Olympics 2012: Who Should Make The Team USA Roster?

Team USA roster cuts are this Saturday, with only 12 of 15 players set to make the team. We can ignore Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Tyson Chandler, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Kevin Love, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Deron Williams, as they’re all assured locks to make the roster. Then there’s Anthony Davis, Rudy Gay, Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin, James Harden and Andre Iguodala, and that’s where we’ll most likely agree to disagree.

This entire exercise is certainly futile – Jerry Colangelo will make his picks and that will be that. And then, of course, there’s the subtle distinction between should and will. Only Colangelo can determine latter, while every conjecturing Interneter defines the former. We’ve got our two cents on the matter too, so here we go.

Who’s In:

1. Andre Iguodala – Sure, he might be the fourth small forward behind LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony, but end of roster selections are about role-playing. Iguodala is a lockdown perimeter defender, something Team USA sorely lacks outside of LeBron.

2. Blake Griffin – Griffin can rebound the ball. Again, he’s a role player here, but his size is valuable as Team USA is shorthanded up front. But really, we’re more tempted by the possibility of some Olympic-style posterization to finally surpass Vince Carter’s masterpiece.

3. Anthony Davis – I know, I know. He’s too young, he hurt is ankle, blah blah blah. But he can rebound and block shots with alarming ability, as you probably know. And he has a trademarked unibrow, which is compelling.

Who’s Out:

1. Eric Gordon – He’s the NBA’s third best shooting guard, which is impressive. But he’s a perimeter scorer on a team full of perimeter scorers. That’s just unlucky, really.

2. James Harden – Same deal as Gordon, except Harden is slightly more intriguing with his penchant for passing. It might be beneficial for Harden to gain some Team USA experience, if only for future Olympics. But if we’re just talking about 2012, he’s out.

3. Rudy Gay – Rudy Gay is a ball-dominating, athletic small forward. Too bad Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony also fit that description. The depth of talent at SF as opposed to SG is remarkable, but unfortunate for Gay’s Olympic prospects.

Who should make the team USA roster?

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