Derrick Rose believes Bulls are a 'contender' to win the East

Derrick Rose is generating quite a bit of buzz at the moment as he trains with Team USA ahead of the upcoming FIBA World Cup.

The native of Chicago is playing with no restrictions on his game following two surgery-requiring injuries that have limited him to 49 contests over the past three seasons, and Team USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski stated on Monday that Rose is "better than four years ago" when he entered his MVP season.

All of this bodes well for the Chicago Bulls, who appear set to have one of the Eastern Conference's strongest rosters entering 2014-15, and Rose himself thinks the franchise are a "contender" to win the East.

"I think we have a contender," said Rose after Monday's Team USA practice. "I wouldn't say ... (people) were saying put us at the top of the East or whatever, but we have a contender team. We know as a team what we were trying to do. We all have one goal. And individually, this whole summer I think everybody worked on their games, and everybody's trying to compete for that title next year."

With a frontcourt currently comprised of Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol, Taj Gibson, and Nikola Mirotic, and a backcourt involving Rose and Jimmy Butler among others, a title seems well within reach.