Colangelo changes tune; Rose in consideration for 2016 Olympics
USA Basketball wrapped their minicamp Thursday - a three-day event managing director Jerry Colangelo was resolute in making mandatory for any player hoping to suit up for the national team in Rio de Janeiro next year.
So, when Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose made himself unavailable for this month's team activities, Colangelo reconfirmed his stance on the camp's compulsory attendance.
"I made it mandatory for anyone to be involved going forward they had to be here," he told the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson on Tuesday. "I have to stand by what I said."
A few days later, however, Colangelo seems to have changed his tune regarding his criteria for 2016 consideration.
"I always said you never shut the door entirely on anyone. I mean, why? To prove what?" Colangelo told reporters Friday at Team USA's Las Vegas camp. "Was I disappointed Derrick (Rose) wasn't here? Sure. Because, we want the best for him. ... We want him to get back to the level that he once was. So let's just see how things go in the future."
This sudden change of heart with regard to Rose's 2016 Olympic eligibility is somewhat surprising considering his staunch ruling last month.
Perhaps not that surprising, in hindsight, since Colangelo already softened his stance with respect to one notable Los Angeles Lakers player.
Related: Paul George excused from Team USA minicamp; Iguodala still in play for Rio
Speaking about the prospect of future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant joining the team next summer, Colangelo mentioned he could see the "Black Mamba" in red, white, and blue one last time - refusing to shut the door on Bryant's potential inclusion on next year's squad despite his absence at last week's USAB function.
"There's a guy who's made great contributions to the game, again, one of the great players of all time. He helped us win the gold medal in Beijing. Trust me, he really did. And so he's entitled to an opportunity."
A roster spot would not be guaranteed to Bryant, though, a fact the 19-year NBA veteran recently acknowledged.
After initially issuing a firm mandate surrounding player commitment to this year's camp, Colangelo seems to be wavering a bit. Nevertheless, he will have his work cut out for him, as he prepares to announce the 2016 roster next June.