Team USA Dominates Dominican Republic In Olympics Tuneup

• 11 months ago
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USA Basketball vs. Dominican Republic: 3-Pointers, Turnovers Fueling Major Team USA Lead At Halftime

The Dominican Republic almost made the London Olympics, but the USA is looking to win it, and it shows as they've opened up a 23-point lead at halftime of their first Olympic tuneup.

Kevin Durant hit his first five threes of the night and now has 21 points. Durant has since missed a few, but the short three-point line is a chip shot for the league's leading scorer. Andre Iguodala has also nailed three looks from beyond the arc.

The breakneck pace of the first quarter slowed down at the start of the second: they still forced turnovers -- I believe we're at 12 and counting for the Dominican squad -- but the game became a little bit more half-court based, with Carmelo Anthony registering the team's first four points of the period by getting to the line and Kobe Bryant pulling a signature jumper over a double-team. The Dominican would go on a 7-0 run at one point after hitting some open looks, but the USA roster would recover and make the lead more comfortable again.

LeBron James has predictably been taking a lot of the minutes at the center spot and he's doing well, to say the least: Al Horford is really struggling down low, and James has had a hand on a few of his looks.

All 11 of the players on the USA roster have checked in, but Anthony Davis has yet to take the court.

Follow all of SB Nation's Olympic coverage at our London 2012 Olympics hub page.For more on Team USA as it gears up for the London Olympics, be sure to stay tuned to this StoryStream.

• 11 months ago
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USA Basketball vs. Dominican Republic: Kevin Durant Leads Americans To Early Double-Digit Lead

The United States men's basketball team isn't exactly struggling in its first tuneup exhibition for the Olympics in London, as the Americans are out to a 26-12 lead over the Dominican Republic after the first quarter.

The Dominican Republic showed some zone early, and the United States responded with an offense centered on passing around the zone and drilling threes from a line slightly shorter than the one used in the NBA game. Kevin Durant hit three and Andre Iguodala chipped in another two. Mike Krzyzewski looks like he's using the exhibition to get a feel for the roster -- he's gone ten deep already through the first quarter.

The USA started off slowly offensively -- some jumpers clanged, the ball got stuck amongst superstars -- but the defense never faltered. The Americans forced a turnover leading to a breakaway dunk on the first possession, and never let the Dominicans get comfortable -- not on entry passes, not on jumpers and not in the post. After a few stagnant minutes, Kevin Durant took the lid off the rim with a three and the USA ran off a 13-0 run, featuring another Durant three and a fast break alley-oop from Deron Williams to LeBron James.

Follow all of SB Nation's Olympic coverage at our London 2012 Olympics hub page.For more on Team USA as it gears up for the London Olympics, be sure to stay tuned to this StoryStream.

• 12 months ago
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Chris Paul Suffers Sprained Thumb In Olympic Training

An injury to Chris Paul's thumb could potentially shake up the backcourt rotation of Team USA.

Saturday the team announced that Paul has a sprained right thumb, an injury that was revealed through an X-ray Paul received after Friday's practice.

While Paul did participate in some non-contact portions of Saturday's practice, he did not scrimmage and sported a protective splint over the thumb.

Paul is expected to miss the next few days of training, but did tell reporters that it's more about the swelling suffered from the injury. Once that subsides, he expects to be back on the court.

Already weakened by injuries to Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose and others, Team USA's 12-man roster, announced Saturday, could be considered thin by some. If Paul's injury lingers, and he misses any competition, expect Russell Westbrook and Deron Williams to split nearly all minutes at point guard.

Follow all of SB Nation's Olympic coverage at our London 2012 Olympics hub page. For more on Team USA as it gears up for the London Olympics, be sure to stay tuned to this StoryStream.

• 12 months ago
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Team USA Basketball: Blake Griffin A 'Lock' To Make Olympic Team

The official USA Olympic basketball roster selections aren't until Saturday night, but it appears there is one fewer spot in doubt, as Blake Griffin is a "lock" to make the Olympic roster, according to a report from ESPN's Marc Stein.

Griffin's addition to the team USA roster does not come as a surprise; The team has lost several interior players due to injury. Griffin was added to the roster when Chris Bosh pulled out due to an injury. Team USA also lost Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge.

Griffin will join Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Tyson Chandler, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul and Deron Williams as other members of the 2012 roster. That leaves two spots open, with Anthony Davis, Rudy Gay, Eric Gordon, James Harden and Andre Iguodala the remaining candidates.

For more on Team USA as it gears up for the London Olympics, be sure to stay tuned to this StoryStream.

• 12 months ago
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Anthony Davis Injury Update: Forward Will Join Team USA Camp, According To Report

Despite an ankle injury, New Orleans Hornets forward Anthony Davis will head to Team USA's Las Vegas camp this week, according to Yahoo! Sport's Adrian Wojnarowski. After suffering the injury on Monday, initial reports had Davis missing the camp, but later news backed off on that as future evaluation of his ankle was needed.

Wojnarowski reports that the ankle injury is less severe than originally thought. Additionally, with Lamar Odom passing on Team USA camp, Davis has been granted the time he needs to recover from the injury, which is expected to take a week to 10 days.

Davis was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft on June 28. Adding a gold medal with Team USA before the start of his rookie season would certainly be a great addition to his already prodigious list of accomplishments in 2012.

For more on Team USA as it gears up for the London Olympics, be sure to stay tuned to this StoryStream.

• 12 months ago
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Blake Griffin To Replace Chris Bosh On Team USA Basketball Roster, According To Report

Team USA's big men have been ravaged by injuries in the build-up to the 2012 Olympics. Chris Bosh, who starred at the 2008 Olympics, is one of the players who has been ruled out, and there's no great like-for-like replacement in the U.S. player pool. At the very least, Mike Krzyzewski is going to add a player with similar athleticism. Blake Griffin is expected to take his spot.

Olympic Team announced Saturday. Blake Griffin expected to take Chris Bosh's spot, sources told CBSSports.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanCBS) July 3, 2012

The 2012 Olympic team was expected to be made up of a mix of the 2008 Olympics and 2010 World Championships teams before injuries ruled out a number of players, causing USA Basketball to call younger players into training camp who have played for neither team. Griffin is one of two players who played for neither team in contention for the 2012 Olympics squad, along with James Harden.

• 12 months ago
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Lamar Odom Officially Drops Out Of Team USA Basketball Consideration

Lamar Odom was unlikely to play for Team USA at the upcoming London Olympics, but with a number of big men out for Mike Krzyzewski, he might have been a fringe contender for a roster spot. That is, if he was healthy and willing to play. Instead, Odom has withdrawn himself from consideration so that he can work with trainers to get completely healthy for the upcoming NBA season.

Lamar Odom tells ESPNLA he will skip Team USA this summer and work with trainers in L.A. and focus on this season.

— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) July 2, 2012

Odom was previously scheduled to work out for Krzyzewski along with Blake Griffin and and the now-injured Anthony Davis in Las Vegas. Davis, Dwight Howard, LaMarcus Aldridge and Chris Bosh are out injured, while Andrew Bynum has stated that he is not interested in playing. Team USA might go without another big man, but DeMarcus Cousins and Derrick Favors could be considered for a roster spot.

• 12 months ago
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Anthony Davis Reportedly Suffers 'Severely Sprained' Ankle, Likely Won't Play For Team USA

Anthony Davis was selected by the New Orleans Hornets with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft and was also a finalist on the 2012 U.S. Men's Olympic roster. Davis, however, looks like he will miss the Olympics and maybe some more time after suffering what's being called a "severely sprained ankle" during some workouts with his new NBA team.

Anthony Davis suffered a severely sprained ankle in a Hornets workout and almost assuredly is unable to play for Team USA, sources tell Y!

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 2, 2012

Losing the option of Davis on Team USA could mean the loss of another option at center, as the team will not be able to have the option of Chris Bosh or Dwight Howard on their roster. Bosh will miss the Olympics dealing with an abdominal injury that forced him to sit out some of the NBA Playoffs, and Howard is still recovering from back surgery that forced him to miss the final part of the regular season and the playoffs.

The options at center for the U.S. are getting severely limited.

For more on Team USA as it gears up for the London Olympics, be sure to stay tuned to this StoryStream.

• 12 months ago
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Chris Bosh Will Miss 2012 Olympics With Abdominal Injury

On Thursday, Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade announced that he would withdraw from the U.S. men's basketball team and would not be attending the 2012 Olympics in London, opting instead to get surgery to repair a knee injury. It appears he will not be the only Miami player staying home this summer.

Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press reported on Friday that Heat power forward Chris Bosh will also be withdrawing from his spot on the U.S. Olympic team. Bosh has decided to rest up and rehab a nagging abdominal injury.

Both players' decisions are completely understandable. The frantic pace of the lockout-shortened 2011-12 NBA season and ensuing postseason left many NBA players banged up, so it makes sense that two members of the newly-crowned league champions would want to make the most out of resting up during a shorter offseason to better prepare for defending their title in the 2012-13 season.

For more on Team USA as it gears up for the London Olympics, be sure to stay tuned to this StoryStream.

• 12 months ago
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Dwyane Wade WIll Not Play For Team USA In 2012 Olympics

Dwyane Wade is fresh off winning an NBA title with the Miami Heat, but he will not be following it up by going for a gold medal this summer. Wade, who played banged up throughout the 2012 NBA postseason, has officially withdrawn from the U.S. men's national basketball team and will not be heading to the Summer Games in London.

Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press reports that Wade contacted USA Basketball Director Jerry Colangelo and U.S. men's national team head coach Mike Krzyzewski on Thursday to inform them that he is withdrawing from the team. According to Reynolds, Wade will require knee surgery this offseason due to damage sustained over the duration of the lockout-shortened 2011-12 NBA season and playoffs.

The loss of Wade, who won gold in Beijing in 2008, is certainly a blow to the U.S. squad, but the roster is very deep in what may be the last year of a true basketball "Dream Team." The London Games will reportedly be the last time that NBA superstars over the age of 23 will head to the Olympics to represent the United States.

For more on Team USA as it gears up for the London Olympics, be sure to stay tuned to this StoryStream.

• about 1 year ago
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2012 Olympics Will Be Mike Krzyzewski's Last Interntational Competition As Team USA Coach

Mike Krzyzewski has been the head coach of the U.S. Men's National Basketball Team going as far back as 1990 for the FIBA World Championship in Argentina, and again starting in 2006 where he has led the team through a revival including a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. His impressive international resume will apparently conclude with the 2012 London Olympics.

At Olympic press conference in Dallas, Coach K announces that "this is the last time" he plans to coach Team USA in international comp

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) May 14, 2012

The head coach of the Duke Blue Devils is 65 years old and perhaps weary of the grind coaching NBA superstars in the offseason on top of running one of college basketball's most storied programs. San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was suggested as a possible replacement for Coach K by LeBron James earlier this year.

For more on Coach K and the 2012 London Summer Olympics, stay tuned to this StoryStream.

• about 1 year ago
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James Harden, Anthony Davis Added To Team USA Roster Of Finalists For 2012 Olympics

The dramatic changes to the roster selection process for Team USA took another turn on Thursday night, as Anthony Davis and James Harden were added to the pool of players vying for spots on the club's 2012 Olympics roster. Marc Spears reported that the Thunder wing and Kentucky forward were now in the running to join the team in London. Via @SpearsNBAYahoo:

Yahoo! Sports has received confirmation that USA Basketball will add Thunder F James Harden & Kentucky F-C Anthony Davis, a source said.

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) May 3, 2012

Harden had a breakout 2012 season coming off the bench for the Thunder, while Davis is the consensus No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 Draft. The program announced it would likely change course this week and potentially add more players to the pool, citing injuries which have removed Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard from consideration. In a release to the media, USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo praised both Harden and Davis. Via Sam Amick:

"After a lot of deliberations, after reviewing our roster, we think these two additions strengthen our National Team program immeasurably. James Harden probably is the sixth man of the year in the NBA, and Anthony Davis brings a dimension to our pool we don't have. He's young, but it's exciting to think about the possibilities."

For more on Team USA as it gears up for the London Olympics, be sure to stay tuned to this StoryStream.

• about 1 year ago
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2012 London Olympics: Team USA Likely Adding To Pool Of Men's Basketball Candidates

The 2012 London Olympics are not nearly as far off in the distance as they seem to be and, unfortunately, that's bad news for the decision-makers who have to decide what roster Team USA will put on the court this July. The men's basketball team automatically qualified for a berth in this year's games, but they've lost a few solid contributors due to injury over the last couple of months.

Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard, Chauncey Billups and LaMarcus Aldridge have all been ruled out and Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum has already stated he's not interested in representing America at the Olympics this offseason. That leaves a few gaping holes, but ESPN's Marc Stein has received intel that says USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo has decided to look into adding a few players to the team's preliminary 20-man roster (before they eventually cut down to 12).

Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com that Sacramento Kings power forward DeMarcus Cousins, Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert, Detroit Pistons center Greg Monroe and incoming Kentucky star Anthony Davis -- widely regarded as a lock to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the June draft -- are among the big men under consideration to be among the late additions Colangelo mentioned.

All four players would certainly be interesting additions, though it doesn't seem Colangelo is close to naming the replacements any time soon.

For more on Team USA as it gears up for the London Olympics, be sure to stay tuned to this StoryStream.

• about 1 year ago
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Derrick Rose's Torn ACL Puts Team USA Roster In Flux

Derrick Rose's season-ending knee injury not only affects the Chicago Bulls' current NBA Playoff run, but it is also now forcing USA Basketball to reconsider their final list of potential 2012 Olympic roster invitees. USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo told Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated just three days before the playoffs started that the list of finalists would not be expanded, but now he's saying "all bets are off" with the huge loss of Rose.

Along with Rose, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, and Russell Westbrook were the other three roster finalists at the point guard position. While the position is still strong, Colangelo says they are pushing their own deadline back, and will wait until the last minute to announce the final 12-man roster. Via Sam Amick:

"I think now we're going to wait until the very last moment to pick the team, because it seems ridiculous with a lot of playoff games to play that we would select a team," he said. "We might as well keep the options open as long as we can, and continue to monitor [the situation]. Our staffs (including coach Mike Krzyzewski) are going to be meeting on Monday and Tuesday in Vegas, and we're going to be talking about all of that. But I'm certain that that's going to be the call."

USA Basketball had originally planned to announce the roster on June 1, well before the deadline of June 18. Now, it appears they may even petition for an extension beyond June 18, hoping to wait until after the completion of the NBA Finals, which could run as late as June 28. The loss of Dwight Howard earlier in April did not alter Colangelo's plans, but now that Rose is unavailable, he's drastically changed the approach.

For more on the Bulls, visit Blog-a-Bull and SB Nation Chicago.

• about 1 year ago
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Dwyane Wade, Ray Allen Think They Should Be Paid To Play For Team USA