Posts Tagged ‘USA Basketball’

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Colangelo-Krzyzewski Combo Keeps USA Basketball Solid For Years To Come

May 23, 2013  ·  10:58AM



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HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – You couldn’t ask for a better fit … or better results.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is a Hall of Famer, an icon and living legend in his profession. And yet, he’s found a way to step aside and allow the spotlight to shine exactly where it needs to when he’s coaching the U.S. Men’s Senior National Team — on the NBA stars in he leads in international competition.

That’s what makes his return to his post great news for USA Basketball and chairman Jerry Colangelo, who hand-picked Coach K to take over as coach in 2005, and the future of the program. The continuity this dynamic duo brings is what will propel the program for years to come. Sure, it helps having the best talent on the planet to choose from. But the pipeline was full of talent before Colangelo and Krzyzewski got together and the results looked nothing like the 62-1 mark the Men’s Senior National Team has compiled under them.

This is one of those times when the numbers do not lie. There is something special about the bond Coach K has forged with the core members of the program that was on full display at the 2012 London Olympics. He found a way to succeed with superstars like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and others while also continually integrating new and different faces into the mix. Under him, the U.S. won back-to-back gold medals in Beijing in 2008 and London four years later.

He found roles for guys like Kevin Love, Andre Iguodala and even a rookie like Anthony Davis, all stars in their own right and also all guys who might have been marginalized in years past on this stage. Things haven’t always run as smoothly as they have in recent years with the NBA stars involved with the program.

The all-time low point was the 2004 Athens Olympics. During that debacle, an ill-fitted group of NBA stars attempted to rescue the program’s honor on the global stage but ended up disappointing and finishing with a bronze medal. Rock bottom actually came four years earlier at the World Championships in Indianapolis in 2002, when a team coached by reigning NBA Coach of the Year George Karl was humbled on the world stage, becoming the first team with NBA players to fall in international competition while finishing an ugly sixth in the competition on home soil.

I was there in Indy and, as a fan of the international game and the fact that it’s played differently than the NBA style, it was as brutal to watch the U.S. struggle with that adjustment as it was to see them come apart at the seams.

Those back-to-back failures led directly to Colangelo and then Krzyzewski coming on board to help rehabilitate the program, complete with the formation of a robust Men’s Senior National Team roster that included commitments from many of the game’s biggest current stars. And they had to be willing to subject themselves to a grueling tryout process that could bruise plenty of egos along the way.

It wasn’t just about piling up a bunch of stars and throwing them into the unfamiliar international mix, where national teams from Argentina and Spain were gaining major steam. It was about rounding up the right stars that would embrace the team dynamic in ways that the players on the ’02 and ’04 teams refused to or simply could not.

You know the cupboard is stacked when you have All-Stars like Kyrie Irving, Jrue Holiday and other young stars willing to give up their summers to try to earn a place on the teams that will compete in the 2014 World Championships in Madrid and the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro.

Things have changed for the better with the power structure USA Basketball employed to help them regain their stature as the best in the world. And there’s no reason to assume they’ll do anything but continue that reign and improve upon that rock-solid foundation for years to come with Colangelo and Coach K at the helm.

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Posted in HT News, USA Basketball / Comments (6) /

Report: Coach K To Stick With USA Basketball?

May 18, 2013  ·  7:28PM



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HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – When the U.S. Men’s Senior National Team finished off the competition at the London Olympics in 2012, head coach Mike Krzyzewski was primed to ride off into the sunset with a sparking 62-1 record, two gold medals in Olympic competition (2008 in Beijing) and one in World Championship competition (2010 Istanbul).

Every indication was that the longtime Duke coach had finished the job USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo needed him to and that his replacement would be sought while Coach K moved on in some capacity to assist Colangelo manage the rebuilt program.

But now comes word, via a report from SI.com‘s Pete Thamel, that Coach K is reconsidering his future with the program and could potentially return as coach of the team for the 2014 World Championship in Madrid and the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro.

It’s an abrupt about-face after months and months of speculation about who might replace Krzyzewski on the sideline with the Men’s Senior National Team and also a stern departure from Coach K’s own words, as recently as February on an ESPN Radio program where he suggested that his successor could be named by this summer.

Things changed dramatically today, per that SI.com report:

On Saturday, Krzyzewski said he and USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo have been talking about his return “quite a bit.”

Colangelo said Saturday he and Krzyzewski have been discussing his return “in installments.”

“I think it’s very close to being resolved,” Colangelo said. “That’s all I can say for sure.”

He added: “Give it another week and it should be resolved.”

Nailing down a head coach is the only outstanding business Colangelo has to tend to right now, because the player pool for the national team is as strong now as it’s since he took over in 2005.

Scores of NBA superstars, All-Stars and role players will be eager to be a part of the teams that represent the U.S. in Madrid and Rio De Janeiro. And that list should include four-time MVP LeBron James as well as All-Stars Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and plenty more.

Were Coach K to return to the program, procuring commitments for future competition wouldn’t appear to be much of an issue, given his history with so many of the players that would be in the mix. The continuity alone would ensure that the U.S. program resembles, at least in structure, many of the international programs they’ll compete against in the coming years.

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Posted in USA Basketball, HT News, London 2012 / Comments (10) /

USA Basketball: Back On Top … Next Up?

August 13, 2012  ·  7:29AM





LONDON – USA Basketball chairman and managing director Jerry Colangelo doesn’t play the “what if” game. He refuses to even entertain it, whether it’s in regards to the program he runs, the games the teams play or the future of the game of basketball around the globe.

He is simply not interested in delving into the hypothetical world of what would, could or should have been. And when you are the architect and steward of an operation that has won 50 straight games on the world stage, it’s probably wise to deal strictly in the here and now.

So you’ll have to excuse Colangelo for not being as nervous as some were in the final minutes of the U.S. Men’s Senior National Team’s gold medal triumph over Spain Sunday at North Greenwich Arena, the 107-100 final score was the closest in an Olympic final in 40 years.

“What if Marc Gasol hadn’t gotten into foul trouble?” someone asked from deep in the back of a scrum. (more…)

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Posted in London 2012 / Comments (64) /

Desperate Lithuania Up Next For U.S.

August 3, 2012  ·  8:07PM

LONDON – Unlike many of the other teams in this competition, certain members of the Lithuanian contingent here at the Olympics have tangible knowledge of what it feels like to take a bite out of the machine that is the U.S. Men’s Senior National Team.

Before the U.S. program was back to its current and dominant state, basketball-mad Lithuania shocked the basketball world with a during the 2004 Olympics, a loss the U.S. made up for in the bronze medal game.

Veteran Lithuanian guard Sarunas Jasikevicius led the charge in that 2004 upset and is still on the roster, along with fellow former NBA player Darius Songaila. But times have changed a bit since then for both sides.

The U.S. is back to its gold medal ways, courtesy of the complete program makeover engineered by USA Basketball chairman and managing director Jerry Colangelo and coach Mike Krzyzewski. The U.S. is chasing a second straight gold medal and has won their three games here by a jaw-dropping average of 52.3 points, a figure boosted significantly by Thursday night’s record-setting 83-point drubbing of Nigeria.

Lithuania is still one of the world’s most formidable outfits, the mere mention of the three-time Olympic bronze medalists prompts an immediate demeanor shift for Krzyzewski. But they are not among the favorites in this tournament, relying as much or more on younger stars like Linas Kleiza and prized Toronto Raptors big man Jonas Valanciunas to carry the team than they do some of their stars from previous teams.

(more…)

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Posted in London 2012 / Comments (17) /

Kobe And Pau … A Package Deal!

July 23, 2012  ·  9:16AM

HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – While it’s far from official and certainly not anything you should bet the mortgage on, there’s a certain big man from Spain who should rest a little easier today.

And no one should question Kobe Bryant‘s dedication to his Los Angeles Lakers teammate Pau Gasol.

Bryant reaffirmed his faith in and commitment to Gasol to reporters in Barcelona today when he responded this way to a question from a local reporter about Gasol’s status with the Lakers, per our main man Brian C. Mahoney of the Associated Press:

“As long as I’m there, he’s going to be there.”

That’s 10 more words than the Lakers’ brass will give you (publicly) in support of Gasol, who (if you believe the rumors) has been on the trading block non-stop since the past two seasons.

Bryant has come to Gasol’s defense before, railing against management for not protecting him early last season on a road trip to Phoenix. So to hear that he did it in Gasol’s backyard on the eve of an exhibition game between the U.S. Men’s Senior National team and Gasol’s Spanish team is not surprising.

The language used, however, is as strong as anything we’ve heard from Bryant regarding Gasol. With Steve Nash in the fold and the continued speculation surrounding the Lakers’ pursuit of Dwight Howard, Gasol has every right to be concerned about his standing in the organization.

Andrew Bynum has been mentioned much more prominently in the trade rumors, but that doesn’t mean Gasol is safe from the chatter. A strong vote of confidence from Bryant, though, should carry some sort of weight with the Lakers.

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Posted in London 2012, USA Basketball / Comments (65) /

U.S. Tussles With Argentina: Live Blog!

July 22, 2012  ·  11:08AM

HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – When the U.S. Men’s Senior National team takes the floor, be it in a “friendly” or real competition, winning is never enough.

It’s always about style points and the opponent and whether or not the U.S. team looked as good as they could have or should have. Those aren’t are rules, it’s the just the way it’s been for the past 20 years (all the teams that followed the original Dream Team can thank their elders for that bit of circumstance).

That’s why we have to watch this afternoon’s U.S.-Argentina exhibition (3:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV) with a discerning eye. Unlike their previous three exhibition games, this is a contest between gold medal candidates (someone else besides the U.S., Russia and Spain is capable of gold) and fierce international rivals. The U.S. went through Argentina in the semifinals on their way to gold in Beijing in 2008 after Argentina did the same four years earlier in Athens on their way to gold.

This is one of the few teams that can counter the U.S. with NBA stars of its own, a fact not lost on Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and the leaders of the U.S. team. Led by Manu Ginobili and Luis Scola, Argentina also has the added bonus of having a national team core group that has been together for years, a group that has thrived in competitions everywhere.

Both teams will be trying to send a message this afternoon, even though they will do their very best to act like that’s not the case …

(Make sure you tune in at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV and chat with us live here during the action!)

– FOURTH QUARTER –

– 5:34 p.m. U.S. wins 86-80 in a much closer game than it had to be. They fell in love with those uncontested 3-pointers and rolled when they were going in and struggled when they weren’t. Durant led the way with 27, Kobe had 18 and yet CP3′s late 3 was probably the biggest shot of the game for the U.S. They made the game tougher than it needed to be with the 13-for-34 shooting from deep. Curious side note, James Harden didn’t scratch in this game. Gamesmanship or what?

– 5:30 p.m. Spain’s big men (Gasols and Ibaka) have to know that they’re going to have a huge advantage in Tuesday’s game. Should be even more interesting for the U.S., as they try and figure out how to use their speed and athleticism to combat all of that size inside.

– 5:27 p.m. Scola with two huge misses at the free throw line in the final 50 seconds. LeBron draws a foul at the rim. Manu fouls out and gets a nice ovation from the crowd.

– 5:23 p.m. CP3 with a big 3-pointer for the 84-73 lead. The U.S. has closers all over the floor. But Argentina still coming, 84-78 with 1:48 to play.

– 5:22 p.m. Way too much standing around right now by the U.S. on offense. Ginobili drops one in off the pick and roll and gets the foul. We’ve got a 78-74 game with 2:50 left. Crowd is cranking up in Barcelona. And Durant with the dagger! Wow! 81-74 U.S.

– 5:18 p.m. Prigioni with a big 3 cuts the lead to seven, and we’ve got a nice sticky game down the stretch. This is like regular season NBA basketball right now. Argentina’s patience on the offensive end is in stark contrast to the rushed play of the U.S. on that end of the floor. It’s the difference between a team that understands each other’s every move and a team filled with guys learning those things on the fly.

– 5:15 p.m. Chandler can’t make free throws and he can’t stay out of foul trouble … the blueprint for opposing teams that are good enough to draw the U.S. into this trap. Argentina is one of the few capable of doing so.

– 5:13 p.m. Manu is so far and away the best player on his team that it’s remarkable. He knocks down a couple of quick shots and we’ve got a 10-point game here with five minutes to play in the fourth.

–5:06 p.m. Two quick dunks from LeBron pushes the lead back to 15. He hasn’t really imposed his will in this one at all. But he could get cooking here late and give the U.S. the edge they’re looking for. Coach K will have to rotate his point guard relentlessly to keep up the pace that suits his team best.

– THIRD QUARTER –

– 5:01 p.m. The U.S. goes to sleep again with that 20-point lead and Argentina knocks down 3s and takes advantage of careless play by the U.S. to squeeze it back to a close game, down 11 heading into the fourth quarter (72-61). The U.S. can’t catch a breath against a team of this caliber. Simply can’t do it and win big like they are used to.

– 4:57 p.m. Iguodala could be one of the true unsung heroes on this team. He’s such a good defender, and can guard four positions in international ball, and is a much better offensive player right now than he’s been at any time during his NBA career. BTW, the U.S. lead is back to 20 (69-49).

– 4:54 p.m. For every run Argentina or any team will make, the U.S. has a counter. They’re always going to be able to get a defensive stop or turnover and beat you in transition to regain momentum. That said, I’d be interested to see how this team functioned if they had to play from behind in a game … just asking!

– 4:47 p.m. Ginobili needs a SAG card. Seriously, he’s better than Pacino. He fouls LeBron and you see his face and it looks like he got fouled.

– 4:42 p.m. Third quarter kicking off like the first with Durant and Kobe striking early. U.S. with a 52-40 lead just like that. Durant with the pull up jumper and Kobe with the transition 3 … they make it look so easy sometimes.

– HALFTIME –

– 4:28 p.m. That 7-for-13 start from beyond the 3-point line was fool’s gold for the U.S. They fell in love with the deep ball and went 0-for-7 in the second quarter as they were outscored 24-16 and lost that 20-point lead.

– SECOND QUARTER –

– 4:24 p.m. Love seeing the U.S. in this sort of situation. Up 20 to leading by just five in the final seconds of the first half. Defense, transition and a fast break layup from Westbrook results in a 47-40 halftime lead. But make no mistake, Argentina will push them with their ball movement, patience and grit. Should be an interesting second half.

– 4:21 p.m. Delfino always looks better to me during international play than he does during the NBA season. It doesn’t make sense either, because he’s got more of an “NBA” game than any international player I can think of … slick off the dribble, athletic and a streaky shooter. Funky step-back 3 over Westbrook is vintage Delfino. Makes it an eight-point game.

– 4:18 p.m. LeBron hasn’t even started cooking yet. I’d start posting him, Melo too, and see what my offense looked like with Argentina having to focus on those two in the paint. Well, four quickies for LeBron. But Argentina is attacking the rim the way the U.S. should be attacking.

– 4:12 p.m. Lots of tough guy antics from guys who know each other well. Not buying any of this nonsense. Nothing like a little healthy trash talk between acquaintances. For the record, the shoulder to the gut on Paul is what kicked off the foolishness. But this is all just playground-style posturing from both sides. Oh, and I told you Nocioni would get his in. Lead is down to 10, by the way. Excellent work by Argentina.

– 4:07 p.m. Kobe gets swatted on one end and Durant gets it back on the other. Durant’s wingspan is preposterous. No way he should have blocked that. Loving Kobe going after Argentina like this (he’s got 14 points already). Message being sent!

– 4:03 p.m. The U.S. is so fast in transition and they’re ridiculously unselfish. I’m not sure you can appreciate just how good these guys are through a flat screen. On average, they’re two steps faster than Argentina on the run. That’s an advantage no team in the competition (or in the world) can counter.

– FIRST QUARTER –

– 3:58 p.m. The 3-pointers from Durant and D. Will to end the quarter give the U.S. a 31-16 lead and highlights the fact that when they’re making their shots from distance, the opposition has basically no chance. Solid first quarter from the U.S.

– 3:55 p.m. Argentina is going right to Scola in the post every chance they get with Melo on him. Smart basketball. Attacking the U.S. in the one place they are most vulnerable is the only strategy that works. Argentina right back in the thick of this game down 25-14.

– 3:51 p.m. No need to swing for the home run shot every time. The U.S. is trying to knock Argentina out from deep in the first quarter here and it’s really not necessary. They need to attack the rim. They have the advantage inside and out, might as well use it in both places. All of this dramatic gesturing to draw fouls is a clear indicator that Manu is on the floor. You gotta love him …

– 3:45 p.m. Seriously, the Kobe and Durant show is ridiculous. They’re both draining 3s from deep and playing like this is a real game. I knew they would try and send a message in this game. And Argentina is playing with an undersized big man themselves in Scola. Guarantee you Nocioni gets tangled up with someone in the next minute or two. Always love watching him in these international games.

– 3:40 p.m. Zone early from Argentina and Kobe makes them pay with the third straight 3 from the U.S. They haven’t missed a shot yet. Ideal start for the home team. And another 3 from Durant pushes the lead to 14-1 just like that. This is the start you want every game from the U.S. Maybe it’s the throwback unis?

– 3:37 p.m. Durant from deep for the start. And another one. That international 3 is just not fair for a shooter with his size and length. Not fair.

–3:34 p.m. Another tweak today with the lineup with CP3 replacing Deron Williams from the Great Britain game. Loving the Dream Team throwbacks. Wish they would wear them throughout the competition in London.

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Posted in London 2012, USA Basketball / Comments (86) /

U.S. Battles Great Britain: Live Blog!

July 19, 2012  ·  11:58AM

HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – We don’t have to wait for the competition in London to start to see just how hospitable the host nation team will be to the U.S. Men’s Senior National Team.

We’ll get a sample of that this afternoon, when the U.S. squares off against Great Britain in Manchester (2 p.m. ET on ESPN2) in their third exhibition leading up to the Olympics.

They didn’t exactly dazzle in that win over Brazil Monday night, escaping the Verizon Center with an 80-69 win thanks to some heavy lifting from LeBron James.

We’ll be watching (and writing) live from the hideout here, locking in on several key issues:

  1. Who cares if Great Britain doesn’t have a strong low-post rotation, the U.S. needs to get some serious work in for Tyson Chandler, Kevin Love and whoever else they plan on playing down there. Brazil exposed this team’s biggest weakness and you better believe the rest of the world was watching.
  2. They’ve had enough time to develop a bench rotation capable of blowing games open when they hit the floor. With Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook providing matchup nightmares on the regular, this third exhibition game should provide the platform these two guys need to “Thunder Up” the Olympic competition.
  3. A U.S. team that can’t find a shooting rhythm from beyond the 3-point line is a vulnerable team, especially when they can’t dominate the transition game. So someone, Kobe Bryant, has to find the sweet spot from deep if they want to run away from Great Britain the way they should (there are 11 more NBA players on the Select Team than there are on Great Britain’s roster).
  4. We want to see more of Anthony Davis, we want to see more of him on the court and mixing it up against some of these international big men. And that means the U.S. needs a sizable lead in order for the rookie power forward to see action.
  5. Finally, and we know there is no chance of it happening, but wouldn’t it be hilarious if James busted out his latest, “unstoppable move” in this game?

FIRST QUARTER –

– Deron Williams and Kevin Durant replace Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony in the starting lineup. Tough choices for Coach K. “Uh, not this All-Star point guard, give me the other one. And let’s go with the three-time scoring champ instead of the dude with the career 25-point scoring average.”

– I’ve been waiting years to see Joel Freeland in action. So good to see him score the opening bucket in this game.

– Durant missing 3-pointers and now a dunk and a bunny. He went all the way to Manchester and got nervous?

– I love Fran Fraschilla like a play cousin, but he just said something about it being obvious from courtside that the U.S. has more athleticism on the floor than the Great Britain … uh, you can see that from the moon sir!

(more…)

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Posted in London 2012, USA Basketball / Comments (24) /

USA Basketball: Davis Ready To Go!

July 13, 2012  ·  11:40PM

HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – Hornets power forward Anthony Davis left Las Vegas with more than just a confidence booster that every rookie is searching for in Sin City this time of year.

He left with a permanent spot on the U.S. Men’s Senior National Team, a position that opened up after Blake Griffin was diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his left knee. Davis looked good in his first fill-in duty, playing an energetic 10 minutes in the fourth quarter of the U.S. Team’s 113-59 blowout win over the Dominican Republic Thursday night at UNLV.

Davis also left town with the complete support of his new teammates as they make their way through training camp and on to London for the Olympics. They were in his ear non-stop the first three quarters of Thursday’s game, before it became clear if Davis would even play or not, making sure he was tuned into the action and understanding what he’d have to do when he hit the floor.

Carmelo Anthony was particularly vocal, doing his best to calm the rookie’s nerves.

“I just told him to go out there and just relax,” Anthony said. “He was looking forward to playing summer league. I told him, ‘This is way better than summer league.’ I told him to go out there, relax, have some fun and don’t think about it too much.”

Davis will have a hard time thinking about anything but the opportunity in front of him. Monday’s exhibition game against Brazil is another chance to Davis to show just how well he’ll blend in with the big boys. His nerves were shot Thursday night, but in a good way.

“If you love this game, you’re going to be nervous,” he said. “But when you step on the floor just go out there and have fun. If you love this game like we all say we love it, you just go out there and play ball.”

(more…)

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Posted in USA Basketball / Comments (28) /

USA Basketball: U.S. Rolls In Opener

July 13, 2012  ·  2:02AM

LAS VEGAS – All-Star center Al Horford has seen some of the competition the U.S. team will face in the Olympic Games in London. And after he and his teammates from the Dominican Republic were run off the floor by the U.S. Thursday night at UNLV, things have come into focus for him in regards to what will go down when the competition begins.

The U.S. will always win an unfair fight, he said after watching his team lose 113-59. But he also warned that there will be no cakewalks on the road to gold in London.

“Russia is pretty good. Spain is pretty good,” Horford said. “Those are going to be their bigger challenges. Russia is big and athletic and they play well together. Against us, it’s not really a fair gauge for them [the U.S. team], but they’re going to have their hands full with Spain and Russia.”

That said, Horford saw enough Thursday night from familiar faces like Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Andre Iguodala and others to know that if the U.S. plays their game, few teams, if any, will be able to stay with them in London.

Durant led the U.S. with 24 points off the bench and made five of his six shots from beyond the 3-point line. He also grabbed 10 rebounds. Iguodala added 18 points off the bench, making four of his six shots from distance. James (13) and Kevin Love (11) were the only other players to reach double figures in scoring.

“It felt good to me,” Durant said. “It was cool to come off the bench for the first time. Wherever they need that spark, I’m going to try to come out and give them that spark. So I was looking forward to having different roles playing with USA, so it was kind of fun for me, actually.”

It was no fun for the Dominican Republic, coached by Kentucky coach John Calipari and featuring Horford and Kings swingman Francisco Garcia.

“Durant, the way he’s shooting the ball, is just too much,” Horford said, “They can create problems for so many other teams. We played Russia and we played some of these other teams and we could get into our offense. Tonight, we couldn’t even get into our offense. If they keep playing defense that way, and speeding up the game that way, they’ll have an advantage against those bigger teams. If they have a smashmouth game they could have some problems. But if Iguodala keeps shooting like that, and KD, they’ll be fine.”

(more…)

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Posted in USA Basketball / Comments (28) /

Report: Torn Meniscus Knocks Clippers’ All-Star Blake Griffin Out Of Olympics

July 13, 2012  ·  12:46AM

LAS VEGAS – Not all the news from USA Basketball’s blowout win over the Dominican Republic in their exhibition opener Thursday night at UNLV was good news.

As the U.S. players made their way from the locker room after the game, word spread Los Angeles Clippers All-Star forward Blake Griffin, who went home earlier in the day with a sore left knee, was diagnosed with a torn left meniscus and will require surgery early next week, per The Los Angeles Times. He is expected to miss eight weeks, costing him his spot on the Olympic team and putting a huge scare into the Clippers, who signed him to a five-year extension worth $95 million, just two days ago.

No one took the news harder than Griffin’s All-Star teammate Chris Paul, who was informed of the news as he walked up to the assembled media awaiting the team as they exited the locker room.

“Wow. That’s a tough one. It’s a huge blow,” Paul said. “One of the things I was looking most forward to in this whole Olympic experience was being with him, so we both could grow a little bit as players and things like that. But his health comes before anything, so I’m going to go call him and check on him.”

Griffin joins a long list of U.S. stars who will miss the games due to injury, a group that already included Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Derrick Rose, Chauncey Billups and LaMarcus Aldridge.

(more…)

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Posted in London 2012, USA Basketball / Comments (20) /

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