The U.S. national basketball team finalized its roster for the world championships when Celtics star Rajon Rondo withdrew from consideration. Rondo had started the Americans first two exhibition games, then surprisingly didn't play at all Sunday when the U.S. edged Spain. The world championships start Saturday in Turkey and run through Sept. 12.

The final 12-man roster set Tuesday includes:

2010 FIBA World Championship final U.S. roster

Coach: Mike Krzyzewski

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City
Derrick Rose, Chicago
Rudy Gay, Memphis
Lamar Odom, L.A. Lakers
Chauncey Billups, Denver
Danny Granger, Indiana
Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City
Eric Gordon, L.A. Clippers
Stephen Curry, Golden State
Kevin Love, Minnesota
Tyson Chandler, Dallas
Andre Iguodala, Philadelphia

 

 

USA Basketball has trimmed its roster of candidates for the world championships to 15, cutting Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans, O.J. Mayo and Gerald Wallace. Kevin Durant leads three Oklahoma City players on the guard-heavy list announced Wednesday. The Clippers' Eric Gordon, who was thought to be on the bubble, made the cut. Tyson Chandler and Brook Lopez are the only true centers on the squad, which includes talented point guards such as Chauncey Billups, Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo and OKC's Russell Westbrook. The Thunder's Jeff Green also will join Durant and Westbrook in New York when the team reconvenes Aug. 9. The roster has to be reduced to 12 before the world championships begin on Aug. 28 in Turkey.

After a week-long training camp in Las Vegas, the Thunder trio was selected as part of the 15 finalists who will head to New York City for additional training August 9-16. The Thunder is the only NBA team to feature three players on the current US National Team roster.

 

Durant, the NBA's reigning scoring champion (30.1 ppg) was named a finalist after leading all scorers during Saturday's Basketball Showcase intra-squad scrimmage held at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center (28 points; 10-17 FGs). Durant's involvement in USA basketball began in 2006 when he was named a member of the US team at the Nike Hoop Summit. Since that time, he competed in the 2007 State Farm USA Basketball Challenge before participating in the National Team training camp the last three summers.

 

Russell Westbrook will also appear in New York next month after seeing action in all 82 games for Oklahoma City this past year. During Westbrook's second season removed from UCLA, he registered averages of 16.1 points, 8.0 assists and 4.9 rebounds in 34.3 minutes per contest. The former NBA All-Rookie first team award winner participated in the 2009 USA Men's National team mini-camp after being named to the USA Basketball Select team in 2008.

 

Jeff Green will also join teammates Durant and Westbrook in New York after scoring 11 points to go along with eight rebounds in 18 minutes during last weekend's Basketball Showcase scrimmage. In three NBA seasons, Green has appeared in 240 games and holds career averages of 14.0 points and 5.8 rebounds in 34.0 minutes per game. The former Georgetown Hoya participated in the 2009 National team mini-camp and trained with the US Olympic team in 2008.

 

The eventual Men's National Team roster will be trimmed to 12 players before the team travels to Turkey to compete in the 2010 FIBA World Championship in late August.

 

For more information on the Oklahoma City Thunder, log onto thunder.nba.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kevin Durant had 39 points and 10 rebounds, Russell Westbrook added 30 points and 13 assists, and the Oklahoma City Thunder finished a perfect three-game homestand by beating the pesky Sacramento Kings 113-107 on Tuesday night. The Kings were still within three after Carl Landry hit two free throws with 2:15 to play, but Nenad Krstic lobbed the ball to Durant for a two-handed alley-oop slam at the opposite end. Landry had a follow dunk to make it 111-107 with 34 seconds left, but Sacramento opted not to foul and the shot clock ran all the way down before Durant missed a baseline jumper. Francisco Garcia missed a contested 3-pointer in the final 5 seconds for the Kings. Durant corralled the rebound and iced the game with two free throws.

On Wednesday USA Basketball announced that Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant were named to the 27-man roster for the 2010-2012 USA Basketball Men's National Team.

The Thunder's pipeline to USA Basketball runs deep. Durant, Jeff Green and Nick Collison were members of the USA Basketball Select Team in 2007 and 2008. Durant, Green, Westbrook and team trainer Joe Sharpe participated in the USA Basketball mini-camp last summer in Las Vegas. And Eric Maynor, Kyle Weaver and D.J. White participated together in the USA Basketball Men's Pan American Games Team Trials in 2007.

Both Durant and Westbrook will participate in a July training camp to determine the squad that will compete in the 2010 World Championships in Turkey from Aug. 28 to Sept. 12.

In a teleconference with reporters on Wednesday, USA Basketball Men's National Team program Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski said that Durant almost made the team during the last quadrant and that Westbrook stood out during mini-camp last summer.

Krzyzewski said that Durant has progressed in each of the last three summers he spent with USA Basketball, and thinks that part of his development as a player stems from his off-season work.

"We feel he's one of the top 10 players in the NBA and we're really happy to have him in the pool," Krzyzewski said.

About Westbrook, Krzyzewski said, "Westbrook brings an athleticism to the guard spot that you really like and he continues to develop into one of the outstanding guards in the league. He really did a great job in our camp this past summer. It's the first time I've personally been able to watch him in a few days and he was one of the best players at the camp last summer."

Krzyzewski said that it's too early to forecast the type of role Durant could have with the team, but lauded his improvements on the defensive end.

"One, he's a great player and he can score the ball," he said, " but his length on the perimeter gives him an opportunity to really defend some people with length. He brings that length. When you have a guy like that on the perimeter and have big guys at the 4 and 5, he can play even the 2. It gives you a lot of options. Once we figure out next summer who will be on the team, then you start figuring out the roles, but obviously he's just a terrific talent."

The NBA announced today that Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook was named to the NBA's T-Mobile All-Rookie First Team.

Westbrook, the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, was the only Thunder player to appear in all 82 regular-season games last season. The two-time T-Mobile Western Conference Rookie of the Month (December and February) averaged 15.3 points, 5.3 assists and 4.9 rebounds per contest in his first NBA season.

The UCLA product, who finished fourth in T-Mobile Rookie of the Year voting, was the only rookie to record a triple-double this season, posting 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 96-87 win over the Dallas Mavericks on March 2.

 

 

Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose has been named as the NBA's rookie of the year.
     Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook finished fourth in the balloting for the award, which was announced yesterday. Rose became the third Bulls player to win the award, joining Michael Jordan and Elton Brand. He received 111 first-place votes and 574 points from a national panel of sports writers and broadcasters. Runner-up O.J. Mayo of the Memphis Grizzlies received five first-place votes and 127 points. The only other players who received first-place votes were Brook Lopez of the New Jersey Nets and Westbrook. Eric Gordon of the Los Angeles Clippers rounded out the top five.

Nenad Krstic scores a season-high 23 points, rookie Russell Westbrook adds 17 as part of his first career triple double, and the undermanned Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Dallas Mavericks 96-87 despite playing without their two leading scorers. Kevin Durant and Jeff Green were out last night with a sprained ankle and back spasms, respectively, but the Thunder got Krstic's biggest scoring outing since December 2006. Westbrook had the
franchise's first triple-double since an offseason move from Seattle with 10 points and 10 assists. Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas' charge back from a 23-point deficit, and his 3-pointer from the right wing got the Mavericks back within 88-84 with 4:13 to play. Those were the last of his 28 points, and Dallas didn't score again for 4 minutes.