FIBA Basketball World Cup 2014: Team USA Announces 19-Man Roster, Rose, Harden, Durant, Love and Davis Lone London Olympics Returnees
ByTeam USA will once again be the team to beat in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup even without LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul or Kobe Bryant.
According to ESPN, NBA superstars like Kevin Durant, Kevin Love and James Harden will highlight the 19-man roster instead. Derrick Rose has also been added to the team, but it is still unclear if his recovery from a second ACL tear in as many seasons will allow him to play.
Mike Krzyzewski, Duke University's head basketball coach, has led the U.S. National Team since 1987 for various international tournaments like the World Cup and the Olympics. Coach K, as he is known, will take these 19 players to Las Vegas from July 28 to Aug. 1 for training camp before trimming the roster to 12.
The complete roster is as follows:
Point Guards: Rose, Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard
Shooting Guards: Harden, DeMar DeRozan, Klay Thompson, Gordon Hayward, Bradley Beal, Kyle Korver
Small Forwards: Durant, Chandler Parsons, Paul George
Power Forwards: Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, Kenneth Faried
Centers: Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, Andre Drummond
Krzyzewski said he is not just encouraged to have Rose on the team, but that all signs in the offseason thus far have indicated he is on his way to returning to full strength.
"We'd like to see him play like the Derrick of old, because he's one of the best players in the world, an MVP in the NBA," Krzyzewski said on a conference call, according to ESPN. "What we've heard is that he's in great shape."
The FIBA Basketball World Cup is being held in Spain this year and Rose, Durant, Love, Harden and Davis are only returnees from the 2012 London summer Olympics. Along with James, Anthony, Paul and Bryant, Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge were not included when the roster was trimmed from 28 to 19. Russell Westbrook, Durant's teammate on the Oklahoma City Thunder, also asked to not be included in the drawing due to his return from injury.