Cavaliers rookie point guard
Kyrie Irving has duel citizenship with the United States and Australia and he could have played for the Boomers during the 2012 London Olympics.
Irving has decided instead to pass on that chance and will focus on making the U.S. squad in 2016 after learning his college coach, Mike Krzyzewski, will not retire from USA Basketball of the Olympics this summer.
"It was the right decision," Irving told
The Plain Dealer. "I found out Coach K would be coaching in 2016. It made my decision so much easier to play for my coach again. That was the deciding factor."
Irving's statement was later refuted by USA chairman Jerry Colangelo, who told
ESPN.com's Marc Stein that nothing has been "discussed at all" regarding who will coach the team in 2016.
While that may be true, it's hard to believe Irving wasn't given the heads up that Krzyzewski wants to be the head coach until at least 2016.
-- Nick Borges
