LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Training for the Olympics, college
football and the 2013 NBA Draft:
No Dwyane Wade. No Chris Bosh.
The more defections announced from the U.S. men's Olympic
basketball team, the more you have to believe that Anthony Davis (Kentucky) and
Eric Gordon (Indiana) will be members of coach Mike Krzyzewski's team.
Bosh, the Miami Heat forward, was the latest to scratch
London from his summer itinerary. Bosh needs time to recover from the strained
abdominal muscle that limited his play during the NBA playoffs.
The decision by Bosh follows a similar move by Wade, his
Miami teammate, who needs surgery on a bad knee. LaMarcus Aldridge, Dwight
Howard, Derrick Rose and Chauncey Billups have already withdrawn from the team,
which will be selected on July 7 after several days of tryouts in Las Vegas.
There are 16 candidates for a dozen spots.
Davis is competing with Tyson Chandler, Lamar Odom, Kevin
Love, Blake Griffin, Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James for frontcourt time.
Gordon, who left IU after one season in 2008, is competing
against James Harden of Oklahoma City and Kobe Bryant of the Lakers at shooting
guard.
*Credit John Calipari with another assist. According to K.C.
Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, Calipari talked with Bulls manager Gar Forman
on Thursday afternoon and assured Forman that Marquis Teague was ready to play
defense in the NBA as a rookie.
The Bulls did not invite Teague to Chicago for a workout
before drafting him so Forman needed an endorsement from Calipari. He got it.
*Another local athlete won't have to wait until July 7 to
secure his spot on the Olympic team – former St. Xavier star Clark Burckle took
care of his situation Friday night at the U.S. Olympic Swimming and Diving
Trials in Omaha, Neb.
Burckle made the U.S. team in the 200-meter breaststroke –
by .08 second.
Burckle, who won an NCAA championship in the 200
breaststroke at the University of Arizona, looked like a beaten man with 30
meters to go. He looked beaten with 15 meters to go. And with five meters to
go.
Burckle wasn't ready to lose. He surged at the wall and made
the team, following his sister, Caroline, who won a bronze medal in 2008 in
Beijing.
"Right now I'm just in shock," Burckle said during a
post-race interview with NBC. "I looked up at the (timing) board and thought I
was in fourth. I couldn't really see. I was disoriented. I'm just so proud to be part of what my
sister did."
*It's never too early to discuss the next NBA Draft.
Kentucky figures to have another string of guys primed to shake the hand of
commissioner David Stern. But the Wildcats won't be the only local program with
an eye on the draft.
For Kentucky, incoming freshmen Nerlens Noel, Alex Poythress
and Archie Goodwin all project as potential first-round picks. Transfer Ryan Harrow, who sat out last season,
figures to draw interest at point guard.
Sophomore Wayne Blackshear is getting the most love from
Louisville, but scouts will also be studying Peyton Siva, Gorgui Dieng and
Chane Behanan.
For Indiana, Cody Zeller figures to be a top five selection,
although he will only be a sophomore and remember that his brother, Tyler,
stayed four seasons at North Carolina. Christian Watford and Victor Oladipo
have a chance to play their way into consideration.
And don't forget Murray State. Racers' guard Isaiah Canaan
is undersized, but risky to ignore.
*I'm not going to ignore football. The annual three-day
Southeastern Conference three-day media session to celebrate – and publicize –
the start of the 2012 college football season is set for July 17-19 at the
Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham, Ala.
Which three players will promote the University of Kentucky?
Center Matt Smith, defensive end Collins Ukwu and offensive
tackle Larry Warford.
The most-recognized names on the invite list are Alabama
offensive lineman Barrett Jones, Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson, Auburn
defensive end Corey Lemonier, Georgia receiver Tavarres King, Louisiana State
quarterback Zach Mettenberger, Tennessee quarterback Tyler Bray and Vanderbilt
quarterback Jordan Rodgers.
Copyright 2012 WDRB News. All rights reserved.
Anthony Davis and Eric Gordon are two of 16 players trying to earn one of a dozen Olympic basketball spots.
