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USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said not to call it a "tryout camp," but there's a good chance some of the spots on the Olympic team could be settled on the court.
On a day USA Basketball added Oklahoma City guard James Harden and University of Kentucky center Anthony Davis to an injury-depleted group of Olympic finalists, Colangelo told FOX Sports Florida on Thursday he's optimistic the deadline for when the final 12-man roster is named will be pushed back to as late as the second week in July. Players will meet in Las Vegas for a camp July 5-12.
"We're requesting additional time, and I think it will be honored, sometime in the middle of that week (of the camp)," said Colangelo, who initially had believed the latest the team could be named would be June 18, more than a month before the Olympics start July 27 in London. "We want as much time as we can in order to select the team, with all the injuries etc., and the (NBA) Finals don't end until (as late as June 26)."
Asked why he's so optimistic about the deadline being extended, Colangelo said from his Phoenix office, "A wind blew down from Colorado Springs (home of USA Basketball and the US Olympic Committee) that said they're thinking very positively" of that.
An extension could help the chances of a young player such as Davis, expected to be the top pick in the June 28 NBA Draft, making the team. USA Basketball might get to look at him for a few days in Las Vegas before making a call on the final roster. While Colangelo said not to call it a "tryout camp," he said the final roster certainly could be impacted if the extension is granted and a player shines in the early days of camp.
"You can build a case for spots legitimately up for grabs," Colangelo said.
The additions of Davis and Harden came after injuries had knocked Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose, Chauncey Billups and LaMarcus Aldridge out of Olympic consideration, reducing the 20 finalists to 16. With the list now at 18, Colangelo said all will be invited to Las Vegas and there will be no further additions. So from that list will come the 12 Olympians and six alternates.
A source had told FOX Sports Florida last month that Lamar Odom had been eliminated from Olympic consideration because of his poor season and being made inactive by Dallas. However, Colangelo said Odom since has called USA Basketball to say he has been working out and wanted a chance to stay in the Olympic mix.
"He reached out and said he still wanted an opportunity to compete in camp and give it an effort to try to make the team, and he feels he has something to prove," Colangelo said. "He had a year to forget (with the Mavericks), but he does have equity (with USA Basketball at the 2004 Olympics and 2010 world championships)."
Regardless, it's unlikely Odom will make the team.
As for Harden, who can provide outside shooting, and Davis, the NCAA player of the year as a freshman at Kentucky, USA Basketball wouldn't have selected them if they didn't have a chance to make the final roster.
"Harden had an outstanding year. And he's probably going to be (NBA) sixth man of the year, and he's a very good team player," Colangelo said. "Davis is a very unique individual and I compare him to Kevin Durant, not as a type of player but the same circumstances.
"After his freshman year at Texas, Durant was invited to our camp and nearly made the team (competing in the Olympic qualifying tournament camp in 2007 but not making the team for 2008). With his shot-blocking and rebounding and a guy who can shoot the ball, there's a lot of reasons to give Davis a shot even though he's young and experienced."
Colangelo said USA Basketball also gave strong consideration to Utah big man Al Jefferson as a finalist but it was ultimately decided to not go in that direction.
For the 2014 world championships and 2016 Olympics, Colangelo said Harden and Davis give USA Basketball a "couple of young players in the pipeline." FIBA is changing the name of the world championships to the World Cup of Basketball for the 2014 event in Spain.
In another effort that involves looking toward the future, USA Basketball is in the process of choosing a roster of players for a select team that will practice against the Olympic finalists in Las Vegas. Colangelo said Cleveland guard Kyrie Irving, Washington guard John Wall and Sacramento center DeMarcus Cousins already are assured of spots and that Detroit big man Greg Monroe also is under consideration. He said he has a total of 18 names that are being pondered for the select team, and he isn't sure when the team will be announced.
As for the Olympic finalists, one reason Colangelo said there will be no additions after 18 is that players must be put in a pool for drug testing well before the Olympics.
The finalists will conclude their Las Vegas camp with an exhibition game July 12 against the Dominican Republic. In a perfect world, Colangelo would love to be able to name the final Olympic roster after that game.
When asked the latest date he would like to see USA Basketball have, he quipped, "What day do the Olympics start?"
In addition to Davis, Harden and Odom, the other 15 finalists, all named in January, are 2008 Olympic holdovers LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul and Deron Williams as well as Durant, Blake Griffin, Russell Westbrook, Eric Gordon, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Love, Tyson Chandler and Rudy Gay.
Chris Tomasson can be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com or on Twitter @christomasson
