the lead for good. Jefferson hit a 16-foo

Posted in IYH Forums by lavender123456 at 03:27, Jun 24 2014

CHICAGO -- Derrick Rose isnt wavering. He still sees himself as a star, a cornerstone player, despite another major knee injury that brought his long-awaited return to a screeching halt. So he wasnt quite sure what to make of the idea. Is it time for the Chicago Bulls to move on, to abandon the idea of building around him, given his injuries? "What can I say to that?" Rose said. Then, after a long pause, he added, "You could be a fool if you want to. Dead serious. I know Im going to be all right." In fact, hes not quite ruling out a return this season. The superstar point guard left the door slightly open for a comeback in the playoffs if his surgically repaired right knee is healed -- even though the team has said he will miss the rest of the year. Rose tore the medial meniscus in his right knee in a game at Portland on Nov. 22. He had surgery in Chicago three days later, cutting short his comeback after he sat out last season recuperating from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. "If Im healthy and the situation is right, I will be back playing," Rose said Thursday when asked if he might return for the playoffs. "If Im healthy and my meniscus is fully healed, of course Ill be out there playing. But if its something totally different and the outcome is not how I would want it to be, theres no need." That comment aside, the odds of a comeback this season appear to be just about nil given that the team has ruled him out. "Right now, its been determined that hes out for the season," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "So thats the way were going to approach. If something changes later on, well adjust then." The bigger issue remains how effective Rose will be whenever he makes his next return. The MVP in 2011, he tore the ACL in his left knee in the playoff opener against Philadelphia the following year, sending top-seeded Chicago to a first-round exit. The Bulls relived their nightmare last month in Portland when Rose lost his footing while turning to get back on defence. Rose limped across the court, unable to put any weight on his knee, a huge blow for a team that thought it would challenge Miami in the Eastern Conference. Rose is in an all-too-familiar spot, trying to recuperate. He has played in just 50 NBA games -- 49 in the regular season and that lone playoff game -- since the Bulls run to the conference finals during his MVP season, but he felt as if he was returning to form just as he went down again. Rose was averaging 15.9 points and was shooting just over 35 per cent. But he looked a little better in his final two games with 19 points in a loss at Denver and 20 against Portland. "I was catching a rhythm of how I used to play," he said. "I think I was getting in condition more than anything for this season. For this one to happen, just from me turning and running back down the court, theres nothing I can say about it, nothing I can do about it, but just take it, be strong." Rose wondered how it could happen to him again after everything he went through. But he was also relieved he didnt suffer an ACL tear. Even so, he knew the injury was serious when he was being examined in Portland. He said his leg was "catching on the meniscus side, on the inside." "I started thinking about, Why me? and all that stuff the day after the surgery," Rose said. He said meniscus tear was a "freak accident." "(The doctors) look at the tape, look at the film," Rose said. "The first one (the ACL tear) could have been I put too much pressure or I put too much weight on that leg at that time. This one ... I didnt buckle me knee or anything. I paused for a second. I was able to still run a few steps before I couldnt walk. It just happened." Now, hes going for therapy every day. Hes incorporating yoga and swimming into his rehab routine and is able to put pressure on his leg. He said he might try to land a spot on the U.S. world championship team next summer if hes ready, but he still wont be playing in any pickup games. He also said hes not about to start recruiting players to Chicago -- something he hasnt done in the past -- even though the Bulls core could have a different look. Luol Deng has an expiring contract and Carlos Boozer is a candidate to be amnestied. But Rose said he hasnt thought about possible changes. "Theres a chance I could come back so Im just cheering them on," he said. For now, the Bulls are in a difficult spot. They were third in the Central division at 7-9 entering Thursdays game against Miami, one that looked like a marquee matchup when the schedule came out. Since then, it has lost that shine. Rose insisted hes not finished. "I believe that Im a special player. I think people love the way that I just play. I dont try to impress anyone while Im playing or anything. Ive just got a feel for the game. I know my story is far from done." http://www.shopjerseyslions.com/Womens-Larry-Webster-III-Authentic-Jersey/ . PAUL, Minn. http://www.shopjerseyslions.com/Womens-Rashean-Mathis-Authentic-Jersey/ . The Whitecaps open Feb. 16 against the host Charleston Battery before facing the Houston Dynamo on Feb. http://www.shopjerseyslions.com/Womens-Joique-Bell-Authentic-Jersey/. -- A report commissioned by Joe Paternos family says the late coach did nothing wrong in his handling of the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal and portrays Paterno as the victim of a "rush to injustice" created by former FBI director Louis Freehs investigation of the case for Penn State. http://www.shopjerseyslions.com/Womens-Dan-Orlovsky-Authentic-Jersey/ . Johny Hendricks will step in for Hallman (knee) against T.J. Waldburger while American-based Briton James Wilks replaces Ludwig against Amir Sadollah. The UFC did not detail Ludwigs injury. http://www.shopjerseyslions.com/Womens-T-J-Jones-Authentic-Jersey/ .S. Olympic hockey team. Dustin Brown had a goal and an assist and Jonathan Quick made 25 saves as the Los Angeles Kings made it back-to-back wins Thursday night with a 2-0 victory over the Flames.CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Al Jefferson laughed when told he finished three stitches shy of a triple-double. "I have to call my agent because Im done with my modeling career," Jefferson said. Jefferson had seven stitches in the first half to repair a gash above his right eye, but returned to finish with 19 points and 11 rebounds, helping the Bobcats overcome an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit and defeat Washington 100-94 Monday night. The win prevented the Wizards from clinching their first playoff berth since 2008. Jeffersons put back off an offensive rebound with 3:30 left in the game helped the Bobcats take the lead for good at 93-92. Kemba Walker had a big second half, finishing with 21 points and 10 assists, and rookie Cody Zeller scored a career-high 15 points on 4-of-4 shooting and added eight rebounds for Charlotte. Walker scored nine points in the final quarter and the Bobcats erased a 16-point halftime deficit and pulled within two games of the Washington in the race for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs Both teams have eight games left and will meet again on April 9. "We made big shots and played well defensively in the second half and really came together as a team," Walker said. "It shows our resiliency. That was a big win for us." Bradley Beal had 20 points for the Wizards, who missed 11 of their last 14 shots from the field. "It (stinks) man," Washingtons Al Harrington said of not clinching a playoff spot. "Because obviously we played a great first half. We really thought tonight was our night, but to have them come out and play the way that they played and beat us -- thats tough." Washington still would have clinched a playoff spot if the Utah Jazz had defeated New York later Monday, but the Knicks won 92-83. The Wizards (38-36) came in looking to snap the third-longest playoff drought in the NBA -- and for a while it looked like they would. The Wizards shot 59 per cent in the first half, at one point hitting 10 straight shots from the field and scoring on 14 of 15 possessions to close the first half on a 30-7 run. The Bobcats could do little right in what Jefferson called an "embarrassing" first half. But he was confident they would battle back.dddddddddddd. Jefferson walked to the scorers table at the start of the third quarter and told whoever was in earshot, "Hey, watch this comeback." "Everyone looked at me like I was crazy," Jefferson said. "At the end of the game though people were pointing at me saying, You said it. You said it." Charlottes defence was the big difference. Coach Steve Clifford also went to a pick-and-roll with Walker and Jefferson. "The Wizards did a good job of taking away the post," Clifford said. The momentum turned four minutes into the fourth quarter when Walker came up with the loose ball off a Washington turnover and fed Chris Douglas-Roberts for a fast-break layup in traffic with 7:38 left in the game. Douglas-Roberts had to adjust in midair to get his body from one side of the rim to the other to avoid defenders and get the shot to drop. Douglas-Roberts made a 3-point play and then knocked down a long-distance 3 to cut the lead to one before Jeffersons put back gave the Bobcats the lead for good. Jefferson hit a 16-footer to push the lead to three. Walker followed with a backbreaker when he scored on a driving layup to make it 97-92 after a Bobcats possession that took more than a minute off the clock. Charlotte twice came up with key offensive rebounds, allowing Walker to bring the ball back out and reset the offence and milk time off the clock. "When you give a team two to three looks one time down the floor, theyre going to make one," said Wizards forward Drew Gooden. "I would say we lost the game giving them second and third possessions offensively." Jefferson left the game briefly at the end of the first quarter to head to the locker room to get the stitches above his right eye after taking an inadvertent elbow from Trevor Booker. "I had to get a shot to numb it and I hate needles," Jefferson said. NOTES: Gary Neal returned to action for the Bobcats after missing two games with an ankle injury. He had nine points ... The Bobcats have won four of six against Washington, but have split their two games this season. ... The Bobcats have won 11 of their last 13 at home. ' ' '