Emeka to play with US Olympic Team: Bernie not pleased

[Evilmav2]

Emeka to play for US

ESPN.com News Services

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Emeka Okafor said Friday he will play for the U.S. Olympic basketball team, a decision the Charlotte Bobcats aren't exactly thrilled with.

Okafor was a finalist for the final roster spot, but he and his agent said he has accepted an invitation to play in Athens later this summer.

The Bobcats said paperwork issues have held up the official announcement, which is expected next week. Okafor was selected for the team over Brad Miller and Theo Ratliff.

"It's a great honor, especially since it kind of came out of nowhere," Okafor said. "It's almost like a chance of a lifetime, to be an Olympian at 21."

Charlotte, which traded up to the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA draft to select Okafor, doesn't share the joy.

"We are somewhat concerned because all that basketball causes a lot of wear and tear and prevents you from being fresh at the start of the season," Charlotte coach and general manager Bernie Bickerstaff said. "We have many concerns that we want to address."

The Bobcats want Okafor to work out with them and play in summer leagues, something commitments with the U.S. team could prevent.

The other issue is health, especially since so many players from the 2000 U.S. Olympic team were injured during the NBA season after playing in the Sydney Games. Jason Kidd, Antonio McDyess and Vince Carter were among the Olympians to get hurt later that year.

But Okafor's agent said injury wasn't one of their concerns.

"There are a lot of guys at his position, so who knows how much he'd even play," Jeff Schwartz said. "But even so, he's a young kid and he's not going to get worn out playing basketball."

Bickerstaff isn't so sure, pointing out that most rookies hit a wall during their first season when the schedule goes from about 36 college games to 82 in the NBA.

"It's good to represent your country," Bickerstaff said. "But I am looking at it from a selfish point of view. I don't want him worn down."

Okafor already has questions surrounding his health because of a back injury that caused him to miss a handful of games last season at
Connecticut. He insists his back is fine and every doctor who has examined him in the NBA drafting process agreed.

To him, accepting the invitation didn't require any thought.

"It was a no-brainer, I jumped at the opportunity," he said.

Okafor's acceptance wraps up the somewhat tumultuous process of compiling Team USA.

San Antonio's Tim Duncan and Philadelphia's Allen Iverson are the only original members from Team USA's "core" group of nine players still on the roster. Five players were officially named in the first wave of replacements: Cleveland's LeBron James, New York's Stephon Marbury, New Jersey's Richard Jefferson, and the Phoenix tandem of Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire.

Okafor and Carmelo Anthony join Cleveland's Carlos Boozer and the Miami tandem of Dwyane Wade and Lamar Odom in the second wave of replacements.

Two other new Bobcats will also be playing in the Olympics. Primoz Brezec will represent Slovenia and Predrag Drobnjak will play for Yugoslavia. Charlotte picked both players in the NBA expansion draft.

[Rod1975]

Who cares about Bernie not being pleased, how about Brad Miller and Theo Ratliff? I mean, probably at least one of them would have liked to go to Athens, and both are vastly more qualified...shades of L8NR in 92'....ugh.

[dude1394]

Good for him. I have a new player to root for.

[jayC]

I'd rather see an under 23 year old team at the Olympics. I'd much rather see Carmelo and Lebron as opposed to T-mac and JO any day of the week. Emeka Okafor, we will see how good he is in August.