In a precautionary move, Derrick Rose sat out practice as USA Basketball made a pitstop at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY on Monday. Rose and the Team USA folks say there’s nothing to be alarmed about. Per NBA.com:
When the players were introduced to the crowd, Rose wasn’t wearing his practice gear, and his knees were wrapped in ice. He still got the biggest ovation among the 16 players on the roster. He said afterward that the day off wasn’t about any pain or discomfort with his surgically repaired right knee (or his surgically repaired left knee).
“Everything feels fine,” Rose said. “I just wanted to get a little bit of rest.” […] He added that if he knew how casual the two hours in the gym were going to be, “I probably would have practiced.”
The practice came at the end of a tour of the campus in West Point, where the National Team observed how the cadets live and train. Bulls head coach and Team USA assistant Tom Thibodeau said the day off was “more precautionary than anything else.” […] “We were on our feet a lot today,” Thibodeau said. “We wanted to be careful with all the players.”
