Derrick Rose have passed up a slot for USA Basketball and it remains to be seen if that decision to forego a stint at the 2016 Rio Olympics was a wise one.
Many believe that it would be in Rose's best interest to forego camp, seeing that the past three years haven't exactly been the best of his career. In fact, he has spent most of the past years in the sidelines due to knee problems.
Rose did make a sudden return in last year's NBA playoffs, although it was obvious that the former Most Valuable Player (MVP) was not 100% back to his old form.
However, his trainer Rob McClanaghan seems to think that Rose is fully back in shape.
"He looks like the old Derrick to me," said Rob McClanaghan said via NBA.com. "Derrick's timing is back and mentally he's in a very good place," he added.
This should serve as good news for Chicago Bulls and Rose fans who want to see the Derrick Rose of old. After undergoing several surgeries for his troublesome knees, a cloud of doubt cropped up on whether or not the one-time MVP would be able to play the way he did prior to his injuries.
Despite not being part of USA Basketball, Rose already has two gold medals to show. He won one in 2010 and again in 2014. A third one would have been nice; but weighing his options and given that there are a lot of guards vying for the same position, it may have been a wise choice for Rose to sit this one out to allow himself to heal further.
This would be the first year after a long time that Rose would be headed into the regular season healthy. If all goes well, Rose should be on the comeback trail.
With regards to the question of whether or not he is truly back, much of that can be seen by fans themselves when the NBA opens its doors this coming October.
