One can understand if Paul George may not want to play in the Team USA intrasquad exhibition game in Las Vegas this week. He’s not exactly had positive experiences with that in the past.
Still, George wants the opportunity to make the Team USA roster for the 2016 Rio Olympics, so he was in Las Vegas Tuesday for the opening of Team USA’s mini-camp (players had to show up in Las Vegas to be considered). But he was one-and-done — one day and he was excused from hanging around for the rest of camp, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.Sources told ESPN.com that George attended both a team meeting Monday night as well as a one-on-one sitdown with Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski, thus satisfying a mandate from USAB managing director Jerry Colangelo that any player who wants to be considered for the 2016 Olympic team must show himself in Vegas.
But sources say George -- who was always expected by USAB officials to sit out this week’s two light workouts as well as Thursday night’s intrasquad scrimmage -- was spared the chore of being forced to watch Tuesday’s noncontact session from the sideline and then face the media hordes in attendance.
After his horrific leg fracture a year ago at a Team USA exhibition, George missed almost the entire next NBA season.
He’s a bit of a longshot to make the roster for Rio, if he’s going to make it then it all starts with him looking like his old self this coming season. If he’s defending well on the wing and racking up points efficiently (and showing off a sweet outside stroke) then it’s possible he makes the cut.
But he doesn’t need to hang around Vegas a few extra days to prove anything.