Stamp of Approval

LAS VEGAS – He’s been playing “What would’ve been?” for most of the month, and sometime Sunday night Kobe Bryant will have to return his Team USA toys on the Strip, including Jason Kidd, and rejoin the Bynum and Bailey Circus with the Lakers.
No more Pilates in his hotel room with the Nets point guard.
“I wore out his ass,” Kobe bragged.
No more clowning with Carmelo Anthony on the bench.
“He’s a fool,” Kobe kidded.
No more playing with a cast of teammates straight out of his wildest dreams, out of Mitch Kupchak’s reach.
“We’re all spoiled,” Kobe sighed.
If Bryant wasn’t the most dominant player in the United States' devastating 135-91 semifinal victory over Puerto Rico on Saturday, he sure has been it in these FIBA Americas Championships. Behind Bryant, the United States didn’t just use this tournament to qualify for the 2008 Olympics, but reaffirm itself as the gold standard in Beijing next summer.
As much as anyone, Bryant could live in this Vegas fantasy forever. Once the gold medal game against Argentina is over Sunday, Team USA’s players go home with NBA training camps starting within the month. Milwaukee’s Michael Redd, back to a lottery team of his own, confessed, “We’re going to have low tolerance for our teams when we get back to camp.”
No one will have less patience than Bryant, whose summer with the Americans has made him only more determined to chase championships again. He goes back to a Lakers team largely unchanged over a season ago, destined again for a low-Western Conference playoff seed, an early exit, and another Kobe combustion.
There’s a chance that no one will see Bryant smile again until the Opening Ceremonies in Beijing. “The athleticism, the basketball IQ – It’s really been an honor, a blessing, to be around this talent every single day,” Bryant said.
Privately, Bryant is still livid that the Lakers wouldn’t give up Andrew Bynum for Kidd at the trade deadline last season. It doesn’t make it easier that Kidd desperately wanted to play with the Lakers, and was deeply disappointed when the trade fell apart. In the time they’ve spent together in Vegas, Kobe said that Kidd has, “taught me a lot about reading the floor, about what he’s looking at on the court.”
What’s more, Kidd knows: Vince Carter is no Kobe.
“This is something that I will always remember,” Kidd told me Saturday. “This is something that could’ve been. We could be talking (with each other) about, ‘what are you going to do? Are you going to work out? I’ll see you back in LA.’
“But unfortunately it didn’t happen.”
As badly as Bryant, Kidd wanted it too. Still, he has peace of mind returning to a Nets team that could contend in the Eastern Conference. Bryant’s volatile early summer of trade demands and attacks on the Lakers organization has been tempered with this Team USA run. He’s had the time of his basketball life here. He’s been on his best behavior, trying to undo the damage he had done to his name.
Longtime league insiders were surprised to see Bryant and his wife at the opening of a club at the team’s hotel on Friday night, with one going so far to say to him, "You never go out in public. He's trying to be a part of this team, really trying, they're saying.
“He’s really befriended everybody,” Redd said. “We’ve got a chance to know him and he’s gotten a chance to know us.”
Even when he was winning championships with the Lakers, there was always some drama, always some conflict. Here, it’s so much easier. In a lot of ways, August has been the most liberating month of his life, one with which Bryant has re-established himself as the star among stars, reminded the world that no one plays the ends of the floor the way that he does. He has tortured offensive stars in the FIBA American Championship, chasing those with and without the ball like nothing anyone’s seen in years out of him on defense.
“He’s brought an intensity, an edge, to us that maybe people had only seen in Michael Jordan,” Managing Director Jerry Colangelo said.
If Bryant understands that he won’t be competing for his fourth championship in the spring with the Lakers, he knows he’ll be chasing his first gold medal in Beijing with Team USA. If nothing else, his debut with USA Basketball has been a chance to re-stamp himself as a winner. “Look at Kobe who has championships -– the one thing he is missing is the gold medal,” Kidd said. What’s more, the one thing he’s missing is showing that he can be a part of something bigger than his own ego and hubris.
No one is shrewder at recasting himself, reshaping his public image after an embarrassing episode, as Bryant. In Vegas, he’s been the most popular kid in class, charming and selfless. Slowly, surely, he’s positioning himself as the savior to bring back gold medal glory to basketball’s beleaguered red, white and blue. The best American player goes home on Sunday night, and he does so without all his favorite, shiny new toys. The Lakers camp starts in a few weeks in Hawaii, and Kobe Bryant confessed that he’s leaving Las Vegas “spoiled” now. There will be no Jason Kidd to pass the ball and work out with him, no ‘Melo to share a scoring spree and a laugh. Just Kobe and his low tolerance, just Kobe and a lost Lakers cause that has pushed him to the brink.

By Adrian Wojnaroswki

YAHOO SPORTS

Kobe making a case as game's best

Since Michael Jordan shuffled off to prove that building one team seems even trickier than carrying an entire league, the howling kings of basketball judgment have been auditioning for his successor.
For the record, the job description has little to do with marketing power or highlight credibility, although those can be fine perks. Instead, the watchdogs have been waiting for someone to definitively seize the title of World's Best End-To-End Basketball Player. As one of these self-appointed watchdogs, I believe the requisite World's-Best skills should include a competitive blaze underscored by a commitment to defense. This probably eliminates most of the candidates now lining up behind the guy who actually deserves the acclaim.
That guy is Kobe Bryant.
This week's show at the FIBA Tournament of the Americas simply serves to illustrate what most of you should have figured out much earlier. But before building Kobe's case, let's quickly review some of the suspects who are not (yet) the world's best player.
We'll start with Denver Nugget Carmelo Anthony, a splendid player whose scoring outburst in Team USA's collective romp has provoked grandiose declarations from a few national pundits. Best player on Team USA? That's just silly.
While it should be noted that playing power forward for Coach Mike Krzyzewski hasn't done his defensive rep any favors, 'Melo has yet to really pick on any offensive players his own size in the NBA. But the defensive comparison with Bryant that's been the most noticeable while working for Team USA occurs off the ball; Kobe is far better at anticipating an offensive maneuver and rotating into a team-defensive help situation. Due to experience and/or DVD study, Bryant just thinks the game better.
Like Kobe and his superior Team USA cronies, Anthony's wide-ranging offensive repertoire can command a double team. Unlike Bryant (whose L.A. Lakers teammates and own ego require it) Carmelo hasn't demonstrated the ability to consistently defeat it. As a Nuggets' employee, he may not have to or even want to. That's a plus.
I just can't wait to watch what happens when a full season of Anthony, Allen Iverson, J.R. Smith and Kenyon Martin kicks in with George Karl. That may be some hayride.
Anyway, accusing Anthony of not having a comprehensive game that equals Bryant's is hardly intended as a slam.
Kobe's off-the-court off-season has been turbulent. But on it? He looks like the game's best player. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
The same is true when putting the comparison spotlight on LeBron James, who's been one of my favorite players since I first saw him play during a summer club tournament in Vegas six years ago.
Much like his pal Carmelo, LeBron's defense only seems to be ratcheted up when the moment suits him. That's a pity, because — as one of the world's most ridiculous combinations of size, strength, speed, quickness and agility — James should be an All-Defensive Team pick every year.
While it's true that — like Bryant — the offensive responsibilities he carries with his NBA team may inspire a few half-hearted defensive efforts, it doesn't excuse a lapse or two for Team USA.
On offense, LeBron is a more generous and skillful passer than Bryant. That's hardly a revelation. But, due to balance issues, his jump shot will continue to come and go. Sure, Kobe can be streaky and unleashes quite a few gymnastic field-goal attempts, but James still manages to lean back when his feet are set and he's wide open. He'll make some of those shots, but doesn't seem convinced that creating space when it's not necessary makes shooting a high percentage a lot more difficult.
Another serious candidate, Miami Heat superstar Dwyane Wade, will be spared from comparison (when he refines that jump shot, we'll talk) until suiting up for Team USA next year.
The marvelous Steve Nash is the world's best point guard, but won't be its best player unless he quits hiding behind screens on defense or pretending that playing the passing lanes is enough.
Dirk Nowitzki fails to make the cut because the world's best player doesn't back down when his team is figuratively punched in the mouth.
This brings us back to Bryant, who qualifies as the most relentless competitor the NBA has seen since MJ, who was the greatest player in league history. But despite checking in with three championship rings, Kobe's ascension often is dismissed due to perceptions (right, wrong ... how do any of us really know?) about his character.
He generally is credited with escorting Shaquille O'Neal out of Los Angeles, even though Shaq's contract demands and public attack on Lakers owner Jerry Buss did far more to expedite the trade. Kobe didn't push O'Neal out of town, but he could have stopped the deal.
Instead, he welcomed the opportunity to — like Jordan — lead his team to glory while surrounded by little more than an eager support group. We'll never know how Jordan would have responded if his career had begun as second fiddle to the league's most dominant inside presence. Maybe his quest to be the best player would have overwhelmed a sense of team that was instilled at North Carolina. Maybe his team would have won 10 consecutive titles. Had he not prematurely retired (twice), Jordan could have registered eight or nine in a row without the benefit of an above-average center.
We may never know if Bryant can win without a superior big because he has yet to be assisted by the likes of Scottie Pippen or a young Horace Grant. His task of winning with Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum is made even trickier by an abundance of powerhouse teams in the Western Conference.
As for Team USA, Kobe (to me, at least) clearly is better on both ends than his gifted young teammates. But even his presence can't guarantee U.S. gold in 2008. With Bryant, Anthony, James and Wade, Coach K will be obliged to continue hammering a ball-movement agenda that will be tested by zone-playing foes intent on slowing down the game. The stars listed above have grown into their current status by dribbling the ball through most of every offensive possession.

by Randy Hill

FoxSports.Com

Krzyzewski has Bryant's back

LAS VEGAS -- On the court, Kobe Bryant has been a ferocious defender for Mike Krzyzewski in the FIBA Americas Olympic qualifying tournament. Off the court, Krzyzewski is an equally strong defender of Bryant.

The bond between player and coach was formed when Bryant considered coming to Duke rather than jumping directly from high school to the pros. It was strengthened when Krzyzewski considered leaving Duke to coach the Lakers after Phil Jackson's departure in 2004.

And it has been sealed now that they are finally united on the U.S. basketball team.

While Bryant has been heavily criticized for his meltdown after the NBA season, when he went back and forth on his desire to remain a Laker, Krzyzewski is sympathetic.

"I would always want guys who would want to win," Krzyzewski said. "The fact that he's frustrated because they are not winning at the level he would like, I think that's a good problem. I'm sure the Lakers will work things out. The thing about Kobe is that every thing he does is so public. It's the scrutiny placed on an individual who has won three world championships and is considered the best player in the world. That goes with the territory."

Krzyzewski says he has been there for Bryant behind the scenes.

"It's not so much you give advice," said the coach, "because to give advice, you have to have knowledge of the situation. What you want to do is give support, say, 'I'm behind you. Stay steadfast in what you want to do.' "

The two also spoke when it was Krzyzewski's future that was uncertain.

"When I was considering the Laker situation," Krzyzewski said, "he told me he loved the Laker organization and if that's what I wanted to do, he wanted to work with me. No pressure or anything like that. What came across during that time was his love of L.A. and his love of the Laker organization.

"Any second thoughts about turning down the Lakers?

"It was a serious consideration," Krzyzewski said, "but I'm the kind of a person, once I make a decision, I don't look back. I've been married 38 years and I don't write to my old girlfriends. It was an honor and I thank them for giving me that opportunity.

"I'm 60 years old. I'm going to do what I do at Duke and I am not going to coach in the pros. Besides coaching college basketball, I love Duke. I just love the university. It was too much to give up."

Krzyzewski said turning pro was too much for Bryant to give up.

"I don't think he was that close to going to college," Krzyzewski said. "I think it was always on his mind to go to the pros. We kind of knew, if he did go to college, he would come to Duke, but we never really counted on it because he was so good and we knew that he would be a very, very high pick.

"We've developed an even closer relationship now. I really like Kobe a lot. He's easy to coach. He buys into everything. He's doing all the unselfish things, playing hard defensively, not really caring about who scores. It's all about winning.

"He'll do whatever he thinks he needs to do to bring about a championship. He's proven it and he wants to prove it again. There are lot of people who prove it once and never want to do it again. He's uncommon. He wants to prove it over and over again. There is nothing bad about Kobe Bryant."

With Carmelo Anthony, the U.S. team's scoring leader, out with a bruised left heel, LeBron James led the way with 26 points Wednesday in a 118-79 victory over Uruguay. James scored all his points in the first half at Thomas & Mack Center, then sat out the second half.

The victory sets up tonight's showdown against Argentina, both teams unbeaten through seven games. Argentina kept its perfect record intact by beating Brazil, 86-79, in overtime on Wednesday.

Krzyzewski said Anthony was kept on the bench as a "precautionary" measure, but he would play tonight. The U.S. is already guaranteed a spot in Saturday's semifinals.

by Steve Springer
LATIMES.COM

Oops! Kobe Bryant’s showing exactly why the Lakers can’t trade him

Kobe Bryant, by the way, can play.
Sometimes that’s a lesser part of the whole Kobe universe, because, yes:
1) He is fairly crazy;
2) He consistently engages in (he can’t help himself) particularly high-profile feuds, screeching behavior and uncomprisingly infantile activity and probably still wants the Lakers to trade him, though he hasn’t said so in a while.
But then you watch Bryant infuse Team USA with defensive energy from the jump at whatever the hell that international tournament is the new-fangled US team is dominating right now…
You hear what the other superstars are saying about him and how much Jerry Colangelo and Mike Krzyzewski respect and are counting on him…
And you have to conclude:
* Kobe hasn’t won a title since Shaq departed the Lakers, barely made the playoffs the last few years, has never won the MVP (or ever really come close), has watched Tim Duncan take four championships.
But despite all that, Kobe has to be–HAS TO BE–considered the most dangerous player in the NBA, which I’ve said before, through the craziness and the more craziness and the extra craziness bonus time.
And probably the most valuable, if you’re looking at realistic trade options.
Which is why the Lakers can’t trade him–they’ll probably never have a player like him again (Wilt, Elgin, West, Kareem, Magic, Shaq, at some point it has to end, right?).
And they’ll never get full value for him in a trade.
Because there is no equal value for Kobe.
My measuring stick: If everybody in the league was put up for trade, and if you pull out the rookies (Greg Oden) and Spurs (Tim Duncan), which player would lure the best offers?
Kobe. It’d be Kobe.
* Steve Nash is an incredible player, but he’s four years older than Bryant and doesn’t play much defense.
If you put them both on the trade market, I think you’d get much more Kobe Interest than Nash Interest.
* LeBron James is getting there, but isn’t close to Kobe on the defensive side. (Think of it this way: Switch Kobe onto last year’s Cavaliers. Are they better or worse? Better. They’re definitely better.)
* Dwyane Wade, either.
* Amare Stoudemire, either.
* Dirk Nowitzki, last year’s MVP, vs. Kobe is not even worth a discussion. (Again, switch Kobe for Dirk in last year’s playoffs. Do the Warriors blow away Dallas? Are you kidding?)
* Jason Kidd has remained at the top of his game for a long time, and has looked great in this tournament, but he’s older than Kobe and is a problematic outside shooter.
* Duncan is the Man, and I think he has more value than anybody in the league and that will continue until Greg Oden comes into his own. But Duncan’s not going anywhere.
* Dwight Howard might become the Man, but he’s not close yet.
* Kevin Garnett vs. Kobe… that’s an interesting one, and it might be very comparable in a year or so, when Kobe’s opt-out is coming near.
KG is a premium–a long, versatile, shooting 6-11 who fits into any system. I think I’ve typed that before, somewhere.
But Kobe is two years younger, has won three more titles, can absolutely overwhelm you on offense (obviously) and, when the mood strikes, can also obliterate most perimeter players on the defensive side. If Kobe lands on the trade market, I’m telling you, the Lakers would not be happy about it, but they’ll also be offered more than Minnesota got for KG–Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Ryan Gomes, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair and draft picks.
A lot more than that.
And because of that, unless and until Kobe forces the Lakers’ hand in some incredibly dramatic way (hold out? hard to imagine), the Lakers cannot trade him.
Can’t even consider it, the way he’s playing and the way he’ll play, probably, for the next three or four seasons, at the very least.
He’s playing on a team of superstars right now, and there’s nobody on that court or is as good as he is. That means the Lakers could never get enough for him.
(The Lakers got Lamar Odom, Caron Butler and Brian Grant for Shaq. Again: Proof that you never get enough for transcendant players.)
So Kobe’s doing a lot to reclaim his image (again) after all the trade demands of a few months ago… and he’ll probably have to reclaim his image in another few months all over again if he does some more crazy stuff…
And more than anything, he’s showing the Lakers exactly why they can’t trade him. Oops!

By Tim Kawakami
NBA.COM

No Doubt

If we’ve learned one thing from watching Team USA this summer, it’s this: the debate over who’s the best player in the world isn’t a debate anymore. Kobe Bryant has been the primary factor in why this year’s version of the U.S. squad is so much better than the last few versions. (No, we’re not dissing Jason Kidd, it’s just the truth.) Last night was Kobe’s best game of the tournament — he dropped 20 points and three triples on Brazil, and held tourney leading scorer Leandro Barbosa to four points, four turnovers and zero assists. Before the game, we know a lot of folks thought that even if Brazil lost, Barbosa would go off. Turns out he was taken out of the equation, opening the door for Team USA’s 37-point W …

Bryant becomes 'pacesetter' for Team USA

LAS VEGAS -- The tone of the Kobe Bryant-Leandro Barbosa matchup was set just a few moments into the first quarter, but you had to look 80 feet away from the action to see it unfold.
As a player from Brazil shot two free throws at one end of the court, Barbosa stood beneath the basket all the way at the opposite baseline, trying to get a clear view.
Every second or so, however, Barbosa had to move a step or two away to clear his line of vision from the obstruction that kept moving in his way.
That obstruction was Bryant, who was gluing himself to Barbosa at that very moment and stayed attached to him like white on rice all night in another stellar defensive performance that keyed Team USA's 113-76 drubbing of previously undefeated Brazil on Sunday night.
"He don't guard like that in the NBA, but he did tonight and I was impressed," Barbosa told ESPN.com. "He came to guard me, and that was good practice for me. I learned a lot of things the way he was guarding me."
Barbosa isn't the only one learning a few things from Bryant, whose intensity and commitment level is having a trickle-down effect on his U.S. teammates. To prepare for Sunday night's assignment, Bryant had Team USA video coordinators prepare him a DVD of Barbosa's offensive repertoire, comprised of some 200 plays from tapes of the Phoenix Suns and the Brazilian national team. Some paperwork came with the DVD, too, an accompanying chart listing Barbosa's efficiency percentage for each of his favorite moves.
"I watched a little bit of the Phoenix stuff, but how they use him in Phoenix is much different than how they use him here with his speed and his agility," Bryant said. "But at the same time, I've dropped 20 pounds, so I'm a little bit quicker than I used to be."
Bryant clearly studied his homework hard, holding Barbosa -- who entered the game as the leading scorer in the tournament at 27 points per game -- to four points on 1-for-7 shooting, with four turnovers and zero assists.
"For him it's about playing defense, and he enjoys that challenge. He understands he doesn't need to score 60 points to help us win, so he can use a little more energy on the defensive end than he's done in the past," Jason Kidd said. "He loves the challenge, and since the opening tipoff of that first game against Venezuela, he wants to take that best offensive player on the opposing team and make it as tough as possible. Against Barbosa, he did it again."
Bryant had the crowd chanting his name midway through the first quarter when he harassed Barbosa into losing control of his dribble and dove on the floor to try to secure the loose ball, forcing a scramble that led to a backcourt violation.
Brazil withstood a game-opening 8-0 run by the Americans and was able to stick with the U.S. through the midpoint of the second quarter, keeping its deficit in single digits, until Bryant hit a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer to start a quarter-ending 15-4 run that gave the U.S. team a 57-38 halftime lead.
After Brazil scored the first three points of the third quarter, the Americans came back with a 17-0 run that put them ahead 74-41 and ended whatever suspense there was.
The Americans were on top of all aspects of their game, shooting 53 percent on 3-pointers (including Bryant's 3-for-3 and LeBron James' 4-for-5), including 11-for-22 on catch-and-shoot 3s, scoring 26 fast-break points and holding their own on the boards against one of the few tall opponents they'll face in this tournament.
James and Carmelo Anthony led the U.S. team with 21 points each, Bryant had 20 and Michael Redd 16. The only sour note was Tayshaun Prince spraining his left ankle late in the first quarter. He was listed as day-to-day for the Americans, who open second round play Monday against Mexico.
Bryant logged only 19:59 of playing time, and every American except Prince logged at least 10 minutes as the non-competitive second half gave coach Mike Krzyzewski a chance to save his starters' legs for the next step of a stretch in which they are playing six games in six nights.
So far, the focus and intensity -- and the blowout final scores -- have been constants.
And when the question turns to who is setting the tone, the answer always comes back Bryant.
"Kobe has been a pacesetter for sure," Team USA director Jerry Colangelo said. "Defensively, he's just locking people down. He's so strong and so focused, you just can't say enough about his work ethic and how he has led. He's done a great job."
After facing Mexico, the U.S. team will play either Panama or Puerto Rico on Tuesday, Uruguay on Wednesday and Argentina on Thursday before finally getting a day off prior to the only game that really matters in this tournament -- Saturday's semifinal match, in which a berth at the Beijing Olympics will be at stake.
"We have to continue to get better," Bryant said.

by Chris Sheridan

ESPN

No Breathing Room For Barbosa

LAS VEGAS, What looked to be an upset in the making turned out to be nothing more than another rout, the type that’s come to be expected when the U.S. men take the floor at the Thomas & Mack Center for the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship.
“We beat a really good team today,” U.S. head coach Mike Krzyzewski said after his team won its closest contest of the tournament thus far, defeating Brazil 113-76. “Brazil is one of the best international teams.”
For more than 15 minutes Sunday, Brazil looked the part, clinging to a single-digit deficit as it worked the ball inside to Nene and Tiago Splitter, getting the Americans’ front court players in early foul trouble.
“It’s the biggest team we’ve played,” Coach K said afterward. “They’re very strong. They have four big guys. You're concentrating on (Leandro) Barbosa, you’re playing the bigs and their guards got by us a few times. And Splitter did a really good job in the first period, with driving the ball to the basket. It was obviously their goal to do that.
“I think we made adjustments in that regard. Our guys did a much better job after the first quarter.”
While the team’s defense did a better job protecting the paint after the first 10 minutes, it did a tremendous job of containing the Phoenix Suns’ speedster from start to finish. Barbosa entered the contest as the tournament’s leading scorer at 27.0 points per game. He left it adding only four to his total.
“We put a lot of focus on Barbosa,” Chauncey Billups admitted. “He’s a dangerous player. He can beat you inside. He’s so fast and quick to the basket he can get you in foul trouble. So we put a lot of emphasis on stopping him. Kobe (Bryant) started off and did a great job, trying to deny him the ball and not let him get touches, playing physical with him. When he came out of the game, whether it was me or whoever else on him, we took the challenge and tried to do the same thing. We thought if we could take him out of the game and make all those other guys make plays, then we had a great chance.”
While Bryant clearly has the ability to take a player out of the game, some were left wondering after the game how much a twisted ankle, suffered in the team’s win over the Virgin Islands one day earlier, slowed his Pacific Division rival.
“He’s just as fast, just as quick,” Bryant said, ending any such conversation. “I’m 20 pounds lighter, too.”
Regardless of whether Barbosa was slowed or Bryant is quicker, this much is true: Kobe gave him no breathing room. And his teammates gave equally as little.
That much could be seen as early as three minutes into the game, when, after chasing Barbosa all over the court, Bryant raced Barbosa for a ball that squirted loose into Brazil’s backcourt, diving head-first to try to get to it before his opponent – even though the call on the court was a backcourt violation when Barbosa finally did reach the ball along the sideline. Kobe was that determined to keep Leandro from touching the leather.
When Bryant took a seat for his first-quarter breather, his teammates threw a number of different defenders at Leandro – Billups, LeBron James and Tayshaun Prince – whether by design or not.
“I think we, at times, went too much that way,” Coach K said of focusing so heavily on Barbosa, “and didn’t talk as well, which we have been talking the first three games. But overall, that’s a nice mistake – or a nice adjustment – to make, where we’re going so hard.”
Bryant continued the suffocating defense every time he was on the floor, never giving an inch.
With 6:26 remaining in the first half and teammate Carmelo Anthony at the free throw line, Bryant retreated all the way to the far baseline, bumping with Barbosa and denying a long pass off the rebound.
Thirty seconds later when Bryant went to the stripe, it was Jason Kidd shadowing Barbosa at the other end. Bryant, perhaps worrying about getting back to switch, missed the second attempt before sprinting the length of the court to resume guarding Barbosa on the ensuing possession.
Barbosa, however, wasn’t the only threat the U.S. was forced to deal with. Nene and Splitter drew two quick fouls on both Dwight Howard and Anthony.
“We had foul trouble with Carmelo and Dwight,” Coach K assessed, “and we had to use LeBron at the four, which was something we haven’t used yet.”
The problem was compounded when Prince twisted his ankle in the first quarter and couldn’t continue playing.
Anthony, for his part, picked up the two quick fouls because he simply could not guard Splitter. That’s not to say anything negative about Anthony as a defender so much as it is to say Splitter played that well against NBA competition. The San Antonio Spurs’ first-round draft pick in this June’s Draft never played frightened of his All-Star opponents. He’s big and strong, able to get the ball as far out as the elbow, face up, put the ball on the floor and aggressively attack the basket. The lasting impression from this one outing is that the Spurs, again, seemed to have selected well late in the Draft.
Basketball fans – and the U.S. men – might get another look at Splitter, Barbosa and Co. late in the tournament if both teams advance to the semifinals or finals, by which time Brazil might find a way to hang around longer than 15 minutes.
by Jeff Dengate