Derrick Rose expects to return for Cavaliers on Thursday night

Derrick Rose expects to return to action for the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers when they host the Orlando Magic on Thursday night, per Cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon. It will be Rose’s first action since he went down with an ankle injury November 7.

Rose met with the media Wednesday to share his thoughts:

It’s certainly been an eventful few months for the Cavaliers and Rose himself. Just a few weeks after he went down with the ankle injury, Rose left the Cavaliers to “evaluate his future” in the sport, citing the mental toll of the injuries he has accrued over his career. The 2011 MVP tore his ACL in the 2012 playoffs and has dealt with several other lower body ailments since.

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The Cavaliers, meanwhile, experienced quite the highs and lows during Rose’s absence. They won 18 of their first 19 games following the injury but have since dropped 9 of 12 and their last four in a row. Along the way, Cleveland had to work in All Star point guard Isaiah Thomas, who debuted for the team on Jan. 1 following a hip injury, as well as deal with the absence of Iman Shumpert, who has been out since tearing his meniscus November 27.

In his seven early-season games with the Cavaliers, Rose played solid if unspectacular basketball, averaging 14.3 points per game on 47 percent shooting. It remains to be seen how he figures into the rotation, but this is certainly a step in the right direction for the 29-year-old.