The Eastern Conference playoffs could be set to get a lot more interesting.

Derrick Rose participated in contact portions of practice for the Chicago Bulls on Monday, the first time he's done so since re-tearing the medial meniscus in his right knee in late February.

That means he's more or less on track after a four- to six-week timeline was established following surgery. Rose opted for the torn piece of the meniscus to be removed rather than repaired, which brings a shorter recovery time but leaves the long-term health of the meniscus tenuous. Rose had the same meniscus repaired in November 2013.

Following Monday's session, head coach Tom Thibodeau said that Rose will need time to get his conditioning back before he's ready for game action. Even if he takes another week or two – his estimate just last week – this is obviously a major step in the right direction for Rose and the club.

"He was a little winded, but we expected that," Thibodeau said. "Overall, I thought it was good. Physically he feels good."

Joakim Noah to reporter pressing about how Derrick Rose looked: "It was his first 4 on 4 contact practice since surgery. So relax." — Chuck Garfien (@ChuckGarfien) March 30, 2015

Prior to the injury, Rose was averaging 18.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and five assists, struggling with his jump shot and his finishing to a degree and hitting 40.7 percent from the floor.

The Bulls have hung tight at 9-8 during Rose's latest absence. They sit third in the Eastern Conference at 45-29, a decent position, but their upside is appreciably higher with Rose than without him, even if he's not all the way back to being himself.

And unfortunately, that may no longer be a realistic expectation for Rose, who at age 26 has already had the ACL in his left knee repaired.