In 2010, no Team USA player better leveraged his FIBA World Cup experience to bigger ends than the Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose, who—at a precocious 22—would go on to capture the NBA’s MVP award the following season.
Four years later, it could be Kyrie Irving’s turn to parlay FIBA into a career year marshaling the suddenly loaded Cleveland Cavaliers.
Ironically, it’s the former's curse that might end up proving the latter’s biggest blessing.
Rose’s plight is, by now, the stuff of sad legend: a pair of knee injuries in as many years, recoveries covered and scrutinized to within an inch of absurdity, and enough forward-looking questions to fill the minutes at a U.N. General Assembly.
Finally, after yet another season of sidelines and street clothes, Rose re-emerged at Team USA training camp looking every bit the wizard we all remembered.
At the head of the hype line was none other than Team USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who—despite the diplomatic, tryout nature of the training camp—wasted little time in heaping praise on C ...
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Article written by Jim Cavan
Derrick Rose’s Curse Might Be Kyrie Irving’s Blessing in FIBA and Beyond
September 2nd, 2014 by Jim Cavan Leave a reply »
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