NEW YORK — Following a 112-86 win over Puerto Rico at Madison Square Garden Friday night, Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski said they would cut the roster from 16 to 12 by Saturday morning when the team leaves for Gran Canaria, Spain.
A team official said the announcement should come by around 9 a.m. Saturday before the team flies out. Team USA does not officially need to cut to 12 until Friday, one day before their first game against Finland in the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Bilbao, Spain.
Coach K also said he feels “very confident” about Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, who had 6 points and 4 assists in 13-plus minutes after sitting out Wednesday’s win over the Dominican Republic with “body fatigue.”
“All these guys are really good players, so when you say you’re going to pick the 12 best players, they’re all outstanding players,” Coach K said. “You try to make sure 9, 10, 11 and 12, they complement the top eight or nine and that’s always been the key.”
Four players got DNPs for Team USA: Gordon Hayward, DeMar DeRozan, Andre Drummond and Damian Lillard, with Hayward and Lillard both prime candidates to get cut.
Steph Curry led seven Team USA players in double-figure with 20 points. James Harden and Rudy Gay scored 13 apiece, Kenneth Faried and Klay Thompson each had 12, Kyrie Irving had 11 and Anthony Davis 10.
Still, the story coming in was Rose and how much — and how effectively — he would play.
“I feel very confident about Derrick,” Coach K said. “I think Derrick feels really confident. I thought he played great tonight and these guys want to play with him. It’s part of getting back is to be around a group of peers — these guys are his peers — who want you to be really good. You’re already really good but if James Harden wants Derrick Rose to be really good and Kyrie that’s a different thing.”
Rose did not address the media after the game, which featured Carmelo Anthony, J.R. Smith, Tim Hardaway Jr, Andy Murray and Rory McIlroy sitting courtside.
If he makes the roster as expected, he will have to be able to play on a consistent basis despite his knee troubles the past two years.
Team USA plays five games in six days and would have to play nine in 16 days to win.
“I think he’s found the rhythm of the game,” Team USA assistant and Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said, according to the Bulls Twitter feed. “He’s doing a great job of making plays. He’s letting the game come to him.”
