By JOSH NEWMAN
Special to ZAGSBLOG
NEW YORK – Derrick Rose did not play on Wednesday evening when the United States National Team drilled the Dominican Republic, 105-62, at Madison Square Garden, but no one seems too concerned.
“It’s just body fatigue,” Rose said. “No, not the knees, you don’t have to worry about that. I warmed up with the team and everything. They gave me the opportunity to go out there and play or not, but I chose to rest a little bit.”
The 2011 NBA MVP is working his way back from a torn right meniscus and it has become clear that as Team USA prepares for the FIBA World Cup, Rose, whose name the Garden crowd chanted on four separate occasions during the game, is not going to push things.
An emotional return to the United Center in a win over Brazil on Saturday night was followed by him sitting out of Monday’s open practice at the United States Military Academy. He sat Tuesday’s practice at PNY Center in East Rutherford, but participated in shootaround at the Garden on Wednesday morning. It appeared he was going to play, but was a late scratch.
Part of the public postgame explanation was head coach Mike Krzyzewski wanting to get a look at players he’s on the fence about taking to Spain, but Rose’s health is also at the forefront after missing all but 10 games during the last two seasons.
“We gave him a couple of days after the game in Chicago and he didn’t practice yesterday, so we thought the best thing to do would be to give him another day because we wanted to look at some other players anyway,” Bulls head coach and Team USA assistant Tom Thibodeau said. “I think it’s tough to not practice and them play in a game.”
Krzyzewski, Thibodeau and Rose appear to be on the same page, at least for the rest of the week. The plan is for Rose to practice on Thursday afternoon at the New York Athletic Club, then play when the United States takes on Puerto Rico on Friday evening back at Madison Square Garden.
Beyond Friday is anyone’s guess for Rose right now. Team USA will practice in Gran Canaria, Spain on Sunday and Monday before taking on Slovenia on Tuesday in its final exhibition. Two more days of practice in Bilbao, Spain on Thursday and Friday will lead up to its World Cup opener in Group C against Finland on Saturday afternoon in Bilbao.
“I’m just trying to protect myself,” Rose said. “Just knowing this is a long, long schedule, this is the most basketball I’ll be playing in two years. I’m just going in, trying to gear up and make sure I’m healthy.”
With Rose erring on the side of caution this week, the obvious question becomes how is he going to handle the whirlwind schedule of the World Cup? The United States plays its five Group C games in a six-day span from Saturday through Sept. 4. The schedule during the knockout rounds is more manageable with at least two days between each round.
The good news for the United States is that it theoretically does not need Rose to have his A-game ready until late in the tournament. Group C is considered soft and many onlookers believe Team USA has a clear path to the gold medal game on Sept. 14. There, a potential showdown with archrival Spain in Madrid looms.
The winner of the World Cup receives an automatic bid to the 2016 Rio Olympics, while everyone else will need to go through qualifying tournaments next summer in their respective FIBA regions.
“This is huge for me, just for my game,” Rose said. “Like I’ve said, I don’t have to go out there and score 25-30 points every night. I have to go out there, get assists and really run a team. For me, I think my biggest concern is defense because offensively, we’re just so gifted.”
Health pending, Rose is considered in good shape to make the 12-man roster, with Stephen Curry and Kyrie Irving also appearing in good shape at the point guard position.
The United States is currently carrying 16 players and no cuts are planned before Friday night’s game according to Krzyzewski.
