PORTLAND, Ore. -- Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose will play Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers after missing the last two games because of a sprained left ankle.
"Derrick's good to go tonight," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. "Everything went well [in shootaround]. He felt really good after the last couple days of practice, so yeah, he's ready to go."
Rose, who initially sprained his ankle on Nov. 16 in a win over the Indiana Pacers, is in good spirits heading into his return.
"[There's] stiffness, but no soreness," Rose said of the ankle. "So that's a good thing. Just can't wait to play. It's been a long time. I sat out two games, so I'm excited about playing."
Rose does not expect to be under any kind of minutes restriction on Tuesday.
"I think it's touch and feel, see how it goes," he said. "If I get winded or if I feel any discomfort while I'm out there, I'll for sure let them know."
Rose's return against the Blazers comes almost two years to the day after he tore the medial meniscus in his right knee in the Moda Center. As he returns this time, he is trying to keep those thoughts out of his mind.
"I can't think about that," Rose said. "The past is the past. It could have happened anywhere, it just happened here and I haven't thought about it until you just said it. So kind of like just leave that in the past."