Damian Lillard was among the names of those cut from the roster of Team USA ahead of the FIBA World Cup as they looked to go big.
The 16-man roster was trimmed down to the final roster size of 12, with the All-Star point guard's exclusion coming as a surprise. Gordon Hayward, Kyle Korver and Chandler Parsons also will be going home, USA Today reports.
Their elimination comes as the focus on appears on being able to play big in the World Cup, with three traditional centers, DeMarcus Cousins, Andre Drummon and Mason Plumlee, kept on the roster ahead of the first World Cup game on Aug. 30.
"This was without doubt the most difficult selection process we've gone through," Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball managing director, said in a statement. "In the end it was about assembling the best team, selecting guys who we felt would be able to play the kind of style we envision this team playing."
According to CBS Sports, the decision to keep three bigs likely is a nod towards Spain, who also has a big frontline, featuring brothers Paul and Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka.
The Final Roster:
G Derrick Rose
G Stephen Curry
G James Harden
G Klay Thompson
G Kyrie Irving
G/F DeMar DeRozan
F Kenneth Faried
F Rudy Gay
F/C Anthony Davis
C Andre Drummond
C DeMarcus Cousins
C Mason Plumlee