Every few years, basketball fans are given a treat during the offseason, as NBA players take the floor for international basketball. It usually follows a pretty similar script: The United States are the overwhelming favorites to win whatever tournament they are in, they mow through most of the competition, and maybe survive a scare or two en route to a win.
That may not necessarily be the case at this summer’s FIBA Basketball World Cup in China, if only because, well, a whole lot of dudes won’t be there. While we already knew that, for example, LeBron James and Kevin Durant wouldn’t suit up for the team this summer, names that were expected to be part of the team’s upcoming training camp and, potentially, the World Cup have began dropping out.
Most prominently, both James Harden and Anthony Davis have elected to pass on participating, citing major changes their teams have undergone this offseason — Davis, of course, was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, while Harden’s Rockets traded Chris Paul for Russell Westbrook.
Yahoo Sources: Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis will remove himself from USA Basketball training camp and FIBA World Cup to focus on championship quest. https://t.co/RTWxdrHFWH
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 15, 2019
James Harden said he will not be with the USA Basketball team this summer to prepare for changes with Rockets. Said already spoke with Gregg Popovich.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) July 19, 2019
Harden isn’t the only Rocket to make that decision, as Eric Gordon will reportedly also pass on suiting up for Gregg Popovich.
Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon has withdrawn from Team USA training camp and FIBA World Cup this summer, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 20, 2019
To top things off, C.J. McCollum of the Portland Trail Blazers pulled out of the camp and World Cup, something that he confirmed on his Twitter account on Saturday.
“ hot boy summer “ for the win https://t.co/9d39lSoiZZ
— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) July 20, 2019
The United States should still have a mess of talent — it is very hard to feel bad for a basketball team that could, potentially, have All-Stars like Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, Khris Middleton, Kevin Love, and LaMarcus Aldridge on the roster, along with whomever else might join. That doesn’t even consider that someone could make the jump from the select team that will challenge them during camp, one which is expected to feature guys like Zion Williamson, John Collins, and Marvin Bagley.
But while the World Cup is the premier international soccer tournament in the world, that’s not quite the case with basketball, where Olympic glory is still the pinnacle of international hoops. Davis, for instance, is reportedly committed to playing in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, while James hasn’t shut the door on suiting up for the United States one more time next year. Steph Curry also appears ready to wear the red, white, and blue if the opportunity presents itself.
Even though the Americans have won the last two World Cups, for a handful of players who could potential take the floor in China, the activity that has captivated the basketball watching world this summer has led to them deciding it’s more important to get ready for the 2019-20 NBA campaign. The Americans should be fine regardless, but between a tricky group (Croatia, Japan, Turkey), countries with NBA-level talent gunning to take them down, and a rapidly thinning out pool of players, this has the potential to be the toughest World Cup the U.S. has played in some time.
