Whether or not he’s ready, Derrick Rose will make his NBA comeback on this summer’s U.S. national team.
He and four returnees from the 2012 Olympic men’s basketball champions were among the 19 players selected Monday for this summer’s U.S. national team roster under coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, James Harden and Anthony Davis were the four holdovers from London, and there were new additions of Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan and Chandler Parsons, who is leaving Houston for Dallas.
Players will report to training camp this month in Las Vegas, where Rose will try to show he’s recovered from his latest knee surgery.
“We’d like to see him play like the Derrick of old, because he’s one of the best players in the world, an MVP in the NBA,” Krzyzewski said during a conference call. “What we’ve heard is that he’s in great shape.”
The rest of the roster: Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson (Golden State), Kyrie Irving (Cleveland), Blake Griffin (Clippers), Paul George (Indiana), Damian Lillard (Portland), Gordon Hayward (Utah), DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento), Bradley Beal (Washington), Andre Drummond (Detroit), Kenneth Faried (Denver) and Kyle Korver (Atlanta).
USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said the roster could be trimmed to 15 after the camp in Las Vegas that begins July 28, with the final 12 selected before the Americans depart for the World Cup of Basketball in Spain in late August.
Following the Las Vegas camp, the Americans will also train and play exhibition games in Chicago and New York before leaving for Spain.
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(Photo Source: AP)
