Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 9:00 am  |  83 responses

Team USA Cuts: OJ Mayo, Gerald Wallace, Tyreke Evans?

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

At a press conference this afternoon, the public will find out which four players will not be accompanying Team USA to camp in preparation for the World Championship in Turkey.

FanHouse has what it believes to be a sneak peak at three of the four names who were cut from the squad:

It’s not looking good for Tyreke Evans, O.J. Mayo and Gerald Wallace. Sources close to the situation told FanHouse on Tuesday they’re expected to be among the cuts when Team USA on Wednesday reveals the 15 out of 19 remaining players who will be invited to New York for the Aug. 10-16 training camp in preparation for next month’s World Championship in Turkey. As to who might be the fourth cut, sources said that was still being debated.

USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo would not confirm or deny any names as to who might be cut. He said the 15 players for New York would be announced during a 3 p.m. EDT conference call Wednesday.

“I still have to reach three of four people,” Colangelo said Tuesday, emphasizing that there has been no change in USA Basketball wanting to bring 15 players to New York, with the roster needing to be trimmed to 12 by Aug. 26 in preparation for the Aug. 28-Sept. 12 World Championship.

The linked article speculates that the Wizards’ big fella, JaVale McGee, is on the bubble.

Among those considered to be locks to make the team include Danny Granger, Eric Gordon, and Stephen Curry.

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  • riggs

    they dont want defense?

  • Yesse

    Wow.

  • Billions

    they cut OJ beacuse of that USC fiasco..

  • http://www.slamonline.com Eboy

    Remarkable that three guys that are shoot-first guys aren’t able to make the cut for the squad.

  • drosefan13

    I think they should keep McGee. But I see why they are supposedly cutting the other three.

  • Lucas

    Can’t wait to see Curry in international play!

  • http://slamonline.com Kap

    Eric Gordon over OJ Mayo??? Curious

  • david

    wow.

    oj mayo>eric gordon
    g wall>granger
    evans>curry

  • http://thekobebeef.wordpress.com LDR4

    I figured they would keep Wallace because he can play both the 3 and 4. Coach K has said he wanted players who could play multiple possitions. He is also one of the team’s better rebounders.

  • http://thekobebeef.wordpress.com LDR4

    The’ll cut the roster down to 12 after NY so everyone can stop freaking out about the possibility of Gordon making the team. He can play both the 1 and 2. If he makes this cut that would be why.

  • Th3_R3al_Chris

    Tyreke Evans is the only questionable name of the three. Kevin Durant has more offensive moves than Carmelo Anthony (who, for a few years now, had been considered the most well-rounded offensive player in the league by some analysts). KD can score over anybody at anytime so it’s not like Team USA is going to have any scoring needs.

  • http://www.hoopsvibe.com/features/overdribbling chiqo

    being a better player doesn’t mean that you will make the squad over us. signed, christian laettner, richard jefferson, michael redd, tayshaun prince, kirk hinrich and shane battier

  • DDB

    I wonder if Tyreke will come back in a few years when he is one of the top 5 players in the league, or will he just wish them good luck.

  • lexluther703

    Coach K really is serious about building a solid USA TEAM and not just collecting talent. OJ and Reke are shoot-first, numbers guys, and Wallace as solid as he is, isn’t as good as the forwards left on the roster. I think Wallace is cut by default, but as talented as OJ and Reke are, there are better defenders(rose, billups), better shooters (curry), and more versatile (westbrook) guards in the mix.

  • http://www.slamonline.com/ The Promise

    Yeah I disagree on Wallace being cut. He’s a talented player, can do many things on both sides of the court. Evan’s injury may be worse than we know about, who knows, I haven’t heard anything on the extent of it. Kinda glad Mayo is being cut, he has never heard of the word “pass”. Javale Mcgee gotta make the team, that guy is comin on fast, he will compliment John Wall greatly next season.

  • ab_40

    evans is injured and wouldn’t know what hit him in international play. wallace is too short and when the zone stagnates their ofense he is a liability because he’s not an option in the post. OJ mayo is plain and simple not good enough and not a good enough fit on this team.

  • T-Money

    To be fair, Reke didn’t really get a chance to compete because of injuries. OJ Mayo played well but his skillset was duplicated by better players on the team. Crash didn’t seem to want to be there.

  • http://google c_cantrell

    bad move on cuttin wallace.. dude hits the boards and plays d with twice the effort of everyone else on the team.. team usa would have been a great learning curve for tyreke evans and would have helped him mature into a better all around player.. he will soon be one of the top players in the game.. oj is a solid shooting guard but maybe thats y he got cut (only plays one position).. he can score as good if not better than anyone on the team not named kevin durant.. questionable moves for sure

  • Saku 39

    Will Rondo make the team? Him and zone defense does not sound good. Also, I would have kept Wallace instead of Gay because this team needs help on the boards. Gay and Iggy are pretty much the same player anyway.

  • http://www.twitter.com/gerardhimself Gerard Himself

    People shouldn’t be surprised that Evans won’t make it, he’s injured. But I thought Mayo and Wallace had strong showings and would make it. Surprising.

  • http://www.slamonline.com/ niQ

    Is Melo coming back? If he is then that would be a good reason why Wallace didn’t make it. Cause they would be packed at the SF with Durant, Melo and possibly Granger. I’m glad to hear Curry is not on the bubble, but who knows what the final cuts will look like. And in regards to Tyreke, my only assumption would be cause of his lack of an outside shot. The 2 main things I keep hearing is that they want shooters and defenders so maybe that factored in a lot.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    I”m surprised Gordon made it over Mayo. And Mayo is underrated as a defender.

  • catface34343

    starters will be
    billups
    curry
    iguodala
    durant
    chandler

  • http://slamonline.com Kap

    Remember ’04 when this team got embarrassed because of players like Gerald Wallace who could not shoot worth a damn and were too small to play in post? That is probaly why he is getting cut…

  • http://slamonline.com Kap

    Ummm no…Odom is gonna start.

  • http://slamonline.com Kap

    My first time agreeing with Allenp on something.

  • catface34343

    nah…hes not, they need at least one person to defend the rim, we dont even know if Odom will be in shape by then

  • http://www.slamonline.com/ niQ

    Anyone see the Boxscore from the White vs Blue game? The main people who dominated were Durant, Gay, Rose and Chandler. Other players who did well were Mayo, Gordon, Curry and Westbrook. Don’t know why Brook Lopez only got to play 13 minutes and McGee only got 9. It’s as if they’re lacking and Big men and don’t care.

  • http://www.slamonline.com/ niQ

    Billups played horrible shooting 2 for 10. But not so surprised. I’ve had him Fantasy Basketball before and have always been frustrated with his horrible FG%…

  • catface34343

    Andre did very well, defense and he ate up the box score

  • Morgan

    @The_Real_Chris: “KD can score over anybody at anytime ” – did you not get a chance to watch his recent playoff performance?
    @niQ: They didnt give Lopez many minutes as they had already seen enough of him during the week to lock up his spot in NYC, although I dont think he is very well suited to this style of play but they need his size.
    This team will definitely have a harder time then the last US Squad.

  • Shem

    Mayo’s underated as a defender because he’s a shooter, but I think Gordon is a better defender then Mayo no? He’s definetly more athletic, he s stronger. Only thing is he’s a bit short..

  • Jakob Kagel

    Why would you take Eric Gordon ahead of OJ Mayo? Mayo is a bigger guard, more suited for the international game, and he is a better shooter….

  • Ronald

    @Morgan: Don’t blame the Real Chris. For some reason everyone has put Durant on a pedestal. The fact that he’s humble and young seems to have given everyone a false image about his game. Like…saying KD can score better than Melo despite Melo’s strong inside – outside game.
    I’m not too surprised about Tyreke being cut due to his high volume game but Mayo is underrated, but his sub-par performance in the Summer league probably hurt his chances (he didn’t show that he could play both the 1 and 2 and he’s too small to play the 3. Maybe Eric Gordon has shown that he can play the 1?)

  • Ronald

    And I think everyone puts too much value on size in the international game. There are a lot of good players on other teams that are considered to be undersized in the NBA who do well in under the FIBA rules. Especially the 2 and the 4 position.

  • Ronald

    Also, Eric Gordon is 6’3 and Mayo is 6’4. They actually have similar builds and shoot similar percentage. Stat wise they are quiet similar. I still think it’s because EG has shown more PG skills than Mayo

  • Ali

    Looks like Jerry Colangelo/Coach K and staff are looking to take more fundamentally sound players
    over the flash. Can’t knock them for that. It’s
    been proven in the past, USA Basketball get their a**es handed to them when they are all about the flash.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Mayo is as fundamentally sound a guard as you’ll find in the league, to be honest. Now, Evans and Wallace may have issues, but not Mayo. Gordon is a tad more explosive than Mayo, and possibly a better shooter. But, I’ve always liked Mayo’s pace and poise on the court.

  • JTaylor21

    Ronald and morgan are on point. How can someone who doesn’t have an inside game, struggles to dribble the ball against physical defense and has bad shot selection (KD) be a better scorer than someone who has an equally deveastating inside and outside game (Melo). Like jeezy said “like the boy melo in the paint can’t hold him”. Get ya mind right @the_real_chris

  • Ali

    Mayo’s got the hairpin trigger (shoot first mentality). Dude must average damn near 40mins a game and only musters up 2-3 assist per game.

  • Charles Kirk

    @ Ali
    Oj’s not a ballhog by any means. If you know anything about the grizzlies you would no that OJ plays off the ball and doesn’t get the ball much. he plays more of a Ray Allen role in the offense. Also, the main complaint that most Grizz fans such as myself have with OJ is that he is passing too much. The system that the Grizzlies play in doesn’t allow that many assists. Most of our guys are best in iso situations hence which is why OJ averages 3 apg. Our PG averages about 5apg.
    Please don’t talk about OJ if you don’t anything about him.

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Mayo settles for the jumper too much, and he’s a tad short to play the two.
    He doesn’t have Wade’s explosiveness, so it’s harder for him to finish at the rim like Wade at 6’4″, so often he makes his moves looking for his jumper. His jumper is nice, but it’s not that nice. If he can transition to the one, I see him and have seen him as a better version of Chauncey Billups.
    He is definitely shoot-first, but that’s his role on that Grizzlies team. I’ve seen him run the one in college, and he knows how to work the clock adn get others involved when it’s needed.
    Bottom line, I like both Gordon and Mayo’s games, but I like Mayo’s better.

  • http://slamonline.com AlbertBarr

    When did ‘reke get injured? What kind of injury?

  • http://sdfjklf.com Jukai

    OJ Mayo as a better version of Chauncy Billups?
    Allenp is smoking the funny stuff agian.

  • larrylegend

    being a good player in the nba, doesn’T mean, u r a good player in fiba play! i would cut gordon, mayo and wallace. thanks.

  • T-Money

    Mayo has always wnated to play the 1. He said after his year at USC that Floyd kinda misled him into thinking that he’d play the 1 there. I like his game and he’s very savvy but he’ll never be more than an average 2 because he can’t get to the rim consistently. His future is as a big 1. / KD is reaaaaaalllllllllly nice but he still has ways to go. Watching him trying to create in halfcourt situations vs Lakers was painful times. He threw a few wtf leaners and whatnots. He’ll adjust, he’s just that good but people need to chill before putting him in the Kob/Bron/Wade tier. He’s just below that with Melo, Dwight, Dirk, Chris, Deron and them.

  • notblack

    Im always tired of DG geting overlooked he’s almost as good as lebron.

  • http://www.shawnkemp.com JACO

    All three are good players that are probably being cut cause of the fact that coach k wants a team not based on names and faces but a team with the best possible chance to win and with that being said I’d rather cut eric gordon rather then OJ but its just my opinion.

  • catface34343

    I hate Lebron, a lot…but I would have to say notblack’s comment was the most ignorant thing i have ever read. Granger is the 5th best SF on that team, let alone almost as good as Lebron…Your dumb

  • george w. buckets
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