Truth Serum: What We Know About Basketball Following the World Championships

I wrote a few days ago prior to the USA playing Lithuania in the FIBA World Championships semifinals that the United States had to win in Turkey if they wanted to fully repair their image and reputation following a down period that stretched from about 2000 to 2008.

By golly, they did it.

America's B-Team came into Istanbul and, with the minor exception of their two-point win over Brazil in the group stages, dominated this tournament. They came in, punched everyone else in the mouth, said, "We're the US, this is our sport. You can't beat us unless it's in a soccer match," took their rightfully earned gold medals, and left.

Not a bad few weeks.

The United States gained a lot from this gold medal victory. By dispatching with just about all of their opponents by double-digit margins (including Turkey in the final by a score of 81-64), the U.S. proved that, once again, America is the king when it comes to basketball. The 2008 Olympic Team started the process, the 2010 FIBA World Championship team reaffirmed it and, hopefully, the 2012 Olympic team will cement that fact into everyone else's mind forever.

Considering the starting lineup could very likely be Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Duran, and Dwight Howard with a bench of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Derron Williams, I have a hard time imagining that should be too much of an issue (unless these superstars get greedy and egotistical and can't play with one another. But that's a column for another time).

So we learned that the United States is back. Did we learn anything else while the U.S. was in Turkey?

You bet.

So sit back and indulge in the truths and insight that we gained from this 2010 FIBA World Championships.

The United States Is Back on Top

See above. The United States needed to prove that it wasn't simply a one-trick wonder in Beijing two years ago. I think that it's fair to say it did just that.

This was especially important since this tournament is held in a much higher regard around the rest of the world than it is here in the U.S.

Next.

Kevin Durant Could Replace LeBron James as the Most Well-Liked NBA Player

Considering that LeBron's Q score (a measure of how well-liked an athlete is in the general public) is at an all time low of 14 percent positive (an average athlete has a positive rating at about 15 percent) and that he is now seen in the same class of Chad Ochocinco, Terrell Owens, Kobe Bryant, and Michael Vick, this actually isn't too hard to imagine.

Durant, who was at one point hesitant to take this United States team on his back, became the star Team USA needed and delivered in amazing fashion.

Throughout the tournament, Durant proved that he really is everything everyone thought that he would be. He played remarkably well throughout the entire tournament, but he raised his already high level in the knockout rounds when the team needed him most.

He was remarkable from the quarterfinals on.

After seeing his performance in Turkey, he is officially the guy who works hard, sincerely cares about winning, is committed to his home (see the extension he signed with the Thunder and his willingness to play for this team when almost every other superstar said no), is patriotic and is a genuinely good person.

Of course, rewind the clock back to 2008. Does that sound like anyone in particular that the entire world seems to hate right now?

Five or six years from now, our opinion could change drastically about this budding superstar. But for now, he is that superstar role model that we're all looking for.

Durant May Be the Most Well-Liked, but LeBron Is Still the Best Player

I'm not taking anything away from Durant. It was a phenomenal tournament, and at only age 20 (he turns 21 soon), he has far and away exceeded expectations. He is a superstar and he is well on his way to becoming one of the best we have ever seen.

But let's be honest with ourselves: LeBron James is the best physical specimen that we have seen. He has more raw, natural talent than anyone else, and he is still the best player in the world.

LeBron James averages close to a triple-double. Durant, while he posts phenomenal numbers, cannot even say that.

Don't get me wrong, I hated "The Decision," and I think that James stabbed his hometown in the back (something that makes Durant signing that extension look even better). While I can't rail on him for looking for help (even Kobe Bryant can't win without another superstar at his side), I think the way he went about it was deplorable.

The truth is, LeBron is still only going to be 26 this year, and he actually has time to improve his game. He is entering a period that many players would consider their prime years (26 to about 31). That's very, very scary.

So while Durant has surpassed James by a bazillion points on the likability scale, that doesn't change the fact that LeBron is still the best.

All the Guys Who Skipped Out on This Because They Thought It Wouldn't Advance Their Careers Are Nuts

Guys like James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, and Chris Paul, who all passed on playing for the 2010 Team USA, are nuts if they thought this tournament could do nothing to help their careers.

Granted, guys like James, Bryant, and Anthony can't go much higher. But what about Bosh and Howard?

Bosh is the third wheel in Miami, and Howard will continue to be looked at as an underachiever until he develops something of an offensive repertoire (put-back dunks and blindly throwing the ball at a basket while praying that it goes in does not constitute an effective offensive game).

As we have seen with Durant and Russell Westbrook, participating and playing well in this tournament can absolutely improve your NBA reputation. Durant used the stage to break out of Oklahoma City and prove to the world that he is indeed all that, and his running mate Russell Westbrook reminded everyone that he is one helluva young point guard. Andre Iguodala showed that, if used in the correct situations, he can contribute to a team (he just can't be the star).

There are a fair number of guys on this roster who proved themselves over in Turkey. Can you imagine if Howard joined the team, worked hard and displayed a newly-found offensive proficiency that wasn't seen in the NBA playoffs?

I know I would certainly think much better of him, and I am sure a lot of other people would as well.

When You're Talking About the Best Young Point Guard, You Can't Forget Westbrook

Throughout the NBA playoffs last year, all we heard was that Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics was the best young point guard the NBA has seen in awhile.

While the point can be argued, it isn't a done deal and, in my opinion, is overkill seeing as Rondo capitalized on teams that didn't have anyone to guard him and was easily fooled by his slick moves and absurd quickness.

He can't shoot and he can't shoot free throws, two very disturbing facts that he will need to address going forward if he wants to enter the conversation of best point guard in the NBA. In fact, it's for those two reasons that he failed to make this team and Derrick Rose and Westbrook did.

Removing guys like Paul and Williams from the conversation (they are established NBA superstars, not young up and coming ones), the hierarchy of young point guards revolves around those three.

Unfortunately for Westbrook, he plays with Durant in Oklahoma City, two factors that will always greatly diminish your exposure. For that reason, it's safe to say that Westbrook may have benefited more than anyone else from this tournament.

He was excellent and, when he was on the court, Team USA obliterated its opponents. He was the Energizer Bunny, and he provided an unbelievable spark off the bench. Without his contributions, it is a fair argument to make that Team USA may not have come out unscathed.

After watching his performances, my top three young point guards look something like this:

1. Rose
2. Westbrook
3. Rondo

Feel free to disagree with me about the order, but you can't forget Westbrook anymore.

6. If Lamar Odom Can Play This Well and He STILL Isn't a Top Three Player on the Lakers, Miami Isn't a Shoo-in After All

Anybody with something resembling a respectable amount of NBA knowledge knew this already: While Miami will be a very good team, they are by no means a lock for the title.

In 2010 in the East, Boston might give them some problems (assuming they stay healthy all season and into the playoffs), but the team that should really make Miami worried resides in Los Angeles.

Odom, who can at times be faulted for not playing up to his full potential, impressed many people during this tournament. He scored, he rebounded, and he successfully defended a lot guys who were bigger than him. He's another guy you can throw in to the group of players that saw their public perception improve as a result of this tournament.

In short, he was very good for Team USA.

But that doesn't change the fact that, when he returns home, he will be the third best center on his team and will be a lowly third or fourth in the pecking order on the Lakers' roster.

Bryant, Pau Gasol, Ron Artest, and Andrew Bynum will all be expected to make more significant contributions than Odom will. In fact, Derek Fisher can be thrown into the conversation as well.

Granted, that list requires that all of those guys remain healthy and play well (something not guaranteed with the likes of Artest and Bynum), but the bottom line is, when the Lakers are clicking on all cylinders, Odom isn't that high on the totem poll.

Look out Miami, this isn't your league just yet.

Coach K Is the Right Man for the Job

You could make the argument that, in 2008, head coach Mike Krzyzewski simply benefited from having arguably the most talented roster anyone had ever seen, and it would have been justified.

However, after leading this 2010 version to another gold, it's safe to say that Coach K has done an excellent job turning the fortunes of USA basketball around.

There were so many questions on this roster prior to the start of the tournament: Who would be the superstar? Did the USA have the height necessary to win? Was the focus and hustle going to be consistent enough?

Team USA passed all of those tests with flying colors down the stretch. While the emergence of Durant as a true leader and Westbrook as a phenomenal young point guard helped, Coach K's presence undoubtedly had a role to play in that transformation.

Between he and Jerry Colangelo, I have full confidence that they will assemble a top-tier roster and that the 2012 Olympic team will be well coached.

And with that, the 2012 Olympic gold medal will belong to the United States.

8. Andre Iguodala Can Be Effective...When He's Not the Star

I mentioned this earlier, so I will be brief with this point.

As we have seen in Philadelphia, Iguodala does not have the makeup to be the superstar leader for a team. It's simply not what he's meant to do in this world.

However, as he proved to the world this tournament, he can be an excellent third guy who can score, bring energy, play high intensity defense and be that super glue-type guy who can put a team over the top.

On Team USA, Iguodala was behind Durant, Westbrook, and Odom in the pecking order. He was the team's fourth or fifth option. In the NBA, if you put this guy on a team where he's the second or third, he will thrive, and that team will be instantly improved by a large margin.

For his NBA career to be resurrected, he needs to be shipped out of Philly to somewhere where he can fulfill that role.

This Is a New Age of USA Basketball, and These Players Mean Business

Look at the 2004 Olympic roster for a moment. Look at the players who were essentially running that team.

Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, Amar'e Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Stephon Marbury, etc. While not all bad guys, I don't look at a lineup like that and become inspired that they're going to go out and dominate.

Iverson was a great one, but he ball hogged and wasn't the best role model. I love Duncan, but he's a little too passive for my liking. Stoudemire refuses to play even a modicum of defense. Marion is fine but nothing special. Marbury is a nut who I would never want running my team.

Now compare: James, Durant, Paul, Westbrook, Wade, Bryant, etc.

This current crop of players signing up to play for Team USA blows the group from 2002 and 2004 out of the water. Guys like Wade, James, and Durant are all excellent players with drive who can work together as a team.

They're all young, as well. They'll be around for awhile. When they strap on the shoes, they care enough about what happens on the court to put their best foot forward.

This current crop of NBA players far exceeds their predecessors when they represented the Red, White, and Blue.

This is a new era of USA basketball, and I love the way it looks right now.

With this and the other eight truths factored in, it's safe to say that this team will be together and will be winning for some time, and they will be winning big.

The world can take a break from the onslaught of Team USA for now, but if this team stays together, the rest of the world won't be beating this group for awhile.

See you all in 2012.