( 4UMF NEWS ) Anthony Davis Replaces Blake Griffin:
Good thing the talent is as deep as it is to field the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team as injuries continue to mount, the latest possibly sidelining Blake Griffin from the London Games.
The Los Angeles Clippers forward flew to Los Angeles on Thursday for an MRI on his left knee, the one he sprained during the NBA playoffs, after awaking with swelling and discomfort.
USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said there had been no indication anything was wrong after practice Wednesday, the same day Griffin signed a five-year contract extension with the Clippers that could be worth as much as $95 million.
“We’re just awaiting word from the Clippers regarding his status,” Colangelo said.
Colangelo phoned forward Anthony Davis, the No. 1 overall pick by the New Orleans Hornets in the June draft, and asked him to re-join the team for practice. Davis was one of the finalists to make the 12-man Olympic roster, but a sprained ankle prevented him from practicing with the team last week.
Davis remained in Las Vegas as a member of the U.S. select team (although he traveled to Los Angeles for the ESPYs on Wednesday) that scrimmaged against the Olympic team, although limited to being a spectator as his ankle healed. But he has made enough progress that he was expected to start Thursday night in the exhibition game against the Dominican Republic.
There had been hope that Davis could participate in some of the Hornets’ Summer League games in Las Vegas later in the week or early next week.
“The report that we got is that he was very active blocking shots and getting up and down the court,” Colangelo said of Davis’ recent workouts.
