Thibodeau unlikely to risk aggravating hamstring strain.
Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose is expected to miss the encounter with the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.
The 25-year-old suffered a hamstring injury on Monday and has since been forced to miss practice ahead of back-to-back games this weekend.
While coach Tom Thibodeau was keen to stress that every game is important and he wouldn’t be tempted to rest Rose for the Indiana Pacers game on Saturday, he remains open to having his star player back in action in the second game of the double header.
“We have to trust what Fred [Tedeschi] says in the end and what Derrick says. He’s slowly improving, but we’ll see where he is [on Saturday], Thibodeau said, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Meanwhile, Rose has insisted that he is eager to avoid missing games in order to continue to try and get his rhythm back on the court.
The explosive point guard has struggled for consistency since making his comeback from a torn ACL this season, although he has shown signs of returning to his previous best.
Nevertheless, it is unlikely that Thibodeau will want to risk him if there is a chance the injury could worsen, which would ultimately put Rose further back in his recovery.
Chicago started the season slowly following losses to rivals Miami Heat and the Pacers, but have since won their last two games and moved to 3-3 for the season.
Should Rose be sidelined as expected, Kirk Hinrich will deputise at the point while Thibodeau will perhaps look to Marquis Teague as his back-up option.
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