USA - Hornets' Chandler to travel with Team USA as No. 1 alternate

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Tyson Chandler might be going to Asia with Team USA after all -- but only as an alternate.

Two sources told ESPN.com on Monday that Chandler has been invited to attend training camp with Team USA in Las Vegas beginning July 21, then travel with the team to Macao and Shanghai for exhibition games.

USA Basketball was awaiting a response from Chandler, who was passed over in favor of Tayshaun Prince when USA Basketball officials decided on their 12-man roster nearly two weeks ago.

The other five alternates will be Shawn Marion, Kevin Durant, Chauncey Billups, Joe Johnson and Mike Miller, ESPN.com has learned.

The thinking behind the decision to invite Chandler along is this: If one of the 12 players gets injured during the pre-Olympic tour, Chandler would already be in place -- present with the team instead of an ocean away, and aware of what they've been working on -- to step in and fill the spot.

The Americans have only three true big men -- Dwight Howard, Carlos Boozer and Chris Bosh -- on the 12-man roster that will be submitted to the USOC on Tuesday, and Howard has been hampered by a hairline fracture of the sternum he sustained during Orlando's second-round playoff loss to Detroit. Howard did not practice with the team during its one-day mini-camp Saturday in Las Vegas, though he says he expects to be fully healthy by the end of July.

The Americans do not have to submit a final roster until FIBA holds a technical committee meeting on Aug. 6 in Beijing, although it is difficult to make a change to the initial 12-man roster unless there is an injury to one of the players that can be verified by a doctor from the International Olympic Committee. But injuries happen, and Team USA's decision to invite Chandler along is a clear indication that he will be the No. 1 alternate heading into the Olympic Games.