KD withdraws from this years FIBA basketball World Cup and Team USA

I hope Harden decides he needs to rest too!

 

Warriors’ Stephen Curry admits ‘doubts’ about taking on USA Basketball injury risk, but stays committed
Warriors guard Stephen Curry remains committed to USA Basketball after watching Indiana’s Paul George suffer a gruesome compound fracture of the tibia and fibula in an intrasquad game.

Curry, who is one of 15 finalists to make the USA’s FIBA World Cup team, did tell The Doug Gottlieb Show on Wednesday that watching George get injured live in Las Vegas brought up “bad memories” of his own history with his surgically-repaired ankle.

“I had some doubts when I left Vegas as to the risk that you take when you play USA Basketball, but at the end of the day, we made a commitment to play, and any time we play basketball, that’s a risk we take,” Curry said.

“We’re committed. For now we’re going go out there and win the gold for Paul and do our thing over in Spain, but I haven’t really thought about two years from now because I guess everybody has to make a decision based on where they are when that time comes.”

Curry, who along with the Warriors guard Klay Thompson are vying to make Team USA, was speaking the day before Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant announced he withdrew from the team, citing a lack of energy and a need to take time away mentally and physically.

The Warriors have already seen guard Nemanja Nedovic suffer a foot injury during preparation for the World Cup with the Serbian national team that could require surgery.

Warriors players Andre Iguodala (knee tenditinis), Ognjen Kuzmic (stress reaction in leg), David Lee (surgery in pelvic area) did not take part in national team training this summer due to pre-existing injuries while Andrew Bogut withdrew from consideration following an injury-riddled season.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Thursday that George’s injury was “awful” and recalled how during his own career suffered a major knee injury while playing for Team USA in 1986. The tearing the ACL and MCL of Kerr’s right knee, which forced him to redshirt his senior season at Arizona, took place in Spain at the tournament now known as the World Cup.

Twenty-eight years later, Curry is expected to play at the World Cup in Spain. He said he had not been told he was a lock to make the team, but clearly that is the expectation as he added members of his family are scheduled to travel overseas to watch him play.

“I can honestly say I haven’t thought about future years,” Curry said of playing for USA Basketball. “I only think about the here and now, and immediately when I saw PG go down, I did have bad memories of my injuries and surgeries and all that.

“Whenever you see that, your whole injury history comes up.”

http://www.ibabuzz.com/warriors/2014/08/07/warriors-stephen-curry-admits-doubts-taking-usa-basketball-injury-risk-stays-committed/

 

Notice I said "World Cup" and not the Olympics. WC does pretty much nothing for a younger player's brand recognition vs his NBA success. They usually won't play much vs the Vets or they are already an All-Star player anyhow.

 

Kevin Durquit.

 

Can we get some KD hates america signs this season at Toyota center?

 

We want him in 2016 so he can truly say this is my city.

 

The servant quit on his master

 

James Harden: leader of Team USA.

 

This is Chandler Parsons' team now.

 

Harden will be fine. Just jack up 3s on offense and stay behind the arc. Play his usual no-D on the other end.

 

One difference is that the FIFA Worldcup have a huge $$$ prize involved. For 2014 Worldcup the total prize money was more than $400 million with about $70 million going to the various clubs that the players came from (to compensate the teams for using their players) and the rest going to the various national teams (trickles down the players).

Also let's not forget that there's alot alot more $$$, media coverage, corporate sponsorships involved with FIFA Worldcup compared to FIBA World Cup

 

parsons best SF on that team in his opinion

 

This is a false choice. Of course if you KNEW you would end up having a career ending injury, you would not pick it. But you don't know. What is the chances of getting career ending injuries playing for your national team?

The choice is not whether you would pick injury over honoring your country. Nobody would pick that. The choice is whether you would pick the RISK of injury over honoring your country. Then you have to ask how much risk.

 

He probably is the best SF on that team now. Quite a drop off from Durant + George to Parsons + Derozan, Hayward or Korver.

 

I'm calling BS on this. Sponsors want the kind of international exposure a World Cup event provides.

 

KD is a coward .. wait that was Howard



seriously those players refuse to play for US Team, should not be allowed to play in the Olympic

 

Well this will either Help Harden and remind those what kind of Player he is, or just further reinforce peoples beliefs that he is not worth the hype of SuperStar.

Hope Harden balls out, tired of hearing "its up 2 Rose/AD now"

 

Yeah but Nike sponsors team USA, so UA probably doesn't want their new spokesman wearing nike gear to start off his campaign.

Honestly, if its because of the PG injury, I think it's a little weak. Accidents happen, that's the nature of life, and sport. That injury was a freak accident and really not indicative of any sort of trend.

But if it's for UA contract? It's a $320million contract, that's a lot of money...Even for a guy like KD that earns a lot, that would take him from multimillionaire to future billionaire (if you factor in career earnings, reasonable investments, time, etc). Another way to look at it: he will earn $20M next year, so they are basically guaranteeing him 16 years worth of salary. If someone gave me 16 years of my current salary, told me to keep my day job, all I had to do was not go to world cup, I'd do it. Especially if I had already won one before...

 

I hope Harden drops out too.

 

Agreed. . . how many people willing to play russian roulette with their families life/future for their country . . .. .for a game.

Rocket River