HoopsHype.com Rumors

Dwyane Wade agent Henry Thomas doesn't deny Wade could drop out of Olympics. Decision won't be made until after season. “I don’t know yet,’’ Thomas said of whether Wade will play in the Olympics. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Right now, all he’s focusing on is another championship (to add to the one he won in 2006).’’ Sulia

Miami Heat, Dwyane Wade, USA Basketball, Olympics 

With Dwight Howard sidelined, do you feel like Spain is going to have the best inside game at the Olympics? Marc Gasol: At the end of the day, it's about finding a balance and playing together. We have to play defense, which is what then makes it easier for us to run and score. Who's the third favorite after the U.S. and Spain at the Games? MG: Argentina has to be up there. They have a terrific team. Better than France? MG: Yeah, France too. But the Argentines have played together for a long time. France has a lot of talent and a good mix of veterans and young guys. But Argentina... I've always loved how they play. HoopsHype

Memphis Grizzlies, Orlando Magic, Dwight Howard, USA Basketball, Spain, Argentina, France, Marc Gasol, Olympics 

But (Ben) Gordon – who starred with Deng at the Chicago Bulls before switching to Detroit three years ago – insists he remains committed to the cause and that it was just a matter of time before he suited up for a competitive game as a Brit. Thrilled “It was frustrating,” said Gordon, 29. “I have been involved for a few years but I have had to wait to be able to make the trip over. This summer was all about working to make sure I could be there. “It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The Olympics is the biggest stage and it is great to be involved. “We’ve got a very good team and I’m looking forward to meeting up with the guys. “Obviously, there will be a lot of good teams at the Olympics but with the players we’ve got I don’t see why we can’t go far. Manchester Evening News

Detroit Pistons, Ben Gordon, Great Britain, Olympics 

Will Dirk Nowitzki be in the roster? Svetislav Pesic (Germany's head coach): “Nowitzki needs rest from everything, after the end of the season for Dallas Mavericks. We will have a meeting, if I am in Germany in June, about the possibility of him playing with us, this summer. We talked and we said we will be in touch in June. I will call him and we will meet to discuss, what he needs to do, if he is going to play with the national team or not”. EuroHoops.net

Dallas Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki, Olympics, Germany 

“It’s going to be amazing, big. The national team is going to be here, but I don’t know if I’m going to be on the list,” Nene said, while shrugging his shoulders. Now he knows. Brazil Coach Ruben Magnano announced on Thursday that Nene, Indiana Pacers guard Leandro Barbosa, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao and Tiago Splitter of the San Antonio Spurs would be on his 15-player list for the national team. Only 12 players will be in London. Washington Post

Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards, Tiago Splitter, Leandro Barbosa, Anderson Varejao, Nene, Brazil, Olympics 

Nene had asked to be released from the team before the FIBA Americas championship last summer, citing “personal” and “contractual” reasons. Fans and other Brazilain players were critical of the decision, but Nene was a free agent and likely didn’t want to risk injury. He eventually signed a five-year, $65-million contract with the Denver Nuggets before getting traded to the Wizards for JaVale McGee and Ronny Turiaf at the deadline. Barbosa also backed out of the tournament, but Brazil advanced without either player. Magnano said in a news conference that he added both players with the hope of fielding the best team. “I decided to give them another chance after personally talking to them,” Magnano said. “I wouldn’t call up a player if I didn’t have any trust in him.” Washington Post

Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards, Tiago Splitter, Leandro Barbosa, Anderson Varejao, Nene, Brazil, Olympics 

Jorge Sierra: Wizards big man Nenê and Pacers guard Leandro Barbosa are among the players in Brazil's list for the Olympics. The Brazilian National Team did great at the FIBA Americas tournament without them last year and there was some backlash in the country against both Nenê and Barbosa, who passed on playing. In the end, pragmatism kicked in. Brazil needs to be at full force to compete for the medals. Sulia

Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, Leandro Barbosa, Nene, Brazil, Olympics 

Jorge Sierra: Former Bobcats scout Tim Shea tells HoopsHype he has not been named head coach of the Nigerian National Team. "I'm just on the coaching staff," Shea said. "Ayo Bakare is the official head coach. I'm very happy just to be on the staff. We go to China at the end of the month and then on to USA, Brazil and then Caracas for the pre-Olympic tournament with some great players and I'm very very happy to be part of this team and this country." Sulia

Charlotte Bobcats, Olympics, Nigeria, Tim Shea 

Spurs point guard Tony Parker responded gracefully to news he would not be carrying the French flag into the Olympic Stadium during opening ceremonies of the London Olympics this summer. After leading France to a berth in the tournament after a 12-year absence with MVP-type play in the European Championships, Parker was considered a strong possibility to carry the tri-color in London. Instead, the French Olympic Committee selected Laurel Flessel, who has won five medals in four prior Olympics. San Antonio Express-News

San Antonio Spurs, Tony Parker, France, Olympics 

General manager Gar Forman plans to talk to Luol Deng in the next week about Deng’s plans to compete in the Olympics despite a torn ligament in his left wrist. Deng has said he will play for the British national team this summer despite a wrist injury that could require surgery, which might sideline him for the first two months of the season. Deng said he will wait until after the Olympics before deciding to undergo the procedure. Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Bulls, Luol Deng, Great Britain, Olympics 

Will Rudy be ready to play the Olympics? Joaquin Juan: "Right now everything's OK. We have to make sure he has a full recovery, that everything's perfect and then we will see how it goes." TuBasket.com

Denver Nuggets, Free Agency, Rudy Fernandez, Real Madrid, Spain, Olympics 

After over a decade at the top, with highs on both sides of the Atlantic, Scotland’s greatest-ever basketballer has decided the end is nigh. Robert Archibald has confirmed he will hang up his over-sized boots after this summer’s Olympic Games in London, concluding a career that has taken in some of the sport’s most iconic courts. The Paisley-born centre remains the only Scot to play in the NBA after lining up for the Memphis Grizzlies, who chose him in the second round of the league’s Draft in 2002, as well as the Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns. MVP 24/7

Olympics, Robert Archibald, Scotland 

USA Basketball honcho Jerry Colangelo says he plied Mike Krzyzewski with late-night pizza and wine in a Chicago restaurant to coax him into coaching the Olympic team one more time. "I'm a cheap date," Krzyzewski quipped. A cheap date for a potentially costly assignment. For the second and final time, Krzyzewski is willing to accept the high-risk, low-reward job of coaching a team that must win gold or be ripped from sea to shining sea. Specifically, the coach who loses would be the first guy ripped. Yahoo! Sports

Coaching, USA Basketball, Mike Krzyzewski, Olympics 

Right or wrong, that guy places himself in a position to reap little glory and a lot of grief. To many people, the only thing Krzyzewski could do is screw up. He sure isn't going to get the credit for coaching them up if the Americans win the gold medal. That's the way it was in 2008 in Beijing. That's the way it will be this summer in London. "It'll always be in play for whoever the men's coach is," Krzyzewski said Monday at the U.S. Olympic Committee media summit here. "There's an assumption that the U.S. should just win. I think that assumption led to us not winning for a long period of time. We had to stop assuming and start working. "No question, you put your career a little bit on the line coaching the international team." Yahoo! Sports

Coaching, USA Basketball, Mike Krzyzewski, Olympics 

This will be his last attempt at handling both the Olympics and Duke basketball. Krzyzewski said he will not sign up for another round of coaching Team USA, instead leaving the the team to Colangelo and whoever he champions as his next coach. If all goes as planned in London, the next guy will be walking into a great situation. With Colangelo's imprimatur, Krzyzewski has helped stabilize a drifting and underachieving USA Basketball program. History probably won't give him much credit for that, but public acclamation never was going to be the reward for doing a thankless job. Yahoo! Sports

Coaching, USA Basketball, Mike Krzyzewski, Olympics 

Jeff Zillgitt: USA Basketball will practice for two days in Las Vegas July 6-7, then name 12-man team. Colangelo expects 18 on prelim roster to be there. Twitter

USA Basketball, Team USA, Olympics 

Noah said he still plans to play for France in the London Olympics. "I'm gunning for it," Noah said. "I'm hoping I'll be healthy and able to play." Chicago Tribune

Chicago Bulls, FIBA, France, Olympics 

If Deng undergoes the surgery it will be after he plays for Team Great Britain, which could mean he would miss the beginning of next season. Complicating matters is that Derrick Rose is also expected to miss the first couple months of the season while recovering from surgery to repair a torn ACL. Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Bulls, Luol Deng, Derrick Rose, Injuries, Great Britain, Olympics 

Deng said he'll wait to see how his wrist feels before and after the Olympics before deciding whether to undergo surgery. "I haven't really ruled out not getting the surgery or getting it," he said. "I just haven't made that decision. I just know that I've got the Olympics ahead of me. Since I was a kid growing up, it's something I always wanted an opportunity to be a part of and the fact that it's in my hometown that I grew up in, in a country that gave me the opportunity to even be here, I'm looking forward to it." Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago Bulls, Luol Deng, Injuries, Great Britain, Olympics 

Nick Friedell: Deng reiterates he's playing in the Olympics. And says he's been dreaming about it since he was a little kid. Twitter

Chicago Bulls, Luol Deng, Great Britain, Olympics