DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Derrick Rose practiced for the second day in a row, but he still doesn't feel like himself just yet.
The Chicago Bulls point guard admitted that his ankle injury is still bothering him.
"I told you, I'm like an old man out there," Rose joked after practice. "I have to wait 20, 30 minutes into practice where I'm really loosened up. I have to stretch a lot."
Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro knows he has to keep a close eye on Rose's ankle over the next few weeks.
"His ankle was a little sore until he got it loose this morning, but then once he got it loose, he was fine," Del Negro said. "I think that will be a continual process for a while. He's out of condition a little bit -- the way we want to play and how we want him to play, get after the ball defensively. He's rusty, so these next two days hopefully he can build like he did today and get better."
No matter how much better Rose gets prior to the team's season opener Thursday against the San Antonio Spurs, he knows it will be a tall task to step in and play 25-30 minutes.
"It's going to be tough," he said. "But, I know that playing in front of the home crowd is going to be fun and I'm going to want to play in that game."
Del Negro's job is to make sure that Rose doesn't rush back too quickly.
"We're trying to get him back as quick as we can in terms of his flow and his feel for everything, but it's gonna take a little time," Del Negro said. "He's been out for a while."
