In January, USA basketball announced a 28-man pool for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic rosters. That field was flexible, and it’s been narrowed and expanded for the World Cup.
In addition to previously named players, DeMar DeRozan and Chandler Parsons were added to the pool – and other players were trimmed.
Here are all 19 players in contention for the World Cup roster:
- Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)
- DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings)
- Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
- Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans)
- DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors)
- 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)
- Chandler Parsons (Dallas Mavericks)
- Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls)
- Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors)
And here are the players left off from the initial pool. Remember, some of this group could still make the Olympic team:
- Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks)
- LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
- Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers)
- Deron Williams (Brooklyn Nets)
- Tyson Chandler (Dallas Mavericks)
- Andre Iguodala (Golden State Warriors)
- Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder)
- Dwight Howard (Houston Rockets)
- LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trail Blazers)
- David Lee (Golden State Warriors)
- Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs)
“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,” team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a released statement. “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.”
Here’s my early guess at the World Cup roster:
PG: Kyrie Irving, Derrick Rose, Damian Lillard
SG: Stephen Curry, James Harden
SF: Kevin Durant, Paul George, Kyle Korver
PF: Kevin Love, Blake Griffin
C: Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins
Cousins-Drummond will be an interesting matchup for backup center. Thompson-Beal for third shooting guard and Korver-Hayward-Parsons for specialist will also be intriguing – and the winner of each battle might even have to prove that position warrants a roster spot.