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).

Now THAT'S a Friendly . . .

The friendly on Saturday between LA Galaxy and Chelsea wasn't that interesting, but today's "Blue" v "White" scrimmage for USA Basketball was a great show. Kobe hit a 19ft shot over Prince with 6 seconds left bringing the score to 104-103 to cap a "Blue" comeback from 11 back with about 2 minutes left. On the subsequent defensive sequence he forced LeBron into a really bad attempt. Kobe looks motivated, relaxed, and fit, he's going to dominate the upcoming tournament.

Observations:

• Jason Kidd is really, really good when he doesn't need to shoot.
• Kevin Durant is going to do fine in the NBA, even if he doesn't bulk up.
• Kobe Bryant (the new, sleeker, 20lb lighter, Kobe Bryant) is easily the best player in the world right now, he was brilliant tonight.
• Dwight Howard is a monster rebounder.
• Mark Miller will be one of the key players for USA Basketball in the FIBA Americas Championship.

If I were in charge of the whittling down these players into the 12 man roster for the tourney, I'd go with this starting five:

Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James (that's a frighteningly good starting five, right there)

Off the bench, Tayshaun Prince, Chauncy Billups, Mike Miller (3pt shooting is crucial in international play), Kevin Durant, Amare Stoudemire, Deron Williams, and Chris Bosh.

That group should be able to rip through the qualifying rounds and handle whatever Brazil or Argentina has to offer in the finals. Should be a fun tournament, it's tempting to move to Las Vegas for the two weeks of the tourney (Aug 22nd-Sept 2), but instead I'll just catch a few matches on TV, that will have to be good enough.

Also, Snapper Jones and Joel Meyers make a great broadcasting team, they should work together more often.