FIBA World Cup: 3 Reasons why NBA stars opting out of the tournament is justified

#3 The ever-elusive fear of being the part of an embarrassing campaign

Clips of Giannis torturing defenses during Greece's tune-up games are already going viral.

Legendary Coach Mike Krzyzewski retired as head coach after winning gold at the 2016 Olympics and who was more deserving to replace him than Pop? Only Harrison Barnes remains on the roster from the 2016 team

One of the interesting takes on the current status quo of Team USA was brought forward by Trail Blazers' guard CJ McCollum,

“I think other guys looked at it like, ‘Why would I want to go potentially be the face of what could be a losing roster?’” McCollum told Adrian Wojnarowski on his podcast.

It is a palpable possibility that the undermanned and vulnerable squad just might fall short. It has happened in the past: the USA failed to make the final in both 2002 and 2006. Moreover, they do not have megastars like LeBron and Durant who could turn the game on its head, which makes it certain that the upcoming World Cup won't be the usual walk-in-the-park outing.