Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver square off in USA Basketball Showcase

The Atlanta Hawks are prominently represented during workouts for the USA Men’s Basketball Team as they whittle down the roster to a 12-man group for the upcoming World Cup, as Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver have both been participating in an effort to try to make the club. On Friday evening, the USA squad will be split into two teams for a full-fledged showcase at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, and fittingly, Korver and Millsap will be on opposite sides of the floor.

Here is the official release from USA Basketball:

"USA Basketball today announced the rosters for the USA Blue and USA White teams that will square off in the USA Basketball Showcase that will be held Friday, 6 p.m. (PDT) at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.  The USA White Team, led by 2012 Olympic gold medalists Kevin Durant(Oklahoma City Thunder) and James Harden (Houston Rockets), will go against the USA Blue squad led by 2012 Olympic gold medalist Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans), and 2010 World Championship gold medalists Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors) and Derrick Rose(Chicago Bulls) …The USA White Team, coach by USA assistant coach and Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau, includes Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards); DeMarcus Cousins(Sacramento Kings); Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons); Durant; Harden; Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers); Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers); Paul Millsap (Atlanta Hawks); Chandler Parsons (Dallas Mavericks); and Klay Thompson(Golden State Warriors).The USA Blue Team, which will be led by USA assistant coach and New Orleans Pelicans head coach Monty Williams, includes Curry; Davis; DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors); Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets); Paul George (Indiana Pacers); Gordon Hayward (Utah Jazz); Kyle Korver (Atlanta Hawks); Plumlee; Rose; and John Wall(Washington Wizards)."

It will be exceedingly interesting to see how both Korver and Millsap fare in the open scrimmage, especially since neither is considered to be “likely” to make the final roster. Still, both players bring specific skill sets to the table, and with a hot day or two in practice, Coach K could be willing to take one or both members of Atlanta’s roster to the tournament.

Stay tuned.