Kyrie Irving: Cavaliers Star Makes Right Decision by Spurning Australia for USA

While many may not be aware of it, Cleveland Cavaliers rookie point guard Kyrie Irving was born in Australia. Despite that, he has decided not to play for the land down under at the 2012 London Olympics, and it is the right choice for his long-term prospects.

According to ESPN.com, Irving, who was born in Melbourne where his father played professional basketball, will not compete for Australia this summer. Irving holds dual citizenship within Australia and the United States, and he plans to play for the U.S. in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Although it couldn't have been easy for Irving to pass up the chance to compete in the Olympics, he has lived in the United States for the majority of his life and likely considers himself to be an American. Also, Team USA is the preeminent basketball program in the world, and playing for Australia could shut the door on him ever playing for the red, white and blue.

Since Irving isn't quite good enough to make Team USA yet, he could have decided to play for the Aussies, but he was clearly looking toward the future. Irving is already a star, so provided he is able to stay healthy and continues to progress, he should have no issue making the U.S. squad in 2016.

While Team USA chairman Jerry Colangelo has denied it, Irving said that Mike Krzyzewski would be the head coach once again 2016 for the United States, and that was one of Irving's biggest reasons for declining to play for Australia. Irving played for Coach K in his one year at Duke, and Krzyzewski led the United States to a gold medal in Beijing in 2008.

Whether or not Coach K is the head man for the US in 2016 probably has a lot to do with his performance in London this year. Anything short of another gold medal would probably lead to his ouster, but the United States will obviously be a heavy favorite in London.

Irving's decision is a bit of a gamble in a lot of ways, but you have to respect his loyalty and confidence. Four years from now, Irving figures to be an integral part of Team USA and perhaps even a starter. Playing for the U.S. is a dream for every American basketball player, so you have to admire Irving for pursuing his dream.

With all of that said, Irving would have made the Australians quite formidable in the 2012 Olympics as he and Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut could have formed a dominant inside-out combination. They, along with Spain, may have been the United States' main competition, but Irving ensured that won't be the case.

It probably would have been weird for Irving to play against the United States since he is foremost an American, so that may have played into his decision as well. Ultimately, his choice to commit to Team USA down the line wasn't a huge surprise, but it was a respectable choice.