LAS VEGAS (AP) — Derrick Rose says he feels old.
The 25-year-old point guard’s rigorous play on Monday during the U.S. basketball team’s first practice dictated otherwise.
”I was joking with Kyle Korver, I told him ‘I’m getting old, man. I’ve got to stretch, I’ve got to use rollers and stuff.’ He looked at me kind of weird,” Rose said laughingly. ”But I feel a lot more mature. I’ve been preparing for this for a long time. I’ve dedicated my whole summer to this. I think I’ve sacrificed a lot for this moment.”
Rose, the Chicago Bulls star who is coming off two knee injuries that kept him out for much of the last two seasons, said he played roughly nine minutes of the team’s scrimmage during a two-hour practice. He added he was excited about how he felt physically.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski was elated with Rose’s play, saying he was most impressed with his defensive pressure and tenaciousness.
”I think Derrick was a great excitement for us, because you hear about how he’s worked out, but to see him today, I mean, he put it all out,” Krzyzewski said. ”He was playing to exhaustion. That was a big plus for today, to see him. I was pleased that he didn’t hold anything back. He played his butt off.”
Rose, who played just 10 games last season before his season was ended by a torn meniscus in his right knee, said he’s spent much of the summer in Chicago working out, other than a few promotional days in Los Angeles for adidas. He was happy to be back on the court, playing against and alongside other NBA players.
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