The '06-'08 faces of the US Men's National Team are gone (for now), replaced by Old Man Chauncey and a host of international play rookies
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Carmelo Commits
On a night that veteran Chauncey Billups worked to whip his young USA Men’s Basketball squad into shape, Nuggets teammate Carmelo Anthony committed himself to the US Team for the 2012 Olympics in London.
Billups will take the youthful, undersized US Men to Europe on Monday for a series of tune-up games in preparation for the 2010 FIBA World Championships later this month. Â Meanwhile, Carmelo will continue a summer break from basketball after his marriage to La La Vasquez in July.
But that doesn’t mean that Melo is ditching the national team for good.
When asked Thursday night if he planned to play on the 2012 Olympic team, Carmelo answered firmly, “Of course. I’m locked in. I’m committed.â€
Anthony attended the World Basketball Festival USAB Showcase at Radio City Music Hall in New York last night along with fellow Olympic gold medalists Dwyane Wade & Lebron James. Amare Stoudemire & Chris Paul were in attendance as well, with Paul also affirming his commitment to USA basketball heading into the 2012 Games.
Said Paul, “I can’t wait, I definitely want to be a part of that team.â€
2010 Team Shakeup
Stoudemire (along with Anthony, Wade & James) was a member of the 2004 Olympic team that mustered a disappointing Bronze Medal in Athens, but did not join the 2008 Redeem Team that leveled a measured, mature campaign to victory. Paul has yet to represent the United States at the Olympics.
All of them are hoping that Chauncey & The Kids can guarantee the US team an automatic bid to the London Olympics with a FIBA victory this year at the World Championships. The men’s team is suffering from a lack of size and star power with Lebron and Dwyane occupied by their dynasty-building in Miami, Stoudemire backing out at the request of his new NBA team, the New York Nicks, and Paul recovering from offseason knee surgery.
The biggest blow to the US Team’s chances came when monster center Dwight Howard announced his intention to skip the Worlds one month ago. NBA sophomore Brook Lopez was added to the roster as a result, and while he matches Howard in height (7’0â€) Brook is not the big, muscular body the national team is used to having at center.
Rebounding against the behemoth anchors of these European teams will be a constant challenge for the US Men.
The News Ain’t All Bad
While the absence of the United State’s best NBA players makes them less than a favorite this August & September in Turkey, the stacked 2006 World Championship team that was a favorite came home with an underwhelming Bronze.
That ’06 team sported a preview of the ’08 Olympic champs, but was unceremoniously tripped up in the Semifinals by the Greeks and their veteran zone defense. Carmelo’s game has always translated well on the international stage, but his teammates (most especially Lebron James) have struggled mightily against the regimented defenses of European squads.
Now US Coach Mike Krzyzewski (also the head coach at the NCAA’s Duke University) will utilize a glut of talented young guards and forwards to run circles around the rigid Europeans. Where other US teams were heavy on size & talent but light on speed & athleticism, the 2010 model is built to move. Their speed in transition and ability to move the ball with NCAA precision will be keys to US success in Turkey… luckily most of the team is less than three years removed from college ball.
And as for last night’s intra-team scrimmage?  Team Blue beat Team White in overtime on an athletic alley-oop from young guard Rajon Rondo to the team’s oldest center Tyson Chandler.
Old Man Chauncey, for one, thinks that this rookie-dominated team has a chance to win the United State’s first World Championship Gold Medal since 1996.
“I think we have the best talent in the world,†Billups said. “We’ve got a challenge ahead of us. Together, collectively, we have a chance to be successful.â€
2010 US Men’s Basketball Roster
Player – Position – Age
Rajon Rondo – G – 24
Rudy Gay – SF – 23
Lamar Odom – F – 31
Chauncey Billups – G – 33
Tyson Chandler – C – 27
Stephen Curry – G – 22
Kevin Durant – G – 21
Eric Gordon – SG – 21
Danny Granger – F – 27
Jeff Green – PF – 29
Andre Iguodala – F – 26
Brook Lopez – C – 22
Kevin Love – C – 21
Derrick Rose – PG – 21
Russell Westbrook – PG – 21
Team USA hosts France Sunday before departing for Madrid to play Spain & Lithuania next weekend on the 21st & 22nd. Then it’s off to Athens to scrimmage against nemesis Greece on the 25th, and finally to Turkey for the FIBA World Championships August 28th thru September 12th.
