Russell Westbrook has decided to pass up the opportunity to play for USA Basketball at the 2014 FIBA World Cup this summer in Barcelona, Spain, according to a report from Yahoo Sports.
The report cites the three surgeries on his right knee that Westbrook has undergone as the primary reason for skipping the team's July mini-camp and the late-August tournament. It also indicated that Westbrook, who played for Team USA in the 2010 world championships and 2012 Olympics, hopes to suit up for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.
This information has also been confirmed by the program:
USA Basketball's Jerry Colangelo confirmed report that Thunder guard Russell Westbrook will miss this summer's FIBA World Championship.
— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) July 8, 2014
It's a big loss for the U.S., to be sure, but Westbrook's replacement could be a name like Steph Curry, Kyrie Irving or Damian Lillard, or even, health-permitting, Derrick Rose. Those aren't exactly bad Plan Bs.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are sure to be relieved by Westbrook's decision, as the fiery point guard missed most of last offseason recovering from two surgeries to repair a torn meniscus, only to later miss two months for a clean-up procedure on the knee. In all, he played just 46 games, averaging a career-low 30.7 minutes.
Westbrook at 100 percent for the start of the season is the endgame here.
