Harden has had a breakout year and great start to the playoffs so it wasn’t a surprise to see his name added to the list. It still seemed like a long shot for Harden to make the team though.

Dwyane Wade has recently said that he isn’t 100 percent sure he will be playing.

“I told them, I said, listen, I’m just going to see how I feel,” Wade said last week. “This is about being healthy — I think, for all of us, going into the summer healthy — and taking it from there.”

Wade said earlier this year that he believed players should be paid for participating in the Olympics but then took back that statement the next day.

Wade and Kobe Bryant were initially the two shooting guards that seemed certain to make the team. If Wade and also Rose are out then those are two guard spots now open for Harden to possibly fill.

There’s a good chance though that three point guards would make the team. Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Russell Westbrook all will likely make the final roster. Kobe would be the fourth guard.

If they go with a fifth guard it would likely come down to Harden or Eric Gordon. Gordon was hurt for most of the year so maybe that could play a role in Harden being selected instead.

Team USA could also just keep four guards and probably be all right and concentrate on adding more big men since that is more of a thin spot for the roster.

One thing is for sure though if Harden has a few more games like he did in Game 4 vs. Dallas then Team USA will have a hard time passing on him.

Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

Team USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo announced today that Oklahoma City Thunder guard James Harden and future first overall pick Anthony Davis will be added to the USA Men’s Basketball National Team finalist roster.

It was announced earlier this week that Colangelo was going to add more players to the finalist rosters in lieu of recent injuries to four players on the initial list including Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard.

Davis was initially rumored to be among the players considered to be added to the list but it wasn’t until today that Harden’s name came up.

Harden and Davis won’t necessarily make the team but I think both could be very useful additions.

“Being named as a finalist for the USA Basketball National Team is an unbelievable feeling and an opportunity that is truly humbling. It is an honor to be included with such talented players and I look forward to the chance to represent my country this summer,” said Harden.

Harden brings great perimeter shooting, pick-and-roll offense and a high basketball IQ which are all things that are even more valuable in the international game than the NBA game sometimes.

Davis is thin but that won’t be as big of an issue in the Olympics than it will be in the NBA and his shot blocking skills are probably better than any other player on the finalist roster.

Oklahoma City Thunder stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are already on the finalist roster and both should make the team. Durant and Westbrook were also both a big part of the 2010 World Championships team.

With the need to add another three-point threat, Harden could easily become the third Thunder player to make the final roster. His greatest competition will likely be Eric Gordon.

With the recent injuries to stars like Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard, USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo has decided to consider adding more players to the list of finalists that will eventually determine who makes the team.

Harden has come on as a top-5 shooting guard in the NBA this season with a PER behind only Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade.

Harden’s game is one that would readily translate to success in the FIBA World. Harden is a great three-point shooter and a player that understands very well how to attack zones.

One area that Team USA may be lacking is perimeter shooting and a player like Eric Gordon always seemed like a good fit for the team. But since Gordon was injured this year it is possible that Harden could make the team in place of him in that role.

Harden would join Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook who are likely going to make the team. Only the Miami Heat would possibly send three players to the Olympics this year.

USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said Tuesday that he will likely be adding one or two players to the list of finalists for Team USA this summer.

This was obviously in light of the recent injuries to players like Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose who were initially thought to be playing for Team USA in the 2012 Olympics in London this summer.

Twenty finalists were announced in January. Howard and Rose were of course on that list and thought to be the projected starting point guard and center of the team.

Chauncey Billups and LaMarcus Aldridge were also on that list and have since gone down with season-ending injuries.

It’s big men that are likely to be added to the new list. DeMarcus Cousins, Greg Monroe and potential number-one overall pick Anthony Davis are the names being considered right now.

The loss of Rose as the point guard isn’t a big hit since the roster can likely now include Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook and Deron Williams.

Other than Howard, the only other likely bigs that would make the team were going to be Chris Bosh, Tyson Chandler, Kevin Love and maybe Blake Griffin.

My dream is to see Team USA play no bigs and go with a lineup that consists of no point guards either. Imagine five-man lineups consisting of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony.

It might not be the best thing but how fun would it be to see that?

My picks for the final 12-man roster now look like this: LeBron, Durant, Kobe, Wade, Anthony, Paul, Westbrook, Love, Bosh, Chandler, Iguodala and Williams.

ibtimes.com

The new Team USA Basketball uniforms were unveiled yesterday. Nike will sponsor the team for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

The uniforms are utlizing Nike’s newest “light” technology and should feel like next to nothing for the players.

In the photo above Thunder forward Kevin Durant is pictured on the far right along with Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Deron Williams.

Durant was the lone “superstar” on the Team USA squad that won the World Championships two years ago and will be joined by many other superstars from the 2008 Olympics this coming Summer for the 2012 Games.

The team has been heralded as possibly the greatest basketball team ever put together, even greater than the 1992 Dream Team. Durant will certainly be a big piece of that as he will most definitely be one of the starting forwards.

Durant’s game is perfect for international play with his ability to raise up and shoot over almost any defender as a lot of international teams will play zone and the three-point line is closer in.

The projected starting lineup for the team looks something like this: Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Dwight Howard. Good luck world.

Although I am most excited for the potential lineup of: Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard. Imagine that team on defense in a halfcourt press just switching everything and running like crazy on offense.

I’m a little down on some of the older stars participating in the games. I used to always want this but now would rather Team USA used mostly the younger crowd instead of Wade, Bryant and James.

The kind of lineup I’m talking about would still feature Durant and surround him with the likes of: Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, Stephen Curry, Eric Gordon, etc. Basically I want a 24-and-under team.

Either way, the competitions will still be stiff for Team USA especially from Spain. Spain will be able to match the United States closely with their lineup of: Juan Carlos Navarro, Ricky Rubio, Jose Calderon, Jorge Garbajosa, Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol and newly added Serge Ibaka who will look strangely out of place on the team.