Mason Plumlee: Duke, Nike not part of Team USA spot (Video)

Brooklyn Nets center Mason Plumlee was polite, but not pleased, with a question he took from a reporter after Team USA’s 114-55 demolition of Finland Saturday in the first day of action at the FIBA World Cup in Spain.

Plumlee was asked about criticisms that his spot on the team was because of his connections with Duke basketball (where he played for Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski) and having an endorsement deal with Nike (which runs the entire sporting universe).

Plumlee played 12 minutes against Finland, scoring six points, with three steals and one rebound and was 3-for-4 from the floor.

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The 22nd overall pick in the 2013 draft by the Nets, Plumlee had a solid rookie season in Brooklyn, averaging 7.4 points and 4.4 boards in 18.2 minutes per game, shooting .659/0-for-3/.626 and starting 22 of the 70 games in which he played.

He was a first-team All-Rookie selection and received two first-place votes and finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year balloting.

He’s 6-foot-10, he can run and jump, he doesn’t need to score to be happy on the floor and on Team USA, what else do they really need out of a center?

It probably doesn’t hurt that he played for Krzyzewski at Duke, but Coach K doesn’t seem to be the sort of coach who lets sentimentality dominate his roster decisions.

The kid had a player efficiency rating of 19.0 (NBA average is 15), and he gave the Nets just about the only inside defensive presence they had after Brook Lopez went down with a foot injury.

DeMarcus Cousins is on the roster. So is Andre Drummond. Is there another American center that immediately jumps to mind as a glaring omission from the team?

After all, Kelly Olynyk is Canadian.

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Mason Plumlee: Duke, Nike not connected to Team USA spot (Video)

By Phil Watson | Aug 31, 2014