With injuries continuing to pile up throughout the NBA playoffs, Team USA’s final roster candidates are wearing thin. The team that heads to London will be comprised of 12 players, and five of the 20 original finalists have to pass either because of injuries or other reasons. As a result, USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo has left open the possibility of adding a few new finalists. One of them may not even be in the NBA yet.
According to ESPN.com, Colangelo announced on Tuesday in Las Vegas that the team intends to add a player or two to the preliminary roster. With Dwight Howard out with a back injury and Andrew Bynum not interested in competing, Team USA is in need of big men. The spots could be offered to Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, Pistons big man Greg Monroe, or Kentucky superstar Anthony Davis.
“I think we have concluded to some degree, although we’re not finished with our meetings, that we will probably add one or two players to that pool and that’s because of circumstances,” Colangelo said. “And we are probably at this point not going to make any announcement on who that 12 will be until the very last moment as we watch the NBA games and keep our fingers crossed that no other further injuries take place.”
As we told you last week, Cousins is very interested in joining the team and believes he would earn a final roster spot if given the chance. It is interesting that Davis, who is the consensus No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft, would be considered. While he certainly showed he is capable of dominating the college game, he would be a longshot as one of the final 12 players to make the Team USA roster strictly because of inexperience. The fact that he is reportedly being considered, however, shows us how highly he is viewed as an NBA prospect.
Note: This post also appeared on Medal Detector
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