New Jersey Nets center Brook Lopez survived a crucial round of cuts for Team USA today. The move leaves him in the Top 15 for the country's squad playing in the FIBA World Championship later this summer.
Although the Nets and their fans want to see Lopez do well, management might cringe at the prospect of Lopez remaining on the team.
Lopez, the soon to be third-year center from Stanford, is in the recovery phase of a battle with mononucleosis.
The illness left the Nets big man gassed in Team USA's training camp and looking weak and out of place in an intra-squad scrimmage on July 24. He only managed two points (and no rebounds) in 13 minutes after starting for the Blue Team.
In addition, Lopez found himself lost on defensive rotations and unable to generate any offensive moves against Tyson Chandler.
While this might be good news for Team USA, Lopez's selection probably isn't the best for him or the Nets organization. With Lopez struggling mightily in both camp and the scrimmage, the best long-term prognosis come the start of the 2010-11 season would have Lopez resting until fully healthy.
Even if recovered, Lopez has a long road of training in front of him, and accelerating that road could theoretically lead to a setback in his progress.
There is still the possibility that Lopez misses out on Team USA because FIBA requires a 12-man roster submission two days before the opening game Aug. 28 against Croatia. Unlikely, however, since Lopez's main competition was JaVale McGee, the versatile Washington big man, who was released.
Chandler and Lopez are the only true centers remaining on the roster. Lamar Odom has rotated to the five, but Mike Krzyzewski and Jerry Colangelo will likely not head into the tournament with only one true center.
McGee's dismissal is somewhat surprising since he opened the intra-squad scrimmage with a burst off the bench, converting his first three field-goal attempts and displaying high energy underneath.
"We really did have some difficult decisions," Colangelo told ESPN.
Lopez still remains on the bubble. Joining him are Eric Gordon, Danny Granger, Rudy Gay, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Love, and Jeff Green. Iguodala and Green are likely safe based on their performances in the scrimmage.
Colangelo told reporters that he didn't know Lopez had mono prior to camp, and that he has a lot to prove before the final cuts are made.
"Brook Lopez, we were not aware of was coming off mono when he came into camp and certainly struggled throughout the camp,'' Colangelo said. "We're giving him the benefit of the doubt. He knows he has an awful lot to show in New York to be under consideration to make this team. But he wanted very much to have that shot and opportunity, and we're willing to do that for him. ... When somebody has that type of attitude, you're going to give them a little bit of rope.''
Tyreke Evans, O.J. Mayo, and Gerald Wallace were also cut from the team earlier today.
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