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COLORADO SPRINGS, USA – The US men’s national team cut three more players on Tuesday, August 5, leaving 16 fighting for 12 spots on the squad that will compete in the FIBA World Cup later this month in Spain.
John Wall, Bradley Beal and Paul Millsap were the latest cuts for Team USA which lost star Paul George to a broken leg during Saturday’s scrimmage at the conclusion of the team’s training camp in Las Vegas.
“The ending to our Las Vegas training camp with the injury to Paul George was very emotional for everyone involved in USA Basketball,” said managing director Jerry Colangelo on Tuesday.
“I very much appreciate the outpouring of support Paul and USA Basketball has received the past couple of days from the basketball world.”
Colangelo called George’s gruesome injury a “freak accident.” The Indiana Pacers star landed awkwardly against the basket stanchion, breaking his fibula and tibia. George underwent emergency surgery Saturday night and could miss the entire 2014-15 NBA season.
“Paul’s injury was an extremely unfortunate occurrence; it was truly a freak accident. We’re all very pleased that his recovery is going well,” Colangelo said.
There had been speculation that some of the remaining American players might withdraw in the wake of George’s injury. So far that hasn’t happened.
The remaining finalists are DeMarcus Cousins, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, DeMar DeRozan, Andre Drummond, Kevin Durant, Kenneth Faried, James Harden, Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving, Kyle Korver, Damian Lillard, Chandler Parsons, Derrick Rose, Klay Thompson and Mason Plumlee.
“All 16 guys have a chance to make the team, which usually does not happen in a training camp, and it shows that all of the guys thus far have done an excellent job,” said Team USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
“Then it’s just a matter of finding what chemistry that we can develop with the entire group and I don’t think we’ll know that until we play some exhibition games.
“The 16 guys give us a chance to look at a way of playing in a number of different ways and we just have to figure out what those ways are and then the 12 who will fit best.”
Practice will begin August 14 in Chicago. A pair of exhibition games are slated for Madison Square Garden in New York on August 20 and 22.
The FIBA World Cup – previously known as the World Championships – will be held August 30-September 14 in Spain. – Rappler.com
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