Derrick Rose won't be back before March 1, may not return this season

Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose may not be back before the beginning of March. Or he may not be back this season. Two reports Tuesday pushed back the former MVP's return from a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Rose told USA Today that he's "not coming back until I'm 110 percent."

"Who knows when that can be?" Rose told the paper. "It can be within a couple of weeks. It could be next year. It could be any day. It could be any time. It's just that I'm not coming back until I'm ready."

Next year? That's not what fantasy owners want to hear. Bulls fans may cringe, too, but they also don't want Rose's future jeopardized. 

So how far is Rose from hitting the 110 percent threshold?

"Right now, probably in the high 80s," he told the paper. "Far away. Far away."
Yahoo Sports reported that "no timetable is set" for Rose's return, but "he isn't expected back before March 1."

 If you've waited this long for Rose, keep holding on.

Photo: Keith Allison.