D-Rose To Play With Team USA This Summer
(Source) Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, limited to just 10 games this season due to a torn meniscus in his right knee, will join Team USA for its training camp this summer in preparation for the World Cup of Basketball in Spain, national team coach Mike Krzyzewski said Tuesday.
Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski expects Derrick Rose to be ready for training camp this summer. “We expect him to be there that last week of July when we’re choosing the team in Vegas,” Krzyzewski said during an “ESPNU College Basketball” podcast with host Andy Katz. “He can’t make the team unless he’s ready to go full bore. And knowing Derrick I would think he’ll be ready, and hopefully he’ll be 100 percent.” Rose suffered his latest knee injury — he missed the 2012-13 season while recovering from a torn ACL in his left knee — on Nov. 22. Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said earlier this month that the former league MVP had started taking contact in practice.
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Does anyone have a problem with this? Because I certainly don’t. I’ve heard rumblings of people saying D-Rose shouldn’t be playing in anything outside of Bulls training camp and pre-season and shouldn’t risk it. Why? What is the honest harm in him playing this summer? If he gets hurt and his knees are fucked forever they’re fucked forever. Playing in some Team USA games and practices won’t cause irreparable damage, if he’ll never be able to play a full NBA season again the irreparable damage has already been done. I’d rather him get real competitive games in and hit the ground running into the season with strong knees that he physically and mentally trusts.
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I am a D-Rose supporter to a fault but even I think there should be no more pussy footing around and resting and coddling. D-Rose, as sad as it is for me to say, is a gigantic question mark going forward. He could be MVP D-Rose or he could be Penny Hardaway and out of the league in 3 years. Nothing will surprise me at this point. So why not see what we have, let him see what he has. And of course, if he gets hurt this summer everyone will say it was mismanaged and make a huge deal about it. Fuck that. At some point you are what you are, and if that’s injured all the time and never able to hold up to the NBA pounding then a few summer games won’t change it.
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