NBA, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Derrick Rose, Team USA, 2012 London Olympics
The list of US players to qualify for the 12-man roster for the 2012 London Olympics continues to grow thinner. The latest news on the topic informs about the exit of veteran forward Lamar Odom.
Lamar Odom confirmed rumors about his withdrawal from the 2012 London Olympics just hours ago in a press release. Lamar Odom, who was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, told media that he wasn’t ready for the 2012 London Olympics.
The Chairman of USA Basketball, Jerry Colangelo is wary of all the mishaps Team USA has faced in attempts to build a squad for the 2012 London Olympics. However, Jerry Colangelo believes Team USA’s coach Mike Krzyzewski can turn the fate around of the team.
“While it is unfortunate to have lost the players we have, Coach (Mike) Krzyzewski and I remain extremely confident with the group of players we'll have at our training camp in Las Vegas,” Jerry Colangelo said.
Jerry Colangelo further said that Team USA was full of talented players that had the capability to help United States defend their gold title, which they acquired in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
“We believe that we will still have an outstanding collection of talent and that ultimately we will have another team that all Americans will be excited about and proud of,” Jerry Colangelo added.
Presently there are 15 candidates for the 12 finals spots in Team USA. The names of these 15 candidates are:
Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks), Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), Tyson Chandler (New York Knicks), Anthony Davis (New Orleans Hornets), Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies), Eric Gordon (New Orleans Hornets), Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers), James Harden (Oklahoma City Thunder), Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers), LeBron James (Miami Heat), Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves), Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers), Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder), and Deron Williams (Brooklyn Nets).
Team USA has lost a number of talented youngsters from the list of US players for the 2012 London Olympics. The major setbacks include players like Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls). The youngster will be recovering from his knee surgery during the 2012 London Olympics.
The training camp for Team USA starts in Las Vegas this week. As a matter of fact, the training camp will start tomorrow, July 5. The 12-mas roster of Team USA for the 2012 London Olympics will be announced after the team practice on July 7.
