How’d We Do? Team USA Basketball

We set odds on lots of things. Usually they’re pretty prescient. Sometimes we’re off by a country mile. Let no man say we’re not accountable: welcome to “How’d We Do?”

Basketball USA announced the roster for the 2016 Olympics today. Eric set the odds on who would make it earlier this month. He set out six locks to make the team (assuming they didn’t opt out):

• LeBron James (Cavaliers)
• Kevin Durant (Thunder)
• Steph Curry (Warriors)
• Russell Westbrook (Thunder)
• James Harden (Rockets)
• Carmelo Anthony (Knicks)

Curry, James, Harden, and Westbrook all decided not to play. Durant and Anthony indeed made the squad. (Shocking!)

His favorites to round out the roster were:

• Klay Thompson (Warriors): 1/10
• Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers): 1/8
• Draymond Green (Warriors): 1/5
• Kawhi Leonard (Spurs): 2/7
• Paul George (Pacers): 3/10
• Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers): 1/3
• DeMarcus Cousins (Kings): 1/2
• Jimmy Butler (Bulls): 1/1

Leonard and Lillard also withdrew. The other six are on the team.

The next crop of guys, who all had less than a 50-percent chance according to Eric, featured:

• Andre Drummond (Pistons): 3/2
• LaMarcus Aldridge (Spurs): 7/3
• Mike Conley (Grizzlies): 5/2
• DeAndre Jordan (Clippers): 7/2
• Andre Iguodala (Warriors): 5/1
• Kevin Love (Cavaliers): 6/1
• DeMar DeRozan (Raptors): 9/1
• Kenneth Faried (Nuggets): 12/1

Again, a host of these players withdrew their names (Drummond, Aldridge, and Love that we know of). Jordan and DeRozan cracked the lineup. Conley, Iguodala, and Faried were left off.

The only players to make the team whom Eric didn’t list among his favorites were Harrison Barnes and Kyle Lowry. Lowry got the nod over Conley, likely, because Conley is still hurting. Iguodala was passed over for the likes of George, Anthony, and Butler. Barnes was a true surprise. The Golden State small forward was the beneficiary of a scarcity of willing participants at the three.

All in all, you gotta say Eric was pretty bang on, but for the Barnes surprise. I know we’re supposed to be omniscient and all, but I don’t think anyone saw that coming after his 2016 playoff performance.

Here’s the full US roster:

• Kevin Durant
• Kyle Lowry
• DeMarcus Cousins
• Jimmy Butler
• Paul George
• Draymond Green
• Carmelo Anthony
• Klay Thompson
• DeAndre Jordan
• Demar DeRozan
• Kyrie Irving
• Harrison Barnes

(Photo credit: Richard Giles [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.)