Olympics Basketball 2012: Which of Team USA's Lineup Changes Should Stick?

In Team USA's scrimmage against Great Britain on Thursday, coach Mike Krzyzewski made two lineup changes, replacing Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul with Kevin Durant and Deron Williams as starters.

Williams, in particular, responded brilliantly to the move. He knocked down five of his six three-point tries, missed only one of eight shots all night, and earned the player of the game honors for his efforts.

After the game, a reporter asked Coach K whether there "was any permanence" to this lineup, or whether Team USA remained in experimental mode for the time being.

"

"I don’t necessarily think there is any permanence to our starting lineup," Coach K responded. "You basically have a group, a core group, of veterans, mostly from the Beijing Olympics that I think do need to be the core of this team because they’re older, they’ve been through the Olympics. Durant, talent-wise, is right there with any of them. So, some combination of the six or seven of those guys will start. 

"

That means Tyson Chandler has the starting center spot locked down, leaving Coach K to fill out the other spots with some combination of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Durant, Anthony, Paul and Williams.

Realistically, Team USA could go to bat with any mix of those guys as starters and feel confident about their gold medal prospects.

Better yet, none of their egos have gotten in the way about starting, according to Coach K.

"We've talked about it. They're fine with it," he said. "...Like this morning, I just talked to them, 'What if we did this' and they said, 'Fine. Whatever you want to do.'"

For their best chances at the gold, however, only one of yesterday's lineup changes should remain permanent.

Durant needs to stay a starter and bump Anthony to the bench, while Team USA needs Paul as a starter and Williams on the second line with Russell Westbrook.

In the 2010 FIBA World Championship, Durant initially fell into the trap of deferring to his talented teammates, not wanting to "step on anybody's toes." It took a pep talk from Coach K, telling him to "play his game," before he went out and averaged 22 points per game in Team USA's run to the gold.

This summer, Durant got loose offensively in his first game, knocking down nine of 11 shots for a team-high 24 points against the Dominican Republic. In the two scrimmages since, his efficiency has dropped significantly, as he's only hit 10 of his 25 shots.

In the starting lineup, he'll be able to interchangeably defend 4's on defense to give James a rest at times, and he'll be the perfect weak-side shooting complement to James' burgeoning post game.

The second James draws a double team down low, he'll be able to pass to Paul, Bryant or Durant for an open three.

Who do you trust more in that situation, Durant or Anthony?

Meanwhile, Anthony moves to the second lineup, where he'll be expected to take over as the No. 1 scorer to his heart's content. Williams, Westbrook and Andre Iguodala can all handle the ball proficiently, which should allow for a heap of offensive versatility from the second unit.

The call between Paul and Williams in the starting lineup isn't nearly as easy.

In fact, those two could continue flip-flopping in the starting lineup throughout the Olympics, depending how serious Coach K was about his "no permanence" comment.

If the Americans need size in the backcourt in a given game, they'd go for Williams. If they need speed, steals and fast break opportunities galore, they pick Paul.

That said, Williams' presence on the second unit would give Team USA an advantage that no other team in the world can match.

The size, speed and versatility of the Americans' bench would force other teams to shorten their rotations significantly, in fear of watching a deficit explode with their starters on the bench.

Williams can interchangeably play point or shooting guard, as can Westbrook. The two could switch positions both offensively and defensively in a snap, making life miserable for their defenders.

Combined with Iguodala's ball-handling proficiency, Team USA's bench would virtually be a threat to generate offense from anywhere.

Meanwhile, Paul, at 6' even, likely won't be seeing many minutes at the 2 in these Olympics. As it so happens, Bryant likely won't be asked to handle the ball very often.

Paul and Bryant, therefore, make a natural fit together in the starting lineup, with Williams and Westbrook as the 1 and 2 (or vice versa) off the bench.

Having this much talent at his disposal is a great problem to have for Coach K.

"This is the quickest and most athletic team I’ve ever coached," he said after Thursday's scrimmage. "When we do get a rebound or a turnover, it’s beautiful."

A starting five of Paul, Bryant, Durant, James and Chandler, with Williams, Westbrook, Iguodala, Anthony and Love off the bench gives Team USA their best shot to generate what Coach K wants this summer.

That starting five is the key to a gold medal for the Americans.