Tuesday, January 10th, 2012 at 4:40 pm  |  96 responses

Report: Team USA Preliminary Roster Unveiled


by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo has checked and re-checked his list of the world’s best American-born basketball players.

According to Sheridan Hoops, Colangelo has settled on the 19 ballers that he intends to take with him to London for the 2012 Olympic Summer Games:

We told you earlier today that LaMarcus Aldridge is on the verge of being added to the preliminary Team USA roster for the 2012 Olympics. Now we’re reporting something even better: The entire 19-man roster. Here it is, alphabetically, from my impeccable international basketball sources:

LaMarcus Aldridge, Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Chris Bosh, Kobe Bryant, Tyson Chandler, Kevin Durant, Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin, Dwight Howard, Andre Iguodala, LeBron James, Kevin Love, Lamar Odom, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, Russell Westbrook, Deron Williams.

The final, 12-man roster will be announced in mid-to-late June.

All that we be left after that, will be for this squad to go out and prove that they deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the 1992 Dream Team. No pressure or anything, fellas.

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  • Mitchell

    Why Monta Ellis not on the list.

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    So everyone except Joe Johnson. lol

  • rand33p

    bynum?

  • Hart

    Um….why is Odom there?

  • Ward6

    Anthony, Bosh, Bryant, Durant, Howard, Iguadala, James, Love, Paul, Rose, Wade, Williams

  • BlackStar

    Imagine a starting 5 of Rose, Bron, Howard, Wade and Griffin. That would be Lob Country for real! 3 point shooting would suffer, but if I were the competition, I wouldn’t even stand near the rim …

  • Andrew

    @Hart Odom is there because hes versatile enough to guard more mobile euro style Centers

  • Heals

    I hear where you’re coming from Black cause that group would win games simply on athleticism and talent alone, but none of those cats are a “pure” shooter or has a legit post-game. Highlights are ill, but don’t forget about the other stuff that makes the game equally as great…

  • Mike Mihalow

    I see a lot of zone defenses coming up

  • Drunyce

    Odom is a versatile big who’s game fits the Euro style ball. Also, he was a part of the 2010 FIBA Gold Medal team…

  • Tony

    Is Eric Gordon really that great?

  • LA Huey

    Dwight, LA, LBJ, Kobe, CP3, Bosh, Love, Durant, Wade, Rose, Deron, Blake.

  • http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Marshon-Brooks-6347/playerblog/ nbk

    Starting lineup will be, Paul/Rose, Bryant, James, Melo, Chandler/Alrdidge. Probably Rose and Chandler if I were too bet. But who knows for sure.

  • ksupreme

    wheres amare

  • Thor

    @Tony, pretty good yes, great is a strong word for most.

  • Jono

    Olympic basketball is pretty simple, if the USA don’t win it’s because they messed up and not because the other team won. There is no team even remotely close to winning the thing realistically because that team listed above, even the worst 12 of the 19 has size, strength, athleticism, skill, experience and by summer 2012, will be sufficiently prepared.

  • LA Huey

    Odom, Tyson, and Chauncey get a chance to make the team because they were intergral parts to the 2010 team.

  • http://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=pawtucketymca Gametimeweezy

    I love that Odom and Billups are on this team. Wade and Durant potentially coming off the bench? This is the greatest team ever assembled besides the Dream Team.

  • kobe4ever8

    That’s a very fun line up to watch, but I feel like outside of Durant, our 3 point shooting will suffer

  • Bravo

    Damn team USA is super stacked! Kobe , LBJ, Wade, Durante and Eric Gordon are gonna kill it. I expect blake griffin to have most of the highlights.

  • http://slamonline.com datkid

    Hopefully they can get a frontline out of that group… spain has both gasol brothers and serge ibaka now. and tony eric gordon is pretty dope.

  • http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Marshon-Brooks-6347/playerblog/ nbk

    What’s Spain going to do when Team USA throws out Rose, Bryant, Durant, James, Love. How in the world would they deal with that? Pau gonna guard LeBron? Or Durant? Is a zone really going to work against a team with all that spacing and rebounding?

  • L44

    I wish Rudy Gay was included…his skills and size fit the international game very well.

  • gravy

    Thats such a tough list to deduct 7 players from!! all i know is that when the final list comes out, some players and fans r gonna be pissed(regardless of the outcome)

  • http://redoftoothandclaw.ca/ niQ

    Hmm… It’s tough to guess even the starting up… I’m going with… Chris Paul, Kobe, Lebron, Melo, Dwight. I REALLY want to put Durant somewhere in the starting line up. But I think the only way that would happen would be if Durant starts at SF and Lebron slides over to PF, pushing Melo out of the starting 5.

  • http://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=pawtucketymca Gametimeweezy

    ^I love that starting lineup.. Wade, Durant, and Rose off the bench is just merciless…

  • Zeb

    What no Celtics? You’ve Got to be kidding! Rondo should be the second PG picked!

  • Ldub

    these guys dont care who starts or comes in off the bench. the W is all the matters in the olympics. it doesnt matter who you start…it will probably change over the course of the tourny anyways.

  • http://redoftoothandclaw.ca/ niQ

    OR. What if Kobe is injured and they put Durant as starting SG? Correct me if I’m wrong but, didn’t Durant start of his NBA career at shooting guard?

  • Maniac

    I think the final roster will be: Kobe, LeBron, Dwight, Durant, Rose, Wade, CP3, Dwill, Melo, Blake, Bosh, & Love. CP3 will most certainly start at pg (there is no reason to give it to Rose seeing that they are favoring the players from the 2008 Redeem Team). Kobe & LeBron aren’t backing up anyone. Dwight is the best center on earth, why would he not start? The PF position is unpredictable and could go many different ways.

  • Joe

    Here’s my squad: Melo, Bosh, Kobe, Durant, Dwight, LBJ, CP3, Rose, Dwill, Flash, Love, and LaMarcus…….Blake will use the summer, to polish his game, work on that jumper, and refine some of those post-moves, that way the 2012-2013 season is an MVP season for him. He’s got plenty of yrs ahead of him to get a gold medal.

  • http://Slamonline.com nbk

    Haha because I was not paying close enough Attention to what I was doing. My bad your right, Deight will start, no doubt

  • http://slamonline.com LakeShow

    Phewwwww… That’s a good team. This team would challenge any team ever assembled.

  • Oscar

    No Rajon Rondo?? cmon Rondo is way better than westbrook and williams

  • http://cnbc.com JTaylor21

    Billups, LO and Iggy will be the odd men out.

  • http://shinefluid@aol.com yada

    what are the tryouts and practices gonna be like? wheew

  • drew

    cp3, deron, rose, kobe, wade, lebron, melo, durant, bosh, griffin, love, howard.

  • Dyce

    I agree Rondo deserves at least a shot to make the team. Unless he wants to quit like he did the last time. Even Chris Bosh deserves a shot.

  • Dyce

    Ray Allen should be given a try-out over billups at this point.

  • http://www.slamonline.com aman from arkansas

    Why is bosh on there he is garbage.

  • http://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=pawtucketymca Gametimeweezy

    The 3 point line would be layups for Ray Allen too.

  • jufu

    bosh is on there because he’s been insane against international competition, moreso than dwight and melo. and i honestly think that billups, eric gordon, and odom can make it based on the fact that the provide shooting. oh, and klove can shoot too, he’ll be a good one-two with howard. this upcoming team will have very few, if any, weaknesses.

  • T-Money

    OUT: aldridge, billups, chandler, gordon, iggy, odom, westbrook.

  • jbone23

    Don’t forget, this has to get cut to 12! Means -7 from this list…tough.

  • china

    starting 5:

    PG – CP3
    SG – Kobe Bryant
    SF – LeBron James
    PF – Chris Bosh
    C – Dwight Howard

    a lot of people could argue rose over cp3, wade over kobe etc. but i think when it comes down to it, it’ll all be based on seniority and who was there first. I mean, I don’t think Chris Bosh should be starting, but he is a more proven PF over Aldridge and Love despite all the hate he gets. I think I speak for everyone when I say it’ll be tough for me to see Rose and Durant who are playing in the shadows on LeBron and Kobe because they are soon to be the face of the NBA. My 2nd unit comprises of Williams, Wade, Melo, Love/Aldridge and Chandler. But if coach K makes his decision based on seasonal play, Deron Williams could find that he will be the 3rd guard coming off the bench after Rose.

    In the end, I think the 12 man roster would be CP3, Deron, Rose, Kobe, Wade, LeBron, Carmelo, KD, D12, Bosh, Love/aldridge and Chandler. This is my opinion, dont get too pissed off if you disagree.

  • jsmoke212

    *applauding Colangelo* Well done, sir!
    Iggy is there to waste energy on D, and at the international stage, I’d take Aldridge and Love, rather than ZBo (love his game). The only headscratcher is Billups. Westbrook and Chandler should be shown the door sometime soon too.

  • Mariano

    I’d rather have LA than Chris Bosh

  • Pais

    The 2nd string, whoever it consists of will be end up being far, like really far superior to any possible contender. And I can’t believe there are still people out there who think Bosh is garbage, I got no love for the guy personaly but c’mon. I can’t cut 7 guys from that list, not possible although it’s real PG heavy.

  • Mariano

    I don’t think Chris Bosh is garbage… I just think LA is a better player

  • Pais

    Totally agree with the seniority thing. They’ve stated that they want Team USA to be a proper team rather than simply a compilation of the biggest marquee players. If that’s true, seniority must be respected.

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