Team USA Cuts John Wall, Bradley Beal, and Paul Millsap
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! and Fox Sports, The US Men’s National Team has made a few cuts to the roster in preparation for the 2014 FIBA World Cup–John Wall and Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards and Paul Millsap of the Atlanta Hawks.
USA Basketball cut Washington's John Wall, Bradley Beal and Atlanta's Paul Millsap today, sources told Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 4, 2014
Coming off an excellent year, John Wall seemed to be an excellent fit with Team USA. Despite his inability to spread the floor (great coaching could hide this–high Coach K), Wall is one of the best set-up men in the NBA. Surrounded by a bundle of shooters, Wall’s biggest skillset could’ve been enhanced. And unlike the remainding point guards on the roster (Curry, Irving, Rose, Lillard), Wall is a consistent defender. With Team USA struggling to find a rim protector outside of Anthony Davis, Wall’s perimeter defense could’ve come up big in crunch time moments.
Bradley Beal and Paul Millsap cuts were more-so expected. Due to depth at the wing position and the ability of Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, and Derrick Rose to play both on- and off-ball, Beal ultimately became expendable. And while, on paper, Paul Millsap’s skills fit what Team USA was looking for, Jerry Colangelo looks to opt for a small-ball rotation, using Kevin Durant and Chandler Parsons at power forward to spread the floor and force the opposite into tough decisions defensively.
With Wall, Beal, and Millsap out of the picture, the roster is down to 15.