Mike Krzyzewski aka Coach K says LeBron James will play in the 2012 London Olympics – NBA News
A day before LeBron James carried his team to an NBA Finals victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, U.S Basketball and Duke Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski said that LeBron James will most definitely be in the U.S Olympic team
that will travel to London to participate in the 2012 games.
“I'm proud of LeBron and where he's at right now, and I do think that when you're that great a player, that great a talent, that you learn openly,” said Krzyzewski.
The initial squad will travel to Las Vegas in two weeks time to begin practice for the games. The coach said that he is already deep into his preparations for the Olympics, and added that “I know LeBron will play”.
James was also part of the Olympic team that won a gold medal in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. That team was coached by Krzyzewski as well. The coach now looks forward to the practice and scrimmage that the initial squad will go
through in Las Vegas before a final line-up is announced.
“You can't feel it until you're in the moment of a finals, a gold medal game, a seventh game, a national championship. He's been in two of those moments, and I think he's shown in this series that he's learned from those moments,”
added Krzyzewski.
The squad has already been limited by injuries this year, with star players Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose, LaMarcus Aldridge and Chauncey Billups having been sidelined from the Summer Games due to injury troubles.
The basketball team had to take special permission from the U.S Olympic Committee to add James Harden and college basketball player and prospective number 1 draft pick Anthony Davis into the line-up after the deadline had passed.
The lockout shortened season made way for a rigorous schedule and delayed the playoffs, which has now resulted in very little gap between the NBA season and the Olympics training camp.
Miami Heat just beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday in Game 5 of the NBA Finals to win the championship and bring the season to a close and the training camp is only two weeks away.
With such a condensed schedule, coach Krzyzewski will need to closely monitor the health of his key players and be intelligent in playing minutes and team rotations.
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