Korver on Team USA

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Kyle Korver at U.S. Team Training Camp

6-reasons-why-kyle-korver-could-make-it-to-spain

6 Reasons Why Kyle Korver Could Make It To Spain

The USA National Team announced Sunday evening that they had invited Paul Millsap to their training camp in Las Vegas at the eleventh hour.

The Millsap addition makes sense after Kevin Love, Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge all withdrew from the team, and he has a legitimate chance to make the 12-man roster.

After all, only he, Kenneth Faried, Andre Drummond, Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins can be legitimately classified as "big men," and Millsap can stretch the floor better than any of them.  Among that group, only Millsap is a serious three-point threat (he shot 36% from deep last season), adding that to his arsenal in his first season in Coach Bud's system.

The U.S. may be a bit undersized if Millsap is in the game as the team's power forward, but if he's playing alonside Drummond, Davis or even Cousins, they should be okay.  While Drummond, Faried, Davis and Cousins can all play in the post, and guys like Chandler Parsons and Gordon Hayward can stretch defenses with perimeter shooting, only Millsap can do both consistently.

Millsap's teammate Kyle Korver also deserves a decent look.  The U.S. team is filled with terrific shooters, but perhaps no one can put the kind of pressure on a defense that Korver can.  He's a veteran, particularly at creating space for himself in catch-and-shoot situations.  He has arguably the quickest release of anyone in the NBA, and even when he doesn't touch the ball there are times when he should arguably be given an assist because of the lanes he opens up for drivers.

Sure, there are more talented players with the ball in their hands, but Korver is probably the best shooter on the roster, and he could be a lethal bench weapon for head coach Mike Krzyzewski.  Korver's road to the final 12 may be more difficult however, as he'll likely have to beat out some combination of Hayward, Parsons, Bradley Beal, Klay Thompson and DeMar DeRozan.

Krzyzewski will have some tough decisions to make in the next few weeks, and both Millsap and Korver should be right in the discussion.

millsap-addition-gives-usa-stretch-power-forward

Millsap Addition Gives USA Stretch Power Forward

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Featuring 19 players, including two players who are new additions to the 2014-16 USA Basketball National Team roster, USA Basketball Chairman and National Team Managing Director Jerry Colangelo today announced this summer’s USA Basketball Men’s National Team from which the 2014 USA World Cup Team will be selected.

Added to the 2014-16 USA National Team roster and participating in the July-28-Aug. 1 USA National Team training camp in Las Vegas, Nevada, are NBA standouts DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors) and Chandler Parsons (Dallas Mavericks).

Previously named USA National Team members who are confirmed to participate in the 2014 Las Vegas training camp include: Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards); DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings);Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors); Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans); Andre Drummond(Detroit Pistons); Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder); Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets); Paul George (Indiana Pacers); Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers); James Harden (Houston Rockets); Gordon Hayward (Utah Jazz); Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers); Kyle Korver (Atlanta Hawks); Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers); Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves); Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls); and Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors).

The 2014-16 USA Basketball National Team coaching staff features USA head coach and Duke University’s Naismith Hall of Fame mentor Mike Krzyzewski. Serving as assistant coaches are USA Basketball and Syracuse University and Naismith Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim, Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau and New Orleans Pelicans head coach Monty Williams.

All 19 players boast of prior USA Basketball experience and the group includes four members of the 2012 U.S. Olympic Basketball Team that brought home gold, and five members of the 2010 USA World Championship Team that also claimed gold.

“First off, I’m very pleased about the 19 players who are now confirmed to participate in the 2014 USA National Team training camp in Las Vegas. This group possesses outstanding individual talents, while also boasting of excellent versatility and varying amounts of USA Basketball experience,” said Colangelo, who has seen USA National teams compile a 62-1 record since taking charge of the USA Basketball Men’s National Team program in 2005. “I am also pleased about the addition of DeMar DeRozan and Chandler Parsons to the USA National Team and to the 2014 training camp. Both played well in last summer’s USA Basketball National Team mini-camp and went on to record outstanding NBA seasons.

“The Las Vegas training camp will be the start of our preparations for the World Cup, so this is a critical time for putting in place the foundation required for this USA Basketball team to be successful like its recent predecessors. This USA team will have a special opportunity to become the first USA team to repeat as world champions.”

USA mentor Krzyzewski, who as the USA National Team head coach has compiled a remarkable 43-1 record in official FIBA or FIBA Americas competitions since 2006 and compiled a 19-0 mark in exhibition games, is also impressed by the collection of talents that will compete for a position on the 2014 USA World Cup Team.

“The advantage of having a national team program like we’ve developed since Jerry took over in 2005 is the incredible depth of talent we can draw from. The commitment we receive from our players continues to amaze me and the fact that all of the players who will be in Las Vegas all have prior USA Basketball experience shows that the USA Basketball pipeline is working. The prior experience these guys have will help us with our continuity and jelling as a team as well.

“Looking at the roster of players who will be participating in the training camp I’m impressed by the success they had this past season and by what they have achieved in their careers. It’s valuable to have some veteran leadership who has won gold at the highest levels internationally. The list also includes some of the most exciting young players who could definitely contribute to this team. Myself and the entire coaching staff are excited to get things underway and as we’ve done each summer our team will strive to represent the United States with respect and a commitment to excellence that hopefully will make every American proud,” said Coach K.

2014 USA Basketball Men’s National Team Notes:

• • The 19 NBA players represent 18 NBA teams, with only one team featuring a pair of players – the Golden State Warriors (Curry and Thompson).

• Four players were members of the 2012 U.S. Olympic gold medal team (Davis, Durant, Harden and Love).

• Four players were members of the 2010 USA World Championship team that finished first (Curry, Durant, Love and Rose).

• Two players were members of both the 2012 U.S. Olympic and 2010 USA World Championship gold medalist teams (Durant and Love).

• Eleven players attended the 2013 USA Basketball Men’s National Team mini-camp (Beal, Cousins, Davis, DeRozan, Drummond, George, Hayward, Irving, Lillard, Parsons and Thompson).

• Seven players were part of the 2012 USA Select Team that trained against the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team (Cousins, DeRozan, George, Hayward, Irving, Leonard and Thompson).

• All 19 players attended at least one year of college before entering the NBA.

• Ten players were selected as 2014 NBA All-Stars (Curry, Davis, DeRozan, Durant, George, Griffin, Harden, Irving, Lillard and Love).

• Two players were named 2013-14 All-NBA first team (Durant, Harden), three were second team selections (Curry, Griffin, Love) and three were named All-NBA third team (Aldridge, George, Lillard).

• One player was selected 2013-14 NBA All-Defensive first team (George).

• The 2014 USA National Team roster includes 11 of the NBA’s top 16 scorers in 2013-14 – Durant (1st-32.0 ppg.); Love (4th-26.1 ppg.); Harden (5th-25.4 ppg.); Griffin (6th-24.1 ppg.), Curry (7th-24.0 ppg.), Cousins (9th-22.7 ppg.), DeRozan (10th-22.7 ppg.), George (12th-21.7 ppg.), Irving (14th-20. ppg.), Davis (15th-20.8 ppg.), and Lillard (16th-20.7 ppg.).

• The MNT roster also includes the NBA’s four of the top 10 rebounders –Drummond (2nd-13.2 rpg.), Love (3rd-12.5 rpg.), Cousins (5th-11.7 rpg.), and Davis (10th-10.0 rpg.).

• Additionally, Curry (8.5 apg.) ranked fifth in assists; George (1.9 spg.) listed fifth in steals; and Davis (2.8 bpg.) led the NBA in blocked shots.

Following the Las Vegas camp, which concludes with the 2014 USA Basketball Showcase, a USA Blue versus USA White exhibition game on Aug. 1 at the Thomas &amp; Mack Center, the selected team finalists will have a 12-day break. The U.S. team will reassemble in Chicago, Illinois, and train Aug. 14-15, then play an exhibition contest versus Brazil at the United Center on Aug. 16. The American squad will continue its World Cup preparations Aug. 17-22 in New York, New York, and play a pair of exhibition games at Madison Square Garden, the first on Aug. 20 against Dominican Republic, and the second versus Puerto Rico on Aug. 22. The USA will complete its pre-World Cup tour Aug. 24-26 on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain. Training Aug. 24-25, the U.S. will close out its exhibition tour on Aug. 26 facing Slovenia at Gran Canaria Arena.

The 2014 FIBA (International Basketball Federation) World Cup, featuring a total of 24 national teams, is scheduled to be held Aug. 30-Sept. 14 in Spain. The USA World Cup Team will play its preliminary round games in Bilbao, Spain, after being drawn into Group C along with teams from the Dominican Republic, New Zealand, Turkey and Ukraine.

The USA opens the 2014 World Cup preliminary round play on Aug. 30 against Finland, and then faces Turkey on Aug. 31 in a rematch of the 2010 FIBA World Championship gold medal game, a contest in which the USA claimed an 81-64 victory. Following a day off on Sept. 1, the USA resumes play Sept. 2 facing New Zealand. The U.S. will go against the Dominican Republic on Sept. 3, and will conclude its preliminary play on Sept. 4 facing Ukraine.

Each team at the 2014 World Cup will play the other teams in its preliminary group, and the top four finishing teams from each of the four preliminary round groups will then qualify for the round of 16. Winners of the round of 16 games will advance to the quarterfinals, while losers are eliminated. Winners of the quarterfinals games will advance to the medal round semifinals, while the quarterfinals losers are eliminated from the competition. Winners of the semifinals will advance to the Sept. 14 gold medal game, while semifinals losers will meet in the bronze medal game on Sept. 13. The games from the round of 16 to the semifinals will be played in Barcelona and Madrid, and the bronze and gold medal games will be held in Madrid.

Korver on Team USA

Kyle Korver at U.S. Team Training Camp

6 Reasons Why Kyle Korver Could Make It To Spain

Millsap Addition Gives USA Stretch Power Forward

Korver Confirmed For Team USA Training Camp