Were you shocked when Rajon Rondo was left off the Team USA roster for the FIBA World Championship? You weren't the only one. According to Yahoo! Sports' Marc Spears, those who did make the final 12-man roster were "shocked by Rondo cut."
The unnamed source cited by Spears added that "Rondo's team won most scrimmages and he got along with teammates."
Apparently, the other players found out through the media -- USA Basketball officials never told the team directly.
This of course will only add to the speculation surrounding Rondo's absence later this month at the World Championship. While the official word is that he withdrew for "family matters," initial reports were that the Celtics point guard was cut after struggling against Lithuania (four turnovers in just 14 minutes) and then not playing at all against Spain on Sunday. It wouldn't be the first time Team USA stretched the truth to help a player save face: in 2006, Team USA said Gilbert Arenas had a "sore groin," when in reality they had cut him.