Rose had been scheduled to play in exhibition game on Wednesday night…
Team USA and Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose has insisted that there are no issues with his knees after being rested for the win over the Dominican Republic.
The 25-year-old was a last-minute decision after he had been scheduled to play despite sitting out of practice on both Tuesday and Wednesday to rest.
While USA Basketball continue to insist that it was merely precautionary as they look to protect Rose ahead of a long schedule this summer, it hasn’t prevented reports that he may be struggling with his knees.
Rose tore the ACL in his left knee in April 2012 before suffering a torn medial meniscus in his right knee in November last year, which have resulted in the Bulls star playing in just 10 games in the past two seasons.
Although he has impressed through training camp with Team USA this summer and is expected to play a vital role in their bid to win the FIBA World Cup in Spain, it is clear that he will need to be managed carefully in order to avoid any setbacks.
Rose denied after the game that his knees, specifically, were sore, instead characterizing it as “body fatigue.”
“Not the knees. No, no, no, no. You ain’t got to worry about that,” he said, ESPN reports.
USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo and coach Mike Krzyzewski both agreed prior to the game that it would be an ideal time for Rose to rest after proving his importance in the last month.
Rose scored seven points in 24 minutes against Brazil at the United Center in Chicago on Saturday, and he will be expected to be in the starting line-up for Team USA’s first game of the World Cup against Finland in Bilbao on August 30.
Meanwhile, Coach K is keen to avoid putting too much responsibility and pressure on his shoulders and insisted that he still needs to “keep finding himself and his rhythm and not be worried about leading a team”.
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