Derrick Rose tears his meniscus; can Russell Westbrook's recovery offer hope?

If you have had your eye on the NBA during the Oklahoma City Thunder's off-days, then by now you have heard the unfortunate news that Derrick Rose has sustained a meniscus tear in his left knee and is out indefinitely. Marc Stein had the breaking news:

Official word from Bulls is that DRose is out "indefinitely" but vibe is they're indeed bracing for prospect he misses rest of '13-14 season

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) November 23, 2013

Right now, the Chicago Tribune reports:

The Bulls announced on Saturday that subsequent examinations and an MRI confirmed a medial meniscus tear to Derrick Rose's right knee, which will require surgery. He is out indefinitely, and will not accompany the team on the rest of its current road trip.

Some athletes have returned after a four to five week absence from this injury. Given Rose's torn ACL on his other knee, they likely will be conservative.

Westbrook's road to recovery

Russell Westbrook tore his meniscus and subsequently had it repaired. Here is our full coverage of the event from beginning to end.

What we don't know at this point, since the surgery has not taken place yet, is how the doctors plan to repair the meniscus. As we have noted in our extensive coverage of Russell Westbrook's own meniscus tear, there is a big difference between getting a full repair and simply getting the torn part removed. Furthermore, Westbrook was not playing on a rebuilt ACL as Rose has been for the past year, ever since he went down in the 1st round of the playoffs two seasons ago.

While we do not yet know how similar Rose's current situation is to Westbrook's, we do hope that Bulls fans will draw some optimism from Westbrook's rapid recovery. By every indication, he is back at full physical capacity and what remains is the basketball skill refinement.

Be sure to check in with SB Nation's Bulls site Blog a Bull for complete coverage of Rose's injury and recovery.