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Kevin Love 'almost cried' withdrawing from USA Basketball, still in good standing

Gary A. Vasquez / US Presswire

Kevin Love's withdrawal from USA Basketball this summer was abrupt and somewhat unexpected, if not understandable.

With the program expected to have heavy competition for roster spots for the 2016 Olympic team, the question arose as to whether managing director Jerry Colangelo may look more favorably on players who have shown commitment to the program consistently. That would mean Love - sitting out largely due to trade rumors that could see him shipped from Minnesota - would be at a disadvantage over some of the young bigs still in camp.

That's not the case, however. Colangelo himself expressed that Love hasn't lost any "equity" - the word USA Basketball uses to describe goodwill built up with the program - by pulling out.

"Team or teams, trade or no trade, he's in a position where he had to say no and I respect that," Colangelo told USA TODAY Sports. "I mean the guy almost cried on the phone when he told me he couldn't play. He was really down. So can I be upset with him? No, of course not."

Colangelo elaborated that he's not even considering how this summer's withdrawals - those include Russell Westbrook, David Lee and Blake Griffin for medical reasons, LaMarcus Aldridge and Kawhi Leonard for likely contractual reasons, and more - will impact future decisions.

What's probably not in doubt, however, is that those still in camp have an opportunity to impress, build up that "equity," and make a real case for inclusion in 2016. Something tells us the very best team will still be travelling to Rio de Janeiro, though.

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