Team USA Basketball: Can U.S. Win Gold Without the Redeem Team?

August 4th, 2010 by Matt Petersen Leave a reply »


In previous international competitions, the common lament was that Team USA featured too many superstars and not enough role players.

Happy now?

Not only is Kevin Durant the only player on Team USA worthy of an inarguable "superstar" tag, but even role players are coming up short at certain positions.

In other words, Team USA is not an overwhelming favorite to take gold at the FIBA World Championships.

It all starts (and will likely end) with Durant. Unlike the 2008 Beijing squad, there is no debating who the alpha dog is on this team. This is both a blessing and a curse.

There will be no confusion on offense about who is Option A. Don't think opposing teams don't already know this. There is no pick-your-poison dilemma as there was with the LeBron/Wade/Kobe triumvirate. The other countries will do everything they can to deny Durant the ball, daring someone else to beat them.

That's where the uneasiness creeps in. There's no doubt who Option A is, but what about Option B? Who steps up as the beta to Durant's alpha?

The point guard committee seems the most likely source, but its flaws ru ...

Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
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