Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose could miss the two months of next season while recovering from knee surgery.

Rose was told by doctors to expect an eight-month rehabilitation to be back at full strength from the surgery on Saturdayto repair his torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. That timetable would put his return at December or January.

The torn ACL, which he suffered in the opening round of the playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers, ended an injury-plagued season for last season’s league MVP. He missed 27 of the Bulls’ 66 regular-season games with toe, foot, ankle groin and back injuries.

“He’s a fierce competitor,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau told the Sun-Times. “We expect him to approach his rehab the same way he approaches everything else and fully recover and be able to contribute next year.”