The outlook certainly doesn’t appear to be good for Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls.

ESPN reports that the star guard could miss as much as 8-12 months.

Once one of the favorites to win the NBA Championship, the Bulls have now lost star PG Derrick Rose for as much as a year. If his recovery time is more towards 12 months, it seems as though Chicago’s title hopes for next year have been shot as well.

The Bulls entered this year’s playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the East. They finished the lockout-shortened season at 50-16, despite losing Rose to back problems for quite a few of those games.

The Bulls played the Philadelphia 76ers in their first-round matchup. Late in Game 1, with the Bulls winning by double-digits, Rose landed awkwardly on his left knee. He left the game, and it was later discovered that Rose had torn his ACL.

Rose’s doctor, Brian Cole, said this at a press conference after Rose’s surgery:

“We’re at this point very optimistic. … We think of recovery as the long process that’s in stages. But the short answer is the time frame we believe an athlete of this caliber generally requires is about 8-12 months. Sometimes shorter, sometimes longer.”

There was some controversy over whether Rose should have been playing when he tore his ACL. The Bulls were up by a good amount, and the 76ers are not a team that can pour it on like the Miami Heat.

The former-MVP will not be rushed back to the court, according to Cole.

“We’re not going to rush it. The most important thing is all of us feel comfortable based on specific parameters that he’s ready to go at each stage as we advance him. If he’s not ready, we’ll delay. If he’s ready, we’ll move him to the next stage.”

Cole also noted that Rose should return to his old form, although it is not guaranteed.

The young point guard is widely regarded as the best in the league.

The Bulls’ shot at the title in 2013 has been seriously crippled by this injury.

Bulls GM Gar Forman had this to say about the team’s future:

“Obviously short term we’re going to take a hit. Our thinking in general long term won’t change at all. But short term obviously you don’t replace Derrick, and what he brings to the team and the production he’s got.

While the Bulls have a solid core around Rose, they can’t survive in today’s NBA without their star.