Sources: Rose wavering on Team USA decision
Chicago Bulls star guard Derrick Rose is still undecided about attending Team USA’s minicamp, according to league sources.
Rose has indicated in the past that he would like to play for Team USA in the Olympics, but sources told ESPNChicago.com that he is weighing the potential benefits of taking more time off before the start of Bulls training camp in late September.
Rose was on track to play for the 2012 Olympic team that won gold at the London Games before tearing the ACL in his left knee in Chicago’s first game of the 2012 playoffs.
Rose, who helped Team USA win gold at the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey, made his return to the national team last summer in Spain as part of the gold medal-winning U.S. squad at the inaugural FIBA World Cup.
Bulls GM Gar Forman and former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau — an assistant on Team USA’s staff to head coach Mike Krzyzewski — have both publicly supported Rose’s decision to play for Team USA in years past.
But the decision to go to Las Vegas for two days of noncontact workouts and an intrasquad scrimmage Aug. 13 ultimately rests with Rose.
USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo has said repeatedly in recent weeks that attendance is mandatory for players who wish to be considered for the 12-man roster that will represent the United States at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.
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