ATHENS, Greece Former Davidson star Stephen Curry was named to the U.S. national basketball team Tuesday as it finalized its roster for the world championships.

The final 12-man roster includes: Curry, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Rudy Gay, Lamar Odom, Chauncey Billups, Danny Granger, Russell Westbrook, Eric Gordon, Kevin Love, Tyson Chandler and Andre Iguodala.

Celtics star Rajon Rondo asked to withdraw from consideration, a release from the team said.

Rondo had started the Americans first two exhibition games, then surprisingly didn't play at all Sunday when the U.S. edged Spain.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski's squad has one more tuneup, against Greece today, before the world championships start Saturday in Turkey. They run through Sept. 12.

The winner gains an automatic bid to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

Earlier Tuesday, Krzyzewski said that his team's relatively small size, the differences between NBA and global basketball rules, and his players' lack of experience playing together are all challenges for the U.S.

Chandler is the team's only true center as well as its only 7-footer, but Krzyzewski said that situation was not intentional.

"We thought we would be bigger but the first day of training camp we lost ( Brook) Lopez, ( Amare) Stoudamire and ( David) Lee and we could not bring other people in," he said. "There's more (chance of) error with the lack of size."

Around the league

HOUSTON: Rockets All-Star center Yao Ming is confident that he'll be ready for the start of the regular season after a team doctor declared his surgically repaired foot fully healed.

Yao missed last season after undergoing complex surgery on his left foot in July 2009. Team doctor Tom Clanton has cleared Yao to resume basketball activities.

The Rockets had said all along that they expected Yao to play in 2010-11. Yao was still relieved when he got the official diagnosis.

"I am very excited," Yao said Tuesday. "I am just looking forward to playing a great season. I think I can count on my foot now."

BASKETBALL FILM: Denver's Carmelo Anthony and Orlando's Dwight Howard will star in a basketball film with an award-winning Chinese director titled "Amazing."

The NBA and Shanghai Film Group announced the joint production effort on Tuesday, calling it "the first NBA-themed motion picture outside of North America."

The filming will take place in New York, Beijing and Shanghai through November and feature top actors from Asia.

The movie is scheduled to open next summer.

Observer News Services