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Team USA (Official Thread)

OSUBasketballJunkie

Never Forget 31-0
ABJ

7/16/06

Looking for respect

Team USA, including LeBron, hopes to regain basketball glory

By Brian Windhorst

Beacon Journal sportswriter

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Assistant coach Gregg Popovich holds back LeBron James to keep him from getting called for a technical as the United States faces Australia in the 2004 Olympic Games on Thursday, August 19, 2004.
More photos

<!-- begin body-content -->LAS VEGAS - It once was considered impossible that basketball's founding nation would ever lose its international supremacy in the fast-growing sport.
The United States is still home to James Naismith's original peach basket and memories of the 1992 Dream Team, but no longer any major global championships.
Four years of taking repeated bruises on the court and to the ego have left the country's governing foundation, USA Basketball, hoping for something else deemed impossible: to have the best of both worlds at the worlds.
They want All-Stars who are selfless.
The attempt is to claim the title at the World Championships next month in Japan. To get it done, the new architects of the USA Basketball organization will start a lengthy team-building exercise this week in Las Vegas, followed by a whirlwind international tour designed to unite talented millionaires for the cause. And that will set the stage for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
At the centerpiece are two of the NBA's biggest names: LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. They are two players not only expected to come together to share the burden, but also, perhaps, to do it at the same time on the floor.
New Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski and new USA Basketball boss Jerry Colangelo have assembled a team full of stars and role players with an eye toward American players' greatest attributes: athleticism and versatility.
The plan is to get them to work together to erase the lingering doubt after a sixth-place finish at the 2002 World Championships and bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics.
``Continuity and unity are keys,'' Krzyzewski said. ``That's an advantage the international teams have had over us.''
It started last year as Colangelo met with dozens of players, looking to identify who met the new goals and ones willing to commit three summers. Some top players decided not to take part and some were not invited. Kobe Bryant was scratched from the roster after undergoing minor surgery on his right knee Saturday.
The rest will be at UNLV starting Wednesday for a week-long training camp.
Colangelo got James' commitment to the three-year plan after a meeting in Chicago in December. He clearly is one of the players USA Basketball hopes will be a part of the national team for years to come.
``We said at the start that we weren't picking an All-Star team,'' Colangelo said. ``We wanted to compile a team that would have a lot of ingredients.''
There are 25 players on the national team roster, but just 12 will be picked to go to Japan. Only a few spots haven't been assured; James and Wade are locks, as well as the top point guards and big men. But who plays with whom and which players squeeze onto the final roster will be anything but the pleasure trip that past world competition preparations have been for Team USA.
After training camp in Las Vegas, there will be an exhibition game against Puerto Rico at UNLV, followed by extensive time in the Far East.
Team USA will take part in the China Basketball Challenge in early August in Guangzhou and play against the Chinese and Brazilians. It will be the first time for the team in China.
Then it is off to Seoul, South Korea, for the World Basketball Challenge, where the U.S. will play games against Italy, Korea, Lithuania and Turkey before heading to Sapporo, Japan, for the opening rounds of the World Championships starting Aug. 19.
It is the most extensive preparation for the national team -- all part of the new strategy.
``There have been lots of changes to how and what we do,'' Colangelo said. ``Hopefully they've taken place for the right reasons.''
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ESPN

Updated: July 16, 2006, 2:12 AM ET
Kobe won't play for USA after knee surgery

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Kobe Bryant had minor surgery on his right knee Saturday and is highly unlikely to play for the United States in the world championships this summer.

<!--------------------------START PLAYER CARD------------------><TABLE class=tableheadFixWidth cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3 width=200 align=right><TBODY><TR class=stathead><TD class=whitelink colSpan=2>Kobe Bryant</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow align=right><TD align=left>
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Shooting Guard
Los Angeles Lakers

Profile</TD></TR><TR class=evenrow><TD align=middle><TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 width=190 bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR class=stathead align=middle><TD align=middle colSpan=6>2006 SEASON STATISTICS</TD></TR><TR align=right><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">GM</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">PPG</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">RPG</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">APG</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">FG%</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #bcbcb4" width="17%">FT%</TD></TR><TR align=right bgColor=#bcbcb4><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">80</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">35.4</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">5.3</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">4.5</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">.450</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #999999">.850</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!---------------------INLINE MINI-PLAYER CARD ENDS HERE--------------------->


The announcement Saturday that the U.S. team will be without the NBA's leading scorer comes just five days before the Americans open their training camp in Las Vegas.

USA Basketball said Bryant will still attend part of the camp and will travel with the team in Asia for training in exhibitions in China and South Korea, and the world championships in Japan.

But full recovery from the procedure normally takes eight to 12 weeks, leaving it doubtful Bryant will be available for any of the world championships, which run from Aug. 19-Sept. 3.

The U.S. has to choose its 12-man roster for the worlds before competition starts, and it can't be changed.

"We trust that Kobe will have a total and speedy recovery, and we were pleased that he expressed a willingness to remain as involved with our team as possible through this process," USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo said in a statement. "Kobe being with the team will add to our team chemistry and his presence will help provide valuable off court leadership."

If Bryant is out 12 weeks, he could miss the beginning of Lakers training camp in October.


"It's our understanding that it's pretty minor, typical arthroscopic surgery to clean up some scar tissue," Lakers spokesman John Black told the Los Angeles Times. "He misses maybe the start of training camp, but as you're aware, Kobe is probably in the best condition of anybody in the league, which shouldn't set him back.


"Nobody in the league works harder than Kobe. He'll be back at 100 percent."

Bryant wore an athletic sleeve to control swelling in the leg last season. It was one of several small ailments that slowed him during the Lakers' playoff run.

Bryant's withdrawal is the fourth this week for the U.S. team, but easily the biggest blow. One of the leaders of a team that is trying to bounce back from two recent disappointments, he and LeBron James were the first two players publicly named to the team, nearly two months before the rest of the squad was unveiled.

Already this week, the 24-player U.S. roster lost J.J. Redick (back injury), Lamar Odom (personal reasons) and Paul Pierce (expected to have elbow surgery in August).

"That's why you have a roster," USA coach Mike Krzyzewski said Thursday during a conference call. "That's why you have a team, so that when these normal life situations come up we can go on without it being an emergency, or calling upon somebody to crash train in order to be part of a team. And that's kind of what happened in our world championships in 2002 and it happened a little bit also for the Olympics in 2004."

The Americans finished sixth in 2002 and won a bronze medal in Athens. That led to the creation of the U.S. national team program under the direction of Colangelo, and Bryant quickly committed to play.

Bryant was supposed to be on the Olympic team in 2004, but was forced to drop out while facing a sexual assault trial in Colorado.

Even without Bryant, who averaged 35.4 points this season, the Americans still have plenty of scoring options on their roster from players such as James, Dwyane Wade and Gilbert Arenas.

USA Basketball said Bryant is not expected to miss any of his commitments with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Hopefully it goes well in Colorado Springs this time. :wink2:
 
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Dispatch

7/19/06

USA BASKETBALL

Coach K in charge of returning luster

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Peter May
THE BOSTON GLOBE

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The quest officially begins this morning, but, in reality, the United States’ determination to return to its gold medal ways in men’s basketball began much earlier, 16 months ago to be precise.
It began with the realization that the world has, indeed, caught up, dramatized in alltoo-painful fashion by a sixthplace finish at the 2002 World Championships and a thirdplace finish at the 2004 Olympics. It continued with the realization that a team of All-Stars was not enough, that a Hall of Fame coach wasn’t enough, that a slapdash approach to filling rosters didn’t work, and that it was time to do what just about everyone else does: construct a national team.
In April 2005, Phoenix Suns executive Jerry Colangelo was put in charge of assembling just such a team and he spent all last season doing that. Along the way, he was either rebuffed by or didn’t bother to recruit such luminaries as Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Shaquille O’Neal. But he did manage to convince many of the NBA’s up-and-comers, from LeBron James to Dwyane Wade, and the result is a 24-member team that will start workouts in Las Vegas and continue them in Korea and China, all with the hope of whipping the rest of the planet at the World Championships in Japan Aug. 19-Sept. 3.
Colangelo tabbed Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski as the man to bring back the gold not only from Japan, but from the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Anything less will be deemed an unqualified downer.
"This group," Krzyzewski said last week in a conference call, "is charged with restoring American basketball to its proper place. It’s my responsibility to make that happen."
We all know what "proper place" means, and it isn’t the podium for the silver or bronze medals. Save for that one slip-up in Munich in 1972, the United States was, well, uniformly golden in the Olympics. Since the pros were welcomed to the competitions in 1992, the United States never had so much as lost a game with NBA players until Argentina beat the Yanks in Indianapolis in 2002. That was the first of three losses that year, amid bickering between players and the coach. There were three more defeats in Athens, with more bickering, this time mostly from the coach, Larry Brown.
USA Basketball said "enough," and Colangelo was given free rein to put the pieces back together. The result is a team still very high on star power (James, Wade, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups) but also one with a lot of guys who, well, also do windows (Brad Miller, Bruce Bowen, Shane Battier, Luke Ridnour).
"I think it’s good for every player to look at himself as a role player," Krzyzewski said. "They’re going to have to share the basketball and share responsibility. That attitude should be shared by everybody."
The 24 players Colangelo invited are all on for a three-summer ride, concluding with the 2008 Olympics. Only 12 will go to Japan, but the 12 who don’t still will be on the roster. Already out because of injury are Bryant, Paul Pierce and J.J. Redick. Krzyzewski and Colangelo also are not anticipating having Billups (new baby), Michael Redd (wedding) or Lamar Odom (family issues) for the tournament.
The team is long on swingmen and short on big men. Of the 18 expected to report for work today, only one, Miller, can be described as a center. However, there are plenty of power forwards at Coach K’s disposal, including Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard and Elton Brand. Shawn Marion can play there as well. The swingmen include James, Anthony, Wade, Battier, Bowen, Antawn Jamison, Adam Morrison and Joe Johnson, while the point guards are Ridnour, Kirk Hinrich, Chris Paul and Gilbert Arenas.
"We have two things going for us," Krzyzewski said. "We’ll have a deep team. And we’ll have a very athletic team." The most recent U.S. national team didn’t defend well, shot horribly on three-pointers and at the free-throw line, and fell apart in the face of crisper-executing national teams that had years of experience playing together. The other variables (FIBA officiating, 40-minute games, five-foul limit, international rules) won’t present themselves in earnest until the Aug. 19 opener against Puerto Rico in Sapporo. By then, the Yanks will have played a handful of exhibitions and the 12-man roster will be set. Over the ensuing two weeks, the United States and the world will learn one of two things: either the more things change, the more they stay the same, or vive la difference!
 
Upvote 0
ABJ

7/20/06

LeBron, Wade, 'Melo back in prime time

GREG BEACHAM

Associated Press

<!-- begin body-content -->LAS VEGAS - Dwyane Wade had plenty of time to get to know LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony two years ago. They spent the summer together in Greece - and U.S. Olympic coach Larry Brown mostly kept them planted on the bench together.
So they sat and talked, watching their team's bickering and ego-tripping and ill-fitting strategies on the way to disappointing bronze medals and the end of American dominance in the sport.
Though they left Athens frustrated, this formidable trio strengthened the bond that was forged when the players joined the NBA together in 2003. And they made a joint summer vacation plan: When they got their chance to make a mark on the national team, Wade and James and Anthony vowed to do whatever was necessary to return the United States to its perch atop the sport.
"We just want a great atmosphere," Wade said. "You want to leave here and have great things to say about your experience, (rather) than some of the negative things we had in 2004. ... Being a part of 2004 was history in a bad way for myself, LeBron, Carmelo and Shawn Marion and those guys. Now, we want the chance to start over again."
The chance arrived Wednesday, when the wholly revamped American team opened two weeks of training in Las Vegas leading to an Asian tour and the world championships in Japan next month.
New coach Mike Krzyzewski and the U.S. brass are going to extensive lengths to change the culture and atmosphere of a program that withered and soured. But this summer also signals a generational shift for the Americans, with Wade, James and Anthony sounding eager to assert themselves as stars of the international game.
"We're three guys that kind of understand this game a little better, and we can help these young guys understand what this game is all about," Wade said. "We can go out there and be leaders now. It wasn't our time then, but hopefully it's our time now."
Just five members of the Athens bronze-medal team were invited to this camp: Along with the talented trio, Phoenix Suns forwards Amare Stoudemire and Marion are back. The rest of the 24 players selected for a three-year commitment weren't around when Brown's team finally imploded on the international stage, settling for a third-place finish that felt much worse.
Nobody doubts Brown's coaching acumen, but his disdain for young players is well-known, and he stuck with veterans who couldn't adjust to each other or the international game - though such second-guessing is easier given the star trio's NBA exploits since then.
When asked what went wrong in Athens, James - who seemed to seethe more than Wade and Anthony at his meager playing time - only laughed and said he wasn't sure.
"I was in the loop, but I wasn't in the loop," James said. "I don't know what happened. I think it's going to be different this time. I think having a training camp is going to make it a lot different. We trained for probably three or four days in 2004, and now we're going to train for two weeks."
Krzyzewski knows the program's future rests with players under 25 who still can add skills for the demands of the international game. The young American stars seem exceptionally willing to take on the responsibility, none of the visible arm-twisting required to recruit previous teams.
"My feeling is, you don't think about the past," Krzyzewski said. "We have a responsibility right here. Past is past, and those guys were under different pressures, too. There were a lot of security pressures behind the scenes that maybe lent itself to distractions that we don't know about. Personally, I want to thank all of those guys for just doing it."
At a team dinner Tuesday night, Krzyzewski began the process of bonding together the new guard of American players for their three-year commitment to the national team. Several players said they felt inspired after the dinner - the first time this entire team had been together in one room.
The trio participated in the same scrimmage during the team's opening practice, getting defensive instruction from assistant coach Nate McMillan. Wade and James bounced up against each other during a drill, causing laughs - but they quickly got serious in the final minutes of practice, soaking up strategy and teamwork.
All three players have skills that could translate well to the international game, given time and the proper coaching - from Wade's dribble penetration to James' inside-out flexibility to Anthony's clutch shooting and two-way play.
Though team play will always dominate Krzyzewski's teams, the Americans' international fortunes will be in this trio's hands - and they welcome the responsibility.
"We've got to work," Wade said. "This is not two years ago, when we thought we could go out there and it would just happen. Now we've got to go out there with our best foot forward and really play."
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ABJ

7/21/06

U.S. team goes back to school for basics

Coach Krzyzewski puts plan in use to restore basketball supremacy

By Brian Windhorst

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->LAS VEGAS - Every morning, the members of the new Team USA wake up, shower, have breakfast, take the bus and go into a classroom.
They study charts, watch informational videos and have special guest lectures. There are guidelines established about proper behavior, how to treat their teammates and how to share. Only then do the basketballs come out.
Indeed, USA Basketball's Renaissance has the feel of elementary school during the two-week training camp that started at UNLV. Elementary school is basic and needed, and so is what Team USA is going through after badly losing its international edge.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski called this week's exercises ``historic,'' not because of their grandeur, but because of their originality. Following the Dream Team's smashing debut in 1992, it was always assumed NBA stars would simply report for duty and win the gold. However, the Americans haven't claimed the World Championship since 1994 and limped to a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics.
So Krzyzewski and managing director Jerry Colangelo constructed the process that is unfolding. It started with getting a three-summer commitment from the players and continues with the large-scale team-building effort under way.
``We didn't have a program after the Dream Team; we just selected teams,'' Krzyzewski said. ``Now we're trying to start something new that can become an example.''
In 2004, Team USA had a four-day training camp in Jacksonville, Fla. The team played one exhibition against Puerto Rico and then bolted for Europe. There, the team went on an exhibition tour in which it played two countries, Turkey and Germany, that weren't even taking part in the Olympics and was blasted by a team that was, Italy. To those who had been watching, it was no surprise when Puerto Rico beat Team USA in the first game of Olympic play.
``We didn't understand how big the Olympics were, and it showed,'' LeBron James said. ``We never had time to come together as a team. I was out of the loop, and I wasn't the only one.''
James was referring to the limited playing time he, Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony got from coach Larry Brown. In the two years since, all four have proven to be among the best in the NBA.
But it wasn't just the big details that cost Team USA gold in Athens, it was the small ones, too. For example, in their brief training, Team USA used NBA balls, not the FIBA-sanctioned balls that were to be used in international play and are slicker and more bouncy. Some players think that had a direct impact on their awful shooting percentages.
``You should've seen it the first time we used those balls,'' Wade said. ``There were balls bouncing everywhere.''
So there are no Spaldings being dribbled in Vegas in the two-week camp; the Japanese-made Molten balls are plentiful. But there is a wide array of other changes.
There's been a specialized coaching staff assembled. Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni is teaching the art of the fastbreak and how to take advantage of international rules, which he learned in his time as a player and coach in Italy. Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan has been brought in to work on defense.
Syracuse University's master of the zone, Jim Boeheim, is also on the staff. Krzyzewski won't be playing zone, but Team USA will see a lot of it. Former Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers and Team USA coach Rudy Tomjanovich has been put in charge of scouting.
The tour leading up to the World Championships in Japan includes seven days of practice time and games against potential opponents. Everything is backed up with a sense of unity. It was a process that started Tuesday night, when the team gathered for the first time for dinner and Krzyzewski made an impassioned speech.
``We're talking about standards, how we're going to act on the court, off the court, how we react after a foul,'' Krzyzewski said. ``I don't think any of it is hard. We want to represent ourselves; so far they have a great spirit, and I'm really pleased.''
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Upvote 0
ESPN

Coach K sitting on pocket aces with James, Wade

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By Gene Wojciechowski
ESPN.com
Archive


LAS VEGAS -- And now, a recap of Thursday's backstabbing episodes and ugly ego clashes at the daily soap opera that is the USA Senior National Team's training camp:

Well, uh, let's see. Oh, yeah: Shane Battier checked on Michael Redd after the Milwaukee Bucks star nearly collided with reporters while trying to save a ball from going out of bounds on the baseline.

"Watch your ankle," said Battier. Then he smiled, patted Redd on the back, and they jogged back to the defensive drill. So, you know, that was pretty intense.

And then, after the morning practice, I saw the USA's two Alpha players, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, have a huge confrontation. James was conducting an interview session at courtside, and that's when Wade whipped a ball of rolled-up athletic tape at the King. Actually, now that I think about it, he sort of soft-tossed it. And James glanced over and started laughing.
nba_g_wadejames_195.jpg

Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images
Dwyane Wade gets up into LeBron James at Team USA's practice.




But a few minutes later, they did almost beat the crap out of each other. At least, that's what I'm telling the guys back at my weekly anger management meeting. What really happened is this: James got done with his interview and yelled to one of the team trainers, "Hey, I need five bags of ice!" And then Wade said, "That's because you're 30." And then he added something about wanting to check James' birth certificate because, you see, LeBron looks really old for his age and …

Ah, forget it. This training camp bites. The only thing missing is a group hug and a bake sale. And will someone wipe that smile off Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski's face?

"I hope you can feel their spirit," he said. "Can you? They like one another."
Yeah, I'll give them that. Even though training camp didn't start until Tuesday night's team dinner, the 20 players participating in these two-a-day practices do seem to get along. Of course, it's early and Krzyzewski doesn't have to whittle his roster down just yet. But even when the actual 12-man roster is set for next month's World Championships, I wouldn't count on anybody going Shea Hillenbrand if he's not invited to Japan.

Teams can have chemistry and still stink. Teams can have talent and still finish sixth, which is what the USA did in the 2002 World Championships, or finish third, which is what the USA did in the 2004 Olympics. Wade and James were on that Olympic roster, as were Carmelo Anthony, Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire. Now the five of them are back on the '06 Senior National Team roster.

But according to James and Wade, this feels different than the hurried and, in retrospect, oddly configured '04 team coached by Larry Brown. The extra preparation time helps. So does the absence of Brown, who doesn't have a history of embracing young players (James averaged just 11.4 minutes per game under Brown, Wade 17.5). So does the presence of veterans such as Billups and Elton Brand.

"We have no egos," said James. "It's hard to [fit in] if you've got an ego and feel like you're on top of the world. We don't feel that way. Myself, Carmelo, Chris [Bosh] and Kirk [Hinrich] -- all being from the 2003 draft -- we don't have no egos. We don't feel like we're the best players here."
Said Wade: "There's no reason to be jealous. On this team we can all shine."

What they won't say -- but others will -- is that Wade and James are partly responsible for the different environment here at the '06 camp. With due respect to Dirk Nowitzki and Team USA no-show Kobe Bryant, Wade and James are the NBA. Wade is coming off an NBA championship. James is fresh from leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first playoff appearance in eight years.

And yet, they big-time nobody. They are among the Team USA leaders in sweat dripped. And if Krzyzewski decides to vote on a team captain, here's guessing Wade or James would earn the honor.

"In their own right, they are super-duper stars," says Chauncey Billups, becoming the first-ever Team USA player to use the words "super-duper." "They're carrying this league and doing some unbelievable things. But when you bring them in this setting with a lot of other great players they just fit right in. They're down for the cause. And that's the reason why I think this team is going to be great."

Or as Battier, who has made a career of being the ultimate team player, puts it: "That's what makes the superstars superstars."

There are a lot of reasons to like this USA roster, beginning with the obvious: talent. But equally important are the subtleties of it.

For example, Billups is here for the first week of training camp, even though he has absolutely no chance of making the World Championships roster.
That's because months ago, before he knew he was going to be named to the roster, Billups promised his wife that he'd spend more time with his young family during the offseason.

"I can't break that promise," he said.

But he did get permission to work his butt off for a week's worth of Team USA training camp. "At least I can do a little something," he said.

Gilbert Arenas was so geeked about this team that he paid his own way to get here 3½ days before camp opened. Battier, a former ball boy and go-fer for the Detroit Pistons, would still serve Gatorade to the fellas if you asked him. Bruce Bowen plays as if someone threatened him with a pay cut to minimum wage. And on and on it goes.

But Wade and James are the centerpieces of this team, though good luck getting them to admit it. They're so young, and yet so respected. That doesn't happen by accident.

"They get it," said Krzyzewski.

Pause for emphasis. "They get it."

Pause for more emphasis. "They get it."

Krzyzewski can be a gusher sometimes, but you had to see his eyes and hear the sincerity in his voice to know he was paying Wade and James one of his Tier 1 compliments.

As the interview sessions ended, Wade mentioned the 1992 Dream Team, which overwhelmed opponents on its way to a gold medal (Krzyzewski was an assistant on that team) at Barcelona. "I don't think you can remember who was the leading scorer on that team," Wade said.

He's right. It was Charles Barkley, not Michael Jordan.
This is scary. Wade -- history professor. Maybe it's time to check his birth certificate.

ESPN

Updated: July 20, 2006, 7:10 PM ET
Team USA stars in tryout mode at training camp

LAS VEGAS -- Don't call it a tryout, coach Mike Krzyzewski insists.
Every player at UNLV's training complex this week is a member of the U.S. men's national basketball team, and that won't change next week when Krzyzewski and his staff select the 12 who will be in uniform for the world championships next month.

The handful of camp invitees left Stateside will still be contributors to the national team before their three-year commitment ends. That long-term togetherness -- long practiced by other nations but shunned by the star-dominated U.S. Dream Teams -- is the primary change in the Americans' approach as they attempt to reclaim dominance over the world.

"These aren't tryouts, and nobody is getting cut," Krzyzewski said. "That's the thing that's different about what we're trying to do. We're in this for the long haul. Everybody here is a part of whatever success we have."
Yet there's an undeniable spirit of competition among the 18 players vying for jerseys in this weeklong training camp -- the feeling of a tryout camp for gifted stars who haven't tried out for anything in years, perhaps never.
Only 15 players -- at most -- will travel to Asia for preparatory games in China and Korea, and just 12 will play in the world championships in Japan, starting Aug. 19. Eighteen of the 22 players in the Las Vegas workouts are hoping to make the trip, so somebody has to go.

"I know it's not a competition, but it feels like it to me," Gilbert Arenas said.
A competitive vibe is obvious in the workouts, where the players give an effort better suited to a preseason Duke workout than a midsummer scrimmage among millionaires.

During practice on Thursday, LeBron James attempted a looping underhand shot that was goaltended by Shawn Marion. When Kirk Hinrich congratulated Marion on a good block, James howled: "It wasn't no good block!"

The players wore smiles, but they clearly take their task seriously. While James and Marion don't have to worry about being left home, players such as Hinrich, Shane Battier, Bruce Bowen, Luke Ridnour and Antawn Jamison are working to prove their worth to Krzyzewski and his staff.

"If you get to this level where you're under consideration for these types of opportunities, you're the kind of player that takes practice very seriously," said Battier, traded from Memphis to Houston last week. "Somebody who works hard and treats every day like it's a tryout. So that's no different here. We're always in competition."

Krzyzewski and Jerry Colangelo, the club's managing director, purposely shunned the All-Star approach in choosing this roster, instead selecting many of the NBA's best complementary players.

Bowen and Sacramento center Brad Miller, who both went undrafted and earned their NBA careers through sheer hard work, are right alongside James, Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and others who have been stars practically since birth.

Krzyzewski ended both of his first two practices earlier than he expected because his players had already picked up everything he planned to teach. He has also praised their work in daily pre-practice film sessions with his 11-man coaching staff.

Two full-court workouts Thursday appeared focused and competitive. Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni taught principles of his innovative, Italian-influenced fast-break offense on one court, and Portland's Nate McMillan worked on man-to-man defense with Duke assistants Chris Collins and Steve Wojciechowski on the other.

"We've got to put the work in," said Bowen, the oldest invitee at 35. "We've got to learn to play the international game, because it's different. We're learning, but it takes an effort by all the guys here."

At least six of the 24 players on the roster are out of the running for this summer because of injuries or personal commitments: Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Paul Pierce, J.J. Redick, Chauncey Billups and Michael Redd.

But in another sign of the team's commitment to togetherness, Redick, Billups, Redd and Ohio State freshman-to-be Greg Oden all showed up in Las Vegas for training camp, and Stoudemire also appears to be near full-speed despite undergoing surgery on both knees during last season.

"The challenge is to try to become cohesive and get all that camaraderie right now," said Billups, who will miss the world championships to be with his pregnant wife. "I don't know if that hurts me or not in future years, but it's not about me. It's about what's best for the U.S."

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ABJ

7/24/06

U.S. stars adjust to international game

GREG BEACHAM

Associated Press

<!-- begin body-content -->LAS VEGAS - Chris Paul already has a handle on the slick-surfaced, extra-bouncy, two-tone basketball he'll use in the world championships next month.
"It looks different and it feels a little different, but I don't really have a problem with it," the New Orleans Hornets guard says, holding the Japanese-made, orange-and-tan ball in his left hand after practice with the U.S. national team. "There's a lot of different things about this tournament."
Indeed. Elsewhere on UNLV's practice courts on Saturday, Elton Brand was getting reacquainted with the international game's trapezoidal key during a scrimmage officiated by FIBA referees, while Carmelo Anthony waited for the chance to steal an opponent's rebound off the rim - something that's illegal at his day job.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski is immersing his roster of NBA players in the international game during this training camp. Those differences largely eluded the last two U.S. teams in world competition, and they're a big reason why the Americans came home without championships despite a wealth of individual talent.
"We know we've got to pay attention to the little things," said Brand, who led the Los Angeles Clippers to the second round of the playoffs. "Sometimes you start thinking we can do the same things we do in the NBA, but it's a totally different game. That's how the world evens it up with us. We've got so much talent, but the differences can level it off."
This plan was hatched by U.S. managing director Jerry Colangelo and the coaching staff, who restructured the U.S. national program with an eye toward the international game after a sixth-place finish in the 2002 world championships, followed by Olympic bronze two years ago in Athens.
Primarily, Colangelo and Krzyzewski knew the U.S. had to rethink its approach to offense - a step that seems obvious after watching any international game dominated by perimeter scorers and slashing penetrators. Previous American teams sometimes tried to play a low post-dominated game, and paid for it.
"That was the key in the selection process, too," Krzyzewski said. "We had to have versatility. The international game is played more on the 3-point line than in the low post. ... It seems like a simple thing, but they didn't make the most of it in the past."
So Krzyzewski enlisted Mike D'Antoni, whose uptempo, sharpshooting offense with the Phoenix Suns has wowed the NBA for two seasons. D'Antoni, a veteran of 21 seasons in the Italian League as a player and coach, already has installed large parts of his offense during the U.S. team's first four days of practice.
And nobody is more thrilled than Paul, the best pure point guard on the roster: He essentially fills the role of Steve Nash, who won two MVP awards running this offense for Phoenix. After years of using shoot-first point guards such as Stephon Marbury, Allen Iverson and Baron Davis in international competition, Paul provides a change of pace.
"He gets the ball up the court so fast," Krzyzewski said. "We have to be in shape to run with him."
During scrimmage drills, Krzyzewski's assistants encourage big men Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh to grab rebounds out of the imaginary cylinder above the rim - something they've been trained not to do since childhood. The trapezoidal key also presents challenges to Howard, who must rethink his footwork and positioning under the basket.
Krzyzewski's team won't play much zone defense in Japan, but the coach knew his players would need experience against it. So Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim joined the staff, teaching ways to attack his famed zone schemes.
Portland coach Nate McMillan is in charge of Krzyzewski's defense, which emphasizes dogged pursuit of the perimeter shooters and slashing penetrators who dominate international play.
"Over the last few competitions, they've had a few too many open looks," Krzyzewski said.
But practice time is the most important aspect of the new U.S. plan: Previous American teams got little, jumping into competition after a cursory camp. Krzyzewski's club will have 10 days of training in Las Vegas, capped by an exhibition game. Then the Americans will embark on a tour of China and Korea, featuring at least seven full practices among four exhibition games.
When the Americans open the world championships against Puerto Rico in Sapporo on Aug. 19, a zone defense or a slick basketball shouldn't be such an obstacle.
And if these planning steps work, Krzyzewski said the practice time in Las Vegas could be "a blueprint for the way other people can do this in the future. What we're doing is documenting it for the next players and coaches. Hopefully, this is something that will work again in the future."
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Any other Cavs fans think all of this offensive and defensive work will make Lebron an even better player next year? I bet he'll take what he likes back to the Cavs to help give them some of the team offense that they were missing last year. This should also help make him a better defender, which is the biggest weakness of his game. I love seeing a list of all of these coaches who are brought in to help the team with specific things.
 
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This is from ESPN:

"The King is a lock for Japan, the only question being what his role will be in the World Championship. You could make the case that he'd be the perfect sixth man if Coach K went with a starting five of Paul, Dwyane Wade, Bowen, Anthony and Brand."

Uhhh...he is arguably the best player in the league, and you are going to start Bruce Bowen and Carmelo Anthony over him!?! Carmelo??? If Coach K does this I wil lose all respect for him. Is he trying to look like Larry Brown by not playing him or something? Another reason I hate Duke...:biggrin:

Edit: It's not like he is a ballhog or anything. He loves sharing the ball. I don't see what would be the good part of having him come off the bench.
 
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This is from ESPN:



Uhhh...he is arguably the best player in the league, and you are going to start Bruce Bowen and Carmelo Anthony over him!?! Carmelo??? If Coach K does this I wil lose all respect for him. Is he trying to look like Larry Brown by not playing him or something? Another reason I hate Duke...:biggrin:

Edit: It's not like he is a ballhog or anything. He loves sharing the ball. I don't see what would be the good part of having him come off the bench.

Absolutely no way that LeBron comes off the bench. Coach K has been gushing about him all week. Once again, ESPN has no idea what they are talking about.
 
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Sorry I just posted that part of the article. Here is the rest if anyone is interested:

LAS VEGAS -- Cutdown day is coming for Team USA, which needs to whittle its roster of 24 players down to 15 before heading overseas, and then down to 12 for the World Championships.

The first cuts will come Tuesday after the final day of practice. Then the team gets a five-day break, and the final active roster won't be submitted until Aug. 18 -- the day before the tournament begins.

Chris Paul

Chris Paul's game was already familiar to Coach K in the ACC.

Thus far, Chris Paul has improved his stock the most, with Carmelo Anthony a close second and Joe Johnson third, judging by comments made by coach Mike Krzyzewski after practice Friday.

"Paul has really jumped up. He's the truest point guard, and he gets it downcourt so fast that we have to be able to run with him, and we're not in shape yet to do that," Krzyzewski said.

"Carmelo has stood out, he's like on a mission. I don't know what mission it is, but he's been terrific. I didn't know Joe Johnson, and I don't know if there can be a more solid player. I mean he can play four positions, he shoots, he defends and he doesn't say peep. There's high maintenance, low maintenance and no maintenance. He's no maintenance. And I'm impressed with the potential of Dwight Howard. What an amazing guy, and I just think he's going to grow."

The United States invited 24 players to training camp in Las Vegas, but injuries sidelined Kobe Bryant, J.J. Redick and Paul Pierce, and the death of an infant son caused Lamar Odom to withdraw. Amare Stoudemire is attending and playing, but he's still recovering from knee surgery and would be an extreme longshot to make the final active roster. Michael Redd and Chauncey Billups are in camp but won't be traveling to Asia because of personal commitments.

That leaves 17 players (18 counting Stoudemire) vying for 12 spots, and Krzyzewski offered some insight into what the decision-making process will be when the first cut is made Tuesday.

"We have to be careful not to multiply positions too much," Krzyzewski said. "Can we take two or three points guards on the trip? How many big guys do we need? On the perimeter, do people duplicate something? That's where the decisions will have to be made, and that's going to be tough."

With Coach K's comments in mind, Insider handicaps each player's chances of actually wearing a Team USA jersey when the World Championships begins:

• Carmelo Anthony: A lock to make the active roster, and he may even be earning himself a spot in the starting lineup. "Carmelo came in here as part of a mission, and he has played accordingly. He's making a statement early on in this camp with how much he wants to make this team," team director Jerry Colangelo told Insider.

Carmelo Anthony

'Melo says he's on a mission. That seems to be impressing the Team USA staff.

• Gilbert Arenas: The coach's infatuation with the Paul is going to be bad news for one of the other point guards, but Arenas is clearly the best of them, and Team USA will need his outside shooting to contend with the steady diet of zone defenses they'll see. Pretty close to being a lock for the final 12.

• Shane Battier: His Duke roots won't hurt him, but the numbers game will likely work against him. Odds are he'll be a practice player who makes the trip to Japan but doesn't make the cut from 15 to 12.

• Chauncey Billups: His wife is expecting a baby, and he will not travel to Asia. He still might be a member of the 2008 Olympic team, and he might even play next summer at the Tournament of the Americas in Venezuela if the U.S. fails to win the gold medal in Japan.

• Chris Bosh: He's a favorite of Colangelo's, and Team USA desperately needs his size and inside-outside game. Look for him to be the first big man off the bench in Japan, though he may start against teams with multiple big men who can shoot the 3.

• Bruce Bowen: This is the guy they were talking about when they said they wanted to bring in role players, and Bowen's role will be to defend the opposing team's best scorer. If the US faces Argentina, he'll be the one guarding Spurs teammate Manu Ginobili. With his defense and 3-point shooting, he's another lock for the final 12.

• Elton Brand: He's America's best big man, at least until Greg Oden (who attended two days of this training camp) gets to the NBA, and he has plenty of international basketball experience. Probably the starting center in Japan.

• Kobe Bryant: Stunned Colangelo and Krzyzewski by undergoing knee surgery a couple of days before camp opened. Is not in Las Vegas yet, but is expected to attend the second phase of camp beginning July 31.

• Kirk Hinrich: Has been slowed during camp by a tweaked hamstring, which hasn't helped his case for possibly being the third point guard. It's still too early to count him out, though.

• Dwight Howard: A lock for the 15-man squad that will leave for Asia on Aug. 4, and it's hard to see him being kept off the final 12-man roster. Coach K sounded genuinely impressed, saying he expects to see even greater things two weeks from now.

• LeBron James: The King is a lock for Japan, the only question being what his role will be in the World Championship. You could make the case that he'd be the perfect sixth man if Coach K went with a starting five of Paul, Dwyane Wade, Bowen, Anthony and Brand.

• Antawn Jamison: Told Insider after practice Friday that this is the first time in his life he's been in the position of trying out for a team. "I'm in a situation where I'm on the bubble, but I think I'm unique. I can come in and shoot from the outside is they need me to, or I can score on the inside. I can adapt too to what we're doing defensively, and I think that fits in to what this team is trying to do."

• Joe Johnson: Another lock for Japan, and will probably be the emergency third point guard behind Paul and Arenas. Put him out there with a couple of other shooters, and no one will dare play zone against the U.S.

• Shawn Marion: The only guy in camp who played on both the 2002 World Championship team and the 2004 Olympic team. A favorite of Colangelo's, so we'll list him as a 99 percent lock to make the final 12.

• Brad Miller: When the team bigwigs debate the merits of bringing an extra big man, this is one of the main guys they're talking about. He'll probably be on the plane to Asia, but a spot on the final 12 will have to be earned -- or created by an injury.

• Adam Morrison: He's in camp to get a taste of the program, but his stay is expected to be short. He's the easiest guy to cut, so count on him getting cut Tuesday.

• Lamar Odom: Withdrew after Jayden Odom, his third child, died in a crib last month just 6 1/2 months after being born.

• Chris Paul: The reigning Rookie of the Year, as noted above, has been the most impressive player in camp. He's not a lock yet for the final 12, but he's pretty close.

• Paul Pierce: Is scheduled to have minor surgery on his left elbow Aug. 1, and has not been in camp.

• Michael Redd: Is attending camp, but won't be traveling to Asia because of his upcoming marriage plans. Would have been the pure shooter the Americans have been lacking the past few years, and will probably play in Beijing.

• J.J. Redick: Has been bothered by a back injury, and attended camp for only two days before leaving. Never had a shot at making the final 15, but viewed as a building block for the future.

• Luke Ridnour: He was an early favorite to be one of the first cuts, but Hinrich's hamstring injury might be helping his cause somewhat. If he makes the final 15, he'd be a practice player in Asia.

• Amare Stoudemire: Lots of people forget he was a member of the 2004 Olympic team because Larry Brown kept him buried on the end of the bench. His recent knee surgery makes him the easiest cut aside from Morrison.

• Dwyane Wade: A lock for Japan, and probably a lock for the starting lineup. But will Coach K use him as the starting point guard? Or does he put him at shooting guard and find another place to use LeBron? It'll to be interesting to watch as the team plays exhibitions in Las Vegas (against Puerto Rico Aug. 3), Guangzhou, China (against China and Lithuania Aug. 7-8) and Seoul, South Korea (against Lithuania and Korea Aug. 13 and 15).
 
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RealGM (via Yahoo)

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=yspsctnhdln>Wide lanes, slick balls: U.S. hoopsters adjust to international game</TD></TR><TR><TD height=7><SPACER height="1" width="1" type="block"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer
July 22, 2006

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Chris Paul already has a handle on the slick-surfaced, extra-bouncy, two-tone basketball he'll use in the world championships next month.
"It looks different and it feels a little different, but I don't really have a problem with it," the New Orleans Hornets guard says, holding the Japanese-made, orange-and-tan ball in his left hand after practice with the U.S. national team. "There's a lot of different things about this tournament."

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Indeed. Elsewhere on UNLV's practice courts on Saturday, Elton Brand was getting reacquainted with the international game's trapezoidal key during a scrimmage officiated by FIBA referees, while Carmelo Anthony waited for the chance to steal an opponent's rebound off the rim -- something that's illegal at his day job.


Coach Mike Krzyzewski is immersing his roster of NBA players in the international game during this training camp. Those differences largely eluded the last two U.S. teams in world competition, and they're a big reason why the Americans came home without championships despite a wealth of individual talent.

"We know we've got to pay attention to the little things," said Brand, who led the Los Angeles Clippers to the second round of the playoffs.

"Sometimes you start thinking we can do the same things we do in the NBA, but it's a totally different game. That's how the world evens it up with us. We've got so much talent, but the differences can level it off."

This plan was hatched by U.S. managing director Jerry Colangelo and the coaching staff, who restructured the U.S. national program with an eye toward the international game after a sixth-place finish in the 2002 world championships, followed by Olympic bronze two years ago in Athens.

Primarily, Colangelo and Krzyzewski knew the U.S. had to rethink its approach to offense -- a step that seems obvious after watching any international game dominated by perimeter scorers and slashing penetrators. Previous American teams sometimes tried to play a low post-dominated game, and paid for it.

"That was the key in the selection process, too," Krzyzewski said. "We had to have versatility. The international game is played more on the 3-point line than in the low post. ... It seems like a simple thing, but they didn't make the most of it in the past."

So Krzyzewski enlisted Mike D'Antoni, whose uptempo, sharpshooting offense with the Phoenix Suns has wowed the NBA for two seasons. D'Antoni, a veteran of 21 seasons in the Italian League as a player and coach, already has installed large parts of his offense during the U.S. team's first four days of practice.

And nobody is more thrilled than Paul, the best pure point guard on the roster: He essentially fills the role of Steve Nash, who won two MVP awards running this offense for Phoenix. After years of using shoot-first point guards such as Stephon Marbury, Allen Iverson and Baron Davis in international competition, Paul provides a change of pace.

"He gets the ball up the court so fast," Krzyzewski said. "We have to be in shape to run with him."

During scrimmage drills, Krzyzewski's assistants encourage big men Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh to grab rebounds out of the imaginary cylinder above the rim -- something they've been trained not to do since childhood. The trapezoidal key also presents challenges to Howard, who must rethink his footwork and positioning under the basket.

Krzyzewski's team won't play much zone defense in Japan, but the coach knew his players would need experience against it. So Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim joined the staff, teaching ways to attack his famed zone schemes.
Portland coach Nate McMillan is in charge of Krzyzewski's defense, which emphasizes dogged pursuit of the perimeter shooters and slashing penetrators who dominate international play.

"Over the last few competitions, they've had a few too many open looks," Krzyzewski said.

But practice time is the most important aspect of the new U.S. plan: Previous American teams got little, jumping into competition after a cursory camp. Krzyzewski's club will have 10 days of training in Las Vegas, capped by an exhibition game. Then the Americans will embark on a tour of China and Korea, featuring at least seven full practices among four exhibition games.

When the Americans open the world championships against Puerto Rico in Sapporo on Aug. 19, a zone defense or a slick basketball shouldn't be such an obstacle.
And if these planning steps work, Krzyzewski said the practice time in Las Vegas could be "a blueprint for the way other people can do this in the future. What we're doing is documenting it for the next players and coaches. Hopefully, this is something that will work again in the future."
 
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