USA - Jeff Green added to Team USA roster
Jeff Green has been added to the Team USA roster as one of five players hand-picked by USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo. Green joins teammates Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who were originally selected to a 27-man roster in mid-February. “It's a good opportunity for me,” Green said Monday. “It's something that I wanted and I got it. I've just got to make the best of it.”
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Jeff Green has been added to the Team USA roster as one of five players hand-picked by USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo.
Green joins teammates Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who were originally selected to a 27-man roster in mid-February.
“It's a good opportunity for me,” Green said Monday. “It's something that I wanted and I got it. I've just got to make the best of it.”
Green is now a candidate to participate in this summer's World Championship games in Turkey and in the 2012 Olympics in London. The entire roster will convene in Las Vegas in July to determine which players make the team that will compete in this summer's games. A second camp is scheduled for August before the team departs for Turkey.
Other additions, which were first reported by AOL Fanhouse, will be Golden State's Stephen Curry, Sacramento's Tyreke Evans, Boston's Rajon Rondo and Detroit's Tayshaun Prince.
Thunder staying loose despite Lakers 1-0 lead
How did Thunder players get over Sunday's 87-79 loss in Game 1 of their first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers?
Approximately four hours after the final buzzer, nearly half the team took a trip to the Laugh Factor, a comedy club on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.
Green, Kevin Durant, Eric Maynor, D.J. White, Kyle Weaver and Kevin Ollie were among the players who spent their evening laughing to the jokes of a handful of television comics.
“It's just us being together,” Green said. “We're in this together. We try to keep our bond as tight as possible. Going to the Laugh Factory was something that we needed to take our minds off the game that we had. It was fun for us, seeing some of the guys that we watch on T.V. go up there and perform. It was a good chance to get away.”
Harden has to produce
Rookie James Harden's sub par performance has gone from being characterized as a slump to having the makings of more important issues that deal more with the loss of confidence.
Harden went scoreless for the first time in his young career in Game 1 against the Lakers, missing all three of his shots while failing to secure a rebound, assist or a steal. He committed four fouls and one turnover in 16 minutes.
“He just has to keep the confidence in himself that he can make shots and try to get some easy buckets, get to the free throw line,” Green said. “He's going to turn it around.”
Could Ibaka see more minutes?
One glaring adjustment Brooks might be forced to make in tonight's Game 2 is playing rookie forward Serge Ibaka more minutes against the Lakers' frontline of Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. Ibaka played only 6 1/2 minutes in the first half but played 15 1/2 minutes in the second half, including 11 minutes, 25 seconds of the fourth quarter, when he proved to be more effective defensively than starting center Nenad Krstic.
“I thought he did a good job,” Brooks said. “We needed to match their length. The Lakers throw so many guys at you...And Serge gives us a guy that we can throw at them that is ass athletic as they are.”
Bynum on Monday had high praise for the rookie from Congo.
“I like his game a lot,” Bynum said. “He's what every team needs. He's a hustle player. He's tough and he comes over to block shots from the weak side...He's got a nice touch from 18 feet and in and he definitely can develop and become a good player in this league.”