Kevin Love decided not to play for USA Basketball yesterday and it vastly improved DeMarcus Cousins’ chances of making the 12 man roster.
ESPN spoke with Jerry Colangelo:
Asked if Kevin Love’s sudden withdrawal Saturday, so soon after Blake Griffin’s pullout, gives DeMarcus Cousins and Andre Drummond real hope of making the 12-man roster of players bound for the inaugural FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain, Colangelo told ESPN.com: “Absolutely.”
Love, Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard have all made themselves unavailable for national-team duty this summer after initially signing up. The trusted trio of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh, meanwhile, was never available this summer.
So that leaves Colangelo and Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski with a limited selection of big men for the training camp which opens Monday in Las Vegas: Kenneth Faried, Drummond and the mercurial Cousins alongside roster shoo-ins Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis.
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