The USMNT and Gregg Popovich in Serious Trouble After Several Withdrawals

The USA basketball team is facing a huge problem, as several of their very best players decided to skip the upcoming World Cup in China. This Monday, three guys decided to withdraw from the squad – Zion Williamson, Bradley Beal, and Tobias Harris.

Gregg Popovich will be in serious trouble. The San Antonio Spurs’ mentor is facing one of the biggest challenges in his professional career, in the least expected position. The head coach of the USMNT usually doesn’t have to worry about his roster before some big international tournament. But in this case, the situation is totally different. After Anthony Davis, James Harden and CJ McCollum decided to skip the World Cup; several other big names also abandoned that ship. The latest ones today.

.@tobias31 will continue to focus on preparing for the upcoming #Sixers season and as such, will not participate with USA Basketball this summer.

— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) July 22, 2019

Jerry Colangelo, the USA managing director, announced earlier that Zion Williamson, the No.1 pick in this year’s draft wants to focus on his rookie season and avoid potential injuries. Bradley Beal decided to be there when his wife gives birth to a child, while Tobias Harris desires to be with the 76ers and prepare for the next challenges.

The latter two might have different motives behind their decisions. After announcing the withdrawal from the USMNT, news broke out that Beal is on the verge of getting a $111 million extension for the next three years. That is a lot of money, and nobody wants to risk it. The same applies to Tobias Harris, who signed a five-year deal with Philly for $180 million.

Still, Colangelo isn’t worried at all.

“We are blessed with a lot of talent, a lot of talent in the NBA,” he said. “There is no panic. It may be more challenging, but we will be able to field a very competitive team.”

What frightens many fans is the fact that Damian Lillard and Kevin Love still haven’t confirmed their participation in China. Two guys who have are Kemba Walker and Khris Middleton.

According to the latest information, several other players were contacted to jump in as replacements. Two of them will be from the Boston Celtics, Marcus Smart, and Jaylen Brown, alongside D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, and Aaron Gordon.

The other names on the roster at the moment are: Kyle Lowry who will probably skip the WC because of his recent surgery, Donovan Mitchell, and Jason Tatum at the guard position. Paul Millsap, Harrison Barnes, Kyle Kuzma, and PJ Tucker as forwards and Andre Drummond, Myles Turner and Brook Lopez as centers.

Lowry recently underwent a thumb procedure and it’s possible another vet or two could still drop out. So this squad of 14 is surely going to need some reinforcements — along with our usual disclaimer than no other hoops-playing country will ever shed one tear for @usabasketball https://t.co/bGJogLGna3

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 22, 2019

There is still a possibility for more cancelations, which leaves the American team in danger of being dethroned. One of the biggest problems could be the new roster with athletes who never played together. Then again, Colangelo said that it wouldn’t be a first time for team USA to face such challenges.

“History would indicate this is nothing new, this is part of our process,” said Colangelo.

The World Cup in China starts on September 1 and ends two weeks later. It is a qualification tournament for the Olympic Games scheduled for Tokyo in 2020. A lot of other sides are coming with their best squads, among them Serbia, Canada, Australia, and many more.

For instance, Serbia will have all of their five NBA players, led by Nikola Jokic, who is the All-NBA first team. Canada will have Nick Nurse, the reigning champion, as their coach, while Giannis Antetokounmpo the MVP confirmed his appearance for the Greek national team.

For sure, this is going to be a very interesting tournament, and one hell of a challenge for Gregg Popovich who now has to change the entire philosophy of play.