Injury-hit US finalise Olympic squad

The injury-hit United States named its 12-man team basketball squad for the London Olympics Saturday, with Blake Griffin, Andre Iguodala and James Harden nabbing the final three roster spots. “We projected we would have difficulty getting down to a roster of 12, regardless of the number of injuries that have taken place, because they are such an outstanding group of people and athletes,” USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said in a statement. “The final selections keep us in concert with our game plan to have athleticism, versatility and strong depth on our roster. I think our final roster epitomises all of that.”LeBron James, coming off his first NBA title with Miami, will be joined by 2008 Olympic gold medal-winning teammates Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Deron Williams on the squad once again guided by Duke University coach Mike Krzyzewski. NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant and Oklahoma City teammate Russell Westbrook, who lost to Miami in the NBA Finals, will be joined by 2010 world championship teammates Tyson Chandler and Kevin Love, two vital big men for the Americans. Missing out as the final selection was made were Eric Gordon, Rudy Gay and top draft selection Anthony Davis of New Orleans, who could not scrimmage this week because of a sprained ankle. Paul retained his place despite suffering a sprained thumb on the first day of training camp on Friday. Krzyzewski echoed Colangelo’s comments on the difficulty of selecting the team, despite injuries that ruled out such NBA stars as center Dwight Howard, guards Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade, and forward Chris Bosh. “We have benefited so much from having a pool of outstanding players who are committed, and as a result the selection is difficult,” Krzyzewski said. “But it’s the best challenge that you could have because everyone has been so committed.” The US training camp in Las Vegas will run through Thursday, ending with a game against the Dominican Republic. The Americans then train for three days in Washington before facing Brazil and then train two days in Manchester, England, before taking on the British Olympic squad. Twenty years after the original US Olympic Dream Team played in Barcelona, the latest incarnation of US NBA Olympic talent will return for exhibition games against Argentina on July 22 and Spain on July 24, the latter a showdown between the Olympic gold medal favourites. USA squad: Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks), Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), Tyson Chandler (New York Knicks), Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers), James Harden (Oklahoma City Thunder), Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers), LeBron James (Miami Heat), Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves), Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers), Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder), and Deron Williams (Brooklyn Nets). from gulfnews.com