Bulls' Rose could suit up Oct. 5 at Indiana

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Former NBA MVP Derrick Rose could suit up for the first time in more than a year when the Chicago Bulls visit the Indiana Pacers for the preseason opener on Oct. 5.

The preseason schedule released Thursday also has the Bulls playing Washington in Rio de Janeiro on Oct. 12 and hosting Detroit on Oct. 16. The regular-season schedule comes out Tuesday.

Rose is expected to be ready after sitting out last season while recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. His status became an ongoing soap opera, with neither he nor the team publicly ruling out a return.

Without him, the Bulls won 45 games and bowed to Miami in the second round of the playoffs.