![]() ![]() Unlike past tournaments, this won’t exactly be Gulliver amongst the Lilliputians. The national team won’t be able to just sit back and rely on the likes of James, who hasn’t played for the international team since 2012, and Kevin Durant, who likely wouldn’t be on the roster even if he weren’t out indefinitely with an achilles injury. The less-than-ideal US roster means that they are vulnerable. Most likely, Team USA will win gold and they may not break a sweat while doing so.Īnd yet… there’s still that possibility that they could falter. ![]() That will put them at an advantage over other countries, some of which have also been dealing with high-profile dropouts. Even if the 2019 World Cup roster isn’t exactly as frightening as teams past, it will still consist nearly entirely of NBA regulars. That’s unlikely to happen again this time. It wouldn’t be the first time: the USA failed to make the final in both 20. “I think other guys looked at it like, ‘Why would I want to go potentially be the face of what could be a losing roster?’” McCollum told Adrian Wojnarowski on his podcast. ![]() The Portland Trail Blazers’ CJ McCollum has suggested that some players may have dropped out because this team is especially vulnerable to one of those embarrassing loses that affects the US team every decade or so. There’s also a negative way to spin this. While they clearly would prefer to have more established NBA stars playing for them, there’s also a feeling that this team is going younger as a long-term strategy. Carmelo Anthony, Team USA’s all-time scorer, asked for a chance to make the roster but was rejected by managing director Jerry Colangelo. Kyle Lowry and Harrison Barnes are the only players on the roster who remain from the 2016 team. Mike Krzyzewski retired as head coach after winning gold at the 2016 Olympics, and he has been replaced by San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. The positive way to spin to the 2019 squad is that it’s a new beginning. It’s possible that one of the main reasons that Walker has remained on Team USA despite signing with a new team is because he will have the opportunity to develop chemistry with his new teammates Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who are also on the World Cup roster. Williamson is not only nursing an injury but needs to learn how to adjust to playing in the pros. Harden has the unenviable task of learning how to play with Russell Westbrook in Houston (although they were once teammates in Oklahoma). Some of the players who have dropped out of the World Cup want to adjust to their new teams while others are concentrating on learning to play with new teammates.ĭavis, most notably, is now with the Los Angeles Lakers after spending the entirety of his career with the New Orleans Pelicans. Roughly 25% of the players in the league changed teams over the last few months. It’s particularly messy right now considering the craziness of this year’s free agency period. Team USA is at the mercy of 30 NBA franchises who want their players fit and rosters intact. Let’s not pretend that this is all on the players. ![]()
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