Los Angeles Clippers, Jaylen Brown disappointed with Grant Hill’s pre-Olympic decisions

Managing director of USA Basketball, Grant Hill, has come in the crosshairs of the media lately after his decision to leave Kawhi Leonard off of Team USA’s roster for this summer’s Paris Olympics. The decision has come with a bit of backlash from both Leonard’s team and Finals MVP Jaylen Brown who was left off the roster.

Brown claims Nike behind decision

Team USA is the overwhelming favorite to win gold in Paris this summer, and even the roster is loaded with NBA Champions and MVPs there are still tough decisions that have to be made. Hill was the one left in charge with forming the roster, and now he is the one having to answer questions about who is in and who is out of the team heading to the Olympics at the end of the month.

First it was Brown questioning the decision to keep him off the roster once Leonard was released from Team USA. The Boston Celtic went to twitter to question the decision, suspecting Nike may have had something to do with his absence. Brown is not a Nike athlete while Leonard’s replacement Derrick White, who is also Browns teammate, is a Nike athlete.

Hill stated that Team USA is “proud of their sponsors,” but his responsibility is “about building a team” that is capable of winning a fifth straight gold medal. There is tons of talent on this roster, and it might be one of the best teams assembled since the 1992 Dream Team, but the political decisions behind the scenes are proving to be the headline of Team USA’s pre-Olympic tour, and a headache for Hill.

Clippers disappointed with Hill

Now it’s the Los Angeles Clippers who have spoken out against Grant Hill and Team USA after their player was left off the roster. The Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said the team is “very disappointed” that their star player Kawhi Leonard was dropped from Team USA last week.

USA Basketball announced their decision to leave Kawhi off the team after he participated in the first week of camp from Las Vegas, stating the organization and the Clippers determined it was in Leonard’s best interest to focus on getting ready for the upcoming NBA season.

Leonard has dealt with a number of injuries over the last few years and he was forced to miss four of LA’s first round playoff games against the Dallas Mavericks in this year’s postseason. While the Clippers are at a pivotal crossroads in the history of their franchise, it seems like they wanted to see their star in the Olympics.

Could KD get sent home?

The Clippers will go through a branding makeover, and a relocation out of the Crypto.com Arena. Owner Steve Ballmer has gone all in on his franchise, and building a new stadium and revamping the logo to bring in the new age of the LA Clippers, and they are depending on Kawhi to be the face of that rebirth.

While the decision seemed to be mutual in the statement made by USA Basketball, Hill did claim that in the end it was his call. “Personally Speaking. I know what it’s like to want to do something, but your body’s just not right. And so I applaud [Kawhi] for coming here and being willing to sacrifice, give up his summer, and represent our country. Ultimately, it didn’t work out.”

To his credit, he has made it known that no one on the roster is going to be on the team just for a free trip to Paris and a chance at a gold medal. Players are going to have to earn their spot on the team and if there is a possibility that they won’t be in tip top shape, there’s a good chance they won’t make the final roster. Something that might concern Kevin Durant who has missed the first two exhibition games with a calf strain.