USA - Americans to soon name preliminary squad

NEW YORK (Olympics) - The United States will soon announce their preliminary squad for the London Games and as always, it's going to be a very difficult task.

Nearly everyone wants to play, from the gold-medal winners of 2008 in Beijing to the world champions of 2010.

Blake Griffin, who was still a college player at Oklahoma in 2008 and was not in the 2010 FIBA World Championship squad but has been a huge hit in the NBA, is reportedly going to receive strong consideration for the London Games.

Griffin is in his second season with the Los Angeles Clippers and is now teamed up with Chris Paul, one of the talented point guards in the 2008 gold-medal winning squad.

USA Basketball supremo Jerry Colangelo says there is no shortage of superstars at the disposal of American coach Mike Krzyzewski.

"We have so much talent right now, the pool is extraordinary," Colangelo said.

It's a very different picture to a couple of years ago, when USA Basketball was lining up players for the World Championship in Istanbul.

Because of a myriad of issues, none of the gold-medal winners from Beijing travelled to Turkey.

But those who did went undefeated and staked claims to this year's team.

Among them was Kevin Love of the Minnesota Timberwolves, a versatile big man who has been so good at the start of the lockout-delayed NBA season that he could find himself in the Western Conference All-Star Team.

Love is averaging 26.1 points and 14.9 rebounds.

He has had double-doubles in all eight of Minnesota's games.

At this stage, Love appears to be a near certainty to not just make the preliminary squad, but the Olympic team.

Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant, the MVP of the 2010 FIBA World Championship, is a lock to make the trip to London.

USA Basketball have revealed that the squad will be announced between now and 18 January.

FIBA