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Derrick Rose makes 1st cut for Team USA World Cup roster

John Wall was the first point guard cut as the roster now stands at 16.

By JayPatt
It's awesome to again have pics of Rose in a jersey instead of a suit
It's awesome to again have pics of Rose in a jersey instead of a suit
Ethan Miller

The Derrick Rose optimism has been overwhelming since the start of Team USA training camp last week, with everybody from Rose to Coach K to Andre Drummond talking about how great everything is going:

The horrific Paul George injury marred the Team USA scrimmage on Friday, overshadowing what was a rather impressive showing by Rose. I wasn't able to pay too close attention to the scrimmage, but I did see the first few minutes that featured several vintage Rose plays. I must admit I was pretty giddy seeing that, although I know there's still a long way to go before he's officially "back."

But keeping all this positivity in mind, it's no surprise that Rose made the first cut for the Team USA World Cup roster. Among the first cuts were two Wizards in John Wall and Bradley Beal, with Wall being one of Rose's competitors at the point guard position. The other cut was Hawks forward Paul Millsap.

With Wall out of the picture, the four point guards remaining are Rose, Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving and Damian Lillard. As of now, Rose and Curry do seem like locks to make the team, which would seemingly leave Irving and Lillard to duke it out for the last point guard spot. However, there remains the chance that all four players make it given their versatility and the fact that Team USA will likely be playing pretty small in Spain.

The Team USA roster currently stands at 16 players, which means four more must be cut before the World Cup.