Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony couldn’t recall the last time he tried out for a team. But such will be the case for Anthony, Chauncey Billups, 19 other NBA stars and two college players announced Sunday as members of USA Basketball’s men’s program over the next three years.
USA must choose 12 players for the 2006 World Championships in Japan, possibly an Olympic qualifying tournament in 2007, and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. A training camp in mid-July in Las Vegas will help determine the roster for the World Championships (Aug. 19-Sept. 3).
“I’m excited,” Anthony said. “It was kind of up in the air the last couple of weeks. But to have it official, I’m excited and happy to be a part of it, and I will go out to Vegas and try out for the team. We’ll see what happens.
“Obviously, they see something they probably can use. … It’s not a guarantee. I’ve still got to go make the team, try out and see what happens from there.”
Anthony is seventh in the NBA in scoring, averaging 26 points. Team USA, however, is looking for versatile team players, not individuals. Aiding Anthony’s cause: his USA Basketball experience, he can play small forward and power forward, and his college coach, Jim Boeheim of Syracuse, is an assistant on coach Mike Krzyzewski’s staff.
“I love Carmelo,” Krzyzewski, the legendary Duke coach, said in a media teleconference. “This year you’ve seen him elevate his game. He’s put up great numbers. I like his versatility.”
Said Anthony: “All I can say is, wow, for a guy like Coach K to say something about myself. That’s going to motivate me to go out there and prove to them that whatever they’re saying is right.”
Anthony played for USA Basketball in the 2004 Olympics after his NBA rookie season. But it wasn’t a memorable experience. He played sparingly, got in a war of words with coach Larry Brown and finished with a bronze medal.
The 2004 Olympic roster included several young players: Anthony, LeBron James, Amare Stoudemire, Dwyane Wade and Emeka Okafor. While all but Okafor were invited back, USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo believes the young players weren’t ready. Anthony agreed and acknowledged it was the most pressure he has ever felt playing basketball.
“If you recall, some players were there by default because some players dropped out,” Colangelo said in the media teleconference. “In retrospect, it would have been better if he had not been there. On the other side of the coin, having gone through that experience, he’s going to be better for it, so that this time around he’s already been there.”
Billups will not play in Japan because his wife, Piper, is pregnant. The Detroit Pistons guard and Denver native will take part in training camp. Krzyzewski called him the “consummate point guard.”
“He makes hard passes easy. He runs the team. He knows time and score. He feels the nuances of the game and he can shoot,” Krzyzewski said. “When you’re playing against zones, he can pass well and he’s a threat from up there. He can flat-out shoot it. And in end of game situations, he’s as good of a free-throw shooter as there is. And he can play defense.
“When you’re looking at the whole thing, he’s the guy.”
Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-820-5449 or mspears@denverpost.com.
