USA Basketball wasn't counting on all the tribulation and indecision that they have met so far, and were hoping to have the roster set going into the exhibitions in New York on Friday.
President of USA Basketball Jerry Colangelo and coach Mike Krzyzewski seemed to be hoping that Kevin Durant, Paul George, and Kevin Love were going to be the team's big three, and they would just need to plant some superstar players around them as they go after a gold medal in the 2014 FIBA World Cup.
But, alas, after withdrawals from Durant and Love, and after George's terrible season ending injury, Team USA is now looking uncertain about its final roster going into Friday night's exhibition against Puerto Rico.
According to ESPN, Colangelo and Krzyzewski will allow the play in Friday's game to factor into their final decisions, then they will come together with the entire coaching staff after the buzzer, and decide which 12 players they'll take to Spain, and which players they will cut on Saturday morning.
Colangelo said that team officials hoped to announce some roster moves before Thursday's practice, but they decided to wait until Saturday instead; the last possible time they could wait, before the 12 chosen head for Europe Saturday afternoon.
Right now the sure things for the team appear to be Derrick Rose, Kyrie Irving, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kenneth Faried, and James Harden. That is if Rose seems healthy during Friday's game. Team USA will play five games in six days during group play, so if there is any doubt Rose can run with them, he will be sitting out, too.
Klay Thompson and Mason Plumlee seem to be Coach K's favorites, according to Marc Stein. That leaves DeMarcus Cousins, Chandler Parsons, Damian Lillard, Kyle Korver, Andre Drummond, Rudy Gay, Gordon Hayward and Demar DeRozan battling for the remaining four spots.
