Team USA Sets Final Roster
Kevin Durant, Nick Collison Final Two Cuts
Team USA hopes to bring home the Gold Medal in next summer's Olympic games with a more balanced basketball team.
Team USA cut its roster to 12 players for the Olympic qualifying tournament which begins next Wednesday. Last year's bronze finish at the world championships revealed the team's need for shooters, veterans and more defense. As a result, Sonics rookie Kevin Durant and his soon-to-be teammate Nick Collison were the final two cuts. Here is the final Team USA roster:
- FC Amare Stoudemire
- FC Dwight Howard
- FC Tyson Chandler
- F Carmelo Anthony
- F Tayshaun Prince
- FG LeBron James
- FG Mike Miller
- G Kobe Bryant
- G Michael Redd
- PG Jason Kidd
- PG Chauncey Billups
- PG Deron Williams
This version of Team USA features a more balanced look than some previous squads. Stoudemire will be the primary finisher among the big men, while Howard and Chandler should anchor the team's defense, both in rebounding and shot blocking (keep in mind that there is no goal tending in international rules). Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant will probably be the team's top two scorers, especially with several playmakers on the roster, including do-it-all James and Kidd, Billups and Williams. Coach Mike Krzyzewski has plenty of options to take into battle.
Still, the most noteable difference between this year's team and last year's team is the additional of several quality outside shooters. Despite the international three-point line (20 feet, 6.1 inches) being more than three feet closer than the NBA three point line (23 feet, 9 inches), Team USA has struggled hitting from the perimeter on a consistent basis and that has killed them. They were 10-for-40 from the three point line in their quarterfinal game against Germany at the worlds and 9-for-28 against Greece (whom they lost to) in the semifinal game.
Though zone defense is allowed in the NBA, the NBA zone isn't a true zone. Think of it more like a loose man-to-man defense, as there is a three seconds in the key defensive violation and players still must be relatively close to guarding an opposing player. International rules allow for a more free base zone, much like in college basketball. The best weapon against most zones is outside shooting, which hasn't been a strength for the Americans in some time. This has partly to do with the fact that the international ball is smaller and therefore might take more getting used to by American players. However, this isn't the whole story. Mose American NBA players simply aren't prolific spot shooters, which is an aspect of the game in which American is frequently criticized for. For these reasons, Team USA has sought the aid of several quality perimeter gun men, including Michael Redd, Mike Miller and Chauncey Billups, in hopes to free things up for slashers like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Jason Kidd.
It seems like more planning has gone into putting this team together than some USA teams in the recent past. However, they can't take anything for granted and they still need to learn to play together. Despite the addition of several outside shooters, they must realize that their strengths are high pressure defense, athleticism and attacking the basket. This summer's qualifying games are important, but the real test will come next summer at the Olympics.
