Griffin Could Be Pairing Up With Kobe For London Olympics

CBS Sports
Ben Golliver

NEW YORK ? With the 2012 London Olympics just seven months away, Team USA is reportedly heading for its first round of roster cuts.

ESPN.com reports that USA Basketball Director Jerry Colangelo will announce a roster of 18 ?candidates? to make the 2012 team in less than two weeks.

?We have so much talent right now, the pool is extraordinary,? Colangelo said.
The final 12-man roster and six alternates must be submitted June 18, before the NBA Finals will be complete. But all 18 names have to be given to the U.S. Olympic Committee by the end of January to be placed in the drug program.

Colangelo said the announcement will be made by Jan. 18.

The site reports that the only player not on either the 2008 Beijing Olympics team or the 2010 Turkey World Championships team who is under consideration is Los Angeles Clippers All-Star forward Blake Griffin. Given his starpower, Griffin seems a lock, leaving 17 spots in the pool.

Eight of those are expected to go to 2008 Beijing Gold Medal-winning players:?Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Deron Williams. All seem solid locks.

That least nine spots for members of the 2010 World Championship team. Six players who would seem to be locks from that roster: Tyson Chandler, Kevin Durant, Rudy Gay, Kevin Love, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook.

That leaves three final spots in the 18-man pool contenders for the rest: Eric Gordon, Danny Granger, Andre Iguodala, Brook Lopez, Lamar Odom andRajon Rondo.

The toughest decision at this stage will likely come in choosing a third true center in Lopez or another talented perimeter player in Granger, Iguodala or Odom. USA Basketball has been built on versatility and athleticism in the recent past but its wings are crowded with an embarrassment of riches. Love and/or Griffin could swing up from power forward to center, though, which could free up a spot for another wing in the 18-man group.

Another question is Rondo. He withdrew from selection from the 2010 team after it became clear he wasn?t going to make the cut. Given the big names in front of him (Paul, Rose, Williams and likely Westbrook), what happens here? Paul and Williams both have recent injury concerns and Rondo?s talent level is such that leaving him off this early would seem a risk not worth taking.

No matter how you slice it and regardless of who is left on the outside looking in, this team is stacked.?Looking ahead, assuming full health from all involved, an 18-player pool and a final 12-man roster could look something like this. Cuts designated in parentheses.

PG: Paul, Rose, Williams, (Westbrook), (Rondo)
SG: Bryant, Wade, (Gordon)
SF: James, Durant, Anthony, (Gay)
PF: Bosh, Griffin, (Love)
C: Howard, Chandler, (Lopez)

Source: http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/01/07/griffin-kobe-could-be-pair-up-for-london-olympics/

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