US men's basketball upbeat despite key injuries

Updated: 2012-05-15 10:26

(Agencies)

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DALLAS - Despite a rash of season-ending injuries to top National Basketball Association (NBA) players, US Olympic basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski said on Monday he believed he can bring a solid team to the London Games.

The US roster pool has lost injured guards Derrick Rose and Chauncey Billups and forwards Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge but the talent still available has Krzyzewski upbeat that he can repeat the gold medal success from Beijing.

"We believe we can have a terrific team with the guys we have right now," Krzyzewski, who said this would be his last turn directing the national team, told a news conference at the US Olympic Committee's media summit in Dallas. "We believe we can have a special team."

Krzyzewski and USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo feel the labor dispute between NBA team owners and players that led to the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season had complicated things for this Olympic go-round.

"This has been an unusual year in the NBA with injuries, with the shortened season, condensed season, extended season that has led to back-to-back-to-back games early on," Colangelo said. "Whether injuries were due from that condensed schedule we don't know."

While such luminaries as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook give a formidable look to the prospective US roster, the team applied for and was given a 19-day extension by the US Olympic Committee on Monday for finalising its 12-man Olympic roster.

The US team had already been allowed by the USOC to add NBA Sixth Man award winner James Harden and top US college player Anthony Davis of Kentucky, to its pool to bring the once 20-strong list back up to 18 finalists.

Colangelo said that with the NBA Finals running as late as June 26, they would have just two days of training before making their final 12-man roster selection on July 7.

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