“You just try to pick the best team”, Krzyzewski said.
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James suited up in a No. 27 jersey and worked out.
Sherinda Hoops reported USA Basketball Executive Director Jerry Colangelo wants Kobe Bryant in the final team. He even had a relatively minor role in 2012, when he ranked sixth on the team in minutes per game, and a year before age and injuries began to limit his abilities and availability. But this is the start of the process for all of us, James said. Guys like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and on down the line also deserve a ton of credit. Derrick Rose is apparently out of the picture after declining his invite. Team USA’s undefeated record since the 2006 loss to Greece shows that the original message has been taken to heart.
Bryant is known to be the known veteran that Colangelo and Krzyzewski would like to see in their roster. “A lot of people talk about what Jerry has done, or what the coaching staff has done”.
But a great career doesn’t mean Kobe can still play at the level of the 12 best available Americans. At the end of the day, Olympic teams are a pretty great way to look back and remember basketball at the time.
Besides, they didn’t really come here to do drills. “I always said you never shut the door entirely on anyone”. It used to be where [Shane] Battier and all these guys would teach the younger guys. They’re in it over and over again. “First of all, you have to think about the other countries”.
“We don’t want to have any cuts, we don’t want to have any hurt feelings”. Anthony isn’t winning a championship in the National Basketball Association any time soon, so he will be motivated to keep his name in contention.
Thus, it’s not surprising that the player with the most points in a single Olympic game will continue to pursue global history. The guy’s played five Finals in a row. He’s been in the USA pipeline for nearly a decade. Significant changes in global basketball are expected after the 2016 Olympics, including a major scheduling adjustment, possible player age limits for major competitions and a strong philosophical push by the governing body (FIBA) to elevate the stature of the World Cup above the Olympics. “If we didn’t get back on the horse, we’d be qualifying for the Olympics this summer”, Krzyzewski said.
“I’ll deal with that when that time comes, ” Anthony said.
That’s exactly what Colangelo envisioned when he took this role on 10 years ago.
His service to the U.S. team could help separate him from a point guard field that includes the likes of Curry, John Wall, Russell Westbrook, Kyrie Irving and Mike Conley. “And that would be the end”, said Colangelo. “The relationships during the offseason in our environment is a real draw”.
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“A family decision”, was how James classified his status for Rio. They’re not playing for their team per se, they’re playing for the United States. And winning another gold medal to cap things off may actually be “a great story” to tell future basketballers, as Colangelo coined it. “They know it’s good”.
