USA - Harden, Davis added to list of finalists

NEW YORK (Olympics) - The United States have added Oklahoma City star James Harden and recently crowned NCAA Champion Anthony Davis of the Kentucky Wildcats to their list of finalists for the country’s Olympic squad.

The Americans decided to make the move with five finalists having been ruled out for London.

Chauncey Billups, Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge are injured and unable to play.

Lamar Odom, a co-captain with Billups on the gold-medal winning American team at the 2010 FIBA World Championship, was deactivated by the Dallas Mavericks late in the season and is no longer being considered.

Harden is in the thick of the NBA play-offs with the Thunder, who lead the defending champions Dallas Mavericks 3-0 in the first round after Thursday night’s 95-79 blowout triumph in Game 3.

He said in a statement missed by USA Basketball: “Being named as a finalist for the USA Basketball national team is an unbelievable feeling and an opportunity that is truly humbling.

“It is an honor to be included with such talented players and I look forward to the chance to represent my country this summer.”

As for Davis, who is expected to be the number one pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, he said: “It’s a tremendous honor to be this young and have a chance to represent my country.

“This is a great opportunity and I’m excited to be a part of something like this.”

Jerry Colangelo had resisted adding any names to the roster after four players were lost, but the injury suffered by Rose last weekend, when he tore his ACL while playing against the Philadelphia 76ers, forced the USA Basketball chairman to reconsider.

“After a lot of deliberations, after reviewing our roster, we think these two additions strengthen our national team program immeasurably,” Colangelo said.

“James Harden probably is the sixth man of the year in the NBA, and Anthony Davis brings a dimension to our pool we don’t have.

“He’s young, but it’s exciting to think about the possibilities.”

The USA were on Monday drawn in Group A for the Olympics with France, Argentina, Tunisia and two unknown sides that will come out of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Caracas, Venezuela.

FIBA