There's no denying that Derrick Rose would be one of the most valuable members of Team USA basketball as they get ready for the 2012 London Olympics. Ever since Rose suffered a season-ending injury, the NBA regular season and postseason was never the same and the Chicago Bulls faded from relevance and competition. Now the same can be said for Team USA, who despite the tremendous talent on the roster still feels the absence of perhaps the best guard in the NBA.
Kevin Durant, perhaps the NBA's best overall player besides LeBron James and this year's league leader in scoring, reflected on his absence and it's clear Durant wishes he could have this rare chance to play alongside Rose.
"I feel so bad for him, man," Durant said after Team USA's first practice Friday. "An unfortunate injury; I wish it never happened to him. I wish he could be here with us, but it's given us more motivation to try and win it for him. We know that he belongs here, along with a few other guys as well ... hopefully, we get it done for him."
The team's architect Jerry Colangelo agreed."I have a world of respect for Derrick," Colangelo said. "We had a great opportunity to get to know him well during the World Championships in 2010 and was very proud of what he did, using that as a platform to become an MVP the following season in the NBA. It's just a terrible injury that really hurt the Bulls and their season. I had him kind of slated as one of our guards. You go with the cards dealt to you."
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