Colorado Springs, CO (Sports Network) - Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh will miss the Olympics so he can recover from an abdominal injury that saw him sit out nine games in the playoffs.
Bosh is the second Heat player to announce his withdrawal from the U.S. team. He joins guard Dwyane Wade, who had surgery on his left knee and won't be able to play in the London Olympics.
Bosh said the abdominal injury he suffered in the opening game of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Indiana hasn't fully healed.
"I got a call this morning from Chris who said the doctor recommended that he not go forward because they were concerned about him re-aggravating the abdominal strain and it could turn out be a chronic situation so he wouldn't be able to play." said USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo. "He'll be missed, but we have to move on. We've taken four bullets with the injuries to (Derrick) Rose, (Dwight) Howard, Wade and now Bosh and it will now be a testimony to the infrastructure we put in with the national team roster. I feel very confident about our roster going forward."
Bosh came back during the conference finals vs. Boston and then played in all five contests of the NBA Finals against Oklahoma City, when he averaged 14.6 points and 9.4 rebounds to help the Heat to their second championship in franchise history.
"After the Finals, I met with my doctors to determine the best course of action, with the full intent to play in the Olympics. From those meetings, I was advised that rest and additional rehab of my abdominal injury will be necessary in order to avoid the development of a chronic injury," said Bosh.
This would have been the second Olympics for Bosh, who won a gold medal in Beijing four years ago. In the 2008 Olympics he averaged 9.1 points and 6.1 rebounds, while shooting 77.4 percent from the field to help the USA finish 8-0.
There are now 16 players vying for 12 spots on the men's team that will go to London, including Miami's LeBron James. The team will open training with a camp in Las Vegas, starting July 5. The USA's 12-man roster will be announced after the team's practice on July 7.
"Adversity gives people opportunity, and guess what? It's going to open up a couple of roster positions," added Colangelo.
The finalists contending for a roster spot include: Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks); Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers); Tyson Chandler (New York Knicks); Anthony Davis (New Orleans Hornets); Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder); Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies); Eric Gordon (New Orleans Hornets); Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers); James Harden (Oklahoma City Thunder); Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers); James; Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves); Lamar Odom (Dallas Mavericks); Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers); Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder); and Deron Williams (Brooklyn Nets).
