By Mark Bacon
Last year at this time, John Wall was very unhappy about getting cut from the Team USA roster. He hinted that he hadn’t received a fair shake. This year, he still expects not to make the squad that will travel to Rio de Janeiro for the Olympics, but he sounds much more resigned to his situation.
Wall told Ben Standig of CSN Washington Saturday, “I’ll be out of the picture.” Standig noted that the Wizards point guard said it with a laugh and without bitterness.
It’s a crowded backcourt, to be sure.
Right now there are 34 players in the pool for Team USA; a who’s-who of NBA stars—not including Kobe Bryant, who may still have an outside shot at making the team. Players in the pool, including Wall, recently convened in Las Vegas for a mandatory minicamp.
Eventually, that group will be whittled down to a 12-man roster, and Wall demonstrated that he was well aware that the math does not favor him. At least half of that dozen will be front-court players, leaving room for a likely trio of point guards.
Barring injury, one of those point guards will certainly be Clippers’ Chris Paul, and Warriors star Stephen Curry, another. “Oh, yeah. Ten times out of 10 they’ll be on the team,” Wall said about that pair.
Then Wall offered another name: “Kyrie,” as in Kyrie Irving, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ guard who not only is a teammate of the very influential LeBron James but who played for Team USA Coach Mike Krzyzewski at Duke. There’s also Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, a four-time all-star, who could be moved to the Two Guard slot.
“I’m just being honest,” Wall told Standig. “Chris Paul has already won one [Olympic gold medal]. Steph Curry had an amazing last year and just won the World Cup. Kyrie just won the World Cup. Russell will probably be on the team. They’ll use him as a two-guard. “So, I probably won’t make it.”
It doesn’t seem fair, given the strides he has made toward becoming one of the NBA’s best point guards, but Wall is likely right. He happens to have the misfortune of playing during the Golden Age of Point Guards.
Wall could possibly change the dynamic with a huge season, and he said that he just found more “motivation” to have one.
Something else doesn't seem cool. Colangelo made a big deal of saying how in order to be considered for Rio in 2016 you have to attend the Vegas minicamp. Mandatory. So many players dropped what they were doing and shuffled out to Las Vegas in the middle of their offseason to run drills and have meetings. Most were happy to do it, and that's a testament to the culture of Team USA Basketball.
Now, on top of Colangelo saying that he's not going to hold minicamp next year and that instead the team will simply be chosen, all 12 spots, it turns out that the players didn't actually need to attend anyway. Bulls guard Derrick Rose didn't attend, and he can get in if he stays healthy this year. Kobe Bryant didn't attend, same deal.
I don't think it's a big deal to give Bryant some lifetime achievement award and an honorary spot on the team, even though he physically isn't in a position to contribute at a high level. By the same token, Rose has been a part of multiple gold medal teams and has put in the time. But don't make this big deal out of attendance and then basically say "Yeah, but come on, he's Kobe/Derrick Rose!" Either these guys make the commitment and come in on an off year during their summer like the rest of the players or they don't. If Team USA is going to preach the value of sacrifice, shouldn't they at least pretend to truly honor it?
Here are some other points of discussion, regarding The Rio Olympic Squad:
• Who are the 12 guys we take?
• Should Kawhi Leonard be a lock?
• Does Team USA "need" DeMarcus Cousins or a lot of big men based on the style they play?
• Will Andre Iguodala have a spot on the team if he wants to play?
No comments:
Post a Comment