USA Basketball: No Dream Team In Beijing

You might be saying, what am I thinking here? Jason Kidd is not here for a reason. Kidd is not his young self. Paul running the team has been exceptional. He runs the pick and roll better than anyone else in the NBA. This fits the international level.

Kobe is Kobe. He can score at will and set up any one. LeBron is the overall player who no country wants to see on a fast break. Boozer is the low post threat who can also spread the floor with his consistent mid range shot. Howard is an enforcer that no country, including the U.S., can cover.

With the paint in the international level play being more spread out, it is harder to work the post. That is where shooting and ball movement is important.

Kyle Korver is the pure international player. He can shoot lights out and the U.S. needs more of those players. Michael Redd was embarrassing Canada because he is pure two-point shooter that fits the international level.

David West is a perfect backup for Boozer since he mimics his play. He is an enforcer in the paint and can shoot mid-range shots with consistency.

Where is Carmelo Anthony? Hopefully in Denver working on his defense.

Ron Artest and Rasheed Wallace are the names that are a must on the list. They bring the swagger that the Dream Team had with a player like Charles Barkley. They can talk smack and play "dirty" against the "soft" international players. Teams don’t fear us anymore. Wait until they meet Artest and Wallace. They also bring a defensive toughness the team lacks.

I hope the U.S. wins the gold. It is embarrassing if we do not. Coach K is a perfect coach for this level of play. The rest of the world has improved in the game of basketball and we are playing on their level and not playing up to the competition.

Not every U.S. player wants to play since it is after a grueling long season, but if we get the right players we can win the gold easily. We are missing the defensive toughness and shooters. There will never be another Dream Team unless we do something about that.

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