LAS VEGAS – Chicago Bulls’ point guard Derrick Rose officially returned from a 18-month layoff this week, showing no lingering after effects from the two devastating knee injuries that pushed him out of the spotlight and made him a forgotten man in the NBA.
Rose, who was the league’s MVP in 2010, looked like himself again this week at Team USA’s pre-World Cup training camp at the Mendenhall Center on the campus of UNLV. The anger and frustration he felt are gone, replaced by joy, speed and electricity, qualities this team, which will play through its guards, will need to defend its 2010 World Championship this fall in Spain during what will be the biggest global competition prior to the 2016 Olympics.
. Rose, who missed the 2013 season after tearing his left anterior cruciate ligament April 22, 2012 and then played just 10 games last year after tearing his right meniscus Nov. 22, showed he is not just good enough to make Mike Krzyzewski’s 12-man roster. but to be a dominant force again after rekindling visions of player who quickly emerged as a superstar with his signature fall back jumper and explosive dunking and shot blocking abilities.
“On the scale of 1 to 10, I feel like an 11,” Rose claimed Thursday. “I think I’m back. I’m not worried about my knee anymore. I’ve got three days under my belt and I feel strong, rested. My body is holding up. Coach K (national coach Mike Krzyzewski) and his staff are doing great job making sure I’m not overdoing it in practice, giving me ability to pull myself out whenever I get tired. I push myself to exhaustion. Whenever I get tired, I pull myself out. the biggest thing for me is getting off my feet after practice.”
Rose knows his body better than anyone.
But, just to make sure, he worked out with the Bulls’ summer league team to get a feel for how his skills would translate against the 19 other candidates for this team before flying out here to the desert. “I put up a lot of shots, worked on playing through fatigue and keeping my legs in condition,” he said.
So far, so good.
Rose, who won a gold medal in the 2010 World Championships at Turkey, can be a game changer if healthy. He will test his progress again here tonight when Team USA holds its camp closing blue-white scrimmage at Thomas and Mack Arena. Rose, along with forwards Kevin Durant of Oklahoma City, James Harden of Houston and Anthony Davis of New Orleans, who were members of the 2012 Olympic gold medal team in London– and guard Stephen Curry of Golden State, who played on the 2010 Worlds, should form the nucleus of this team. Point guard Kyrie Irving of Cleveland, forward Paul George of Indiana and guard Klay Thompson of Golden State also appear to have the inside track on roster spots.
The other four openings are up for grabs among 12 other candidates– centers DeMarcus Cousins of Sacramento, Andre Drummond of Detroit and a Mason Plumlee of the Nets, a surprise add on from the Select team; forwards Kenneth Faried of Denver, Paul Millsap of Atlanta, Gordon Hayward of Utah, Kyle Korver of Atlanta, DeMar DeRozan of Toronto and Chandler Parsons of Dallas and guards John Wall and Bradley Beal of Washington and Damian Lillard of Portland .
Conventional wisdom suggests Krzyzewski will cut his roster to 15 after this scrimmage, then announce the team after exhibitions in Chicago and New York City.
But Krzyzewski feels these roster decisions are too important to rush, especially at the center position where none of the three candidates have any international experience, and will not be pressured into making any rash decisions with an automatic Olympic bid on the line. “It willl be up to our guards to get the ball down low to our young bigs down. Spain should be our biggest competition. they have so many bigs (the Gasol brothers and Serge Ibaka — I don’t know how we’re going to defend them. We have to go over there and play with a chip on our shoulders.”
Rose does not plan on changing his game. “I’m going to play like I did with the Bulls,” he said. “Push the ball up, put pressure on the defenders, pick up full court.”
Rose no longer feels trapped in a dark corner, the way he did after his first knee injury when he disappeared from view and rehabbed by himself. “I knew that I couldn’t’t be mad or be in that place for a whole year again,” he said. “So I really attacked my rehab and it really was fun this time. The first time it was hell. This time it was hell, too. But I was able to enjoy it a little bit more, seeing that improvement.”
Rose is a different person now in so many ways. He made a point of bonding with his son :P.J. last year, attending Bulls’ practices and watching from games from the bench.and he seems motivated by the fact so many people are questioning whether he will ever be an elite player again.
“I’m on a mission,” he said.
