Blake Griffin Wants to Play in the 2012 Olympics

Despite his stated desire to be on Team USA, Blake Griffin’s spot on the roster isn’t exactly a shoo-in. From the Sporting News: “Given his NBA stardom, Griffin would naturally be a candidate for a spot on the 2012 Olympic team that will defend its gold medal in London. Problem is, it’s already a very crowded field for the 12 roster spots on that team, and Griffin’s USA Basketball career has been stunted by the knee injury that held him out for all of last season. ‘I haven’t talked to anyone at USA Basketball at all,’ Griffin said. ‘I would love to (play), but I know they have a protocol and they bring guys in the summers before and all that, and I haven’t been able to do any of that the past two summers. They have guys that have been in the program. It’s one of those things where, I’d be glad to, but it’s not my main concern.’ Assuming Team USA sticks with six forwards and six guards, it’s a given that Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and Dwight Howard are locks from the ’08 team, and Kevin Durant will be in from the ’10 team that won the World Championship in Turkey. Chris Bosh is likely, too, given the way he defended in ’08, and it’s hard to imagine that USA Basketball won’t reward Lamar Odom for his contribution—as a veteran presence and a do-everything big man—in Turkey. That’s all six forward spots before guys like Rudy Gay (who had some big games in the World Championship) and Kevin Love (whose shooting ability is more valuable in the international game) are considered.”