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Now that the news of Paul George's injury has sunk in, USA Basketball has now decided to make cuts to the men's national team roster. Three players were cut Monday. Two of them are John Wall and Bradley Beal. Per Adrian Wojnarowski:
USA Basketball cut Washington's John Wall, Bradley Beal and Atlanta's Paul Millsap today, sources told Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) August 4, 2014
Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap was the third player cut. For more reading on what this means for Team USA going forward, click here for SB Nation NBA's take.
It's not a particular surprise that Wall was cut this early. He was a late addition to training camp, and he did not play very well during Friday's showcase. Then, there are a lot of point guards with better perimeter shooting skills who are trying out for this team, including Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, and Stephen Curry.
While it is probably not a surprise to see Beal cut before the final World Cup team is named, it is a little surprising to me that he was cut this early. He played at a higher level during the showcase, and had skills that were a better fit for the international game. In the end, USA Basketball has decided to go in a different direction, at least this time.
So, it is a disappointment that the "House of Guards" will not be part of the USA Basketball men's national team in the World Cup next month. But the experience that they had by playing alongside other elite NBA players was definitely valuable, and it should be put to good use heading into this fall.