Kevin Love is now a member of the Select Team

[cpfsf]

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/07/19/sports/OLY-BKO-Select-Team-Additions.php

LAS VEGAS: First-round draft picks Kevin Love and Robin Lopez were added Saturday to the select team of young players that will scrimmage against the U.S. Olympic team this week.

Both players were chosen after strong performances in the NBA summer league. Love, picked fifth by Memphis and traded to Minnesota on draft night, has averaged 20.7 points and 15 rebounds in three games for the Timberwolves.

Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant and No. 1 draft pick Derrick Rose headlined the list of 10 players who had previously been chosen for the team. Also picked were: Memphis rookie O.J. Mayo, Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge, Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala, Sacramento guard Kevin Martin, Atlanta center Al Horford, Oklahoma City's Jeff Green, Detroit guard Rodney Stuckey and Houston's Luther Head.

The select team will begin practicing Sunday and is expected to work against the Olympic team from Monday-Thursday. The Americans then face Canada in an exhibition game on Friday before playing four more exhibitions in China. The U.S. will open the Olympics on Aug. 10 against the host Chinese.

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Mark Madsen once visited the Virgin Islands. They are now The Islands.

[jumanji]

I would take it a step forward and say Love should be groomed to be on the National team. His game translates perfectly to the international game. Some of the European teams will carry young guys that arent one of the top 12 or 15 players in their respective countries to join the team for the exposure and to be more ready a few years down the road. I think in this country we tend to be more aware of public opinion on such moves.

[cpfsf]

I would take it a step forward and say Love should be groomed to be on the National team. His game translates perfectly to the international game. Some of the European teams will carry young guys that arent one of the top 12 or 15 players in their respective countries to join the team for the exposure and to be more ready a few years down the road. I think in this country we tend to be more aware of public opinion on such moves.

It's possible, but there are so many bigs who have been a part of team USA recently like Boozer, Bosh, Anthony (he plays PF in FIBA games), Chandler, Stoudemire, Oden (he tried to at least), and Howard. Still, I was somewhat surprised that Al Jefferson and Randy Foye were not participating.

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Mark Madsen's tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.

[mnWI]

I can confirm that Love will just play 1 more game for the Timberwolves summer league team and then join the USA select team. Also, Craig Smith has a sore knee and isn't going to play in any more summer league games.

[big3_8_19_21]

wooooow, we're going to have Pops, Richard and Longar Longar as our 3 bigs in the 5th SL game.

[big3_8_19_21]

I assume Bayless is the other USA select team player?

[GeorgiaWolf]

OJ Mayo was added earlier and I read somewhere that they were only taking two from summer league...

[cpfsf]

OJ Mayo was added earlier and I read somewhere that they were only taking two from summer league...

The two spots available don't include OJ Mayo

http://www.nba.com//summerleague2008/summer_league_selection_poll.html

Two rising stars from the 2008 NBA Summer League will be selected to join the 2008 USA Select Team. The ten players named to the USA Basketball Select Team include: LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trail Blazers); Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City NBA); Jeff Green (Oklahoma City NBA); Luther Head (Houston Rockets); Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks); Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers); Kevin Martin (Sacramento Kings); O.J. Mayo (Memphis Grizzlies); Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls) and Rodney Stuckey (Detroit Pistons).

NBA.com has a poll (same link included in this post) asking "Who do think USA Basketball should select to be part of the Select Team?", Jerryd Bayless is leading with 43% and Kevin Love is next with 18%.

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Some kids pee their name in the snow. Mark Madsen can pee his name into concrete.

[Wingman]

Jefferson must have turned this down, right? Wasn't he on it last year? He certainly didn't get worse. I bet a lot of players turned it down, Head couldn't have been one of the first 20 people they asked to play one of the guard spots.

[deeney0]

Al played last year. Al was on the list and then wasn't, but I haven't heard an explanation for that yet. Brandon Roy turned them down. Foye was invited last year and turned them down, obviously, because of the knee.

[cpfsf]

It's official, Love is going to help Team USA

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Mark Madsen destroyed the periodic table, because he only recognizes the element of surprise.

[prefuse73]

Thats so great that K-Love got selected. It will be great for him to go up against Howard and Amare on a regular basis to get a taste of the NBA's elite athletic bigs. Hopefully he can pick up some good workout habits from Howard...Im sure he can cut his body fat % down to under 10% with Howard dropping some knowledge on him.

overall though, great opportunity for the Mr. Love. He already has shown great ability and this will only help him.

[GeorgiaWolf]

ESPN reporting that it will be Love and Robin Lopez added from summer league...

[Mcfale313]

haha, Bayless got ditched this time~~~he wont be as good as love anywayz and will never be given any love by the national team.....

I just cross my finger and hope the scrimmage wont injure him...coz u never know when u r gonna be assigned to defend players like Dwight Howard.....

[deeney0]

Bayless showed enough in summer league to be selected, but the way the rest of the team was put together another big rather than another guard does make sense.

[Billy]

haha, Bayless got ditched this time~~~he wont be as good as love anywayz and will never be given any love by the national team.....

I just cross my finger and hope the scrimmage wont injure him...coz u never know when u r gonna be assigned to defend players like Dwight Howard.....

I wouldn't worry about Bayless, they invited him anyway: http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazer ... nvite.html

[theGreatRC]

Will the game between he Select team and Olympic team be on national television or on some hidden channel like NBA TV?

I really want to see how Kevin Love operates against some of the leagues best big men.