Derrick Rose has insisted that he could have played during the Chicago Bulls' win over the Washington Wizards on Saturday.
The point guard, who missed all of last season while recovering from ACL surgery, featured in the team's first two games of the pre-season, but sat out in Rio de Janeiro at the weekend.
The 25-year-old, who practised fully on Monday, told ESPN: "My knee was good. I never was worried about it. I could have played but the front office made a decision to sit me out. My health is the number one [concern].
"I'm fine with [people asking], man. It's just something I've got to deal with. Does it get irritating? Sometimes, but I had the injury, and it's something all of us have to go through.
"Going into [the process], you hear about it, but when it actually happened, it surprised everyone. Like I said, I could have played in the game but they made a decision and I just listened to them."
Rose is expected to play against the Detroit Pistons later today.
