USA Basketball's Colangelo: Love unlikely to join World Cup roster
USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said Tuesday that it's unlikely Kevin Love will be added to the national team's 12-man roster for the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup.
“We have to be realistic about the situation…” Colangelo said, according to NBC Sports. “For him to join up with us at that point in time would be tough, not just but for him but for our team. Plus you need to look at the fairness factor … Chances are it won’t happen”
Love, a star power forward for the Timberwolves, has been the subject of rampant trade rumors.
ESPN reported Monday that the Cavaliers and Timberwolves have agreed in principle to a deal that would send Love to Cleveland.
The three-time All-Star had withdrawn from Team USA's preparations for the World Cup but a later report indicated he could still be added to the roster.
Love, 25, averaged 26.1 points and 12.5 rebounds a game last season for the Timberwolves.
More: Why trading Andrew Wiggins for Kevin Love makes sense for Cavaliers
On Tuesday, the pool of players vying for a spot on the 12-man World Cup roster was whittled down to 16 finalists:
Selected USA World Cup Team finalists were DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings); Curry; Davis;DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors); Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons); Durant; Kenneth Faried(Denver Nuggets); Harden; Gordon Hayward (Utah Jazz); Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers); Kyle Korver (Atlanta Hawks); Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers); Chandler Parsons (Dallas Mavericks); Plumlee; Rose; and Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors).
Pacers forward Paul Georgesuffered a broken leg last Friday, while Wizards guards John Wall and Bradley Beal and Hawks forward Paul Millsap were cut.
More: Examining Team USA's cuts of John Wall, Bradley Beal and Paul Millsap
"We’re excited about where the team is headed. Really all 16 guys have a chance to make to 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. 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,” Krzyzewski said in a news release.
The World Cup begins on Aug. 30 in Spain and runs through Sept. 14. Team USA's first game is Aug. 30 against Finland. The other members of the United States' group are Turkey, the Dominican Republic, New Zealand and Ukraine.
- Chris Johnson
