Anthony Davis Suffers Ankle Injury in Hornets Workout, Olympics in Doubt

Anthony Davis' chances of playing for Team USA in the 2012 London Olympics don't seem so bleak anymore.

UPDATE: Tuesday, July 3 at 10:00 p.m. ET by Sam Quinn

According to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, Davis will join the team in Las Vegas:

"

Despite ankle injury, No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis will report to Team USA training camp in Vegas this week, source tells Y! Sports.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 4, 2012"

Wojnarowski went on to tweet that there are uncertainties regarding how long it will be until Davis is able to return to action, but his sprained ankle isn't as serious as originally thought.

This is huge for the U.S. Olympic team, as the roster is sorely lacking in the height department after Lamar Odom announced that he would not be participating. Chris Bosh, LaMarcus Aldridge and Dwight Howard are all recovering from injuries and will miss the Olympics (h/t USA Today).

Tyson Chandler, Kevin Love and Blake Griffin would have been the only big men on the roster if Davis was unable to compete. 

Stay tuned for more information on Davis' injury.

---END UPDATE---

Anthony Davis has been a professional basketball player for less than a week, but he’s already suffered his first injury.

UPDATE: Monday, July 2 at 1:30 p.m. ET

Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune is reporting that Davis' ankle is "lightly sprained," which is a downgrade from the severe sprain that Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier. 

Team USA chairman Jerry Colangelo chimed in, according to Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated (via The Times-Picayune):

"

Just getting a report that his ankle is serious doesn't mean anything to me until we get an official doctor's report on what that means. Does it mean he can't practice for a week? Does it mean he's out for a month? You know what I'm saying. I don't like to speculate.

"

We'll keep you updated right here as more information becomes available.

------END OF UPDATE-----

According to a report by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 draft has severely sprained his ankle working out with the New Orleans Hornets and will be unlikely to contribute for Team USA in the London Games this summer.

"

Anthony Davis suffered a severely sprained ankle in a Hornets workout and almost assuredly is unable to play for Team USA, sources tell Y!

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 2, 2012"

Considering that Davis did not miss a single game during his freshman season at Kentucky and played 1,281 minutes, this seems like a fluke injury.

Health has never been a concern for the 6'10", 220-pound forward from Chicago, and it’s unlikely this ankle is going to become a serious concern for the hyped rookie going forward.

However, the immediate impact on Team USA is a bit concerning. Davis was one of the finalists for the 12-man roster and could have easily earned a spot with Chris Bosh and Dwight Howard out of contention with their own injuries.

There is going to be a shocking lack of size on the 2012 United States men’s Olympic basketball team, and that may end up causing some unexpected struggles for coach Mike Krzyzewski and the rest of the superstar lineup.

Davis’ injury also hurts his short-term development and ability to build rapport with his team as the Hornets prepare for the upcoming season. It never helps to be on the sideline when teammates are out working and practicing, but that is what Davis will have to do until he is healthy.

It’s a shame Anthony Davis will not have a chance to compete in the Olympics, but hopefully he can rehabilitate his ankle quickly and be fully ready for the 2012-13 NBA season.