I believe last year he was recovering from an injury, but it is sad that the US can not get its best players to play in the olympics anymore. I don't care much about basketball but I was very embarressed in 2003 when we lost the World Championship in our own backyard and then laid an egg in the olympics. I remember in 1992 when we had Jordan,Magic,Bird,Drexler, Hakeem,Malone,Barkley,Stockton and and a few other future Hall of Famers playing. Now we can't even get 2 of the top 10 players to play anymore. Its sad almost like Pele or Beckham saying they don't wanna play in the World Cup.

I guess money talks and also a lot of the big players have big egos to match... though it does seem strange they'd play in the all-star game and yet not for their country. Sad, as you say. It is fantastic that international B-ball is more competitive though, I remember when it used to be a shock if the american team didnt win by 20+ points, nowadays it seems there's 5-10 teams in the world who're all fairly competitive at the top level. Didn't you even lose ot Argentina or something in the World Champs? Anyhow, it's a cool game.

So - thread hijack ... pick your US team then? Mine'd have Kidd at PG, Duncan and Shaq PF and C, though not sure about the other two spots...

I would take Kidd at PG, Garnett at Sf, Duncan at PF Shaq at C, and some guy whos shoots really well at the #2 guard.

Was gonna say Garnett for SF, but I'd like someone with a bit more of an outside game. Perhaps he's too good to leave out though.

What about McGrady at SG? Could even throw Iverson and Kidd in the same team.