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That experience has Lopez still hoping that he can enjoy the full experience at some point in the future, as he said he would welcome the opportunity to get a second chance either at next year’s World Championships in Spain or in the Olympics in Rio in 2016. “Definitely,” Lopez said after participating in the Shooting Stars competition during Saturday night’s All-Star Festivities. “No question. It’d be a huge honor. I’d love to, and if I got the opportunity I would definitely take advantage of it.” Lopez said he has expressed similar sentiments to Jerry Colangelo, the director of USA Basketball. “I have run into him, and I definitely talked about my interest,” Lopez said. New York Post

Brooklyn Nets, Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball, Brook Lopez 

Colangelo was quoted in Saturday's Daily News of New York as saying that the Brooklyn Nets point guard ''was not in the best shape'' and ''a little overweight'' last summer. The headline for the story said Colangelo called Williams ''unfit.'' ''I said a lot of things which basically said, look, our players are better off with us, we take care of our players, they're important assets, and on and on and on,'' Colangelo said. Yahoo! Sports

Brooklyn Nets, Jerry Colangelo, Deron Williams, USA Basketball 

''And I said and by the way, he wasn't in the best of shape, and that's true, because if you remember he didn't even practice with us the first week because of contract and so forth. I certainly never said he was unfit to play USA Basketball.'' Yahoo! Sports

Brooklyn Nets, Jerry Colangelo, Deron Williams, USA Basketball 

On Saturday, Stefan Bondy quoted Colangelo in a Daily News story headlined, "Brooklyn Nets star Deron Williams unfit at Olympics, according to USA Basketball president Jerry Colangelo." Colangelo told Bondy, "Deron Williams, for the Olympics, was not in the best shape. He was a little overweight, and I told him that at the time." Early Sunday, after the AP report, Bondy posted audio from his interview with Colangelo. Colangelo said he would talk to Williams, a fellow University of Illinois product. ''My plan is to give Deron a call and tell him exactly what took place,'' Colangelo told AP. ''It wasn't meant to embarrass him at all.'' NetsDaily

Brooklyn Nets, Jerry Colangelo, Deron Williams, USA Basketball 

A day before playing in his first All-Star game, Brook Lopez said he has talked to USA Basketball president Jerry Colangelo about playing for the national team. “It would be a huge honor, definitely,” Lopez said. “If I got the opportunity I would definitely take advantage of it.” Lopez, 24, was invited to Team USA training camp before the 2010 World Championships but he withdrew after catching mono. The U.S. will play in the 2014 World Championships in Spain. Colangelo told NBA.com that David Lee, Stephen Curry and Paul George were “on the radar” for making that squad. New York Daily News

Brooklyn Nets, Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball, Brook Lopez 

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