Injured NBA All-Star point guard Derrick Rose has not ruled out the possibility of returning in May should the Chicago Bulls manage to qualify for the NBA Playoffs, Rose said in a recent interview with ESPN.

Rose, who underwent surgery in November to repair a torn right MCL after spending a year in rehabilitation to get back from an left ACL injury, remains optimistic about his chances of playing for the Bulls in the playoffs.

The Bulls already announced that Rose's season is over - regardless of whether they make the playoffs or not - after the former NBA MVP sustained a torn meniscus in his right knee during a road game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 22.

However, Rose stressed that he could still play with the Bulls in the postseason, if his recovery goes well on time.

"If I'm healthy and the situation is right, I'm going to be back playing," Rose said Thursday during a news conference via ESPN. "If I'm healthy and my meniscus is fully healed, of course I'll be out there playing. But if it's something totally different and the outcome is not how I would want it to be, there's no need."

Out of the Season

Coach Tim Thibodeau, on the other hand, provided a cautious opinion on Rose's current situation. The former Coach of the Year said they would approach the season with a mentality that Rose is out for the rest of the season.

"To me, he's basically -- he's out for the season," Thibodeau said. "If something changes along the way, but we want him to be completely healthy before he moves forward.

"... He'll do his part, we have to do our part. We can't worry about whether he may come back or not. Right now, it's been determined that he's out for the season so that's the way we're going to approach it," he added.

With Rose out for the remainder of the season, the Bulls must once again depend on their vaunted frontline trio of Luol Deng, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah. The subpar play of Eastern Conference teams this season has allowed the Bulls to stay in the top eight, but it doesn't guarantee them a spot in the playoffs come April.