2014 Team USA

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Brooklyn Nets star Deron Williams has expressed interest in suiting up for Team USA in the 2014 FIBA World Cup of Basketball.

Deron Williams open to '14 worlds

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I for one would welcome Rudy Gay back into the potential 2014 Pool if he is still interested. A very versatile wingman that is absolutely fast in reading the defense situation when it comes for him to assume a quick attack on the wings. Very useful for those patented Team USA quick hitters in exploiting the back of the opposition's zone stances.

Rudy Gay using late cut from U.S. Olympic team as motivation

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How Will Carmelo Anthony Transition from Team USA to New York Knicks?

Following an impressive performance at the Olympics with Team USA, the expectations are high for Carmelo Anthony as he hopes to be the New York Knicks first NBA MVP since the 1969-70 season when Willis Reed won the award.

Coming off of the bench, Anthony averaged a little over 48 points and eight three-pointers per 48 minutes. He shot 53.5-percent from the field, making half of his 46 three-point attempts.

Anthony also broke the U.S. Olympic single-game scoring record against Nigeria with 37 points. He needed just 14 minutes to get the record.

“It’s easy when you have 12 of the best guys in the world on one team but that same mindset (should translate to New York),” Anthony said. “To incorporate that now, to my own team, it makes things a lot easier for myself.”

Playing with the top American-born basketball players could turn Anthony into more of a distributor this season. Team USA had a different superstar lead them to victory each night with players like Kevin Durant, Lebron James and Kobe Bryant.

“This is my 10th year,” Anthony said. “I think everybody pretty much knows I can score the basketball. But for me, I’m done trying to score 30, 35, 40 points for us to win a basketball game. I don’t want that role anymore. It’s what I do best. But in order for this team to be successful with the guys that we have we need a more well-rounded team.”

The Olympics definitely had a positive effect on Anthony so far. He showed up to training camp in excellent shape after losing 15 pounds over the summer.

Anthony appears to be willing to doing whatever it takes to win a championship, but the question remains how committed he is to playing defense. Scoring-wise, Anthony averaged 22.6 points and 3.6 assists, but he had just 6.3 rebounds and 0.4 blocks per game last season.

-Rant Sports

Anthony has been playing with Team USA since 2004 and one of Anthony's long time coach George Karl once commented that Anthony who plays for Team USA is different from the Anthony that plays in the NBA. I remember Karl pointing out that Anthony who plays for Team USA is exceptionally focus on winning by playing smarter and know how to co-exist with other superstars. That silent intensity translates well into a more team oriented Melo as he focuses on his strengths and chooses his shots wisely as he does not try to impose his status in a star studded team.

While the Anthony that had played in the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks tries to do too much by his lonesome; like too many shots taken and less concerned with the defense. Maybe this time, a Gold medal will finally bring out the leader in Carmelo Anthony; one that the Knicks badly need despite loaded with veteran players. Anthony did state after the Olympics that his time is now.

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Head coach Doc Rivers believe that if an NBA coach was to call the shots for the 2014 Team USA, that said coach will have to overcome several obstacles.

"Honestly, I think that’s a hard job for an NBA coach. First of all, hopefully you’re playing in June, and college coaches are done in March. They have a lot more time to prepare. The biggest difference for a college coach is that the seven players that they don’t [start] can never get back at them. If I did become the coach, the seven guys I didn’t play, I would just have to prepare when we play them in the regular season — they are going to try to score 50 on me. You’ve just got to endure that."

Doc Rivers was a leading candidate for the team USA coaching job being vacated by Mike Kryzewski. Now, it seems he doesn’t want the gig. Rivers may be being reasonable, but it seems he’s turning down a huge opportunity and chance to further his resume as an all-time great coach.
That kind of notoriety doesn’t seem to appeal to Rivers, perhaps because he feels he’ll get the respect either way; or maybe because his success is self-affirmed. Surely, it can’t be a matter of just not wanting teams to blow up against him because he didn’t play their best player in the Olympic games.
Does it make sense that they would seek to get revenge against him? Sure, but to make the decision revolve around that doesn’t make as much sense.
Rivers would be great for the job because players respect and like him. His coaching style would also fit the international game well, and I believe he would be one of the better at adapting to the different competition and rules. But for now, Doc doesn’t seem interested.

-Hardwood Houdini

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ESPN, FIBA Sign Multiyear Rights Agreement

Gains 400 Games Across Six Tourneys from 2013-15, including Initial Basketball World Cup
By: Tim Baysinger (Broadcasting & Cable) 2012-10-22 14:58:00
ESPN has signed a multiyear, multiplatform rights agreement with FIBA, the world's governing body for basketball, that will see over 400 games covering six tournaments across ESPN networks from 2013-2015.

The agreement covers the FIBA Americas Championships (2013, 2015), the EuroBaskets (2013, 2015), the FIBA Basketball World Cup (2014) and the FIBA World Championship for Women (2014). The Basketball World Cup was previously called the FIBA World Championships, but is being rebranded to improve popularity.

ESPN rights extend to both English- and Spanish-languages throughout the U.S. and its territories, excluding Puerto Rico. All Team USA and Gold Medal Games will air live on ESPN or ESPN2, and ESPN Deportes. ESPN has previously aired the FIBA Americas Championships and EuroBaskets in 2009 and 2011 and the FIBA World Championships in 2010.

"ESPN's commitment to International basketball continues to intensify as the sport's global popularity soars," said Leah LaPlaca, vice president of programming and acquisitions in a statement. "This agreement expands our year-round basketball presence while serving the passionate and growing Spanish-speaking audience in the U.S."

-Multichannel News

[brianparnell]

I am very much interested to know what will be the future team members will be, I have seen many basketball players which I think are ready to play for the teams. There are much possibilities that this players would be in 2014 team Rudy Gay, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Lebron James and Kobe Bryant, even they are my personal favorite.

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I am very much interested to know what will be the future team members will be, I have seen many basketball players which I think are ready to play for the teams. There are much possibilities that this players would be in 2014 team Rudy Gay, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Lebron James and Kobe Bryant, even they are my personal favorite.

Well, if we take a cue from the USA Basketball Chairman, Colangelo, he stated that the names under the USA Select Team that scrimmaged with the Olympic winning Team USA are under consideration. Since Colangelo has extended his term until the end of the 2016 Olympics, he might call up some members of the select team

Kyrie Irving has a good chance of being called into camp. While the likes of the players that you named: Rudy Gay, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Lebron James and Kobe Bryant are still undecided. Kobe Bryant could be retired from international competitions though.

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An interesting read from Chris Sheridan

Colangelo likes Doc Rivers, not David Blatt, as next Team USA coach

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Colangelo re-elected as USA Basketball chairman

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Did Popovich Ruin Chance at Team USA?

Rest assured that Gregg Popovich and his San Antonio Spurs were always going to cope well with whatever punishments were doled out by David Stern in the wake of Restgate 2012. You can make that forecast even when so many questions raised by Stern’s “substantial sanctions” remain unanswered, because we all know there isn’t a better deal-with-it team in pro sports than the NBA’s silver and black.

While waiting for that $250,000 fine that the Spurs ultimately incurred Friday night, wondering like everyone else about what sort of precedents will be set leaguewide now that San Antonio’s bill has been sent, I found myself fixated just as much on the other big Pop story that will play out before the playoffs.

Popovich’s chances, namely, of being named Team USA’s next coach.

I so want to believe the GM who insisted to me Friday: “Absolutely, positively not. The league doesn’t get in USA Basketball’s way like it used to.”

The final call on who coaches the national team, of course, belongs to USAB chairman Jerry Colangelo. As it has since 2005.

-ESPN

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Portland Trailblazers bigman Lamarcus Aldridge is interested to suit up for Team USA in next year's FIBA World Cup.

Aldridge interested in suiting up for Team USA

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ESPN is reporting that USA Basketball is still heavily inclined for Mike Krzyzewski to coach Team USA in next year's FIBA World Cup.

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Mike Krzyzewski's future with Team USA in doubt, which could open the door for Gregg Popovich and Doc Rivers as possible replacements

But don't think think that Team USA boss Jerry Colangelo will just be in a listening mode when he meets with Coach K. He’d love to have him back coaching the U.S. team, and the former Phoenix Suns owner can be extremely persuasive.

Recent comments by Mike Krzyzewski imply that his days with Team USA are over.

HOUSTON — Mike Krzyzewski has been making the rounds in recent weeks, telling everyone the same thing. He is done coaching Team USA after leading the best Olympic basketball teams the United States has had — after the original Dream Team — to gold medals in the last two Summer Games.

“But Mike still hasn’t told me that,” Team USA boss Jerry Colangelo said here the other day. “I still want to hear it from him. We’ll talk down the road and I’ll see what he says.”

Don’t think that Colangelo will just be in a listening mode when he meets with Coach K. He’d love to have him back coaching the U.S. team, and the former Phoenix Suns owner can be extremely persuasive. He still loves to tell the story of how he managed to get Phoenix the 1975 NBA All-Star Game, a good 20 years before it had grown into a favored destination for All-Star weekend and other major sporting events.

If Colangelo can’t convince Krzyzewski to stay on to coach the U.S. for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he can always move on to Gregg Popovich or Doc Rivers. Those are the two names that keep coming up as replacements for Krzyzewski.

“Mike has done a phenomenal job,” Popovich said. “He’ll decide what he wants to do.”

Popovich’s four NBA titles and track record in San Antonio would make him a natural for the post. Rivers, the Celtics coach, would be a popular choice, too. Team USA can’t go wrong with either.

Popovich has a great back story for an Olympic head coaching position, having been cut as a player during tryouts for the 1972 U.S. team, the one that still refuses to accept the silver medal after its disputed loss to the Soviet Union. Who cut him? Larry Brown, who was then an assistant coach during the tryouts. Today, they’re the best of friends.

-NY Daily News

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USA Basketball chairman Colangelo says he never said Deron Williams was 'unfit' last summer

Jerry Colangelo said Saturday he never said Deron Williams was unfit to play in the Olympics, only that the point guard wasn't in great shape when the U.S. men's basketball team began training last summer.

Colangelo was quoted in Saturday's Daily News of New York as saying that the Brooklyn Nets point guard "was not in the best shape" and "a little overweight" last summer. The headline for the story said Colangelo called Williams "unfit."

"I said a lot of things which basically said, look, our players are better off with us, we take care of our players, they're important assets, and on and on and on," Colangelo said.

"And I said and by the way, he wasn't in the best of shape, and that's true, because if you remember he didn't even practice with us the first week because of contract and so forth. I certainly never said he was unfit to play USA Basketball."

Williams couldn't scrimmage with the Americans when they opened training camp last July because he was a free agent who still hadn't yet signed his $98 million contract with the Nets.

He acknowledged at the time being worried about his conditioning, but eventually played his way into shape and appeared in all eight games in London, averaging 9.0 points and winning his second Olympic gold medal.

Williams has been inconsistent this season and sat out the final two games before the All-Star break after getting treatment for inflammation of both ankles.

While there has been speculation that Williams' problems were caused by playing year-round, Colangelo said U.S. officials pay special attention to the health of their superstar players in the summer.

Colangelo said he would talk to Williams, a fellow University of Illinois product.

"My plan is to give Deron a call and tell him exactly what took place," Colangelo said. "It wasn't meant to embarrass him at all."

The Americans are off this summer, having qualified automatically for the 2014 World Cup of Basketball in Spain by winning Olympic gold.

Williams told The Associated Press in September that he was "definitely open" to being on that team and wouldn't rule out returning in 2016 for a third Olympics.

"Deron is part of our family. That's not going to change and I'm sorry he's got some injury issues," Colangelo said. "I mean, he is always welcome."

-FOX News

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Portland Trailblazers rookie Damian Lillard is playing well enough to attract Colangelo's attention.

Colangelo eyeing Lillard for USA Men's Basketball mini camp invite