Does Red, White and Blue = Gold? We’ll see…
I’m not one of those people who makes outlandish predictions - just for the sake of going against the grain – so I’m not going to tell you the United States will not win basketball gold in Beijing. However, they’ll face stiff competition throughout their run. Obviously, the international teams are better. You only have to look at NBA rosters to notice that. But so too is Team USA. Kobe Bryant’s killer instinct(where was it in the Finals?!) will infect his elite teammates. And the team was built with, well, TEAM in mind. Ohio State’s Michael Redd’s inclusion is an example. As great as the West High product is, he’s probably not one of the best 12 American ballers, but he’s among the best fits. His outside game will allow the likes of Kobe, Lebron and Carmelo to take advantage more often of their athletic mismatch against the competition. It’ll be close and fun to watch, but even if the red, white and blue take home the gold, the days of the Dream Team are gone. The rest of the world has woken up.
