One of the biggest concerns for Team USA heading into the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain is finding a legit sixth man and a true scoring threat from the bench. As what Steve Aschburner of NBA.com pointed out, the US National team lacks a "Carmelo Anthony." a team member who is like the proven NBA scoring champion who can deliver buckets in an instant. With Kevin Durant out, the team needs someone who can anchor the offense and score points with ease.
The Sixth Man role is an integral part to any team's success be it in the NBA or in international basketball competitions. This summer in the 2014 FIBA World Cup, Team USA reportedly needs to find that sixth man who can deliver buckets in timely situations.
President of USA Basketball Jerry Colangelo said ps quoted by NBA.com, "We originally thought we had guys coming off the bench - on paper - who would bring something to the table. Up tempo. A little more quickness. A little more shooting. But because of some injuries, they might end up starting."
Kevin Durant has truly reduced what little dynamics the Team USA basketball in the FIBA tournament as documented by Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report. The list for a possible sixth man this summer isn't that amazing in recent international competitions either, with the team management having to bpick Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, Gordon Hayward and Kyle Korver as more cuts are expected to happen down to 12 players. Nonetheless, Team USA has since expressed confidence that they will find that game changing sixth man this summer:
"I really think there are a lot of guys who would be willing to do it. I don't think it's a hard thing. It's one thing for a guy to be the sixth man on his NBA team, but there have been a bunch of guys [to do that for Team USA]. Every time someone's done it, it seems that person has gotten a lot of praise and a lot of credit," Korver has said.
Indeed, its not difficult to see Team USA finding the right man for the job of "Super Sub" this year in the FIBA World Cup. But with Durant backing out, Paul George injured, and top candidates like LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love and Blake Griffin withdrawing their participation in the tournament, this year's Team USA's is arguably the most polarizing yet, according to Sixth Man Journal.
Who do you think should fill the role as sixth man for USA Basketball this summer?
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