The Americas tournament
Before he left on vacation, I asked Kevin O'Connor if he had heard anything about his players with various national team commitments this summer. He said he didn't even like picking up the phone this time of year because the only news was bad news.
Deron Williams addressed the injury issue without me bringing it up in our interview for Wednesday's paper. Williams said he'd be working out hard, playing five-on-five this time of year and could get hurt just as easily staying home as playing in Las Vegas.
Cramming 10 games into an already short summer isn't ideal, but Williams is right about the injury risk. Yes, Pau Gasol sent the Grizzlies into a tailspin when he was injured playing for Spain in last year's world championships in Japan.
But Elton Brand blew out his Achilles tendon this summer playing one-on-one against Chris Kaman. Brand has vowed to play this season but is looking at three months of casts and walking boots before even starting to rehab.
In the final analysis, the experience Williams stands to gain - - or the point guard tricks he can steal from Jason Kidd and Chauncey Billups - - outweighs the injury risk. I would think that's a consensus opinion from everyone not signing Williams' paycheck.
Williams also had a few things to say that I couldn't get into today's story. He's no newcomer to international basketball, as it turns out, having played for two junior USA Basketball teams.
That makes Williams familiar with all the different FIBA rules, from the closer three-point arc to the zone defenses to the 10-minute quarters. I love the short quarters, personally, especially when a talented team falls behind and has to scramble to climb back.
Williams said his experience is that international ball is more physical, with a lot of grabbing and holding. The U.S. stocked up on big guards, Williams included, to combat that.
There are only three big men (Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler) on the 12-man roster. Mike Krzyzewski and Jerry Colangelo opted to keep two shooters (Mike Miller and Michael Redd) capable of hitting zone-busting three-pointers.
The U.S. should cruise through the Americas tournament with Argentina bringing its B team (minus Manu Ginobili, Fabricio Oberto and Andres Nocioni). The best competition might come from Brazil (with Nene and Leandro Barbosa but without Anderson Varejao).
Williams will get plenty of chances to play - - Krzyzewski is going to start Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony - - while mixing point guards and big men. One question, though, is whether Williams will make the final cut for Beijing next summer.
The pool of players who want to play for gold next summer (as opposed to Vegas glory) undoubtedly will be deeper. Gilbert Arenas, Carlos Boozer, Brand, Shawn Marion, Lamar Odom and Chris Paul all are part of the national team pool not playing this time around.
My guess is the U.S. will opt to keep one young point guard, whether it's Paul (who played in the 2006 world championships) or Williams. That day, though, is a long way away and much can change.
The Jazz will have two other players in action in September, with Andrei Kirilenko playing for Russian and Mehmet Okur for Turkey in the European championships, which run from the 3rd to 16th in Spain.
--Ross Siler
Deron Williams addressed the injury issue without me bringing it up in our interview for Wednesday's paper. Williams said he'd be working out hard, playing five-on-five this time of year and could get hurt just as easily staying home as playing in Las Vegas.
Cramming 10 games into an already short summer isn't ideal, but Williams is right about the injury risk. Yes, Pau Gasol sent the Grizzlies into a tailspin when he was injured playing for Spain in last year's world championships in Japan.
But Elton Brand blew out his Achilles tendon this summer playing one-on-one against Chris Kaman. Brand has vowed to play this season but is looking at three months of casts and walking boots before even starting to rehab.
In the final analysis, the experience Williams stands to gain - - or the point guard tricks he can steal from Jason Kidd and Chauncey Billups - - outweighs the injury risk. I would think that's a consensus opinion from everyone not signing Williams' paycheck.
Williams also had a few things to say that I couldn't get into today's story. He's no newcomer to international basketball, as it turns out, having played for two junior USA Basketball teams.
That makes Williams familiar with all the different FIBA rules, from the closer three-point arc to the zone defenses to the 10-minute quarters. I love the short quarters, personally, especially when a talented team falls behind and has to scramble to climb back.
Williams said his experience is that international ball is more physical, with a lot of grabbing and holding. The U.S. stocked up on big guards, Williams included, to combat that.
There are only three big men (Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler) on the 12-man roster. Mike Krzyzewski and Jerry Colangelo opted to keep two shooters (Mike Miller and Michael Redd) capable of hitting zone-busting three-pointers.
The U.S. should cruise through the Americas tournament with Argentina bringing its B team (minus Manu Ginobili, Fabricio Oberto and Andres Nocioni). The best competition might come from Brazil (with Nene and Leandro Barbosa but without Anderson Varejao).
Williams will get plenty of chances to play - - Krzyzewski is going to start Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony - - while mixing point guards and big men. One question, though, is whether Williams will make the final cut for Beijing next summer.
The pool of players who want to play for gold next summer (as opposed to Vegas glory) undoubtedly will be deeper. Gilbert Arenas, Carlos Boozer, Brand, Shawn Marion, Lamar Odom and Chris Paul all are part of the national team pool not playing this time around.
My guess is the U.S. will opt to keep one young point guard, whether it's Paul (who played in the 2006 world championships) or Williams. That day, though, is a long way away and much can change.
The Jazz will have two other players in action in September, with Andrei Kirilenko playing for Russian and Mehmet Okur for Turkey in the European championships, which run from the 3rd to 16th in Spain.
--Ross Siler
3:47 PM
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