Team USA Basketball 2024

[Roy H.]

Now we just need Durant to step down and JB can take his slot, haha.

[A Future of Stevens]

https://x.com/FCHWPO/status/1811069891299918281

Odd reaction.

So I have seen that emoji with the straight line smile, and a curved smile.

The curved smile would imply "hey we see you buddy, good job." The straight line implies "oh THAT's interesting."

I've seen different ones based on the device I am using. Moral of the story I wouldn't put any stock into that tweet.

[Who]

Interesting development here.

Shams Charania
@ShamsCharania
Kawhi Leonard is withdrawing from Team USA for the Paris Olympics and will be replaced, sources tell me and
@joevardon
. Boston?s Derrick White is a strong candidate to replace Leonard on Team USA, sources said.

Interesting.  That was reported as a possibility weeks ago, but then Kawhi said he was feeling good and was happy to be there.

I love White and he'll be a seamless fit, but I think that JB deserves the spot more.

Any word on why Kawhi pulled out?

They said he was training for 2-3 weeks prior to camp and has been playing very well. Did he get injured again?

[ozgod]

https://x.com/FCHWPO/status/1811069891299918281

Odd reaction.

Odd to say the least...I thought he was doing hajj which was why he wasn't selected. From what I know from Muslim friends, one does not just get up from doing hajj, at least not if you're serious about it.

[ozgod]

Interesting development here.

Shams Charania
@ShamsCharania
Kawhi Leonard is withdrawing from Team USA for the Paris Olympics and will be replaced, sources tell me and
@joevardon
. Boston?s Derrick White is a strong candidate to replace Leonard on Team USA, sources said.

Interesting.  That was reported as a possibility weeks ago, but then Kawhi said he was feeling good and was happy to be there.

I love White and he'll be a seamless fit, but I think that JB deserves the spot more.

Any word on why Kawhi pulled out?

They said he was training for 2-3 weeks prior to camp and has been playing very well. Did he get injured again?

Being from the UK you would be familiar with the reason - club vs country. The Clippers put some pressure on Kawhi and Team USA. Guess they didn't want him risking injury in some Mickey Mouse tournament.


https://www.reddit.com/r/LAClippers/comments/1dzxsgk/statement_from_usa_basketball/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

[Celtics2021]

https://x.com/FCHWPO/status/1811069891299918281

Odd reaction.

Odd to say the least...I thought he was doing hajj which was why he wasn't selected. From what I know from Muslim friends, one does not just get up from doing hajj, at least not if you're serious about it.

He completed his pilgrimage on Monday, I believe.

[jpotter33]

Yeesh, not a great look from JB when it?s his own teammate getting the call.

I mean, I do get it - he?s about as close of a replacement for Kawhi as you get, and it?s a big honor. But I?ve read others thinking that they?re prioritizing another defensive guard, particularly one who won?t demand a ton of playing time and can be off the ball more. Makes sense, I guess.

EDIT: And JB needs to be smarter than this, too. We?ve finally got to the point of not having these ridiculous questions after winning the title, and this will only add more controversy to the team for the media to focus on.

[hpantazo]

Interesting development here.

Shams Charania
@ShamsCharania
Kawhi Leonard is withdrawing from Team USA for the Paris Olympics and will be replaced, sources tell me and
@joevardon
. Boston?s Derrick White is a strong candidate to replace Leonard on Team USA, sources said.

Interesting.  That was reported as a possibility weeks ago, but then Kawhi said he was feeling good and was happy to be there.

I love White and he'll be a seamless fit, but I think that JB deserves the spot more.

Any word on why Kawhi pulled out?

They said he was training for 2-3 weeks prior to camp and has been playing very well. Did he get injured again?

Being from the UK you would be familiar with the reason - club vs country. The Clippers put some pressure on Kawhi and Team USA. Guess they didn't want him risking injury in some Mickey Mouse tournament.


https://www.reddit.com/r/LAClippers/comments/1dzxsgk/statement_from_usa_basketball/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

I think in reality Kawhi is cooked and realized he wouldn't get much playing time on team USA so he withdrew.

[blink]

I think it is kind of odd that DWhite is selected over JB when the player you are replacing is KL.  Good for DWhite though.

Was KL anticipated to play a lot of minutes at the Olympics?  Or was he kind of a legacy selection and wouldn't have played a lot either way because of injury concerns?

[jpotter33]

I think it is kind of odd that DWhite is selected over JB when the player you are replacing is KL.  Good for DWhite though.

Was KL anticipated to play a lot of minutes at the Olympics?  Or was he kind of a legacy selection and wouldn't have played a lot either way because of injury concerns?

I mean, Tatum, Lebron, and KD are all clearly above him on the depth chart, and if playing small Ant is there, too. So I don?t think he was going to play much.

I get the sense that they wanted more of a high-level role player fit who wouldn?t demand as much time and wouldn?t be upset about not playing too much.

[Surferdad]

I think it is kind of odd that DWhite is selected over JB when the player you are replacing is KL.  Good for DWhite though.

Was KL anticipated to play a lot of minutes at the Olympics?  Or was he kind of a legacy selection and wouldn't have played a lot either way because of injury concerns?

I mean, Tatum, Lebron, and KD are all clearly above him on the depth chart, and if playing small Ant is there, too. So I don?t think he was going to play much.

I get the sense that they wanted more of a high-level role player fit who wouldn?t demand as much time and wouldn?t be upset about not playing too much.

Perhaps true, but look at it from JB?s perspective: Left off any all-NBA team, ECF MVP, Finals MVP, #2 player on NBA championship team. I would think he is annoyed.

[Who]

People not authorized to speak publicly on the matter told The Times last week that there was concern about Kawhi Leonard?s knee after Grant Hill, the managing director of Team USA; Steve Kerr, the coach of Team USA; and Lawrence Frank, the Clippers president of basketball operations, watched him work out at the Clippers? practice facility recently.
? via Los Angeles Times

https://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/story/2024-07-10/kawhi-leonard-withdraws-team-usa-olympic-basketball-team

Kawhi Leonard said his surgically-repaired right knee was ?at a neutral state? after a fourth day of training camp practice with Team USA and was hopeful it remained that way.

It did not.

So, in consultation with Team USA and the Clippers, Leonard has withdrawn from the Paris Olympics so the forward can concentrate on getting his knee healthy for the 2024-25 NBA season.

Out of 410 regular-season games with the Clippers, Leonard has played just 226.

Kerr told The Times after practice Tuesday that Leonard has been ?up and down? during the practices with Team USA.

?The first day he was moving well early, not so much later, and it makes perfect sense because he?s coming off that injury,? Kerr told The Times. ?The tricky part here is that you have an accelerated timeline for preparation. So, that?s what we have to determine and he has to help us determine. Can with this accelerated timeline ? can he be at his best a couple of weeks from now when this thing starts??

The answer turned out to be no.

[Donoghus]

People not authorized to speak publicly on the matter told The Times last week that there was concern about Kawhi Leonard?s knee after Grant Hill, the managing director of Team USA; Steve Kerr, the coach of Team USA; and Lawrence Frank, the Clippers president of basketball operations, watched him work out at the Clippers? practice facility recently.
? via Los Angeles Times

https://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/story/2024-07-10/kawhi-leonard-withdraws-team-usa-olympic-basketball-team

Kawhi Leonard said his surgically-repaired right knee was ?at a neutral state? after a fourth day of training camp practice with Team USA and was hopeful it remained that way.

It did not.

So, in consultation with Team USA and the Clippers, Leonard has withdrawn from the Paris Olympics so the forward can concentrate on getting his knee healthy for the 2024-25 NBA season.

Out of 410 regular-season games with the Clippers, Leonard has played just 226.

Kerr told The Times after practice Tuesday that Leonard has been ?up and down? during the practices with Team USA.

?The first day he was moving well early, not so much later, and it makes perfect sense because he?s coming off that injury,? Kerr told The Times. ?The tricky part here is that you have an accelerated timeline for preparation. So, that?s what we have to determine and he has to help us determine. Can with this accelerated timeline ? can he be at his best a couple of weeks from now when this thing starts??

The answer turned out to be no.

This wouldn?t surprise me one bit.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Leonard should just retire.

[Phantom255x]

Leonard should just retire.

It's not as bad as Lonzo but I mean, yeah I don't think Kawhi is ever gonna be fully healthy again. Sad to say but this seems like a chronic issue which will remain. Kawhi is already 33 too and unless they basically bubblewrap him for real until April he's never gonna be a guarantee to be available or fully effective come postseason

Frankly I'm a bit appalled he decided to participate in the Olympics and the Clippers initially seemed okay with it (or didn't push back enough). Idk if people saw clips early but when they showed Kawhi joining the squad he seemed to be limping too and moving gingerly.