Rajon Rondo Leaves US Basketball Team

By John in Celtics, Featured ⋅ August 25, 2010 at 4:03pm ⋅ Post a comment

Rajon Rondo drives past Derrick Rose during a scrimmage. (AP File Photo)

After not playing due to a coach’s decision against Spain, Rajon Rondo has withdrawn from the American team. Some have said the reasons were that Rondo wasn’t shooting well enough for Coach Mike Krzyzewski (try spelling that three times fast), and others say Rondo needed to spend more time with his family following the passing of his uncle. According to Rondo himself,

“I think I’m on the bubble. Just looking at the obvious, I got a DNP last game; that pretty much speaks for itself. It’s what’s best for the country. We knew coming in it was still tryouts until we make the team that goes to Turkey.”

In that DNP against Spain, new backcourt combinations were tested for the shooting-heavy strategy of Team USA without Rondo. And Rondo only missed the one day to attend his uncle’s funeral, not even enough for a bereavement list stay.

Next Up

If nothing else, Rondo will be able to focus on preparing for the 2010-2011 Boston Celtics. He gets to be back home and forget about the FIBA rules and remind himself of NBA rules. If Rondo is still in the grieving process, then this is a great opportunity to distract himself by re-integrating himself with the Celtics and developing chemistry with Shaq and the other new teammates. Overall, it just wasn’t meant to be with Rondo’s usual strategies conflicting with those of Team USA. Besides, even if Rondo had stayed on the team, it probably wouldn’t have made too much of a difference next season anyway.

And with Rondo’s departure, the Team USA roster has been finalized. Check below for the final roster and schedule:

Member	Position	NBA Team
Chauncey Billups	G	Nuggets
Tyson Chandler	C	Mavericks
Stephen Curry	G	Warriors
Kevin Durant	G	Thunder
Rudy Gay	F	Grizzlies
Eric Gordon	G	Clippers
Danny Granger	F	Pacers
Andre Iguodala	G/F	76ers
Kevin Love	F	Timberwolves
Lamar Odom	F	Lakers
Derrick Rose	G	Bulls
Russell Westbrook	G	Thunder

Date	Opponent	Time (EST)	Network
8/28	Croatia	12:00pm	ESPN Classic
8/29	Slovenia	9:30am	ESPN 2
8/30	Brazil	2:30pm	ESPN
9/1	Iran	12:00pm	ESPN
9/2	Tunisia	9:30am	ESPN 2

The top four teams in each of the four groups (of six) moves on to the knockout rounds, beginning on September 4-7. Be sure to tune in and root for the good guys.

Tags: Rajon Rondo, USA Basketball