BOSTON -- Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose sat out Sunday afternoon's 95-91 loss against the Boston Celtics due to ongoing back spasms. He plans to see a specialist in Chicago to address the problem on Monday.
Rose, who admitted he's been struggling with back issue for several weeks, will seek out additional treatment options when the team returns to Chicago after the game.
"The first time I remember (the back problems) happening were in high school," Rose said before the game. "But college I didn't have it. First couple of years (in the NBA) I didn't have it. All of a sudden it just happened now. Hopefully, (Monday) I'll meet with some people and try to figure something out."
Rose said his back has been bothering him since the start of the Bulls' nine-game road trip, which began Jan. 29 in Miami.
"It was the whole trip," Rose said. "I just played through it and the more I played through it, it tended to get worse after every game. At the time I was really worried about it, but (I'm) just trying to stay positive and hopefully I'll be all right."
Rose said has had a hard time walking without pain for the last few days. He continues to get stim treatment while the organization tries to determine exactly what the issue is.
"You're always concerned," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "It's something that he's had before. He had it when he was in high school. So we're hopeful that it gets cleared up shortly, but we want to make sure ... back are tricky, so that's why he's going to see a specialist (Monday)."
The persistent pain is Rose's biggest concern. He was uncertain of when he will return to the court, but he wants to be pain free when he does.
"I got to be able to move," Rose said. "Get up without hurting. Be myself. Right when I feel that there's no pain there anymore, I know I'll be ready."
"It's usually up to me if I want to play. If I feel good the morning I wake up, or after I get done shooting or warming up, I'll be able to play. But if not, I'll definitely let them know and I'll be able to sit down."
C.J. Watson started in Rose's place.
Rip Hamilton, Chicago's marquee offseason acquisition, also missed Sunday's game. Hamilton is away from the team because of a personal matter, but he would not have played had he traveled to Boston.
Slated as the team's starting shooting guard before the season, Hamilton has missed all but 11 games with injuries. He last played against the Miami Heat on Jan. 29.
"I think he's maybe a week away," Thibodeau said. "The big thing with him was, because we had gone down that road where we sat him out, he came back, got hurt again, sat him out, came back, got hurt again. We wanted to make sure this time that he had all the rest to get completely healthy before we bring him back. We don't want to keep going down that road where he plays a few games, then we have to sit him out again. Probably another week or so."
Thibodeau admitted there was a chance the Bulls might sit Hamilton out until after the All-Star break.
"We're going to see where he is," Thibodeau said. "If it makes more sense where if he's completely healthy (and) get a few games in, we'll do that. But if it makes more sense for him to get the extra rest, we'll do that. We want to make sure he's completely healthy."
Rose's ailing back is the latest in a long line of injuries for the Bulls. In addition to Rose and Hamilton, Taj Gibson, Watson, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng and John Lucas have missed games with varying medical maladies.
Rose, the league's reigning MVP, is averaging 22 points and seven assists per contest.
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