Team USA Basketball: Will Eric Gordon Win Final Spot Over Stephen Curry?

With the final roster cuts looming, a few players should be worried for Team USA. Some you wouldn’t even expect, largely due to how the Media has covered up their struggles. Underachievers like Derrick Rose, Kevin Love, and Danny Granger will not be be sent home due to their poor showings through the first three games.

Yes basketball fans. Thanks to the politics of basketball, the bigger name players on the club are safe from scrutiny and losing their roster positions.

Even NBA poster boy Kevin Durant is one of those who haven’t lived up to all the hype. He’s currently one of four players on the team shooting below 40 percent from the field. The other three are the three previous mentioned players.

Yet somehow all four of these players are considered locks to survive the final roster cuts.

That leaves just three players to battle for the final spot. They are Russel Westbrook, Eric Gordon, and Stephen Curry.

Russell Westbrook has been a top five performer thus far. Clearly out playing all the point guards thus far, he appears to all but have solidified himself on the team. It doesn’t hurt that along with Rudy Gay, he managed to propel the team over Lithuania…the two sparked a 19 point run that was the key reason to  the team winning.

That means Eric Gordon and Stephen Curry will fight it out, so to speak. Not many are surprised, as it was expected that it might come down to one of these players.

Eric Gordon has been solid all around. Many fans aren’t aware of him and even fewer expected him to play well. He has been a pleasant surprise and is the team second leader in steals (4)…even though he’s played the fifth fewest minutes. He’s managed to shoot 46 percent (6/13) from the field and 43 percent (3-7) from deep. He’s only second to Chauncey Billups in three pointers made and his percentage is good for first on the team.

Stephen Curry has been limited by an injured ankle. Before the injury, he was considered a strong favorite to make the team because of his outside shooting and ability to handle the ball. He’s managed to still shoot 44 percent (4-9) from the field and 33 percent (1-3) from deep. However, those numbers have generally been achieved after the Team USA had already secured the victory.

With Team USA all ready being undersized it’s likely they might be inclined to take Gordon over Curry even if he had been out played. But it looks like Stephen Curry is the odd man out from a production stand point between the two.

However, a case could be made for why Curry should get the nod over Derrick Rose.

Rose has played 26 minutes, shot 25 percent (2-8) from the floor, has six assist, and has tallied four turnovers. The coaches have not been pleased with his team or individual defense. Yet he makes the team because of who he is.

I can go on and on about why and how that isn’t fair for the fans or the players involved. But that’s a topic for another day and time.

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