Rose's presence gave Team USA another scorer in the starting lineup. And in the closing seconds of their one-point win over Spain, the game was decided by free throws - one of Rondo's biggest weaknesses - made by Rondo's replacement, Rose.
And Westbrook provides the defensive presence Team USA will need on the perimeter, in addition to being a better shooter and scorer than Rondo.
There will be many theories floated as to why Rondo is no longer on the team, but it was his poor shooting that ultimately put Rondo in position to be cut prior to his announced withdrawal.
Knowing the U.S. would see more than their share of zone defenses moving forward, Rondo's lack of a consistent outside jumper made him a bit of a liability against international competition.
"It's not so much what Rajon has to show, it's what our team needs," Team USA and Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski told reporters prior to Rondo withdrawing on Tuesday. "We've found a good lineup, and the international game is so different from the NBA game, you can ask any of these guys. Part of it is to make sure that we try not to have two non-shooters out on the court, and there's the physicality, too."
So when you look at Team USA's roster, the only two non-shooters of the bunch were Rondo and center Tyson Chandler, who was replaced in the starting lineup by Lamar Odom.
Because of Team USA's lack of big men, there's no way they would part with Chandler . . . which, to some degree, left Rondo even more vulnerable to getting cut.
