Though the Hawks had nothing to report during the draft last week, there was this one little nugget written on DraftExpress (courtesy of Hoopinion), placing Hawks F Al Horford on the USA Select team, which will provide practice fodder and competition for the US National team before it heads to Beijing for the Summer Olympics.
Here is the alleged roster:
Point Guard: Rodney Stuckey, Derrick Rose
Shooting Guard: Kevin Martin
Small Forward: Andre Iguodala, Jeff Green
Power Forward: Al Horford, Kevin Durant
Center: LaMarcus Aldridge, Al Jefferson
Alternates: O.J. Mayo, Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, Monta Ellis, Devin Harris
If that's the case, that's not only some impressive company Big Al will be keeping but also perhaps a glimpse into his future.
Horford is a citizen of the Dominican Republic, but has certainly lived in the United States long enough that should he decide to become an American citizen, he'd probably be on the short list of players Jerry Colangelo would be looking at over the next several years.
This makes me feel only slightly better about Michael Redd being named to the US Senior team over Joe Johnson. Granted, I am glad JJ is getting the time off, but I still think he is a better player than Redd.
/soapbox.
