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Dick Weiss

Team USA slices up Dominican Republic, but no cuts before Friday’s game with Puerto Rico

NEW YORK — The fans began chanting Derrick Rose’s name late in the third quarter of Team USA’s 105-62 blowout over the Dominican Republic Wednesday night in a pre-World Cup exhibition before an enthusiastic crowd of 16,080at the Garden 

   The Chicago Bulls’ talented, but injuiy pleagued point guard, who won the NBA MVP trophy in 2010, couldnt help but overher them and having missed most of the past two years with two severe knee injuries, heard them, but he is not about rush his recovery.was
   Rose, who told the coaching staff he was experiencing general soreness and missed the previous two days of practice after starting Satuday’s game against Brazil, never even made a cameo. 
   “Just trying to protect myself, just knowing that this is a long, long schedule and this is the most basketball I’ll be playing in two years,” Rose said. “I want to be out there, but at the same time, my health is the No. 1 issue right now.”
   Krzyzewski did not seem all that concerned. “I know what Derrick Rose can do,” he said. “He”ll play Friday in the exhibition against Puerto Rico.”
   When healthy, Rose can be an impact player. Krzyzewski may feel he has two weeks time overseas to ease Rose back into playing shape since it is doubtful the U.S. senior men’s team will be challenged before the gold medal game Sept. 14 if they have to play a dangerous experienced rival Spanish team in hostile Madrid with an automatic bid to the 2016 Olympicks in Rio on the line.
     Rose will definitely make this team. But if he looks like he will be limited, Krzyzewski could be faced with a decison on how many point guards he needs to progress in the medal round.  Against the Dominican Republic, he felt comfortable starting  22-year old Kyrie Irving from Cleveland. Irving, a one year Duke player, and a three year pro, sorced 12 points, made all five field goal attempts and finished with 5 assists and 4 rebounds in 15:45.
     Irving, who was one of the the best two players along with Paul George in the pre-Olympic Rising stars camp last summer in Vegas, appears to have an edge on All Star point guard Damian Lillard, and should make the roster, even though Lillard is argably a beter shooter and defender. Lillard scored seven points on 3 for 8 shooting to go with 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 turnovers in 24:15 minutes of extended playing time as Krzyzewski attempted to give players considered on the bubble a a fair look. The Americans have 16 playrs on their roster and have to get down to 12 before leaving Saturday for Spain, where they will finish up final preparations for the tournament with an exhibition game against Slovenia before the start of pool play in Bilbao August 30.
    “When we do eventually decisions, it will be very, very difficult,” Krzyzewski said. 
    Right now, Krzyzewski has apparently settled on a first five of 6-10 Anthony Davis, forwards James Harden, Kenneth Faried and guards Stephen Curry and Irving with Rose as a wild card if he finally blooms.
    Center DeMarcus Cousins, buiked up forward Rudy Gay, a late addition who had experience on the 2010 World champinship team; guard Klay Thompson should also be on the roster.
     That leaves seven players– 6-7 guard DeMar DeRozan, centers Andre Drummond and Mason Plumlee, forwards Gordon Hayward, Chandler Parson, Kyle Korver and Lillard — competing for the remaining three spots. Drummond, who had 13 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists in 16:13; and DeRozan, who has a reputation for beating opposing players off the bounce for twos, each had their moments, albeit in the late in the third quarrter of this blowout. 
    There will be no cuts before Friday’s exhibiton against Puerto Rico in the Garden.
    Given the way Rose practiced at the end of training camp in Vegas and played against Brazil, I’d keep Lillard on the roster for emergency sake, but that’s me. 
    Heading into their fifth international tournament together, this will be Colangelo and Krzyzewski’s weakest roster, weaker even than the U.S. senior team that lost to Greece in the semi-finals of the 2006 ‘Worlds. They still have a big enough talent pool, to advance thought their side of the bracket and the decisions they make this week will go a long way toward determining whether they can win the a second straight gold in this event, which is prized more by European fans than the Olympics..  . .

      This is a small group, but given the  value placed upon versatility of key players in the international game, that’ could be a hugh plus against the more strucdtured Europen teams. But the lack of front court size could hurt against the Americans’ top rival, Spain, which features bigs  like Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka and uses a high low offense.  There will likley be no true small fowards on the U.S. roster although Harden can easiily fill that spot and will likely beome the team’s second best front court offensive option behind Davis. Should Gay and or Parsons earn spots, they will likely play a lot of power forward, bringing flexibility behind Faried,  leaving Krzyzeski to comtemplate whether offensive minded big guards Klay Thompson or DaMar Derozan could get backup minuts at the small foward spot. .

      Other than Davis, a late addition to the 2012 London games, this is shaping up to be a team with minimal established star power, but it is an unselfish group that can knock you out with its tenacious defense. Team USA limited the Dominican Republic, who got 14 points apiece from two players– Francisco Garcia, an eight year NBa player  with Houston, and 6-3 guard James Feldeine, who just signed a deal to play for Cantu in the Italian League and might have made an NBA roster if he would two inches taller.– won all the statisical battle in every area, outshooting the Dominicans, 57.9 percent to 34.3, outrebounding them, 44-25, and had more asssists (24) than the Dominicans had field goals (23).
      Unlike European teams,that tend to practice together as a group for close to two months, the U.S., which has a month to prepare, have been faced with constantly changing the way it wants to play since the withdrawls  All Star bigs like Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, LeMarcus Aldrdige,  guard Russell Westbook and NBA finals MVP forward Kawahl Leonard, many who claim they were drained by the long season or had unspoken concerns about injuries, which came to fuition to potential starter Paul George isuffered a knee surgery that will cost him all next season during a intrasquad scirmmage in Vegas. 
     “There is a big risk without enormous financial rewards,” NBA comissioner Adam Silver said, who did a joint press conference with General Martin Dempsey, the chief advior to the President. “But I’m sitting next ot our highest ranknig military official so I;’m almost embarrassed to be talking about the risks our players face as compared to what our men and woman in uniform face and only reiterate it;’s a personal decision for these players.
    “And i should point out, ti;s not just U.S. players. we’e talking about participating the World Cup. Collectively, we have close to 50 NBA players particiapting on behind of theirnatioal teams. I commented on Paul George. Im enormously sympathetical to him and his family because of his injury, but as he has said himself, he had no second thoughts. Larry Bird (the president of the Pacers) said that as well. Injuries happen in sports. It coud have happened outside the context of our national team.”
     One thing the U.S. will not do is visit Senegal due to risign healthy coerns over he Ebola viris. “That was a decisiion made by Jerry Colangelo and Coach K together with USA Basketball,” Silver said. “I know they talked to several diferent U.s. agences to get their point of vfiews and global health agencies and they ultimatey decided they just couldn’t risk the health of these players. to go to Senegal at this time.”
     

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Dick Weiss is a sportswriter and columnist who has covered college football and college and professional basketball for the Philadelphia Daily News and the New York Daily News. He has received the Curt Gowdy Award from the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and is a member of the national Sportswriters Hall of Fame. He has also co-written several books with Rick Pitino, John Calipari, Dick Vitale and authored a tribute book on Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.

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