The hits keep coming for Team USA's 2014 FIBA World Cup team. It would appear that the club will be without yet another world-class player at the tournament, as first reported by ESPN's Marc Stein:
Hearing Kevin Durant is poised to announce his withdrawal from Team USA's World Cup trip to Spain. NOT Paul George related, I'm told
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) August 7, 2014
Durant, I'm told, will cite mental and physical exhaustion when the decision to leave Team USA for this summer is made official
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) August 7, 2014
Durant's withdrawal is now official:
Kevin Durant statement - pic.twitter.com/5gslzSYEHt
— Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) August 7, 2014
Team USA was already without Kevin Love (pending trade), Paul George (awful injury), and a smattering of other key pieces like LaMarcus Aldridge, LeBron James, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard for a variety of reasons.
With Durant pulling out of the tournament, the U.S. national team is down to choosing between Gordon Hayward and Chandler Parsons for its starting small forward spot, or bumping a swingman like James Harden out of position.
Despite all the absences, the American team will still be favored at the tournament, though its path to World Cup gold just got that much steeper.
