The summer is winding down, and things are about to get interesting for Team USA as they depart for Spain and push forward toward a much-anticipated matchup with the host nation in the gold medal game. Unless, of course, the United States and Spain do not make it all the way to the final. Hey, a Spain-USA gold medal game is NOT a certainty. Strange things can happen along the way. Ask Paul George, who is out for a year with a
NEW YORK — Derrick Rose will play Friday against Puerto Rico, we have been assured. Of course, knee soreness has a way of changing things — which was why Rose did not play Wednesday against the Dominican Republic. As I wrote Tuesday, Rose’s status and questions over his ability to play five games in six nights remain the biggest roster questions surrounding Team USA. As for the other cuts that will get the roster down from 16 to 12, Gordon Hayward now
It is always great going on the air with ESPN Radio in Lexington, Kentucky, because the hosts on that station know more about basketball than most folks have forgotten. Did you know that Anthony Davis used to be a ballhandler extraordinaire before undergoing a growth spurt that has turned him into one of the NBA’s top big men? That nugget of knowledge was one of many pieces of wisdom tossed around in this interview with hosts Chris Cross, Mike Cameron and Matthew
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Knee soreness kept Derrick Rose out of practice Tuesday, making it the third straight day he has not played any basketball. And that left Team USA officials wondering whether Rose will be capable of handling the rigorous World Cup schedule. Also, DeMarcus Cousins practiced Tuesday but listed himself as 50-50 for Wednesday night’s exhibition game against the Dominican Republic, an assessment that appeared to catch Mike Krzyzewski by surprise when the comment was relayed to the coach. It
Kevin Durant is prohibited from endorsing any food or drink product that contains sugar or preservatives, under terms of an endorsement deal with Kind Foods that was negotiated by his latest agency, Jay Z’s Roc Nation, a source tells SheridanHoops.com. The rare contractual language is part of Durant’s deal with Kind Foods, which markets healthy snack foods. Durant signed an endorsement deal with them in March. For the next three years, because of the contract language, you will not see Durant
Not many people are criticizing Kevin Durant for quitting Team USA nearly two weeks after the team began training camp, but I am an exception. I thought it was a poor choice by a guy who let down his national team coach and teammates — even if the majority of folks want to give him a pass. But as we look closer at Durant’s decision, it raises some questions. Is he getting bad advice from Jay Z and Roc Nation, who
CHICAGO – Usually, there are very few “Wow” moments in exhibitions, be they NBA games or FIBA games. This one bucked that trend. Anthony Davis diving into the stands, knocking over two of the hottest female fans in the building? Yeah, that was a “Wow” moment. Davis finishing a couple of fast breaks with rim-rattling slams while running at full speed? Yeah, that too brought out the ‘W’ word. There were enough “Wow” moments from that young man to leave you saying
CHICAGO – Not a lot of Jay-Z fans here. At least not among the U.S. federation. They aren’t exactly burning his CDs, but they are enumerating the burned bridges as the fallout from Kevin Durant’s abrupt departure from the U.S. national team continues to spread. Team USA is only the latest entity to be left with a sour taste after dealing with Durant and his latest agent. The folks at Nike aren’t exactly happy. The folks at Gatorade already were unhappy. “It’s like