Let us open this frame: some other player (Dee, Bird, any one of /C, etc) than Parker was left off the squad, would we be having this conversation? She is a very good player, but she is not indispensable. Bone's talk about leaving the bet player off the team misses the point about team sport, as well as why the men's game can be too much at times-- too much bending backover for talented but trying individuals. Unless Geno pulled a childhood tandrum and promised to walk out if Candice was selected, I am of the belief that a majority made a decision against taking her and may have weighed the onsequences. As for her coach weighing in on the matter, it might be little more than offering a voice to a player that he will need. The idea that USA bb should not have used i in promotion can only have its condition of possibility in the idea that they knew well in advance that they weren't going to take her. Lastly, it doesnot send a message to young girls that working hard goes unrewarded. It does say, among others, that sometimes talent is not enough- a team is a delicate collection of pieces that work well together. This may explain why so many teams boiling over with superstars seldom win everything.
Having said this, Candice is one of my favorite players to watch.