Derrick Rose Injury: How Star's Torn ACL Will Impact Team USA in 2012 Olympics

Even if you hate the Chicago Bulls, every basketball-loving American should be crushed by the announcement that Derrick Rose has suffered a torn ACL.

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Breaking news: Bulls guard Derrick Rose tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and he is out for the remainder of the season.

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) April 28, 2012"

While this is a devastating blow for the Bulls, it also extends well past the realm of the NBA, as it will affect our boys in red, white and blue during the upcoming Summer Olympics.

Rose wasn't a member of Team USA during the 2008 Olympics, but he was a key part of the gold medal team at the 2010 FIBA World Championships.

His explosiveness and leadership were on full display in Turkey, where he went for 7.2 points, 3.2 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game. He also provided one of the best highlights of the tournament by straight up ruining a Spanish guard with a stutter step in the backcourt (0:51 of the video below).

It was a great overall tournament for Rose, and his experience with the national team launched him into an all-out rampage during the following NBA season.

As much as it hurts to lose the reigning NBA MVP, however, Team USA should be just fine in London.

There's a reason why our preliminary rosters are so big, and in this golden age of point guards, there's no shortage of capable replacements for Rose.

Chris Paul and Deron Williams, both of whom were on the 2008 gold medal team, will be representing their country in London. Ditto for Russell Westbrook, who was dominant at times during the 2010 World Championships.

Although there will be some great international point guards in the tournament (Tony Parker being the scariest), we should have a decisive advantage at the position over every team we face.

The much more concerning position is center. With Dwight Howard nursing a back injury and Andrew Bynum choosing to use the summer for rest, we could run into some issues down low.

This could be especially problematic in a potential matchup against Spain, who boasts a frontline of Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka.

On the perimeter, though, we will be fine. With or without Rose, we still have the best point guards on the planet.

I'm expecting Paul, Williams and Westbrook to step up and lead Team USA to a second straight Olympic gold medal.