LAS VEGAS: Minnesota Timberwolves’ star forward Kevin Love, being sought in trade deals by several NBA clubs, will not play for the United States in this year’s Basketball World Cup.
USA Basketball announced yesterday in a statement that Love, a member of the 2012 London Olympic gold-medal US team, will not participate in the world squad’s training camp that opens tomorrow in Las Vegas “because of his current status.”
That status is very uncertain of where he will play next season and not playing for the Americans reduces the chances of an injury that might scuttle a potential deal for the Timberwolves, who finished 40-42 last season and missed the NBA play-offs despite Love averaging 26.1 points, 12.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists a game.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, fresh off landing four-time NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James and signing guard Kyrie Irving to a long-term deal, want to make a deal for Love to provide a new “Big Three” for James as he tries to bring the Cavaliers their first NBA title and Cleveland its first major sports champion in half a century.
But it might be weeks before a deal is completed, especially considering 2014 top NBA draft pick Andrew Wiggins’ new deal with Cleveland precludes him being traded for another month and he would almost certainly be part of any package pitched to Minnesota in a deal for Love.
For the Americans, losing a star big man is a huge deal as the five-day camp will start the roster trimming process ahead of the FIBA World Cup, a 24-team event from August 30 to September 14 in Spain. Among the US team hopefuls, only centers Andre Drummond of Detroit and DeMarcus Cousins of Sacramento can match Love’s size.
“The fact is we can only look to the players we have available. Our job is to get the job done with our very, very deep roster, and we’re anxious to get things started,” said USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo.
Others up for the US world squad include NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant, Houston guard James Harden and New Orleans playmaker Anthony Davis -- all team-mates of Love on the US 2012 London Olympic winning squad.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers declined to comment on reports they had offered Byron Scott their head coaching job from the next season. .
Scott won three NBA titles as the Lakers’ starting shooting guard in the 1980s. He played in the NBA for 14 seasons, including 11 with the Lakers.
As a coach, Scott led the then-New Jersey Nets to the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003.
He has also coached the New Orleans Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers, earning league Coach of the Year honors in the 2007-2008 season in New Orleans.
The Lakers have been searching for the coach since the resignation of Mike D’Antoni this April.
April resignation of Mike D’Antoni, after one of the worst seasons in the club’s history.
D’Antoni’s departure came less than 18 months after the Lakers brought him in to take the place of Mike Brown early in the 2012-13 campaign.
The Lakers under D’Antoni’s went a total 67-87, including a 27-55 mark in the 2013-14 season with injured superstar Kobe Bryant missing all but six games.
Their .329 winning percentage was the second-lowest in the Western Conference and the Lakers’ worst since the 1957-58 Minneapolis Lakers went 19-53 (.264).AFP
