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Will Deron Williams go for third gold in Rio?

By Net Income
Kirby Lee-US PRESSWIRE

Is Deron Williams interested in going for his third Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro? Would the Nets want him to?

ESPN.com has obtained a copy of the complete 28-man list from which Jerry Colangelo and Mike Krzyzewski will choose 12-man rosters for both the 2013 World Cup in Barcelona and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero. And D-Will is on it, the only Net who is.

He says he's "excited" and "honored," indicating he's interested in going for the trifecta.  He's 16-0 in international basketball.  In the USA Olympic career record book, D-Will is tied for fourth all-time in games (16), tied for fourth in three pointers made (22), as well as sixth in assists (59).  Not quite his coach's numbers but impressive.

He indicated he could play this summer but it's unlikely.

Of course, D-Will isn't a lock to make either team, if he indeed wants to play for Team USA in either competition. But he already has valuable Olympic experience from Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.  Others from the gold medal team of London are interested in playing for the United States in Rio.

Leading the list of names are Kevin Durant and Kevin Love, who had already committed to play for the national squad. They are joined by 2012 national team members James Harden, Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Andre Iguodala, and Tyson Chandler.

The Miami duo of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, who helped the United States win gold as far back as the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, are both headed for free agency this summer and were likewise not expected to be part of the national-team pool.

There is a downside. After winning a gold in London, he immediately returned to New York to prepare for the Nets first season in Brooklyn. He and Billy King both later suggested the schedule may have been too tough, too compressed and suggested some of his early season woes could be attributed to it.

Other Nets might wind up in Madrid or Spain. Mirza Teletovic has an outside chance of participating in the World Cup.this August. His Bosnian team would have to receive an invitation from FIBA next week.  Four national teams from around the world will receive wild card bids. Bosnia is one of 15 national teams to seek an invitation. Already in the World Cup competition is Bojan Bogdanovic's Croatia team. A strong finish in Spain means an automatic bid to Brazil.

Andrei Kirilenko, who won an Olympic bronze in 2012, has retired from Team Russia.

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