HoopsHype.com Rumors

Deron Williams was out of shape before aggravating an ankle injury in the Olympics that has hindered his first season in Brooklyn, USA Basketball president Jerry Colangelo told the Daily News. The Nets have maintained their injured point guard’s body is worn down because of nonstop playing over the last two summers — which led to PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injections in both ankles this week — but Colangelo indicated Williams needed the work to lose weight. “Deron Williams, for the Olympics, was not in the best shape,” Colangelo told The News on Friday. “He was a little overweight, and I told him that at the time.” New York Daily News

Brooklyn Nets, Jerry Colangelo, Deron Williams, USA Basketball 

It’s unclear when Williams aggravated his ankle injury at the Olympics, but he left London with his second gold medal while averaging nine points and 4.6 assists and shooting 39%. “I feel close to Deron, both from being from Illinois, and (from when) he was playing at Illinois . . . so I think I know him pretty well,” Colangelo said. “He’s a heck of a player, great guy, made a real contribution to USA Basketball and if he decides that he can’t participate because of his own health conditions, I’ve got a list a mile long of people who want to play. “We take care of our players,” he added. “Nobody is going to get hurt because they play for USA Basketball. Just the opposite.” New York Daily News

Brooklyn Nets, Jerry Colangelo, Deron Williams, USA Basketball 

Dominique Wilkins today reflected on his time with USA Basketball: "That was a great time. Dream Team II was unbelievable. That was an unbelievable team and to be with a lot of those guys, who I call characters now, Shaquille was a character. That was an unbelievable team and that was a great time to be a part of USA Basketball, to stand on that podium, to receive those gold medals pretty much killing everybody. There was nobody even close to us in that World Championship series. It was fun." Facebook.com

Shaquille O'Neal, USA Basketball, World Championship, Dominique Wilkins 

Stephen Curry has played himself back into Team USA mix, Jerry Colangelo tells me. David Lee and Paul George are also on the radar. That's obviously good news for Lee and George in All-Star seasons, but especially significant for Curry, who was in the 2010 world championships but did not make the roster for the 2012 Olympics. Sulia

Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, Paul George, Jerry Colangelo, David Lee, USA Basketball, Stephen Curry 

USA Basketball will not name its next men's national team coach until after the college season is over at the earliest, according to sources familiar with the process. One key motivation for adopting that revamped timetable, sources told ESPN.com, is to give Duke's Mike Krzyzewski as much time as possible to consider carrying on as Team USA coach. ESPN.com

Coaching, USA Basketball, Mike Krzyzewski 

Krzyzewski initially announced last summer that the London Olympics would be his swan song with Team USA. USA Basketball officials, sources said, continue to hold out hope that Krzyzewski can be talked into one more tour in charge of the NBA stars who represent the United States at the highest levels of international competition. ESPN.com

Coaching, USA Basketball, Mike Krzyzewski 

USA Basketball's original plan called for the coaching situation to be clarified by late 2012 or early in 2013, with Colangelo expected to turn to San Antonio's Gregg Popovich or Boston's Doc Rivers if Krzyzewski held firm. But sources told ESPN.com that optimism within the program was rising that Krzyzewski might ultimately prove willing to reconsider his stance that London was "the last time." However, Krzyzewski told ESPN.com's Andy Katz this week that "nothing has changed with anything." "(USAB) is not going to make a decision until the summer," Krzyzewski told Katz. "Nothing has changed with me. Usually in these situations, they don't do it while basketball season is going on. Nothing has changed. Right now, obviously -- I love USA Basketball -- but I'm trying to keep my head above water with my own team." ESPN.com

Coaching, USA Basketball, Mike Krzyzewski 

One source close to the situation described the prospect of Colangelo convincing his good friend to carry on as "absolutely" still his preferred scenario. In a late November interview with ESPN.com, Colangelo revealed that he had not yet spoken to either of the two acknowledged favorites to succeed Krzyzewski -- Popovich or Rivers -- because he had not yet abandoned hope of getting the Duke legend to reconsider. ESPN.com

Coaching, USA Basketball, Mike Krzyzewski 

Ethan J. Skolnick: In private conversation, Obama thanked LeBron for being part of USA Basketball Twitter @EthanJSkolnick

Miami Heat, LeBron James, USA Basketball 

Chris Tomasson: Portland big man LaMarcus Aldridge said he wants to play for Team USA in the World Cup in Spain in 2014. "Yeah, if they call me, I'm definitely interested in doing it,'' Aldridge told FOX Sports Florida. Aldridge had been a strong candidate for the 2010 team but dropped out just before the trials for what he called "personal'' reasons. But he was back in USA Basketball's good graces for the Olympics last year before he got hurt and had to bow out. Sulia

Portland Trail Blazers, USA Basketball, LaMarcus Aldridge, Spain, World Championship 

Brian Windhorst: LeBron James has been named USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year. Twitter @WindhorstESPN

LeBron James, USA Basketball 

USA Basketball is expanding its reach into youth basketball by partnering with iHoops, the joint initiative formed the NBA and NCAA to improve programs for young players. NBA.com

USA Basketball, NCAA 

USA Basketball is expanding its reach into youth basketball by partnering with iHoops, the joint initiative formed the NBA and NCAA to improve programs for young players. USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo says Friday the move is "an opportunity to make a big impact" on the development of young players and will help his organization find elite players who could eventually play for U.S. national teams. ESPN.com

Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball, NCAA 

Or as conspiracy theorists would surely put it: Will the most public wedge ever driven between the commissioner and the famously stubborn coach in his league emerge as a factor that hurts Pop's chances of succeeding Mike Krzyzewski? I so want to believe the GM who insisted to me Friday: "Absolutely, positively not. The league doesn't get in USA Basketball's way like it used to." ESPN.com

Coaching, USA Basketball 

Let's be real: If Krzyzewski is really leaving the Team USA bench as he's vowed for months -- and Coach K is rightfully getting the latitude to take his time making the decision after winning his last three major competitions and his last 45 games in a row -- Popovich is the clear-cut best candidate to take over. With four NBA championships over a span of 16 seasons with the same franchise, bottomless patriotism dating to his days in the Air Force Academy, copious knowledge of the international game after all the overseas stars San Antonio has imported and his unquestioned status as the most respected bench leader in the modern pro game, Pop makes infinite sense no matter what Stern thinks. ESPN.com

Coaching, Gregg Popovich, USA Basketball 

There are other unquestionably worthy names under consideration, according to sources close to the program, starting with Boston's Doc Rivers and another college coach who knows how to deal with the one-and-done nature of tournament basketball like Coach K: Michigan State's Tom Izzo. Rivers, meanwhile, has been pushing the candidacy of Philadelphia's Doug Collins, insisting that the best redemption for the injustices of the '72 Olympics would be setting up Collins to coach the Americans to the gold that eluded him and alternatively vowing to make Collins an assistant if he gets the gig. ESPN.com

Doc Rivers, Coaching, Tom Izzo, USA Basketball 

Yet you really have to strain to suggest that Popovich -- who confidantes say does want the job -- isn't the ideal choice. There's no doubt Rivers has a deft touch when it comes to managing stars, like any Team USA coach must, but the sheer giddiness you see from Kobe Bryant and other Western Conference All-Stars when they get the chance to spend a weekend in February playing for Pop suggests that hiring San Antonio's hoops patriarch would hold great appeal to a certain Finals MVP down in Miami who, after three straight Olympics, isn't sure he wants to commit to a fourth. ESPN.com

Coaching, Gregg Popovich, USA Basketball 

My suspicion is that LeBron James, Kevin Durant and any other Team USA mainstay that Colangelo wants to survey for input would nominate Pop as their top candidate to take over. Such is the reverence around the league for how he has always put his players first, which has never been more evident than it is now through this very public fight with Stern in the name of keeping his stars fresh. And while it's undeniably true Colangelo and Popovich clashed in 2005, when he and Krzyzewski took over the program after the failures of 2002 in Indianapolis and 2004 in Athens and Popovich took great exception to Colangelo's suggestion that he "wasn't as enthusiastic as Mike" in their respective job interviews, Colangelo has insisted for months that Popovich is a leading candidate now and that what happened seven years ago is a misunderstanding he's eager to bury. ESPN.com

Coaching, Gregg Popovich, USA Basketball 

When I spoke to Colangelo this week, before Restgate erupted, all he'd disclose about his presumed coaching vacancy is that (A) he still hasn't abandoned hope of convincing Krzyzewski to come back for one more ride and that (B) he hasn't yet spoken to Popovich or Rivers but says both deserve "great consideration." After initially targeting the end of 2012 to have all this resolved, Colangelo also revealed that he plans to have Coach K's replacement "set this spring for sure" if his pleas go unanswered. "I've had preliminary conversations with Coach K about the future," Colangelo said. "He has a really good team at Duke and that's where his mind should be right now. I think he went through a very tiring experience in London and he made statements to that effect, but I think he was having early withdrawals a few weeks after he was home, which is typical when you're on such a high. He's such a big part of USA Basketball. We're so close, as close as can be, so I only want what's best for him. I really want to have some discussions with him that brings some finality to it. And we have haven't had those yet. ESPN.com

Coaching, USA Basketball, Mike Krzyzewski 

Asked specifically if the ship has sailed in terms of trying to woo Krzyzewski back with the usual doses of pizza and wine, Colangelo stressed: "No ship has sailed anywhere." ESPN.com

Coaching, USA Basketball, Mike Krzyzewski