Anthony Davis: U.S. Must Find a Spot on Olympic Roster for Likely No. 1 Pick

Anthony Davis belongs on the 2012 U.S. Olympic basketball team. It would be good for him and for the team. 

Davis is on the U.S. roster. However, there are currently 22 players on that roster, and only 12 will be playing in the Olympics. 

Given the experience and accomplishments of the players on this roster, it is not surprising that the man running the team, Jerry Colangelo, is not sold on Davis' chances of making the squad.

Jerry Tipton of Kentucky.com quoted Colangelo as saying Davis is a "long shot" to make the roster "because of inexperience and etc., etc..."  

Colangelo really just mailed in that criticism. Shouldn't the second "etc." have been something specific? You can't go to an "etc." after just listing one thing—and then to have two of them? Whatever they are, they shouldn't keep Davis off the roster. 

Yes, Davis is crazy inexperienced. He is just 19 years old and only played one season of college ball. But who cares? He would be the only player on this roster without a massive pile of experience. That is OK.

His inexperience will not even be noticeable when he is surrounded by these guys. Davis will just be a part of the team, bringing youthful exuberance. Well, that and length and defense. 

Let's take a look at the other bigs on the roster and see how Davis would fit: Tyson Chandler, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love and Lamar Odom. 

My guess is they will keep four out of this group. In 2008, they only had three bigs, but that is a little thin. Remember, this is about finding the best team, not the best players. 

The only player on this list who should be a lock to make the roster is Tyson Chandler. Dwight Howard would be, but his injury issues will likely keep him resting this summer. 

That leaves us with five guys for three, maybe two, spots. Let's just forget about Lamar Odom. He was far too big of a disaster this season to be taken seriously.

Chris Bosh shouldn't get serious contention, either. This team is not going to need a big that likes to hit mid-range jumpers way more than going into the paint.

That should leave the U.S. free to pick Love, Griffin and Davis for the roster. They bring three different skill sets and lots of rebounding, which will benefit the team. 

Along with Chandler, Davis is the only player in this group that will be all too happy to go out and focus on defense and rebounding. Teams need that kind of presence. There are not enough basketballs to go around to use everyone's offensive skills, but you can never have too much defense.