Derrick Rose seems to be taking to Twitter and using the social media tool for what it should be, an interactive way to engage his fans and allow some insight into one of the league's more private superstars. The Bulls point guard tweeted a picture of himself in the gym yesterday with the caption, "Feels good to be back in the gym," but when it comes to speaking on the ACL tear that will cost him a good portion of the 2012-13 season, Rose has been largely quiet.

Until now. Rose told CSNChicago that his knee injury in Game 1 of the Bulls (eventual) first-round loss to the Sixers was the "closest thing to death."

"I remember it," he recalled. "I remember everything. I remember jumping in the air and coming back down, and just that popping sound. I felt it actually tear when I laid all the way out and it just let go. I didn't have that that much pain after that. In the beginning I did, but I didn't want to yell or anything. When that happened, all I could think about was people just talking. You could hear the whole arena, people just whispering all around -- one of the things, like 'Not again. Come on, man. First game back. We had the win' -- and I was just hoping [it was] nothing serious, then, we got to the hospital, got in the MRI machine, the whole time praying.

"Dr. [Brian] Cole, the Bulls doctor [who also performed the subsequent surgery], came up to me and told me it was torn. I couldn't believe it. That's the closest thing to death, the closest to death I've got to right there, where it just seemed like the wind and everything was taken out [of me]."

Bulls fans have some reason to smile though, all is not lost. Rose is ahead of schedule in his recovery, almost 2-3 weeks, but it still remains to be seen when he will be ready for the rigors of an NBA game.

Image courtsey of Derrick Rose Twitter account ( @drose )