against the Magic gave the Bulls a much-needed emotional lift.

"You can see the way we were playing (Monday)," Gibson said of the emotional boost. "How guys were flying around on defense knowing that Joakim and me are behind to really negotiate the defense and really attack every shot coming up. We got a lot of blocked shots. Guys were talking, we were helping out the guards and that's what we need.

"We need a lot of energy late, and I told them I was going to play today. They had me on limited minutes, they had Jo on limited minutes, but we just wanted to be out there and really push the guys and know that we got to sharpen up. We got to get ready for the playoffs."

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ORLANDO, Fla. -- Taj Gibson said he hasn't given up hope that Derrick Rose will return to the Chicago Bulls this season.

"We feel like that every day," Gibson said. "He works out with us, he practices with us and it's like he never left. But it's just different when the game comes. We're still patient knowing that he could possibly play one of the games coming up but until that time we have to just stay sharp and be ready (for) whenever he's ready to come back."

Rose is still working his way back from May 12 knee surgery. Sources told ESPNChicago.com in early March that Rose had been cleared medically to play but needed to regain his confidence before he can return to the court.


Gibson said there are still times he looks around the floor and wonders about what could be if Rose were there.

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ORLANDO, Fla. -- Here's a quick look at the Chicago Bulls' 102-84 victory over the Orlando Magic on Monday at Amway Center:

How it happened: The Bulls dominated this game. Carlos Boozer had 22 points, six rebounds and four assists while Luol Deng added 18 points, eight assists and four rebounds. After a lackluster first half, the Bulls went to work. They took advantage of a bad team and played together. After dropping two straight, this was exactly the type of performance they needed heading into the most crucial part of the year.

What it means: The Bulls won on two fronts in this game. The actual victory is secondary to the fact that Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson got some minutes after missing extended time because of injuries. The pair's presence alone will give the Bulls confidence as they head into the playoffs. Obviously, both are shaking some rust off and still have some work to do in the next few days to get their bodies back in order, but the fact that they were out there and contributed to this victory is a great sign for the Bulls. Noah and Gibson are two huge focal points for Thibodeau's defensive system and are crucial if the Bulls want to a run in the playoffs.

Hits: The Bulls did whatever they wanted offensively and shot 56 percent from the field.

Misses: Both teams combined for 33 turnovers.

Stat of the night: The Bulls had 33 assists. Their starters combined for 78 points.

What's next: The Bulls head into their final regular season game of the season at 7 p.m. CT Wednesday against the Washington Wizards.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah and forward Taj Gibson will play limited minutes against the Orlando Magic on Monday.

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MIAMI -- Taj Gibson did not play Sunday afternoon against the Miami Heat because of a left knee injury but he is hoping to be back before the regular season ends.

He wants to try and get into a rhythm before the Eastern Conference playoffs begin next weekend.

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TORONTO -- Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson (knee) and center Joakim Noah (foot) will not play Friday night against the Toronto Raptors.

"Taj and Jo are better but not playing," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said before the game.

Derrick Rose's status remains the same.

With just four regular season games left, it will be tough for the Bulls to find practice time for their injured players, but Thibodeau isn't concerned.

"We'll deal with it," Thibodeau said. "We'll figure out a way to get it done. Right now the big part is them putting the work into their rehab and to be mentally sharp, to stay locked into what the team is doing while they're out. Then when they're back in the mix they don't skip a beat. Just be ready to get in there and get the job done so that's the challenge. Right now we want to continue to improve, clean things up, and play our best going down the stretch here."

CHICAGO -- As he watched Thursday night's gritty 118-111 overtime win over the New York Knicks unfold from the bowels of the United Center, injured Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson said, he and fellow injured big man Joakim Noah got so frustrated they almost broke the television screen on which they were watching the game.

They couldn't believe they weren't out on the floor with the rest of their teammates, but they never doubted that the Bulls could find a way to win despite the fact that they still have so many guys out because of various injuries. They knew the spirit and will they play with as a group doesn't change -- no matter who is on the floor. They knew that just because the talent might not have been there, it didn't mean the heart of this squad suddenly disappeared.

Most of all, Gibson, Noah and the rest of the Bulls understood the most true fact of all when it comes to this up and down Bulls season without Derrick Rose: Just when you're about to count out the Bulls and write them off completely, that's when they will find a way to surprise everyone.

"It was a big win," Gibson said. "It seems that we don't really get any respect around the East. ... We tried to make a statement. We tried to let people know that we're still a tough team. We got a lot of injuries. A lot of people don't understand we've had a lot of injuries on this team throughout the season and we're still playing well. But with this team, you don't know what you're going to get. We lose to below-.500 teams, and we come out and beat some of the best teams around the NBA."

In many ways, the past two weeks have served as a perfect microcosm for this team as it enters the final four games of the regular season. The Bulls have beaten the Miami Heat, who went into that game on a 27-game winning streak, and the Knicks, who went into Thursday's game on a 13-game winning streak. They've also lost to the Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors. They know they can beat any team or lose to any team on a given night, which gives them a perfect amount of confidence in games, such as Thursday's, that most people don't believe they can win.

"Honestly, there wasn't anything said about the [Knicks'] streak," Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich said. "It wasn't like, 'Oh well, they've won X amount of games in a row and we're going to stop them.' It was just focus on what we have to do, and for the most part, we did a pretty good job."

There's the key for the Bulls. When they are locked in and focused, they really can beat anyone. This notion is exemplified by the play of veteran point guard Nate Robinson. He has the rare ability to continuously make coaches furious and incredibly happy in the span of a single possession. He proved that again against the Knicks, going off for 35 points off the bench. For as much flak as Robinson takes because of some of his questionable decisions on the floor, he also plays with the type of swagger his teammates feed off.

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CHICAGO -- Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng, who missed the last two games with a bruised hip, is expected to play limited minutes against the New York Knicks on Thursday night.

After Deng went through Thursday's shootaround in preparation for a matchup with the New York Knicks, coach Tom Thibodeau said, "He did everything."

"It feels good to have a few people back and just knowing we're going into (the Knicks game) strong and trying to protect our home floor, trying to get a win," Jimmy Butler said.

Marco Belinelli, who has been nursing an abdominal strain, will also be in action Thursday night, as will Richard Hamilton, who returned to action Tuesday after a long stint on the bench while nursing a bulging disc in his lower back.

Joakim Noah, who has missed nine of the past 10 games with plantar fasciitis is out. Taj Gibson (knee) and Derrick Rose (knee) are also out.

NEW YORK -- Tom Thibodeau said Thursday that before any decision is made on whether to shut down Taj Gibson for the rest of the season, Gibson will be evaluated by team doctors.

Gibson will miss Thursday's game in Brooklyn after re-injuring his left knee on Tuesday in Washington. Gibson, who previously missed three weeks with the injury, confirmed that an MRI taken Wednesday revealed no significant tear and that he merely aggravated the MCL in his left knee that he sprained in a Feb. 24 game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"It's good news," Gibson said. "I felt like it would be good news depending on how everything [looked]. There was a little bit of swelling but it was mostly like scar tissue. The only thing about it was it was just painful.

"It shows that I still have a long way to go as far as my rehabilitation, just getting the leg strong. Because the way it buckled on me I was just on a lateral slide and it just buckled on me. It was real painful. We'll have to see how it's going to go this morning in practice, but just keep pushing."

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