Basketball Blog

Portland Trail Blazers forward/center LaMarcus Aldridge and Golden State Warriors guard Monta Ellis have withdrawn from participating on the recently announced USA Basketball Men’s Select Team. The Select Team was chosen to help prepare the 2007 USA Senior National Team for the Aug. 22-Sept. 3 FIBA Americas Championship that is being held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Aldridge and Ellis withdrew as precautionary measures. Aldridge will not play after experiencing soreness in his left heel, while Ellis withdrew because of a strained back.

Players expected to participate on the USA Select Team include: Aaron Brooks (Houston Rockets); Channing Frye (Portland Trail Blazers); Jeff Green (Seattle SuperSonics); Devin Harris (Dallas Mavericks); Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers); Al Jefferson (Minnesota Timberwolves); Jason Kapono (Toronto Raptors); and David Lee (New York Knicks).

Seattle SuperSonics head coach P.J. Carlesimo, who served as an assistant with the 1992 U.S. Olympic “Dream Team” and who has been a head or assistant coach of five other USA Basketball teams, will serve as head coach of the USA Select Team and will be assisted by Toronto Raptors assistant coach Jay Triano.

The select squad will begin training Aug. 14 in Las Vegas and is expected to scrimmage daily against the USA Senior National Team between Aug.15-20.

The USA Senior National Team’s Aug 15-21 training camp will be utilized to determine the

12-member USA squad that will compete Aug. 22-Sept. 2 in the FIBA Americas Championship 2007. Rosters for the FIBA Americas Championship must be submitted to FIBA Americas on July 21.

The FIBA Americas Championship, featuring 10 men’s national teams, is one of five FIBA Olympic qualifying zone tournaments and will determine the two men’s teams from the Americas zone who will earn a qualification spot for the 2008 Olympic Games that are being held Aug. 8-24 in Beijing, China.