While the NBA Finals are in full swing and the draft is just a couple weeks away, the preparation for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil are also full swing with multiple players from the Chicago Bulls in the running to represent their countries once-every-four-year event.
Today, the news broke that not only is Steph Curry skipping this summer’s marquee sporting event, the 2016 Olympics, but he is being joined by LaMarcus Aldridge of the San Antonio Spurs.
The latest announcement brings the total number of players who were included on the 31-man list of finalists who have since opted out to six. Joining Curry and Aldridge are Anthony Davis, Chris Paul, John Wall, and Blake Griffin. It is worth noting that each of these players are citing very real health reasons for why they are electing to pass on the opportunity to represent USA Basketball this summer.
That should make the job easier for Team USA Director Jerry Colangelo and Head Coach Mike Krzezewski. After those six players removed themselves from selection, there are just 24 players left to choose from with LeBron James yet to make his final decision. If he opts out of consideration and chooses to rest after appearing in his sixth consecutive NBA Finals, that will leave just 23 players to choose from for the final roster and more players from the original pool will make the team than will be told better luck next time.
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Among those in consideration is Chicago’s own Jimmy Butler. Some consider Butler a long shot, but others like Matt Moore of CBSSports believe that Jimmy is much closer to a lock than a miss. As of now, he probably falls into the same category as Kawhi Leonard, though Leonard is a clear lock to make the team.
Butler isn’t the only Bull in the running for Brazil. While Pau Gasol is set to opt out of his deal in Chicago in order to pursue a bigger paycheck after two solid years of stuffing the stat line in the Windy City, he is also prepared to represent Spain in this summer’s Olympics. Or is he?
According to Marc Stein of ESPN, Gasol is wavering in his decision to play in Brazil given the concerns of the conditions in Brazil including the recent rash of Zika virus cases. According to Stein:
"“Spain center Pau Gasol of the Bulls said late last month that he is considering skipping the Rio Olympics due to concerns over the Zika virus, becoming the most prominent NBA player to speak out about the issue thus far.”"
Gasol goes on to explain that he thinks everyone is, or should be, considering the very real possibility of exposure for themselves and their families. When the Olympics arrive in August, it is possible that if both he and Butler are both in Brazil, they will no longer be teammates internationally or domestically. The free agency period opens on July 1, and it is likely that Gasol secures himself a deal before the Olympics if he chooses to play or stay home.
There is no such question mark over the status of Butler, should he be selected. K.C. Johnson confirmed via Twitter that if Butler is selected, he will be going to Brazil.
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Team USA has indicated that if James opts to play in the Olympics, they have already decided their roster. However, if he opts out, they have some “tweaking” to do. The players that seem like a lock to play for Team USA this summer likely includes James, Leonard, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andre Drummond among others.
They will wait to announce the final roster until after the conclusion of the NBA Finals and draft. Hopefully, when the announcement is made, Butler will be representing our Bulls in Brazil.