Detroit Pistons forward Charlie Villanueva will not be suiting up with the Domincan national basketball team during the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Villanueva, who was limited to 13 games during the 2012 NBA season due to a sprained ankle, was allegedly cut from the Domincan team by head coach John Calipari because he was out of shape.
“Charlie was not in good form when we saw him,” Calipari told Deportes en la Z. “He was overweight, and unfortunately, we could not slow down the entire team and it was a decision taken collectively. Last year, Charlie behaved really well with us and his only problem was his weight.”
News of the alleged “cut” came after Villanueva was noticely absent from summer conditioning camp that the Dominican team participated in this year.
The former UConn star responded to the reports by Tweeting a picture of himself standing on a scale that read 243.5, at least 10 pounds less than his playing weight of 255 pounds.
Villanueva then wrote :
“Last comment, How can you get cut from something, when you NEVER tried out? is that possible? i guess so, lol.”
Villanueva, 27, still has two years remaining on a 5-year, $40 million dollar deal he signed with the Pistons in 2009. In the 2012 NBA season, he averaged career lows in minutes (13.8), points (7.0) and rebounds (3.7).
The Sporting News reports that under the coaching of Calipari, Villanueva led the Dominican team to a bronze medal at last summer’s FIBA Americas Championship.
This year’s team, which features NBA talent such as Al Horford, Jon Horford and Francisco García, currently is working out in Lexington.
