Drummond, Green can help Team USA overcome Anthony Davis' absence
濃眉缺席美國隊?莊神,追夢頂上
By Ananth Pandian | NBA writer
March 27, 2016 2:20 PM ET
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Anthony Davis could be out for Team USA which may mean that Draymond Green is in. (USATSI)
安東尼-戴維斯退出美國隊這意味著德拉蒙德-格林將頂替他。
Drawing upon a pool of 31 players, USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo and head coach Mike Krzyzewski have the tough task of whittling down the list to just 12 for this summer's Olympics. One
player that has basically withdrawn himself from consideration isNew Orleans Pelicans All-Star big man Anthony Davis, who will undergo left knee surgery and also dealing
with an ailing left shoulder.
「I love USA Basketball. I loved when I was there in 2012. I loved when I played in the World Cup in 2014,」 Davis told reporters about playing for Team USA on Tuesday. 「But I think
everyone understands where health is more important. I love playing for USA basketball and representing my country, it's probably going to be ruled out because of the timetable as far as recovery,
but hopefully I'll get a chance to play again with Team USA."
Davis may actually be healthy enough by Team USA's mini-camp in July, as his knee procedure will keep him out for three to four months. As for his shoulder, which he said has been an issue since his
rookie season, it doesn't require surgery. However, his doctor wants Davis to be 「conservative」 when it comes to his shoulder so he may just use the entire summer for rest and recuperation. That's at
least what USA Basketball is thinking Davis will do.
Releasing a statement on Facebook, Colangelo said, 「Everyone involved in USA Basketball and the USA Men's National Team was extremely disappointed to learn about Anthony's season ending
injury and the pending surgeries which will make him unavailable for this summer's Olympics. However, Anthony getting back to 100 percent is what is most important at this time. He is a 2012 Olympic
and 2014 World Cup gold medalist and an All-NBA first teamer who has been a great teammate and a valuable contributor to his USA teams. We wish AD a quick and full recovery and look forward to having
him represent the United States again.」
While Davis wasn't officially selected for Team USA yet, this statement is a good indication that he very likely would've been on the official roster. Besides his skillset and talent, Davis was part
of the 2012 Olympic team (in a very minor role) and then blossomed into one of the team's main stars in the 2014 World Cup, so his selection in 2016 was basically guaranteed. Now Team USA will have
to select another big man to fill Davis' role. The good thing is that they have plenty of All-Star level options.
DeMarcus Cousins, Andre Drummond, Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan are the other four centers in Team USA's pool. Forwards like Draymond Green, LaMarcus Aldridge, and perhaps Blake
Griffin, can also fill in at the center spot, especially if Coach K decides to frequently play small ball, which is an advantage on the international stage.
Cousins is virtually a lock to make the team already. He was part of the 2014 World Cup team and is a versatile big man and one of the top centers in the league. Davis and Cousins were likely going
to be Team USA's two centers. Having three centers would be unnecessary considering the bigger options at power forward and wing. So that leaves either Drummond or Jordan or Howard to get that other
center spot.
Howard, although still talented, isn't as dominant as he once was. Plus he hasn't truly been part of Team USA since 2008, which is not favorable for his selection. Both Colangelo and Coach K value
commitment, so Drummond, who was part of the 2014 World Cup team, will likely get selected over Jordan. Both are talented defenders yet Drummond's previous selection gives him a slight edge over
Jordan.
Also, Drummond has proven to be quite worthy of the selection. A first-time All-Star this season, he's averaging 16.7 points and a league-leading 14.9 rebounds. And while he isn't as dynamic a shot
blocker as Jordan, Drummond is averaging 1.4 blocks a game and is not a pushover on defense either. His size and speed allows him to guard centers and forwards in the post, a useful skillset for Team
USA when it faces off against international bigs.
Davis is quite a unique player though, as he's able to score in a variety of ways and is a strong defender with a penchant for blocking shots. His versatility on both ends of the court will need to
be replaced. The perfect candidate to fill that role is Draymond Green.
Green (who I thought should be a lock on the team even before Davis' injuries), is a jack-of-all-trades player, and has versatility similar to Davis. He excels in small ball lineups for
theWarriors and with the talent Team USA will have, Green is more than capable of handling the center spot in certain situations during the Olympics.
So while Davis likely won't be available for Team USA this summer is a notable loss, Colangelo and Coach K have options in Drummond and Green that will more than help weather the Pelicans' center
absence.