USA Olympic Basketball Team Roster 2012: First Glimpse at Preliminary Roster

The 2012 London Olympics are seven months away and the anticipation for the US men’s basketball team is growing by the day.

Early Tuesday, the preliminary 19-man roster was released. From Sheridan Hoops:

• LaMarcus Aldridge, F
• Carmelo Anthony, F
• Chauncey Billups, G
• Chris Bosh, F
• Kobe Bryant, G

• Tyson Chandler, C
• Kevin Durant, F
• Eric Gordon, G
• Blake Griffin, F
• Dwight Howard, C
• Andre Iguodala, G
• LeBron James, F
• Kevin Love, F
• Lamar Odom, F
• Chris Paul, G
• Derrick Rose, G

• Dwyane Wade, G
• Russell Westbrook, G
• Deron Williams, G

Now that’s a roster!

Obviously LeBron, CP3 and ‘Melo are going to make the team, but who won’t make the cut? With only 12 spots available, seven players are going to be sent home. Here are four players destined to be watching the London games on TV, with the rest of us, this August.

LaMarcus Aldridge

He was the last invitee to the camp and that’s all you need to know. While he’s a star player in Portland, he isn’t going to get the nod over Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard and Kevin Love.

Lamar Odom

The reality star has been miserable with the Dallas Mavericks.

He is averaging a mere 6.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and one assist while shooting a horrific 29 percent. He has seemingly already lost interest in the season and is a mess mentally.

While his versatility would certainly help, he just doesn’t have the top-notch skills at the age of 32 that so many younger players on the roster do.

Andre Iguodala

Another player that dominates for his team, but remember there are 30 of them in the league. He is an athletic wing that can run the floor extremely well, but his questionable shot-making abilities are not ideal when you have CP3 and Deron Williams giving you the ball wide open beyond the arc.

Iggie is a borderline All-Star, not an Olympian.

Blake Griffin

Griffin is a bit too flashy for the Olympics. His top 10 worthy dunks aren’t going to translate against European competition, which clogs the lane and forces you out of the paint.

Couple that with the less-than-stellar defensive skills of Griffin and you have a player that doesn't have a game suited for the unique style of Olympic play.