Kobe wore the Zorro mask. Earl Cureton just before he played for the Bulls wore the hospital face mask. LeBron wore the clear half face protection. Ron Artest with the Lakers wore the baseball that covered his head as well. Richard Hamilton called his a work of art because of the connection with the headband. Reggie Miller had the California cool.
Derrick Rose’s facial fashion statement should come in the next few weeks.
“The update with Derrick right now is that he has a follow up on Friday,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said after practice Thursday about Rose’s orbital surgery recovery. “They don’t want him leaving his house at least until that time. He’s very sensitive to light. They just don’t want anything to happen to his eye. Surgery went great. He’s been advised not to do any physical activity at all for two full weeks to hopefully let that sight heal. Hopefully after that two weeks is over we’ll start getting him back into basketball activities. We don’t know how long it’ll take for him to get back into playing shape. They’ll fit him for a mask, so he’ll have that to deal with. But as of right now he’s been advised to stay at home at least until Friday.
“I was playing with Reggie Miller when he had his orbital bone fracture, and Reggie opted for the cool Oakley shades,” recalled Hoiberg. “I don’t know if the surgery has improved from back when (Miller) had it, but he was very sensitive to light at the beginning of the recovery. I can’t remember to be honest with you how long he had to wear the glasses. But we’ll evaluate that as we continue to get more information.’’
And so Rose’s physical evolution will continue as he came into training camp with a fuller beard and higher hair. Now comes the mask. Players generally says it’s uncomfortable at first, as did Hamilton, because of the sweat and heat. Though Hamilton eventually made it a part of his uniform for the remainder of his career. Most players usually shed the mask after a few days or weeks once they lose their fear of being hit again in the face. Since Rose attacks the basket so much and absorbs contact, that obviously will be an issue at first. Otherwise, the Bulls seem pleased with Rose’s progress and remain hopeful he will be ready to play by the time the season opens at the end of October.
“I hope so, I hope so,” Hoiberg said when asked about Rose playing in the opener Oct. 27. “Like I said, hopefully once everything heals up in these first couple of weeks, he should be able to resume full activity. So that’ll give him a couple of weeks hopefully to prepare and get himself ready. We’ll see how it is. I think the big thing with this one is getting him back into basketball shape, making sure he’s doing OK before we get him back out there in scrimmaging and that type of thing.
“You’d be surprised how quickly (conditioning) does go,” said Hoiberg. “It’s just about getting his timing back. You don’t want to throw him back in that first day, get him back into scrimmaging that first day. (You’ve) got to get his legs back underneath him. So that’ll take a few days. Having the two weeks completely off so his eye can heal. But he’ll get it back quick because he is in great shape right now. We’ll know more Friday, after the follow up. Hopefully they’ll give him clearance to get out of the house and start coming in because we are adding news stuff every day.”
And then with the speed of light and a cloud of dust…