USA Basketball’s Youth Movement
USA Basketball sent a powerful message in the announcement of its 12-man roster for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Not a message of “we’re the biggest, fastest and strongest in the world, but we will play the smartest basketball possible.”
With the youngest players possible.
When Kobe Bryant and Jason Kidd are the senior members on your national team, you know you’ve got something special. When your entire post player collection is comprised of 80′s babies, you know you’ve got an athletic, high energy front court for this Olympics and possibly the next.
And when you feature the NBA’s next great rivalry in Chris Paul and Deron Williams on the same squad, you’ve got an instant marketing plan for the league’s emerging crop of young talent.
Oh yeah, and you’ve got LeBron James and Dwyane Wade on the team, too.
Jerry Colangelo and Mike Krzyzewski have intelligently compiled a roster featuring physically imposing players that have a chance for domination for 2008 and 2012. A durable bunch that can take the rigors of last season and march through a couple of months in Beijing. With the exception of Dwyane Wade, each player on the roster started more than 70 games last season.
No, the Olympic Games won’t be a cakewalk for this team, but the game will be a lot quicker than years past; something the global basketball world will not be able to contend with. Everyone on this Dream Team upgrade can run the floor and handle their own against versatile international competition. We always wanted a national team to rival the 1992 Dream Team, and this version came quick, fast and in a hurry.
As most young people are prone to do in life.
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