If USA Basketball had picked more Detroit Pistons, all would have been OK
The Detroit Pistons might have not had a great season in terms of win and losses this past season, but they were at a championship level in terms of the health and safety of the players.
The Pistons did not have a single player have to enter the NBA’s health & safety protocols. They did have several games postponed, but that was due to the opponent having to deal with COVID-19.
Unfortunately, that health streak ended when USA Basketball’s Olympic team got together in Las Vegas for training camp.
Team USA's Jerami Grant has entered health and safety protocols at Team USA camp, sources tell me and @joevardon. Grant has not tested positive for coronavirus. He and Bradley Beal are in protocols in Las Vegas.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 15, 2021
The good news is, it looks like Grant will be able to return to Team USA in time for the Olympics. Bradley Beal is not so lucky, he is done. It has been announced he is off the team.
The USA’s game with Australia scheduled for Friday night was canceled, reportedly at the request of the Aussies, who go by a stricter health protocol.
Related Story. Olympics: Grant and Bey are fine; Team USA not so much. light
If the game with Australia had gone off, Team USA would have had just six players from its Olympic roster available. Nine days before they open up against France, they had literally half a team.
Besides Beal, Kevin Love has also left the team. Officially, it was because he is still recovering from a calf injury that limited him to just 25 games for Cleveland this year. The fact he scored one point in three Team USA games probably made the decision easier.