Roster decisions await Team USA - Sports

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May. 21, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Roster decisions await Team USA

Las Vegas camps will determine men's basketball squad for Olympics

By STEVE CARP
REVIEW-JOURNAL

With the Beijing Olympics less than three months away, Team USA's quest to recapture the men's basketball gold medal will resume in June in Las Vegas.

USA Basketball will have a minicamp June 27 to 29 at Cox Pavilion to decide the final 12-man roster. That group will reconvene July 20 to 25 at a Las Vegas site to be determined, ending with the Americans' lone pre-Olympic tuneup against the Canadian National Team at 5 p.m. July 25 at the Thomas & Mack Center.

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Tickets, priced from $12 to $75, will go on sale at 10 a.m. today at the Thomas & Mack box office and UNLVTickets.com.

Jerry Colangelo, the team's managing director, said only a few roster spots will be up for grabs in Las Vegas, and the roster must be turned in by July 1 to FIBA, basketball's world governing body. The competition will be fierce.

"Right now I think we're looking at 15, 16 (players) in the minicamp," Colangelo said Tuesday from Chicago. "But it's a moving target. That number may change because of injuries and availability."

Colangelo will spend the next few weeks meeting with players to make sure they will be able to play in Las Vegas and Beijing. He is to meet with Dwyane Wade today to check on the Miami Heat guard's progress after left knee surgery. Wade did not play for Team USA last summer when it won the FIBA Americas Tournament in Las Vegas.

Colangelo also needs an update on the condition of forward Chris Bosh, the Toronto Raptors All-Star who hurt his right knee in March. A foot injury caused Bosh to miss last summer with Team USA.

Among other players with injury concerns are the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant (back, finger), the Detroit Pistons' Chauncey Billups (hamstring) and the Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James (back). Bryant and Billups are still competing in the NBA playoffs.

"There's no one who has a serious enough injury that they're eliminated from consideration, but we have some people we need to talk to and see where they're at," Colangelo said. "We have to be very careful about not using up a roster spot on someone who can't (play in the Olympics)."

Colangelo said players such as Lamar Odom and Carlos Boozer could be considered for the roster, even though neither participated with Team USA in the last two years because of personal reasons and injuries.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.

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Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background. LakersForever wrote on May 31, 2008 09:07 AM: Real Dream Team PG: Deron Williams, Steve Nash and Chris Paul(Reserves) SG: Kobe Bryant, Ray Allen and Dwayne Wade(Quickness, Toughness and 3 pt Shooting) SF: Carmelo Anthony and Tracy McGrady(either of the 2), Paul Pierce(Strong Reserve, Scorer and Defense Capability) PF: Kevin Garnett or Carlos Boozer(Strong Body and also jump shooters),Amare Stoudamire(reserve) C: Dwight Howard(I prefer a young player) Shaq?? He is a great defender but he is incapable when there are fast breaks(although Nash is a great passer) Coach??: Phil Jackson! His Triangle offense fits with Deron, Garnett and Kobe or Dwight!! DREAM TEAM! APILADO Τ Γ Ф "stifler" wrote on May 22, 2008 11:27 AM: dream team! PG - akon, chris brownies SG - david archuleta, simon SF - randy jackson, george bushie PF - sean queenston, adams apple sandler, jack black C - earl girlkins, rudy gaylord, yeah boi!!! joke PG - jimmy binalibag SG - dodo hinontiveros, james yup SF - Mark kinagiwa PF - danney sinigel C - asi tinawlava PHILIPPINE TEAM! champion!!! PG - CHRIS PAUL, DERRON WILLIAMS, GILBERT ARENAS, ALLEN IVERSON SG - KOBE BRYANT,TMAC, BRUCE BOWEN SF - LeBRON JAMES, VINCE CARTER,CARMELO ANTHONY PF - KEVIN GARNETT , AMARE STOUDMIRE , BEN WALLACE C - DWIGHT HOWARD , SHAQ DADI , ALL-STAR! THE DREAM TEAM! PG - MAGIC JOHNSON SG - MICHAEL JORDAN SF - LARRY BIRDIE PF - CHARLES BARK BARKLEY C - KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR old school dream team! PG - BigMatta SG - ariz001 TMAC SF - Royalty PF - miller time C - Humphrey MVP : GIVEN BY DAYVID GERMS - APILADO Τ Γ Ф "stifler" miller time wrote on May 22, 2008 11:24 AM: apilado ur so gwapo! hehe bakla aq e.. STARTERS Chris Paul,PG Dwight Howard,C Kevin Garnett,PF Carmelo Anthony,SF Kobe Bryant,SG Royalty wrote on May 22, 2008 09:36 AM: the best line up ever an da best one out of all da ones below STARTERS Chris Paul,PG Dwight Howard,C Kevin Garnett,PF Carmelo Anthony,SF Kobe Bryant,SG ------------------- Amare Stoudemire,C Deron Williams,PG David West,PF lebron james,SF Dwayne Wade,SG ------------------ Monta Ellis,SG Josh Smith,SF Steve Nash,PG Antawn Jamison,PF Tyson Chandler,C abdul wrote on May 22, 2008 09:04 AM: starters: PG - chris pauL SG - kobe bryant SF - lebron james PF - kevin garnett C - dwight howard reserves: amare stoudemire aLLen iverson tracy mcgrady carmeLo anthony carLos boozer deron wiLLiams tim duncan eric wrote on May 22, 2008 08:58 AM: Team USA will NOT win gold at this summers games...purely because they wont play like a team...Thats what eurobasketball is teamplay...when you put a bunch of all-stars on a team you expect them to move the ball? watch teams like spain, argentina, greece...they can play...the ball will move faster than the d-fence creating open shots Sid Da kidd wrote on May 22, 2008 08:37 AM: garnett should be in every line up you all mention Nathan wrote on May 22, 2008 08:15 AM: 1. Kevin Garnett 2. Dwight Howard 3. Dwyane Wade 4. Chris Paul 5. Paul Pierce 6. Amare Stoudemire 7. Allen Iverson 8. Kobe Bryant 9. Lebron James 10. Chris Bosh 11. Tracy Mcgrady 12. Tim Duncan iggy wrote on May 22, 2008 08:00 AM: 1.T-mac 2.kobe 3.lebron 4.duncan 5.CP3 6.D.howard 7.aMare Stoudamire 8.garnett 9.shaq 10.paul pierce 11.D.wade 12.AI JAD wrote on May 22, 2008 07:48 AM: Starters: G- chris paul SG- kobe bryant SF- lebron james PF- melo anthony C- dwight howard Reserves: deron williams dwyane wade michael redd tayshaun prince lamar odom chris bosh amare stoudemire Read All Comments