Duncan says no, Shaq maybe to play US Olympic basketball
(China Daily)
Updated: 2006-01-11 06:16

Garnett was concerned the team would lack veteran leadership and lack the enjoyment factor rich NBA players would want to surrender three years in quest of a title no longer certain as it was for the 1992 original "Dream Team".

"Some guys look at it like work," Garnett said. "At least when I went, it was fun. We understood we needed to be respectful, and there were certain times we had to do some stuff.

"But it's about having fun, too. These guys give up their summers and you've got to try to have some fun. This comes off as not that."

Colangelo makes it clear in his talks that the Americans are on a mission to reclaim global basketball supremacy in Beijing.

"I talk about attitude. I tell them how we will conduct practices and who can travel with us," Colangelo said.

"They can have family around when we have training camp in the States. When we embark to Japan for the World Championships and to Beijing for the Olympics, there can be no entourages."

Garnett's answer to Colangelo? "N.O. And I just left it at that."

Duncan, who played on the US team at Athens, might not have liked the fact that 2004 US assistant Gregg Popovich, San Antonio's coach, was snubbed for the 2008 coaching job.

Duke University coach Mike Krzyzewski has been named US coach for the three-year effort, a major change from past selection committees after many top players said yes to playing in Athens but then backed out for personal reasons.

Colangelo hopes to announce his roster in the next couple of months, the 20 being trimmed to 12 for the world championships but with the notion that a different dozen might play in 2007 or 2008. He also wants to have a group of young players to serve as practice foes for the Olympians, a unit including such players as high school prodigy Greg Oden who might form the core of future US Olympic squads.

(China Daily 01/11/2006 page16)