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Derrick Rose says his confidence is 'through the roof'

Sam Amick
USA TODAY Sports
Derrick Rose works out with Team USA, in his first on court action since an injury last fall.

LAS VEGAS -- Derrick Rose uses rollers now.

Not the kind that old ladies use in their hair, mind you – he's aged since last we saw him, but not quite that much. No, these are the fancy metal rods with rubber handles that elite athletes like the Chicago Bulls point guard use to extend the life of their battered bodies. An ACL tear, meniscus tear, two grueling rehabs and lost seasons later, of course the NBA's most elderly 25-year-old uses rollers now.

"I'm getting old," the smiling Rose said before a mass of media came his way to discuss his first practice at Team USA training camp at UNLV on Monday afternoon.

He's older, wiser, and – to hear him tell it during a 25-minute session with reporters – perhaps even better than ever.

When longtime Bulls writer Sam Smith asked Rose when he expected to feel like himself again, the former MVP (2010-11) interrupted the end of the question to give his supremely-confident answer. "Now," he said. "I'm there."

When queried about how all the time on the sidelines changed him, Rose – who has played in just 49 games these past three torturous seasons – quickly retorted, "You know how good you are, but I didn't know. Now my confidence is crazy.

"I'm there man. I'm not worried about that. My confidence is very high. That's the only thing you might see this year, that my confidence level is through the roof."

The message was clear: Rose is ready for this.

"I've been preparing for this for a long time," said Rose, who tore his meniscus in his right knee on Nov. 22, 2013 and has been cleared for full-court action since March. "(His Monday practice) is probably big to everyone else because they probably haven't seen me, but I dedicated my whole summer for this moment.

"No one has seen me in a long time. It's kind of weird. People are kind of like in awe to even see me going down the floor, like I'm handicapped or something…This is only the beginning of a long journey, a long grind."

First things first, Rose wants to make sure he's part of the 12-man team that is heading to Spain for the FIBA Basketball World Cup next month before worrying about what's next. He has ample competition at the point guard spot, with the likes of fellow All-Stars John Wall (Washington Wizards), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), and Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers) also on the 18-man roster that will be whittled down after camp concludes on Saturday.

While some have criticized his decision to play here rather than take the more cautious route by waiting for training camp in October, Bulls coach and Team USA assistant coach Tom Thibodeau endorsed and agrees with the plan.

Sharing the floor with more elite players means Rose will have a much lighter load than he typically carries, allowing Rose to ease his way into the 2014-15 season while also playing at a high level.

"This was the next step," Thibodeau told USA TODAY Sports. "To me, he's been out almost all three years, so I think this is a good situation for him to come back in because of all the talent. He doesn't have to play a lot of minutes, find your way, get over that hurdle of the rust you have to shake off, and I think he's ready for this… I feel he's going to make a full and complete recovery and he'll have a terrific season."

The time away, believe it or not, was not without its benefits. Rose had his first child, a son named P.J., six months after his first injury and said he found himself appreciating the unexpected time at home. His road to recovery became bigger than him, with his daily focus not only on the work that needed to be done to return to the floor but the example he was setting for his son. P.J. – whose name stands for Pooh Jr. after his father's childhood nickname of Pooh – will turn two years old in October.

"Basketball is my life," Rose said. "I can't give up. I have a son who's looking up to me, and when he gets older and realizes what's going on, he's going to look back and hopefully that gives him a little bit of motivation knowing that I had to go through so much. I hope that pushes him to become a great individual.

"(P.J. was) a great distraction. I think it was a blessing in disguise, because most people in my profession don't really get that chance to be around their kids as much. So for me to be around my son as much as I was, it's a blessing."

Rose is back to work now, though, and Team USA and the NBA are better off for it.

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