Rose could return after All-Star Weekend break

After missing two months due to an ankle injury, there is optimism that shooting guard Derrick Rose will return to the New York Knicks lineup after the All-Star Break next week, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.

Rose has been making progress on the court to return and, barring setbacks, there is confidence he will be ready to face the Miami Heat on Feb. 25, when the Knicks resume the final stretch of the season in hopes of making the playoffs. the sources said.

Rose told reporters Jan. 30 that he expected to return “a little bit after the All-Star Game break,” and that the schedule remains firm, the sources said.

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said Friday before his team played the Brooklyn Nets that Rose was not yet cleared for contact, but that is expected to happen soon, the sources said. Rose is one of Thibodeau’s favorites and there is an urgency to get him back in the lineup to try to revive the Knicks’ postseason hopes. New York (25-33) is 12th in the East, 2.5 games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the 10th and final entry spot in the conference.

Rose, 33, has not played since suffering the ankle injury against the Houston Rockets on Dec. 16. He underwent surgery on Dec. 22 to remove a bone spur.

The Knicks have struggled to find consistency at the point guard position without Rose. He had been New York’s most aggressive rim attacker, shooting 53% for a team ranked 28th in shooting percentage from the field at 45%, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Rose came to New York a year ago in a Feb. 8 deal with the Detroit Pistons and immediately made an impact on the season. He helped the Knicks finish fourth in the East and finished third in NBA Sixth Man of the Year voting. He signed a three-year, $43 million contract with the Knicks in August.

Rose was the 2011 NBA MVP with the Chicago Bulls, the youngest to win the award at age 21.