Sources Say Wade, Prince Are Bound for Beijing

USA Basketball's planned announcement Monday of its Olympic roster will be anticlimactic if names continue to leak.

Heat guard Dwyane Wade has been chosen, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported yesterday, citing a person familiar with the decision. So has Detroit's Tayshaun Prince, according to the Associated Press, which cited an NBA source.

And Amare Stoudemire has gone in the other direction, pulling his name from consideration for the squad. Jerry Colangelo, managing director of USA Basketball, confirmed the decision to the Arizona Republic yesterday. Stoudemire is concerned about the health of his knees, Colangelo said.

Wade led the Heat to the 2006 NBA championship and has been battling injuries for much of the two years since.

The 6-foot-4 Wade has been rehabbing since May 5 in Chicago, and hosted Colangelo there for a workout last week. Colangelo came away impressed, and apparently convinced that Wade's surgically repaired left knee could hold up to the rigors of the Olympic schedule.

Several other players already have announced they have been informed of their Olympic spot, including Dallas point guard Jason Kidd. The Rocky Mountain News reported last week that Denver forward Carmelo Anthony also was assured an Olympic spot.

The team will formally begin training in mid-July and is scheduled to open the Olympic tournament against China on Aug. 10. The gold medal game is Aug. 24, the day the Games close.

Meanwhile, Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said yesterday that Manu Ginóbili should "definitely not" play for defending champion Argentina if his injured left ankle doesn't improve.

Ginóbili hurt his ankle early in the playoffs and a recent MRI exam revealed that a ligament in his heel is about five times the size of the one in his other heel, Popovich said.

-- From News Services