Sacramento Kings: Should De’Aaron Fox Take Blame For Team USA’s Loss
By John Kelly
Was it wrong for Sacramento Kings’ guard De’Aaron Fox to drop out from Team USA right before the start of the FIBA World Cup?
Not too long ago, I sent a tweet stating “Would Team USA have lost with Fox and Bagley on the roster?”. It was done with the intent of saying De’Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III are great players and would have helped Team USA be more competitive during the FIBA World Cup.
Was It Wrong For De’Aaron To Drop Out?
There are 12 roster spots that the USA needed to fulfill for the World Cup, so there was a possibility that Fox could have been cut from the team.
With his time with the team, he scored two points in just six minutes of play. Plus, Derrick White was also a player fighting for a spot on the team. And with the head coach on Team USA being Gregg Popovich, there is a good chance that White would have been selected over Fox for a spot anyway.
Either way, it was smart for Fox to drop out. With the World Cup this year being located overseas, it would have taken a toll on his body right before the regular season starts. So is the physical toll worth just a couple of minutes on the hardwood?
Who Is To Blame?
It is simple, De’Aaron signed up to play for the practice squad and committed to a few weeks to help out fill the roster for the USA team that would travel to China.
History tells us that players with injuries or other family commitments often withdraw from Team USA. This year, however, is new territory as player after player took their names off the list.
In the past, Team USA always had enough talent to represent their country with big-star names which almost ensured the team to be world champions. But that is not the case anymore.
The team finished in 7th place, a finish that no one expected to happen. The last time the USA lost an international game back to back was in 2002. The last time they lost in the tournament was in 2006.
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De’Aaron Fox withdrawing from Team USA did not cause the team to lose this year’s World Cup. Instead, it was the players on the team that underachieved. That is why they lost. There is no doubt that Fox would have made the team better, but he deserves zero blame for making a decision that benefits him and his NBA team going forth.