The 29-year-old was slated to join the USA Basketball men’s team in London in 2012, but a torn meniscus in his left knee forced him to withdraw. In 2014, as the United States was preparing for the FIBA World Cup tournament in Spain, hoping to secure an automatic bid to the 2016 Olympics, Griffin pulled out in July for what he told The Athletic was a lingering knee issue that needed to be addressed. “He was very much in the mix of making a couple of teams and injuries at the very last moment took him out,” USA Basketball director Jerry Colangelo said following the announcement.
Jerry Colangelo Rumors
USA Basketball Men’s National Team Managing Director Jerry Colangelo and Team USA coach Gregg Popovich both said they picked Booker because of his youth and what he’s shown. “He’s one of the outstanding young players in the league,” Colangelo said. “We’re projecting where these players might be a year or two from now. He’s one of the young guys that we decided we want to take a real good look at.”
“He was with the team last summer that participated with the group and scrimmaged against the Olympic team and he played really well,” Popovich said. “He’s not just a talented player. He’s a heck of a competitor.”
Although no Utah Jazz players were selected among the 35 picked for Team USA, managing director Jerry Colangelo said the committee is certainly keeping their eyes on the team’s young rising star in Donovan Mitchell. “For the moment the list we submitted is the list and I said also it’s a very fluid list,” Colangelo said. “It could be some additions, but for sure we see Donovan Mitchell as someone involved in USA Basketball as we move forward.”
“Well, we had a lot of discussion about Donovan Mitchell. He’s had a terrific rookie season and another class, character guy,” Colangelo said. “So, as we move forward here, Pop and I are talking about the possibility of bringing in some young studs like him as we have in the past getting ready for different competitions to be part of it.”
Peter Vecsey: I am hostilely undecided what I find more egregious: Colangelo’s arrogant lack of subtlety in orchestrating the admission of the boldly unworthy Nike duo on successive ballots, as opposed to legitimate basketball contributors — Pat Williams, Rod Thorn, Al Attles, Red Kerr, Harvey Pollack and Zelda Spoelstra, recipients of the ‘coveted’ John Bunn Award. Or the media’s pathetic unresponsiveness to this freakin’ farce. Think it might have something to do with many of its Hall of Fame members spending time and playing golf on the arm at the Arizona resort owned by Colangelo?
