Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Instead of going to London for the Olympics, Anthony Davis will get to spend the summer resting his sprained ankle and getting acclimated to life in the NBA.
Davis, the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft by the New Orleans Hornets, was cut from the Olympic roster Saturday along with Rudy Gay and Eric Gordon, according to The Associated Press. Davis had recently sprained his ankle during a workout with the Hornets and was not able to practice in Las Vegas with the Americans.
Andre Iguodala, Blake Griffin and James Harden took the last three Olympic team spots.
“We projected we would have difficulty getting down to a roster of 12, regardless of the number of injuries that have taken place, because they are such an outstanding group of people and athletes,” USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said. “The final selections keep us in concert with our game plan to have athleticism, versatility and strong depth on our roster. I think our final roster epitomizes all of that.”
LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant headline the team that will head to London to try to defend Team USA’s gold medal won in Beijing in 2008.
“We think we’re deeper; we think we’re better [than in 2008],” Colangelo said, according to reports. “Only time will tell. The journey is just beginning.
The guards include Bryant, Harden, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook and Deron Williams.
James leads a group of forwards that includes Durant, Iguodala, Griffin, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Love.
Knicks center Tyson Chandler, the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year, is the lone center on the team after a series of injuries knocked out Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh and Lamarcus Aldridge.
The USA roster features five members of the 2008 gold medalist U.S. Olympic Team (Anthony, Bryant, James, Paul and Williams), five members of the gold medalist 2010 World Championship team (Chandler, Durant, Iguodala, Love and Westbrook), and two newcomers (Griffin and Harden).
The average age of the 12 U.S. players is 26.1 years of age.
Spain, Russia and Brazil are likely to have more size than Team USA, but head coach Mike Krzyzewski will have a plethora of athletic players who can play multiple positions and could create mismatches for opposing teams.
“We have benefited so much from having a pool of outstanding players who are committed, and as a result the selection is difficult. But it’s the best challenge that you could have because everyone has been so committed,” Krzyzewski said.
“The guys who were not selected are in our pool, and if someone did get hurt, they are already part of our team and could be seamlessly woven in at a later date. We really appreciate the commitment of all of these guys.”
Photo: Getty Images
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
Instead of going to London for the Olympics, Anthony Davis will get to spend the summer resting his sprained ankle and getting acclimated to life in the NBA.
Davis, the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft by the New Orleans Hornets, was cut from the Olympic roster Saturday along with Rudy Gay and Eric Gordon, according to The Associated Press. Davis had recently sprained his ankle during a workout with the Hornets and was not able to practice in Las Vegas with the Americans.
Andre Iguodala, Blake Griffin and James Harden took the last three Olympic team spots.
“We projected we would have difficulty getting down to a roster of 12, regardless of the number of injuries that have taken place, because they are such an outstanding group of people and athletes,” USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said. “The final selections keep us in concert with our game plan to have athleticism, versatility and strong depth on our roster. I think our final roster epitomizes all of that.”
LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant headline the team that will head to London to try to defend Team USA’s gold medal won in Beijing in 2008.
“We think we’re deeper; we think we’re better [than in 2008],” Colangelo said, according to reports. “Only time will tell. The journey is just beginning.
The guards include Bryant, Harden, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook and Deron Williams.
James leads a group of forwards that includes Durant, Iguodala, Griffin, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Love.
Knicks center Tyson Chandler, the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year, is the lone center on the team after a series of injuries knocked out Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh and Lamarcus Aldridge.
The USA roster features five members of the 2008 gold medalist U.S. Olympic Team (Anthony, Bryant, James, Paul and Williams), five members of the gold medalist 2010 World Championship team (Chandler, Durant, Iguodala, Love and Westbrook), and two newcomers (Griffin and Harden).
The average age of the 12 U.S. players is 26.1 years of age.
Spain, Russia and Brazil are likely to have more size than Team USA, but head coach Mike Krzyzewski will have a plethora of athletic players who can play multiple positions and could create mismatches for opposing teams.
“We have benefited so much from having a pool of outstanding players who are committed, and as a result the selection is difficult. But it’s the best challenge that you could have because everyone has been so committed,” Krzyzewski said.
“The guys who were not selected are in our pool, and if someone did get hurt, they are already part of our team and could be seamlessly woven in at a later date. We really appreciate the commitment of all of these guys.”
Photo: Getty Images
