In a perfect world, you would want to pick the 12 best players or the 12 players to make the best team. Those might not always be the same, but it would probably match up pretty well. Anyway...
Is CC one of the best 12 players eligible to play for Team USA? Probably not. But i don't watch to know, but based no what i've heard/read, no.
Are all 12 selected the best at their position? I'm gonna guess no based on some comments i've, again, heard or read elsewhere, but for the most part, when you combine their experience in with it, most, if not all the selections seem to be legit.
So, given CC isn't one of the 12 best players in the league or the best at her position and her international experience pales next to the other players, strictly playing-wise, she doesn't belong on this team.
BUT, the WNBA specifically and women's basketball in general, certainly don't exist in a perfect world.
IF you replaced the last player picked with ANYONE (not necessarily CC), would it likely affect the outcome of the olympics? No. Last year, they won all 8 games by at least 19pts. The last player on the 2020 team played 3.8mins per in 4 games (didn't play in 4 others) and had a total of 3pts, 3rebs and 3 turnovers.
So, given that, is having CC on the team going to have a measurable, negative effect on the outcome? Odds are pretty good that it would NOT.
Which leads us to the popularity/marketing angle. I'm with the earn it with your play/experience 99% of the time. However, this is a completely different set of circumstances. CC is THE most popular women's basketball player in the world right now. Not even sure that it's close. The WNBA/women's basketball hasn't exactly been the most popular league/sport around from the very beginning. Any other league would've folded 10+yrs ago, but they have the backing of the NBA holding them up.
Just makes no sense.
CC should've been on the team for popularity reasons alone. The women's game needs fans, period. What other time/place than the Olympics. It's a world stage. The kicker is, she can actually play. Is she perfect? No, not at all, but she has more than proven she can play well enough and she most certainly brings eyes to the TV (just check out the last 2 NCAAT ratings for the women's side).
Seems like an opportunity squandered.