Though he is not presently in consideration to play for Team USA in the upcoming 2012 London-based Olympic games, Cavaliers rookie point guard Kyrie Irving could still suit up — for the Australian team.
Irving, a dual citizen, was born in Australia and his father had played professional basketball there. However, as pointed out by Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon-Journal, the decision to play for Austrailia could impact future considerations for playing for Team USA — a unit led by his former head coach Mike Krzyzewski — as he could be deemed ineligible by the Olympic committee.
Said Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott on the matter: “For a 19-year-old, that’s a big decision. He obviously needs to get as much advice as he can from a lot of people that he trusts and believes in. I know he talks to Chris Paul and Grant Hill and [former Olympians] like that. I would seek their advice. Talk to his dad. I don’t think it’s something he’s going to take lightly and it’s something he should make sure he takes his sweet time on.”
