81 replies to this topic

[jcisco loboe'77]

FIBA World Championship Quarterfinals
Sept. 9: (6-0)USA-vs-Russia (5-1)
Istanbul,Turkey
ESPN 11 am EDT/ESPN2 re-air at 1:30 am EDT






http://www.usabasketball.com/mens/national/usarussia_another_classic_on_2010_09_08.html
USA-Russia, Another Classic On The Way?

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.usabasket...2010_09_05.html

USA Ready For Win Or Go Home Time.

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.usabasket...al/history.html

USA Qualifying Team History.

[jcisco loboe'77]

Semifinals
The winners of the Quarterfinals games advance to the medal round Semifinals and play for 1st-4th place, the losers of Quarterfinals games proceed to the classification semifinals and play for 5th-8th place. Game times are expected to be 3:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., but the time and order of games will be finalized after the quarterfinals round.
Friday, September 10 (@ Istanbul)
Game 73: Loser Game 69 - Loser Game 70 • stats
Watch Now on ESPN3
Game 74: Loser Game 71 - Loser Game 72 • stats
Watch Now on ESPN3
Saturday, September 11 (@ Istanbul)
Game 76: Winner Game 69 - Winner Game 70 • stats
Watch Now on ESPN3
Game 77: Winner Game 71 - Winner Game 72 • stats
Watch Now on ESPN3

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://sports.espn.g...tory?id=5546777

Milos Teodosic's 3-pointer sinks defending champion Spain.
Serbia Eliminates Defending FIBA World Champion Spain.

Edited by jcisco loboe'77, 10 September 2010 - 07:04 AM.

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://nba.fanhouse....ld-championship

Team USA Determined Not to Let Russia Repeat History.

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://nba.fanhouse....ites-the-cold-w

The Works: Ricky Rubio Gag Order; Coach K Reignites Cold War.

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://nba.fanhouse....o-defeat-russia

Team USA Roars Back to Defeat Russia.

Edited by jcisco loboe'77, 13 September 2010 - 06:22 AM.

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.nba.com/2...ls=iref:nbahpt1

Behind Durant, motivated U.S. proves doubters wrong.

Edited by jcisco loboe'77, 13 September 2010 - 06:24 AM.

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.usabasket...l/schedule.html

Semifinals
The winners of the Quarterfinals games advance to the medal round Semifinals and play for 1st-4th place, the losers of Quarterfinals games proceed to the classification semifinals and play for 5th-8th place.

Friday, September 10 (@ Istanbul)
Game 73:
Spain 97-80 Slovenia
Argentina 73-61 Russia

Saturday, September 11 (@ Istanbul)
USA 89-74 Lithuania
Turkey 83-82 Serbia

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.usabasket...l/schedule.html


Finals
Saturday, September 11 (@ Istanbul)
7th/8th Place: Russia 83-78 Slovenia.

Sunday, September 12
5th/6th Place: Argentina 86-81 Spain.

Bronze Medal Game: Lithuania 99-88 Serbia.

Gold Medal Game: USA 81-64 Turkey.





Final Standings
1. USA (9-0)
2. Turkey (8-1)
3. Lithuania (8-1)
4. Serbia (6-3)
5. Argentina (7-2)
6. Spain (5-4)
7. Russia (6-3)
8. Slovenia (5-4)
9. Brazil (3-3)
10. Australia (3-3)
11. Greece (3-3)
12. New Zealand (3-3)
13. France (3-3)
14. Croatia (2-4)
15. Angola (2-4)
16. China (1-5)
17. Germany (2-3)
18. Puerto Rico (1-4)
19. Iran (1-4)
20. Lebanon (1-4)
21. Ivory Coast (1-4)
22. Canada (0-5)
23. Jordan (0-5)
24. Tunisia (0-5)

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.usabasket...t_training.html

2010 USA Men's National Team Results

Las Vegas Training/Exhibition--Las Vegas,Nevada
July 24 2010 USA Basketball Showcase at Thomas & Mack Center,UNLV

USA Basketball National Team Training--New York,New York
Aug. 12. World Basketball Festival-USA Basketball Showcase @ Radio City Music Hall

Aug. 14 USA scrimmage vs. China

Aug. 15 USA Basketball Global Community Cup
USA 86, France 55 @ Madison Square Garden

USA Basketball National Team Training-Madrid,Spain
Aug. 21 USA 77, Lithuania 61 at La Caja Mágica

Aug. 22 USA 86, Spain 85 at La Caja MÃgica

USA Basketball National Team Training--Athens,Greece
Aug. 25 USA 87, Greece 59 at OAKA Arena

Preliminary Round
Saturday, August 28
Group B (@ Istanbul)
USA 106, Croatia 78 •

Sunday, August 29
Group B (@ Istanbul)
USA 99, Slovenia 77 •

Monday, August 30
Group B (@ Istanbul)
USA 70, Brazil 68 •

Wednesday, September 1
Group B (@ Istanbul)
USA 88, Iran 51 •

Thursday, September 2
Group B (@ Istanbul)
USA 95, Tunisia 57 •

Eighth-Finals
Monday, September 6 (@Istanbul)
USA 121, Angola 66 •

Quarterfinals
Thursday, September 9 (@Istanbul)
USA 89, Russia 79 •

Sunday, September 12
Gold Medal Game: USA 81, Turkey 64 •

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.usabasket..._USA_Stats.html

Season Schedule/Results & Leaders
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2010 FIBA World Championship
USA Season Schedule/Results & Leaders (as of Sep 12, 2010)
All games

RECORD: OVERALL HOME AWAY NEUTRAL
ALL GAMES........... (9-0) (0-0) (0-0) (9-0)
CONFERENCE.......... (0-0) (0-0) (0-0) (0-0)
NON-CONFERENCE...... (9-0) (0-0) (0-0) (9-0)





DATE TIME OPPONENT SCORE ATTEND HIGH POINTS HIGH REBOUNDS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8/28/10 7:00 p.m. vs Croatia W 106-78 (16)Gordon, Eric (10)Love, Kevin
8/29/10 4:30 p.m. vs Slovenia W 99-77 (22)Durant, Kevin (11)Love, Kevin
8/30/10 9:30 p.m. vs Brazil W 70-68 (27)Durant, Kevin (10)Durant, Kevin
9/1/10 vs Iran W 88-51 12500 (13)Love, Kevin (7)Chandler, Tyson
9/2/10 4:30 p.m. vs Tunisia W 92-57 12500 (21)Gordon, Eric (6)Igoudala, Andre
9/6/10 6:00 p.m. vs Angola W 121-66 15000 (19)Billups, Chauncy (8)Odom, Lamar
9/9/10 6:00 p.m. vs Russia W 89-79 15000 (33)Durant, Kevin (12)Odom, Lamar
9/11/10 7:00 p.m. vs Lithuania W 89-74 15000 (38)Durant, Kevin (10)Odom, Lamar
9/12/10 9:30 p.m. vs Turkey W 81-64 15000 (28)Durant, Kevin (11)Odom, Lamar


* - Conference game


ATTENDANCE SUMMARY GAMES TOTALS AVG/GAME
HOME.................... 0 0 0
AWAY.................... 0 0 0
NEUTRAL................. 9 85000 9444
TOTAL................... 9 85000 9444

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season Box Score
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2010 FIBA World Championship
USA Season Box Score (as of Sep 12, 2010)
All games

RECORD: OVERALL HOME AWAY NEUTRAL
ALL GAMES........... (9-0) (0-0) (0-0) (9-0)
CONFERENCE.......... (0-0) (0-0) (0-0) (0-0)
NON-CONFERENCE...... (9-0) (0-0) (0-0) (9-0)




|---TOTAL---| |---3-PTS---| |----REBOUNDS----|
## Player GP-GS Min--Avg FG-FGA Pct 3FG-FGA Pct FT-FTA Pct Off Def Tot Avg PF FO A TO Blk Stl Pts Avg
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 Durant, Kevin...... 9-9 254 28.2 74-133 .556 26-57 .456 31-34 .912 3 52 55 6.1 11 0 16 18 6 13 205 22.8
4 Billups, Chauncy... 9-9 208 23.1 25-64 .391 14-44 .318 24-28 .857 2 15 17 1.9 22 0 28 9 0 11 88 9.8
7 Westbrook, Russell. 9-0 175 19.4 29-62 .468 3-7 .429 21-25 .840 14 11 25 2.8 12 0 23 16 4 12 82 9.1
12 Gordon, Eric....... 9-0 158 17.6 27-59 .458 19-42 .452 4-5 .800 1 13 14 1.6 14 0 5 6 2 8 77 8.6
6 Rose, Derrick...... 9-9 207 23.0 27-59 .458 5-18 .278 6-12 .500 3 16 19 2.1 12 0 29 14 3 11 65 7.2
14 Odom, Lamar........ 9-9 198 22.0 28-52 .538 3-4 .750 5-10 .500 24 45 69 7.7 22 1 4 9 6 5 64 7.1
8 Gay, Rudy.......... 9-0 121 13.4 22-45 .489 6-19 .316 13-18 .722 9 17 26 2.9 16 0 7 4 8 9 63 7.0
9 Igoudala, Andre.... 9-9 170 18.9 20-34 .588 2-7 .286 9-19 .474 18 23 41 4.6 21 0 17 13 0 16 51 5.7
13 Love, Kevin........ 9-0 80 8.9 20-35 .571 4-9 .444 7-9 .778 16 28 44 4.9 8 0 7 7 1 3 51 5.7
11 Curry, Stephen..... 8-0 85 10.6 14-31 .452 7-19 .368 2-2 1.000 3 8 11 1.4 11 0 17 8 0 4 37 4.6
10 Granger, Danny..... 7-0 68 9.7 12-30 .400 3-13 .231 2-4 .500 2 4 6 0.9 6 0 7 1 1 1 29 4.1
15 Chandler, Tyson.... 9-0 76 8.4 9-14 .643 0-0 .000 5-10 .500 12 12 24 2.7 16 0 4 2 5 2 23 2.6
TEAM............... 10 14 24 3.0 0 1
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total.............. 9 1800 307-618 .497 92-239 .385 129-176 .733 117 258 375 41.7 171 1 164 108 36 95 835 92.8
Opponents.......... 9 1800 217-569 .381 66-219 .301 114-173 .659 111 213 324 36.0 172 - 101 146 18 53 614 68.2



SCORE BY PERIODS: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
------------------------------ ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
USA........................... 208 199 211 217 - 835
Opponents..................... 152 145 154 163 - 614

DEADBALL REBOUNDS: OFF DEF TOTAL
------------------------------ --- ----- -----
USA........................... 0 0 0
Opponents..................... 0 0 0






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Combined Team Statistics
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2010 FIBA World Championship
USA Combined Team Statistics (as of Sep 12,2010)
All games


RECORD: OVERALL HOME AWAY NEUTRAL
ALL GAMES........... (9-0) (0-0) (0-0) (9-0)
CONFERENCE.......... (0-0) (0-0) (0-0) (0-0)
NON-CONFERENCE...... (9-0) (0-0) (0-0) (9-0)




DATE OPPONENT W/L SCORE ATTEND
------------ -------------------- --- ----- ------
8/28/10 vs Croatia W 106-78 -
8/29/10 vs Slovenia W 99-77 -
8/30/10 vs Brazil W 70-68 -
9/1/10 vs Iran W 88-51 12500
9/2/10 vs Tunisia W 92-57 12500
9/6/10 vs Angola W 121-66 15000
9/9/10 vs Russia W 89-79 15000
9/11/10 vs Lithuania W 89-74 15000
9/12/10 vs Turkey W 81-64 15000





## SUMMARY GP-GS Min FG% 3PT% FT% R/G A/G STL BLK PTS/G
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 Durant, Kevin....... 9-9 28.2 .556 .456 .912 6.1 1.8 13 6 22.8
4 Billups, Chauncy.... 9-9 23.1 .391 .318 .857 1.9 3.1 11 0 9.8
7 Westbrook, Russell.. 9-0 19.4 .468 .429 .840 2.8 2.6 12 4 9.1
12 Gordon, Eric........ 9-0 17.6 .458 .452 .800 1.6 0.6 8 2 8.6
6 Rose, Derrick....... 9-9 23.0 .458 .278 .500 2.1 3.2 11 3 7.2
14 Odom, Lamar......... 9-9 22.0 .538 .750 .500 7.7 0.4 5 6 7.1
8 Gay, Rudy........... 9-0 13.4 .489 .316 .722 2.9 0.8 9 8 7.0
13 Love, Kevin......... 9-0 8.9 .571 .444 .778 4.9 0.8 3 1 5.7
9 Igoudala, Andre..... 9-9 18.9 .588 .286 .474 4.6 1.9 16 0 5.7
11 Curry, Stephen...... 8-0 10.6 .452 .368 1.000 1.4 2.1 4 0 4.6
10 Granger, Danny...... 7-0 9.7 .400 .231 .500 0.9 1.0 1 1 4.1
15 Chandler, Tyson..... 9-0 8.4 .643 .000 .500 2.7 0.4 2 5 2.6
Total............... 9 .497 .385 .733 41.7 18.2 95 36 92.8
Opponents........... 9 .381 .301 .659 36.0 11.2 53 18 68.2



SCORING GP FG-FGA FG% 3FG-FGA 3PT% FT-FTA FT% PTS PTS/G
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Durant, Kevin....... 9 74-133 .556 26-57 .456 31-34 .912 205 22.8
Billups, Chauncy.... 9 25-64 .391 14-44 .318 24-28 .857 88 9.8
Westbrook, Russell.. 9 29-62 .468 3-7 .429 21-25 .840 82 9.1
Gordon, Eric........ 9 27-59 .458 19-42 .452 4-5 .800 77 8.6
Rose, Derrick....... 9 27-59 .458 5-18 .278 6-12 .500 65 7.2
Odom, Lamar......... 9 28-52 .538 3-4 .750 5-10 .500 64 7.1
Gay, Rudy........... 9 22-45 .489 6-19 .316 13-18 .722 63 7.0
Love, Kevin......... 9 20-35 .571 4-9 .444 7-9 .778 51 5.7
Igoudala, Andre..... 9 20-34 .588 2-7 .286 9-19 .474 51 5.7
Curry, Stephen...... 8 14-31 .452 7-19 .368 2-2 1.000 37 4.6
Granger, Danny...... 7 12-30 .400 3-13 .231 2-4 .500 29 4.1
Chandler, Tyson..... 9 9-14 .643 0-0 .000 5-10 .500 23 2.6
Total............... 9 307-618 .497 92-239 .385 129-176 .733 835 92.8
Opponents........... 9 217-569 .381 66-219 .301 114-173 .659 614 68.2



REBOUNDS
TOTALS GP MIN OFF DEF TOT PF FO A TO A/TO HI
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Durant, Kevin....... 9 254 3 52 55 11 0 16 18 0.9 38
Billups, Chauncy.... 9 208 2 15 17 22 0 28 9 3.1 19
Westbrook, Russell.. 9 175 14 11 25 12 0 23 16 1.4 14
Gordon, Eric........ 9 158 1 13 14 14 0 5 6 0.8 21
Rose, Derrick....... 9 207 3 16 19 12 0 29 14 2.1 11
Odom, Lamar......... 9 198 24 45 69 22 1 4 9 0.4 15
Gay, Rudy........... 9 121 9 17 26 16 0 7 4 1.8 17
Love, Kevin......... 9 80 16 28 44 8 0 7 7 1.0 13
Igoudala, Andre..... 9 170 18 23 41 21 0 17 13 1.3 11
Curry, Stephen...... 8 85 3 8 11 11 0 17 8 2.1 13
Granger, Danny...... 7 68 2 4 6 6 0 7 1 7.0 10
Chandler, Tyson..... 9 76 12 12 24 16 0 4 2 2.0 7
Total............... 9 1800 117 258 375 171 1 164 108 1.5 121
Opponents........... 9 1800 111 213 324 172 - 101 146 0.7 79




TEAM STATISTICS MWC OPP
---------------------------------------------------
SCORING.................. 835 614
Points per game........ 92.8 68.2
Scoring margin......... +24.6 -
FIELD GOALS-ATT.......... 307-618 217-569
Field goal pct......... .497 .381
3 POINT FG-ATT........... 92-239 66-219
3-point FG pct......... .385 .301
3-pt FG made per game.. 10.2 7.3
FREE THROWS-ATT.......... 129-176 114-173
Free throw pct......... .733 .659
REBOUNDS................. 375 324
Rebounds per game...... 41.7 36.0
Rebounding margin...... +5.7 -
ASSISTS.................. 164 101
Assists per game....... 18.2 11.2
TURNOVERS................ 108 146
Turnovers per game..... 12.0 16.2
Turnover margin........ +4.2 -
Assist/turnover ratio.. 1.5 0.7
STEALS................... 95 53
Steals per game........ 10.6 5.9
BLOCKS................... 36 18
Blocks per game........ 4.0 2.0
WINNING STREAK........... 9 -
Home win streak........ 0 -
ATTENDANCE............... 0 85000
Home games-Avg/Game.... 0-0 0-0
Neutral site-Avg/Game.. - 9-9444


SCORE BY PERIODS: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
------------------------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
USA...................... 208 199 211 217 - 835~9ine games for an average of 93.
Opponents................ 152 145 154 163 - 614~9ine games for an average of 68.

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.usabasket...mwc_game_9.html

Tournament MVP Durant Scores 28, Leads USA Over Turkey For World Championship Gold.

Durant was named MVP of the World Championship after averaging 22.8 ppg., 6.1 rpg., and shooting 55.6 percent from the field, 45.6 percent from 3-point and 91.2 percent from the foul line.

The 2010 USA World Championship Team assistant coaches are Syracuse University’s Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Nate McMillan and Toronto Raptors head mentor Jay Triano."

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.usabasket...nal/roster.html

2010 USA Basketball Men's World Championship Team


ALPHABETICAL ROSTER:
NO NAME POS HGT WGT DOB CURRENT TEAM / COLLEGE or HIGH SCHOOL
4 Chauncey Billups G 6-3 202 9/25/76 Denver Nuggets / University of Colorado
15 Tyson Chandler C 7-1 235 10/02/82 Dallas Mavericks / Dominguez H.S. (CA)
11 Stephen Curry G 6-3 185 3/14/88 Golden State Warriors / Davidson College
5 Kevin Durant G 6-9 230 9/29/88 Oklahoma City Thunder / University of Texas
8 Rudy Gay F 6-8 230 8/17/86 Memphis Grizzlies / University of Connecticut
12 Eric Gordon G 6-3 222 12/25/88 Los Angeles Clippers / Indiana University
10 Danny Granger F 6-8 228 4/20/83 Indiana Pacers / University of New Mexico
9 Andre Iguodala G/F 6-6 207 1/28/84 Philadelphia 76ers / University of Arizona
13 Kevin Love F 6-10 260 9/07/88 Minnesota Timberwolves / UCLA
14 Lamar Odom F 6-10 230 11/06/79 Los Angeles Lakers / University of Rhode Island
6 Derrick Rose G 6-3 190 10/04/88 Chicago Bulls / University of Memphis
7 Russell Westbrook G 6-3 187 11/12/88 Oklahoma City Thunder / UCLA

Head Coach: Mike Krzyzewski, Duke University
Assistant Coach: Jim Boeheim, Syracuse University
Assistant Coach: Jay Triano, Toronto Raptors
Team Physician: Steve Traina, Denver Nuggets
Athletic Trainer: Joe Sharpe, Oklahoma City Thunder
Athletic Trainer: Casey Smith, Dallas Mavericks



NUMERICAL ROSTER:
NO NAME POS HGT WGT DOB CURRENT TEAM / COLLEGE or HIGH SCHOOL
4 Chauncey Billups G 6-3 202 9/25/76 Denver Nuggets / University of Colorado
5 Kevin Durant G 6-9 230 9/29/88 Oklahoma City Thunder / University of Texas
6 Derrick Rose G 6-3 190 10/04/88 Chicago Bulls / University of Memphis
7 Russell Westbrook G 6-3 187 11/12/88 Oklahoma City Thunder / UCLA
8 Rudy Gay F 6-8 230 8/17/86 Memphis Grizzlies / University of Connecticut
9 Andre Iguodala G/F 6-6 207 1/28/84 Philadelphia 76ers / University of Arizona
10 Danny Granger F 6-8 228 4/20/83 Indiana Pacers / University of New Mexico
11 Stephen Curry G 6-3 185 3/14/88 Golden State Warriors / Davidson College
12 Eric Gordon G 6-3 222 12/25/88 Los Angeles Clippers / Indiana University
13 Kevin Love F 6-10 260 9/07/88 Minnesota Timberwolves / UCLA
14 Lamar Odom F 6-10 230 11/06/79 Los Angeles Lakers / University of Rhode Island
15 Tyson Chandler C 7-1 235 10/02/82 Dallas Mavericks / Dominguez H.S. (CA)

Head Coach: Mike Krzyzewski, Duke University
Assistant Coach: Jim Boeheim, Syracuse University
Assistant Coach: Jay Triano, Toronto Raptors
Team Physician: Steve Traina, Denver Nuggets
Athletic Trainer: Joe Sharpe, Oklahoma City Thunder
Athletic Trainer: Casey Smith, Dallas Mavericks

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.teamusa.org


"FIBA World Champions.This past weekend, the Team USA men's basketball team won a gold medal at the 2010 FIBA World Championship. Which player had the biggest impact?

Chauncey Billups
1 vote 0

Kevin Durant
8 votes 0

Rudy Gay
1 vote 0

Eric Gordon
4 votes 0

Lamar Odom
0 votes 0

Russell Westbrook
2 votes 0 "

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://bleacherrepor...-64-over-turkey

USA Basketball Captures World Championship Gold, Wins 81-64 Over Turkey.

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://www.sbnation....carmelo-anthony

....Do We Really Need LeBron, Carmelo And Wade On The 2012 Olympic Team?




"After Team USA earnestly brought home the Naismith Trophy at the 2010 FIBA World Championships, it's fair to ask whether or not we need the LeBrontourage in the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Sep 13, 2010 - Most basketball fans will remember the summer of 2010 as "The Me-First Summer," with the Chris Bosh/Dwyane Wade circus, followed by the LeBron James circus, followed by the Chris Paul circus, followed by the not-yet-over Carmelo Anthony circus. These characters have much in common. They're undoubtedly among the best players in the NBA, they're me-first guys operating under the guise of winning-first guys and, together, they were losers the last time the USA participated in the FIBA World Championships. Yes, they won it all at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, but if not for Jason Kidd and Kobe Bryant's arrival on Team USA in 2007, it's quite possible that they wouldn't have.

So I suppose it was fitting that at the conclusion of a nauseating me-first summer, true basketball fans were treated to some team-first play by a squad known throughout the basketball world as "The B Team" entering the 2010 FIBA tournament. Not only shouldn't they be described as "The B Team" any longer, but they should ascend to USA Basketball's "A Team" status immediately.

As USA Basketball was on the eve of forming their 2010 FIBA World Championships roster, I wrote that if this year's team delivered a gold medal in Turkey they should be rewarded with roster spots on the 2011 FIBA Americas team and the 2012 London Olympic Games squad. Having seen this team not just win the gold (for the first time in 16 years, embarrassingly, for an American team) but do so with an earnest, classy, hard-fought, well-played and team-first effort I'm more resolute than ever that we should be looking at our 2012 Olympic Games roster right now.

USA Basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski did a masterful job molding this team together on short notice and getting them where he couldn't get the 2006 World Championship squad, even though that one was undoubtedly more talented on paper with the likes of LeBron, Wade, Melo, Paul, Dwight Howard and Bosh. In a halftime ESPN interview during the gold medal game against Turkey, Coach K said that winning the 2010 World Championships with the current squad would be "more satisfying" than winning the gold in Beijing. I suspect this has something to do with how low maintenance and down-to-earth the guys are on the 2010 team.

All the members of the LeBrontourage - plus Bryant - couldn't be bothered to play on the 2010 World Championship team. As I wrote back in July, we can't blame them. LeBron and friends gave us their summers from 2006 through 2008 (and Bryant 2007 and 2008), and for that we're most appreciative. Given the demands on the modern NBA player, a three-year Team USA commitment is the most we can ask for.

But the LeBrontourage can't have it both ways. If LBJ, Melo, Wade et al want to skip the 2010 Worlds, they may have to skip the 2012 Olympic Games too. When USA Basketball director Jerry Colangelo reconstructed the Men's National Program from the ashes left by Stu Jackson, it was under the auspices of forming a true national team ... not allowing the NBA's best to cherry pick when and if they'll show up. Moreover, the argument that the 2010 team is too young and/or inexperienced no longer applies. Lest we forget that the key members of the 2006 squad were approximately the same age at that time as Durant, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Stephen Curry, Eric Gordon and Derrick Rose are today.

As the 2012 Olympic Games approaches, Coach K and Colangelo are going to have some very tough decisions to make. Do you reward the 2010 World Championships team with a majority of the roster spots for the 2012 Olympic Games? Or re-boot the program once again with yet another 22-man tryout?

If there was one criticism for this year's Men's National Team program, it was that they waited until just months before the FIBA tournament to assemble the team. And this last-minute approach showed as the team almost lost to Spain in a pre-tournament friendly, barely squeaked by Brazil in group play and looked sloppy for long stretches of many pre-elimination round games. But credit Coach K, his coaching staff and the players - namely Kevin Durant and veterans Chauncey Billups and Lamar Odom - for getting their act together when it counted most, as they barnstormed their way through elimination play and easily beat Turkey in front of their home country crowd to take home the gold medal on Sunday.

Moving forward with Team USA, the right thing to do is keep the core of the 2010 team intact for 2012. That means Durant, Odom, Billups (if he's up for it by then), Andre Igoudala, Rose, Love, Gordon, Curry and Westbrook should plan on being in London in August 2012. Since Tyson Chandler, Rudy Gay and Danny Granger were used sparingly and inconsistently in Turkey, I wouldn't have a problem bringing Howard back for Chandler, Bryant (if he wants to play again) for Granger and a power forward or man-of-size like Bosh or David Lee in place of Gay.

In other words, who needs LeBron, Melo or Wade anyway?

If the recently leaked stories of LeBron's boorish behavior on previous Team USAs are even half true - and given LeBron's behavior this summer, it's hard not to believe them - perhaps it's best to leave LeBron and his pals off Team USA in 2012 altogether. Besides, LeBron and Wade will want to spend that summer staring at the championship rings they colluded to get.

A major congratulations is owed to Colangelo, Coach K and his staff and the great players who gave up their summers to bring home the gold for Team USA. In an NBA off-season poisoned by me-first stories, it was nice to be reminded of what basketball is all about. Or at least should be."

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://nba.fanhouse....r-brazil-canada

Team USA Gold Good News for Brazil, Canada.

[jcisco loboe'77]

http://nba.fanhouse....to-get-the-gold

Kevin Durant Named Worlds MVP, but Just Happy to Get the Gold.