FIBA World Cup 2014: Kevin Durant's Withdrawal from Team USA Surprised Coach K: 'You Don't Replace KD'
ByKevin Durant left coach Mike Krzyzewski in an awkward position and a surprised state when he announced he was leaving Team USA ahead of the 2014 FIBA World Cup.
According to ESPN, the longtime coach of the American national basketball team was surprised to see Durant withdraw with no apparent injury. He was also apparently frustrated to no longer have the reigning NBA MVP at his disposal.
Team USA announced in a press release last week that Durant told Krzyzewski and Jerry Colangelo, the team's managing director, he was "physically and mentally drained from the NBA season." Team USA still has several NBA All-Stars, a former MVP, budding superstars, but perhaps no one the caliber of Durant.
"It's one of those things; you don't replace Kevin Durant," Krzyzewski told ESPN. "You look different. And so we have today and [Friday] to look different before we play a really good team. That's of concern for me because we were pretty far along. We had our best camp ever in Vegas since I've coached [Team USA]. Those guys were terrific. We had more in [game plan-wise], but we had more in to play a certain way. And then Kevin deciding not to play... it's concerning.
"But hopefully we'll be good enough on Saturday, and then we use New York and Gran Canaria to get better and get better during pool play."
Durant was reportedly put in a difficult situation after Paul George suffered his gruesome leg injury. While Nike sponsors Team USA, Durant has a multimillion-dollar endorsement with Under Armour and he is also nearing eligibility for free agency. Colangelo told ESPN he was "not surprised" when Durant called to say he was withdrawing from the team.
George's injury shook up several players on the team, like Stephen Curry, who said he weighed withdrawing from the team.
"Reacting to Paul's injury is natural," Curry told ESPN previously. "I think just talking to my family and guys in the Warrior front office, just kind of seeing where everybody was, but at the end of the day it's a great honor to wear this jersey and to have these experiences and I'm going to take advantage of it."
With the addition of Rudy Gay, the high remarks of Derrick Rose's comeback and their coach's seasoned leadership, Krzyzewski said "everyone's all in."