Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh pulls out of the London Olympics – NBA Update
One day after Dwyane Wade ruled himself out of the Olympics to undergo surgery, another cog of the Miami Heat Big Three, Chris Bosh, has also decided to not participate in the 2012 London Olympics.
Bosh made the decision after discussing the matter with agent Henry Thomas and team physician Dr. Harlan Selesnick to continue recovering from an abdominal injury.
He notified USA basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo and Coach Mike Krzyzewski of his decision on Friday and broke the news in a statement through USA Basketball;
"I am extremely disappointed to say that due to injury, I cannot represent my country," - Bosh said.
The power forward sustained the injury in the second round Game-1 against the Indiana Pacers and it made him sit out for 9 games before he could return midway through the Conference Finals against Boston Celtics.
Bosh was part of the contingent which later came to be known as the "Redeem Team" and was an instrumental part of USA`s run to win the gold medal in 2008 in the Beijing Olympics.
He held an average of 9.1 points and 6.1 rebounds four years ago and also shot the ball 77.4% from the field to help USA go all the way and win gold.
Colangelo was disappointed on the development but backed Bosh’s decision to put safety first;
"He'll be missed, but we have to move on," Colangelo said. "I feel very confident about our roster going forward. ... Adversity gives people opportunity and guess what? It's going to open up a couple of roster positions."
The decision from Bosh comes a short time after Wade announced that he is pulling out of the Olympics to go through a knee surgery and now LeBron James will be the only Miami player among 15 others in the running to be part of the Olympics squad.
The final team will be decided on July 7th, following team camp in Las Vegas.
Even though team USA will still be able to put up a very strong squad, however the list of injured players is getting extensive and already included, Derrick Rose and Dwight Howard.
With Team USA already short on bigs, Coach ‘K’ admitted that Bosh will be missed, but also lavished praise on the forward for his contributions in the past.
"We'll miss him. He was really a key player for us in winning the gold in 2008 and we thank him for his service to USA Basketball. I really loved coaching him."
USA will kick off their Olympic campaigns with a game against France on July 29th.
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