LAS VEGAS – Patrick McCaw has three NBA championship rings since the start of his career with Golden State and Toronto. Norris Cole was part of two championship teams in Miami.
And right now, the two have the same plan: to take the call from the USA, while waiting for the call from the NBA.
McCaw and Cole are on USA Basketball’s roster for the FIBA AmeriCup Tournament which begins Friday in Recife, Brazil. The tournament runs until September 11, about two weeks before the start of NBA training camps, and McCaw and Cole hope these games will lead to two things: a gold medal and a stepping stone to the league. .
“I think it’s more about representing the United States for me right now,” McCaw said. “I want to come back to the NBA. I know it’s a process. And I know that someday, whenever, next week, next month, next year, when it’s supposed to happen, it will. But right now, I’m just focusing on this United States, wearing these three letters, giving it my all for this team and representing the United States of America. »
McCaw has only appeared in five NBA games in the past 2 1/2 years, his career largely derailed by a series of injuries that he says are no longer a concern. Cole last played in an NBA game in April 2017 and has spent the past five seasons abroad – with Israel, China, Montenegro, Italy, France and Puerto Rico among some of the places where his passport was stamped.
“I still have the ability,” Cole said. “God has always blessed me with the ability. I always have the fire, the hunger and I always feel like I have something to prove, things that I would like to accomplish as a player. That feeling of winning a championship, the mission, the goal, the work to try to get to that point again, that’s what drives me as a competitor. And I want that feeling back. »
They are at different times in their careers. McCaw, a 6-foot-7 winger, turns 27 on Oct. 25. Cole, a 6-foot-2 speedy point guard, turns 34 on Oct. 13.
But they have a lot of similarities. Golden State praised McCaw when he broke into the NBA there and made championship teams in 2017 and 2018 with the Warriors; McCaw was then part of Toronto’s title the following season when the Raptors defeated Golden State. Cole also won championships in his first two NBA years, during the LeBron James years in Miami.
“We’ve been around winning,” Cole said. “Patrick has that which works for him. He knows what winning looks like and every time you’re around winning, it rubs off on you. He’s got that, he’s got a fun personality, and I think he really deserves another chance. I truly believe he deserves to be on an NBA roster. »
The AmeriCup is the championship for teams in the FIBA Americas region. There were 12 nations that passed the qualifiers; these 12 are divided into three groups of four. The top two from each group, along with the top two third-placed teams, qualify for the quarter-finals.
McCaw, Cole and Jodie Meeks — who are also part of this 2019 Raptors squad — all bring NBA titles to this list. The other nine players selected: Zylan Cheatham, Gary Clark Jr., Will Davis II, Anthony Lamb, Frank Mason III, Jeremy Pargo, Elijah Pemberton, Craig Sword and Stephen Zimmerman.
“It’s a good mix of guys,” said US AmeriCup coach Alex Jensen of Utah Jazz. “You get balance. And a great thing is that it sounds simple, but finding guys who like to play. They like to play. So they come here and it means more to them. And that should help us come together. ”
In training camp in Las Vegas, Cole won just about every sprint he entered and was the clear quarterback in the field at point guard. And McCaw’s talent was evident even in a gymnasium alongside many other highly skilled players. The spine and knee issues, he insists, are behind him, which means his confidence is returning – which will only help him in his quest to return to the NBA.
“I’ve been off the radar,” McCaw said. “I think it’s a huge step because people are going to be able to watch those games and see where I am now. It will help, for sure. It was the injuries that set me back. It was nothing else in the way, or life, or me to change the type of person I am. It was injuries. And it was difficult to manage them. But this trip to Brazil, I really think it will open doors again.
Cole hopes for the same opportunity.
“Just a chance, that’s all I ask,” Cole said. “I have a lot of things I can bring to a team. I want to keep showing it. »
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