With a rash of injuries, most notably Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard, the Olympic squad is looking shallow in the depth department and it sounds like a couple of Wildcats are in the mix to be added to the talent pool.
ESPN.com is reporting the Sacramento Kings’ DeMarcus Cousins and Kentucky’s Anthony Davis might be added to the pool for the Olympic squad.
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana][I]The frontcourt rotation is where Team USA needs reinforcements most after the injuries suffered by Howard and Aldridge left only four recognized centers or power forwards on the original 20-man preliminary roster announced in January: Kevin Love, Chris Bosh, Tyson Chandler and Blake Griffin.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana][I]Although LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant can all routinely be deployed as power forwards against most opponents in the international game, Team USA knows it needs ample size to counter its biggest rivals from Spain, who can trot out Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana][I]Sources close to the situation told ESPN.com that Sacramento Kings power forwardDeMarcus Cousins, Detroit Pistons center Greg Monroe and incoming Kentucky star Anthony Davis — widely regarded as a lock to be selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the June draft — are among the young big men under consideration to be among the late additions Colangelo mentioned.[/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
[COLOR=#333333][FONT=Verdana][I]The most natural replacement for Howard is Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum, but Bynum stated publicly in April that he intends to take the summer off to get some rest and treatment for his knees. Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert would be another natural contender, especially after his stint on the USA’s Pan-American team in 2007, but Hibbert elected to join Jamaica’s senior national team for the 2010 Centrobasket tournament and FIBA rules preclude players from representing two different countries at the senior level.
[URL=”http://espn.go.com/olympics/basketball/story/_/id/7879756/jerry-colangelo-says-us-likely-add-one-two-players-olympic-pool”]Read Entire Article[/URL][/I][/FONT][/COLOR]
