Let's See How Coach K Did . . .

. . . did he follow my advice about the USA Basketball roster for the tournament starting tomorrow?

No. Although ten of our picks line up.

I included Kevin Durant and Chris Bosh, while Coach K went with Tyson Chandler and Michael Redd. I think Kevin Durant would have given you just as much shooting as Redd, while giving you more defensive flexibility with his length. I don't understand picking Chandler over Bosh, unless Bosh is hurt, or just didn't fit in as well when asked to be a role player surrounded by other talent. I think most GMs would pick Bosh over Chandler, but this isn't just about who the best player will be, it's about the best teammate for this particular situation. The ESPN article doesn't mention Bosh at all, but digging around, see that he had a reoccurance of plantar fascitis in his left foot and withdrew last week.

So my only disagreement with the team would be to put Durant on instead of Redd. Redd is a great shooter, but I just don't see him giving you the intangibles that Durant has, on top of that, Durant will be a star in international play (and the NBA) for most of the next decade, and this early exposure to international play could have helped his development (and wouldn't have cost the team).

A loss at any point, and anything less than gold in this tournament would be an upset (though all they really need is 2nd place to lock in their Olympic spot, better to win all the games, anyway).