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Jun 19, 2008 2:30 pm US/Central
NBA Source: Tayshaun Prince To Play In Beijing
NEW YORK (AP) ―
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Tayshaun Prince #22 of the Detroit Pistons drives against Ray Allen #20 of the Boston Celtics in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2008 NBA Playoffs at the TD Banknorth Garden May 28, 2008 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Jesse D. Garrabrant /Getty Images
Tayshaun Prince earned a spot on the USA Basketball team for the Beijing Games, a person in the NBA told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The person spoke Thursday on the condition of anonymity because the roster will be announced Monday during a news conference in Chicago.
Last year, Prince played for a U.S. team that was led by Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony during an unbeaten run in an Olympic qualifying tournament.
Earlier this month, USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo said the squad would be selected without a tryout.
Also Thursday, the Arizona Republic reported that Suns forward Amare Stoudamire has declined a chance to be on the Olympic squad. Colangelo told the newspaper that Stoudemire was concerned about pushing his body too hard after knee surgery in 2005 and 2006.
The 6-foot-9, 215-pound Prince gives the U.S. team a playoff-tested player who can slow down opponents with his defensive skills. He can also score occasionally with an array of runners and spin moves around the lane.
Prince helped the Detroit Pistons advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the sixth straight year, making them the most consistent in the playoffs since the Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s.
He has played in 114 playoff games to surpass the total of any player his first six NBA seasons.
Pistons teammate Chauncey Billups pulled himself out of consideration for a spot on the U.S. team earlier this week. The All-Star point guard might have had a hard time making the team anyway because of available guards such as Jason Kidd, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Deron Williams.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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