In last summer’s FIBA World Cup tournament, Derrick Rose made his return to organized basketball after missing all but 10 games of the previous two seasons with two different knee surgeries. He looked rusty in the tournament, but he has said many times that the experience helped him prepare for the Bulls’ season. Rose missed six weeks of last season after undergoing another surgery on his right knee, but a strong performance in the playoffs leaves him optimistic for next season, and he hasn’t closed the door entirely on participating in USA Basketball in the future.
ESPNChicago.com’s Nick Friedell reports that Rose is on the fence about participating in this summer’s Las Vegas minicamp:Chicago Bulls star guard Derrick Rose is still undecided about attending Team USA’s minicamp, according to league sources.
Rose has indicated in the past that he would like to play for Team USA in the Olympics, but sources told ESPNChicago.com that he is weighing the potential benefits of taking more time off before the start of Bulls training camp in late September.It’s unlikely that Rose will make the cut for Team USA for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 if he doesn’t participate in this summer’s minicamp. The program is loaded with other point guards, including Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving, Stephen Curry, John Wall and possibly Damian Lillard, so he’ll have competition regardless, and he didn’t exactly set the world on fire in the 2014 tournament. It will be totally understandable if he decides to sit this summer out and prepare for the season. But given that this is probably his last opportunity to play for Team USA in a major tournament, that could be a tougher decision than it seems.
