Team USA Basketball: Derrick Rose Ready To Play If Season Starts Now! Coach K Says D-Rose Is 'Unselfish' And 'A Key Player!'

Team USA basketball is preparing for the World Basketball Championships in Spain. After most of the big names have begged off because of injury, free agency or other reasons, they get a boost from no less than former MVP Derrick Rose!

Updates from no less than Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau has confirmed that Rose is already having  5 on 5 practice. He's actually ready to play real games!

From ESPN Chicago, Coach Thibs was quoted: "Derrick, he looks great right now. So he's preparing for the next step, practicing with the summer league team and then Team USA, and we'll go from there."

They also present the timetable for Rose's activities: "Practice starts July 28 in Las Vegas and moves to Chicago on Aug. 14 for the World Basketball Festival. Team USA plays Brazil on Aug. 16 at the United Center.

Rose will practice with the Bulls' summer league team, which starts play in the second week of July in Las Vegas. But no, he won't play for the team."

Coach Thibs confirms this: "We'll stay away from that,"

Another important personality who was in Chicago at that time was Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. He was going to speak at the centennial of his Catholic elementary school in the area. He has also received the news about Rose:

From Chicago Tribune: "Tom told me first how hard he's working and the speed he's working at. When you're coming back from an injury, you have to prepare to play -- run, shoot, push the ball. Derrick wants to be special. And he has been. This has been a difficult time for him but he's handled it well. We're hoping this summer can be a springboard for him."

Will Rose be included in the team? "I haven't seen him play. If he's up to par physically, it's a matter of how he interacts 5-on-5. We're anxious to see him play. He was a key player for us in Instanbul. He's so unselfish and will do anything to help the team."

Rose is a great teammate, and how well he recovers could play a factor in the decision making of some top free agents that Chicago is courting.