NEW YORK, N.Y. - Derrick Rose heard the fans chanting his name, and yes, he wouldve loved to give them what they wanted. But after missing most of the past two years and with still a long summer of basketball ahead, hes willing to take this return slowly. "Just trying to protect myself, just knowing that this is a long, long schedule and this is the most basketball Ill be playing in two years," Rose said. "I want to be out there, but at the same time my health is the No. 1 issue right now." With Rose sitting out, Kyrie Irving started and made all five shots, scoring 12 points as the U.S. national basketball team beat the Dominican Republic 105-62 on Wednesday night in an exhibition game. James Harden also scored 12 in limited playing time for the Americans, who used their subs for most of the second half. Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan each scored 13 points. Rose and U.S. assistant Tom Thibodeau, Roses coach with the Chicago Bulls, both said he was experiencing general soreness, though Rose was quick to point out it was nothing related to his multiple knee surgeries. Roses absence allowed U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski to take a longer look at other players with cuts coming soon. The Americans have 16 players on the roster and have to get down to 12 before the upcoming Basketball World Cup. "When we do eventually make decisions on the 12, it will be very, very difficult," Krzyzewski said. Krzyzewski said there would be no cuts before Fridays game against Puerto Rico, and he said Rose would play that night. Fans chanted loudly in the third quarter for Rose to get into this one, but Krzyzewski decided shortly before tip the Chicago Bulls star wouldnt play. Rose had sat out practices the past two days after starting in Saturdays exhibition victory over Brazil on his home floor, saying Tuesday he just wanted extra rest as he tries to play his way back into shape after missing most of the past two seasons because of knee surgeries. "Hes feeling a lot better, he was probably feeling good enough to play tonight, but because he hasnt played and hes trying to shake off some rust, the best thing to do was to give him the day off," Thibodeau said. Houston Rockets forward Francisco Garcia scored 14 points for the Dominican Republic, coached by South Floridas Orlando Antigua. The Dominicans are without their best player, the Atlanta Hawks Al Horford, who is recovering from a torn right pectoral muscle. Karl Towns played 10 minutes for the Dominicans, though he wont accompany them to Spain as the highly touted freshman heads to Kentucky. The team shot 34 per cent. "Wouldve liked to shot the ball a lot better, but I thought we did a lot of good things throughout the game. We showed some good points," Antigua said. The teams will meet again in Bilbao, Spain, where they are both in Group C. The Americans leave Saturday for Spain, where they will finish their preparations with a final exhibition against Slovenia. The World Cup opens on Aug. 30. The Dominicans took a 6-4 lead, the Americans answered with 14 straight points to make it 18-6, and that was about it. The Americans expanded a 28-17 lead after one quarter to 53-31 at the half, as Harden and Klay Thompson each scored 10 points by the break. The U.S. pushed it to 69-34 with a little more than 4 minutes left in the third after a flurry by Irving, allowing for extra playing time for players at the back end of the roster such as Andre Drummond and Gordon Hayward. Drummond finished with 12 points for the Americans, who shot 58 per cent. Chandler Parsons, Kyle Korver and Mason Plumlee were the only Americans who didnt play. Before the game, U.S. military members presented each player with two dog tags. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said one featured the American flag, the players name, and the words leadership, service and teamwork, and the other featured the name of a serviceman. Andre Reed Jersey . Parmelee hit a game-ending shot in the ninth inning and the Minnesota Twins overcame David Ortizs big night to beat the Boston Red Sox 8-6 on Tuesday. Harrison Phillips Jersey .7 million, one-year contract.The deal, announced Friday, includes a $50,000 performance bonus if the left-hander appears in 60 games. http://www.thebillsgearshop.com/Bills-Marshall-Newhouse-Draft-Jersey/. The Kings paraded the Stanley Cup through downtown Los Angeles on Monday to celebrate their second NHL title in three seasons. Ramon Humber Jersey .  City has reached new heights under manager Manuel Pellegrini as they transition from big spending/immediate impact to perennial contender.  Yaya Toures seeming discontent Tuesday may complicate that, as does the little issue of Financial Fair Play. Eddie Yarbrough Jersey .com) - Jimmy Butler made four key free throws down the stretch to lift the Chicago Bulls over the Boston Celtics, 109-102, on Friday. TORONTO -- Scott Milanovich didnt have to look long or far for his new defensive co-ordinator. The Toronto Argonauts head coach needed just one phone call to find a replacement for Chris Jones, who left last month to become the Edmonton Eskimos head coach. On Thursday, the Argos unveiled Tim Burke, the former Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach, as their new defensive co-ordinator. "As soon as Chris left and I knew Tim was available he was the only one I talked to," Milanovich said during a conference call. "I think Tim and I see eye-to-eye on defensive philosophy in the CFL. "It was an easy decision for me. It took about 30 seconds on a phone call to Tim and when he said he was available that was the end of it." Milanovich and Burke certainly have a history together. They won Grey Cup titles with the Montreal Alouettes in 2009 and 10 as the offensive and defensive co-ordinator, respectively. "Scott and I are real good friends and we bounced a lot of ideas off each other during that time," Burke said. Burke came to the CFL in 2005 as a defensive backs coach with the Calgary Stampeders. He joined the Alouettes as the defensive co-ordinator under head coach Marc Trestman from 08 to 10 before heading to Winnipeg as its defensive co-ordinator in 2011. After helping Winnipeg reach the Grey Cup in 11, Burke was named interim Bombers head coach in August 2012 after Paul LaPolice was fired before becoming the full-time coach after the season. Burke was fired following the 2013 campaign after Winnipeg posted a league-worst 3-15 record. Overall, Burke compiled a 7-21 head-coaching record. The Bombers hired former Argos special-teams coach Mike OShea as Burkes successor on Wednesday. Burke left Winnipeg with time remaining on his contract, but sitting out the 2014 campaign wasnt an option. Burke said his prior experience as a head coach will help him in Toronto. "One thing I learned from other coaches whove been in this situation is they always thought you become a better assistant after youve been a head coach," Burke said. "Youve been in the head coachs chair before so you undersstand where hes coming from all the time.dddddddddddd. "You always understand theres a big picture and its not just about your defence or your position group. The other thing is Im much more aware of gametime decisions and seeing how everything works during the game." Toronto finished atop the East Division standings with an 11-7 record, thanks in large part to its pass-happy offence under the leadership of all-star quarterback Ricky Ray. Defensively, the Argos were a bend-but-dont-break unit, finishing third in fewest points allowed (25.4 points per game) despite being ranked last in yards allowed (390 yards) and passing yards (298.2) and second-last in sacks (38). During his time as a defensive co-ordinator in both Calgary and Toronto, Jones earned a reputation of being unconventional in his schemes and gameplanning. Jones was never afraid to either drop defensive linemen into coverage or bring players from any spot on the field to confuse offences or pressure quarterbacks. While Burke must still spend time evaluating Torontos defensive personnel, he said his defensive approach has some similarities with Jones. "Chriss basic philosophy would be to try and play as much man as possible," Burke said. "In that regard, you have to be able to play man in the CFL to win so that will be the base of our defence. "Chris is very inventive, Id say innovative, in what he does defensively. I tend to be more a guy who believes in a base defence that you have to be able to play when its a clutch situation. Its a defence you really believe in and were very technique oriented and were very fundamentally sound." Milanovich must still find a replacement for OShea, and is bracing for more possible departures as both Jones and OShea look to fill their respective coaching staffs. "Im so happy for Chris and Mike, I expected to lose some of these guys even a year ago," Milanovich said. "I think its a credit to our organization that were hiring the right people and clearly there are other organizations who want what we have and I think we have to take that as a compliment." 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