Rose not expected to resume practice until end of the season.
Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has insisted that if point guard Derrick Rose is cleared and is healthy, then he would love to see him play at the World Cup of Basketball in Spain this summer.
The 25-year-old has been ruled out since November after suffering a second serious knee injury in the last three years, and he isn’t expected to resume full practice until the end of the season.
However, having benefited from featuring for Team USA back in 2010 ahead of his MVP season, Thibodeau believes that provided Rose is fully recovered and has gone through all the stages of his rehabilitation, then it would be ideal for him to travel.
“Oh, absolutely,” said Thibodeau, who is also an assistant on the Team USA staff, as reported by ESPN.
“If he’s healthy and he’s cleared — like I thought it was a great experience for him before [in 2010]. I know he’d like to do it. I know how USA Basketball feels about him. If he’s cleared to do it, I’d love to see him do it.”
USA coach Mike Krzyzewski recently told the media that he would like to see Rose compete in camp in Las Vegas first in order to earn his spot on the team, but insists that he will leave the decision over whether or not he is available for selection to the Bulls front office.
Thibodeau believes that the national program is such a great success because of the emphasis on doing what is best for the players, and while there will be no pressure on Rose to play, he may see it as an ideal competition to find his feet and train hard ahead of the new NBA season while representing his country.
Rose will not resume full practice until the end of the season according to his coach, but Thibodeau revealed that he is going through the stages as planned and they will then reassess him in the summer to see where he is.
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