USA vs. Great Britain: Why Tyson Chandler Must Ride the Pine in London

Tyson Chandler need not be a factor in the 2012 Summer Olympics for Team USA.

The lone and primary center for the Americans, Chandler is a solid offensive player with defensive specialties but the U.S. has to incorporate a faster game-plan.

And with so much talent residing elsewhere on the team, coach Mike Krzyzewski's better option is to have Chandler come off the bench and be utilized in a limited role.

To break it all down, let's move on and find out why Team USA must have the New York Knicks' big man ride the pine.

View all Team USA's exhibition results courtesy of USA Basketball.

Lack of Impact

Even though they are exhibition games, Tyson Chandler has yet to make any sort of relevant impact.

Combined for all three of Team USA's pre-Olympic contests, Chandler has collected just seven rebounds and scored only 10 points.

Now he does have four steals and three blocked shots, but when the real games begin Chandler won't be risking his inside position to cause turnovers. In addition, he has averaged almost 15 minutes per game and the lack of rebounding against Brazil played a major role in the U.S. losing after one quarter.

So, it was no surprise to see Chandler only get just over 10 minutes against Great Britain and it'll be interesting to see if his low impact continues through the Olympic competition.

Kevin Love Is Better

When you look at their overall impact Kevin Love is the better player.

During the 2011-12 NBA season Love averaged 26 points, 13.3 rebounds and shot 82.4 percent from the free throw line.

Chandler on the other hand, averaged only 11.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and was 68.9 percent from the line. Love has also accounted for 17 points and 10 boards through the three Olympic exhibition games.

From a frontcourt perspective Love allows the U.S. to open more offensively and be more explosive. He moves better off the ball than Chandler and can isolate any in man defense.

Chandler may be a better shot-blocker, but Love has the athleticism to consistently grab boards, score and prevent any second-chance scoring opportunities. Love can put down a jumper from anywhere inside the arc and drive the lane while defensively providing the ability to play on the perimeter and inside.

Love is not just a big man with a strong presence in the paint, because his size and versatility combined bodes well for a supremely athletic team.

No Need for a True Center

Tyson Chandler is the only true center on Team USA, but that's the only position where he can contribute.

As mentioned, Kevin Love can play anywhere in the frontcourt and the U.S. has the talent to not even use a center. With guys like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant, why have a center to slow the pace down?

Use James, Anthony and Durant to play the frontcourt while Kobe and point man Chris Paul reside in the backcourt. These five players alone are arguably the top five players in the NBA, and putting them together on the floor would only make Team USA more unstoppable.

James and Durant have the athleticism to grab boards inside, while 'Melo and Kobe can defend the perimeter and drain shots from around the arc. As for Paul, he can drive the lane when needed and his court awareness alone will keep the ball moving.

Then, when the U.S. wants to give these guys a break, a more traditional lineup can come in the rotation to fend off any opponent's runs.

Other Options in the Frontcourt

If LeBron James really wanted to, he could play center or power forward for Team USA.

At 6' 8", 250 pounds, James weighs more than Chandler and is only a five inches shorter. Yet, he's ridiculously more athletic and has all the tools to dominate the paint.

Throughout the 2011-12 NBA season he averaged 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and shot 77.1 percent from the line. At times, the Miami Heat never needed a center because James was all over the court making things happen.

He plays a physical enough game to work against anyone inside, and LeBron's presence alone would draw enough attention to take pressure off the backcourt. By no means is it the most appealing position for James, but just the fact that he possesses the ability to play center/power forward is all the U.S. needs.

It would make America's offense so much more explosive and present the option of a full court press. Doing so would allow James to play off at mid-court waiting for any long pass like a deep safety in football.

Just think how many turnovers Team USA would force. Unbelievable.

Rotational Depth

Team USA's starting lineup doesn't necessarily need a true center, but with Kevin Love being better anyway the rotation is where Tyson Chandler could make the most significant impact.

Having him next to a guy like Anthony Davis would help the rookie's development. After all, he did average 14.2 points, 4.7 blocks, 1.4 steals and 10.4 rebounds per game in one season with the Kentucky Wildcats.

And it was no surprise to see him go No. 1 overall in the 2012 NBA draft.

Elsewhere in the rotation, backcourt players like Russell Westbrook and James Harden need a center to rely on. Unlike the superstars, these guys still need a center down low and pairing Chandler with Andre Iguodala makes for a nice frontcourt.

Here is where Chandler would get more opportunities to score, rebound, block shots and draw fouls. His numbers would inflate through efficiency regardless of minutes per game, and Chandler makes the rotation a more complete unit.

No matter what happens with Chandler however, Team USA still has the best odds at winning gold.

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