Derrick Rose’s groin strain likely to keep him sidelined for Magic game

Derrick Rose is expected to miss his fourth straight game when the Chicago Bulls play the Magic in Orlando on Monday, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Rose strained his groin in last Monday’s game against the Knicks and is not sure when he’ll be able to return.

“With an injury like this, you don’t know how long it’s going to take,” Rose said, per the Sun-Times. “I thought I would be back sooner. I’ve missed some big games that I hate to miss, like the one tonight. I’ve got to worry about my health.”

The Bulls are 2-1 without Rose in their current stretch, with wins against Miami and Philadelphia and a loss to Portland. Chicago is 9-4 this season without Rose, who, in addition to the groin, has dealt with toe and back issues this season.

Rose said he hasn’t been able to run or shoot since injuring his groin.

“You don’t want this to linger,” he said. “I can’t move right now. Every day it’s definitely getting better but I haven’t been able to run in a couple days.”

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau still considers Rose “day-to-day,” but said, “It could be a few days. It could be ... who knows? We just want him to make progress. When he’s healthy he’s healthy. We’re not going to rush him back. We want him to be completely healthy. We think that’s important.”