It was a matchup to savor. The return of Derrick Rose to Los Angeles after missing all of last season with a knee injury, and Clippers coach Doc Rivers vs. his former assistant. Tom Thibodeau.
Except it will instead be the Clippers vs. the Bulls minus Rose, who injured his meniscus in his right knee Friday night and is out indefinitely.
Rivers and the Clippers spent time Saturday sending well-wishes to Rose. It hit home for Clippers forward Blake Griffin, who knows a thing or two about dealing with multiple knee issues.
“I feel bad for him,” Griffin said. “You never want to see anyone go down. Obviously I’ve experienced a couple knee injuries, including meniscus. The good news is it’s not nearly as bad as the one he just went through, so we wish him the best.”
Rose missed all of last season after tearing his left ACL in the 2012 playoffs.
“Mine wasn’t as close (together) as his but I think it almost helps you a little bit,” Griffin said. “You have that mindset of ‘OK, I just did this.’ As long as mentally he’s good and ready to get back to it, that rehab process is somewhat familiar. A lot of times if you go through rehab and you take your time, you can come back a little bit stronger. Hopefully that’s the approach he takes.
“I tore my menisicus in college, had surgery on a Sunday and played on a Saturday. It depends on obviously how bad it is and how much they have to repair it. If they don’t repair it, it’s obviously less invasive, less time out.”