Noticeably not in the starting lineup or even in the game for USA’s friendly against Dominican Republic on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden due to body fatigue. Derrick Rose confirmed he will play tonight when the United States takes on Puerto Rico and says he’ll “try to put on a show” too. Per ESPN:
“I’m feeling good,” Rose said. “I’m gonna give it a go tomorrow and see how it goes, and I’m just trying to stay positive until then.” […] “I could’ve played, but there’s no point when you can get a little bit more rest, so that’s all I’m trying to do,” Rose said.
“If I can play, I’m gonna play — no matter when it is or how many games it is,” Rose said. “If I’m healthy enough to play, I’m gonna play. I’m not worried about that. With all the training that I’ve done in the past, I think that I’m prepared for it. It’s just that right now I’m trying to get my legs under me a little bit more, and we won by 40 yesterday, so there wasn’t any need — no disrespect to the other team.”
There has been no word yet if he’ll regain his starting spot at point guard from Kyrie Irving, but we’ll see tonight.
