ed tied for the team lead with four interceptions, and added a sack and a forced fumble despite missing the first five game

CHICAGO -- For Derrick Rose, it is a new beginning. And it starts on his home court. The Chicago Bulls superstar will suit up for the first time at the United Center since his latest season-ending knee injury when the U.S. national team meets Brazil in a tuneup Saturday for the World Cup of Basketball. Its a journey in which the former MVP point guard hopes he shows he still is a franchise player, one capable of leading a championship contender. The Bulls are aiming high after a 48-win season in which Roses long-awaited comeback got cut short. He drew high praise practicing with Team USA in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. But until he plays in a game, questions will linger. This gives him an opportunity to knock off some of the rust thats built up after being sidelined most of the past two seasons. Thats why the Bulls were so gung-ho about him playing with Team USA this off-season, and for Rose, the benefits are easy to see. "Youre actually out there competing," he said. "There are so many elements of a basketball game and competing that it makes me feel like Im a hooper again and Im just happy that I get this opportunity to be here with these great players, great young players too, and really showcase my talent." Even with a long list of All-Stars withdrawing, including MVP Kevin Durant and the injured Paul George, the U.S. still has a deep team with Kyrie Irving, Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, James Harden and Klay Thompson, among others. But on Saturday, all eyes will be on Rose. After all, hes been limited to just 49 regular-season games plus one playoff appearance the past three years. He sat out the 2012-13 season recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, and just as he was working his way back last year, he wound up back on the shelf last November. A torn meniscus in his right knee cut off his long-awaited comeback at 10 games. U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski had no doubt Rose would be able to play because Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said he would be. Krzyzewski didnt realize Rose would be playing as well as he has. "I think hes outstanding," Krzyzewski said. "Look, hes one of the best guys in the whole world. Hes so easy to coach and wants to please. Its very neat to see how excited he is about being here. And his first game back to play in the United Center, as a Chicagoan Im ecstatic about what him and Tom has done for the Bulls." Thibodeau, an assistant for the U.S., said this is the perfect environment for his star to work his way back. "I like the idea of him coming back in this setting," Thibodeau said. "The quality of depth is so strong, were asking all these guys to sacrifice playing time and sacrifice some shots for the sake of the team, so he doesnt have the burden of having to score 25 points and play a lot of minutes. Just go out there and do your job." Rose said his confidence "is high right now." Hes in good shape and he believes he still is an elite player. The Bulls are counting on him to do just that, particularly after they struck out trying to reel in Carmelo Anthony. They made a hard push, only to see him re-sign with the New York Knicks. There were also talks with Minnesota about a Kevin Love trade, but he is headed to join LeBron James in Cleveland. The Bulls went the depth route, the most notable addition being Pau Gasol. With a new big man and the arrival of Nikola Mirotic from Europe and Doug McDermott in the draft, Chicago believes it has the weapons to contend for the Eastern Conference championship. That still hinges largely on Rose. "Physically, he looks like the Derrick Rose were used to seeing before he got hurt," Curry said. "Now, Im sure for him, its just about getting game reps and getting your rhythm back. You can go through drills and get your body right, but theres nothing like playing. I know hes excited about that opportunity starting tomorrow." Cheap Arizona Cardinals Jerseys . On Wednesday night, they showed that stellar defence and a little small ball can get the job done too. With pinch-runner Kevin Pillar aboard after Dioner Navarro opened the bottom of the ninth with a single, Anthony Gose dropped down an excellent bunt along the first-base line. Cheap Carolina Panthers Jerseys . The Gatineau Olympiques head coach will lead Canada in its quest to end its gold medal drought at the 2015 world junior hockey championship held in Montreal and Toronto at the end of this year. http://www.cheapjerseysforsale.net/?tag=...vikings-jerseys. Minutes before the final whistle of Sporting Kansas Citys 3-0 victory over a shorthanded Montreal Impact squad on Saturday afternoon, Saputo tweeted: "Our fans deserve better. Cheap Indianapolis Colts Jerseys . That assertion is getting harder and harder to make, especially given the way 23-year-old Danilo Gallinari has been playing this season. Cheap Cleveland Browns Jerseys . Napoli beat high-flying Hellas Verona 3-0 to keep up the pressure on the top two while AC Milan had another disappointing night as four goals from teenage forward Domenico Berardi saw relegation-threatened Sassuolo come back from two goals down to win 4-3.ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Bills general manager Doug Whaley is done playing franchise tag with safety Jairus Byrd. After spending much of the past year trying to negotiate a long-term contract, Whaley preferred risking the loss of Byrd in free agency rather than applying the one-year tag on the three-time Pro Bowler for a second consecutive season. "We didnt think it was the best option for the team, for us to get better," Whaley said shortly after the NFLs deadline for teams to designate franchise players passed Monday afternoon. "The best thing for the Buffalo Bills was to try to get him signed to a long-term deal." Whaley didnt rule out the possibility of the sides negotiating a deal before the start of the NFLs free-agency period on March 11. "As they say in the movies, theres always a chance," he said. Whaley, however, did call it a "fair assessment" that Byrd is more interested in testing the market to determine his worth after being prevented from doing so last year. Negotiations reached a standstill last weekend after the Bills made Byrd what they regarded as a lucrative multiyear offer. Without revealing the full value and length of the proposal, people familiar with the deal told The Associated Press that Byrd would have been paid about $30 million over the first three seasons of the contract. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because neither side is publicly discussing the negotiations. Byrd played under a $6.9 million franchise tag last year. The price for Buffalo to apply the designation again would be about $8.4 million this season. The one-year price tag might not have scared the Bills from using it one more time. A bigger deterrent was paying that much money for a disgruntled player who missed nearly the entirre off-season last year before accepting his contract a day before the Bills broke training camp in late August.dddddddddddd "I wouldnt say those words," Whaley said, when asked if he was frustrated by a failure to reach a deal. "I would say, Hey, we worked hard. Its still not over yet. Then, when its over, Ill let the feelings seep into the equation." Byrd, selected in the second round of the 2009 draft out of Oregon, will have an opportunity to be among the top defensive backs available in free agency. He enjoyed a breakout season as a rookie, when he tied for the NFL lead with nine interceptions -- a rookie franchise record. Last year, Byrd earned his third Pro Bowl selection. He finished tied for the team lead with four interceptions, and added a sack and a forced fumble despite missing the first five games of the season because of plantar fasciitis in both feet. Byrd has 22 interceptions and 11 forced fumbles in 73 career games. The Bills could lose their top defensive back on a unit that showed considerable improvement last season. Though Buffalo struggled against the run, the defence finished 10th in the NFL in yards allowed -- its best ranking since a second-place finish in 2004. The Bills also finished second in the league with a franchise-record 57 sacks. The defence is in transition this off-season with Jim Schwartz taking over as co-ordinator. He replaced Mike Pettine, who left the Bills after one year to become the head coach of the Cleveland Browns. The Browns could be a potential landing spot for Byrd. They have plenty of space under the salary cap, and Byrd enjoyed playing under Pettine. The Bills made a roster move Monday by releasing linebacker Willie Jefferson, who was signed to a reserve/future contract in January. ' ' '