USA men's Olympic basketball has been a great opportunity for trolling for bitter Knicks fans

With the NBA offseason in arguably its quietest stretch of the summer, all eyes have turned to Olympic basketball.

And for New York Knicks fans, the USA men's Olympic basketball team has presented a great opportunity to troll and bask in bitterness.

The USA Olympic roster doesn't include any Knicks players. It does include some chief rivals, mainly formed in last year's playoffs in Joel Embiid, Tyrese Haliburton, and Jayson Tatum.

A quick recap:

• Embiid became public enemy No.1 in New York last spring during the Knicks-76ers incredibly tight first-round playoff serie s. Knicks fans grew to loathe Embiid's penchant for drawing fouls and for an arguably dirty flagrant foul that re-injured center Mitchell Robinson's ankle.
• Knicks fans clashed with Tyrese Haliburton in the second round, as Haliburton led the Pacers to a seven-game series win over the Knicks. Haliburton's play was up-and-down, but he delighted in the Pacers' victories, skipping around the court and trash-talking fans, leading some fans to call him a "frontrunner." Haliburton trolled the Knicks and their fans after Game 7 by wearing a shirt of Reggie Miller making the choking sign at Spike Lee.
• While the Knicks and Celtics haven't had any major battles during Tatum's career, Tatum and the Celtics represent the class of the East. The Knicks had a good shot to battle Tatum and the Celtics this year if the Knicks were healthy, and the Knicks re-tooled roster is aimed at competing with Boston .

Now, Knicks fans have gotten to delight in these players' struggles.

Embiid has had a choppy experience in the Olympics thus far. His attempts to draw fouls in the international game haven't worked as well, leading to some viral moments.

Embiid was a -8 in the USA's 110-84 win over Serbia on Sunday, leading to ESPN's Kendrick Perkins calling for Embiid to be benched .

Tatum and Haliburton, meanwhile, didn't enter the game. Holding Tatum out, in particular, was a highly scrutinized decision by head coach Steve Kerr.

These struggles and lack of playing time led to some trolling from Knicks fans.

Of course, fans of the Sixers, Pacers, and Celtics could rightfully note that USA Basketball apparently did not want any Knicks players. Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart played on the World Cup team last summer that did not medal.

But it wouldn't be the NBA offseason or NBA Twitter without pettiness and trolling.