As linked to in Wednesday's Notes, Henry Abbott wrote a terrific piece about the future of Team USA. If you think it's too early to consider such things, well, it's quite simply not. The 2010 World Championships are just around the corner, and building a team, as we've learned, takes time.

The thought, competition, and scrutiny that goes into creating national soccer teams is incredible. Basketball is following that path.

There are plentiful questions, like whether the LeBron/Kobe/Wade troika will sign on again. James already said he'll only play if Kidd does, and Kidd should not and will not. Kobe, while not old, might want to save energy to win the NBA title without Shaq he wants so badly. Wade's all-out style also might not agree with four more years of intense summer ball.

Plus, they already accomplished the mission of restoring order in the basketball world with the gold in Beijing. There is a lot to lose in the next two tournaments, and only a little to gain.

That said, here are my roster thoughts going forward.

Return, pretty please

LeBron James: Some are holding off on anointing him the greatest player in the world. Not I. In 2010 and 2012, he'll absolutely be the most dominant basketball force, and the most important player to Team USA success.

Kobe Bryant: Recruited to save USA Basketball, and did just that against Spain in the fourth quarter of the gold medal match.

Chris Paul: Best point guard on the planet will be 25 and 27 years old in the next two major competitions.

Dwyane Wade: Leaped back into the forefront of stardom. Wade played pressure defense and ignited transition offense, the places where Team USA differentiated itself in Biejing.

Deron Williams: Formed a dynamite two-headed point guard attack off the bench with Paul, and showed nice chemistry on the court with CP3 as well. Only will improve in next four years.

Chris Bosh: A relative unknown among superstars, Bosh established himself as the team's best post player on both ends of the court in Beijing. His 77.4 % field goal percentage was absurd, but his 86.2 % free-throw percentage was perhaps even more comforting.

Dwight Howard: Mobility makes him a nice fit on team that plays at breakneck speed. Strength separates him from competition.

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Uh, Canada? Team USA hung a 55-point beating on them last night.

• Team USA opened its exhibition schedule with a 120-65 thumping of Canada last night (video above). Mike Redd picked up where he left off last summer with 20 points in 18 minutes, tying Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade for the Team USA lead.  Redd's apparently taking his specialist role to heart, as he made 6/8 from the field--all from three point range. 
• Alex asks: Olympic gold or NBA title?
• Kelly Dwyer opens up his DVD collection and takes his magnifying glass to game five of the Bucks/Pacers first round series from 2000 (part I, part II).

  Cassell hits another jumper, this time it's banked in. Both teams are trading buckets, and I'm absolutely convinced that these were the best two teams in the East that year. The Knicks made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2000, and we all saw a lot of that team (thanks to Turner and NBC, we had no choice), but this Bucks team is much better.
  
  These are two deep, potent teams. By the time I finished typing that last paragraph, Jalen Rose and Ray Allen just traded jumpers.

• Watch Andrew Bogut talk Olympic hoops.
• Truth About It breaks down the Gilbert-fueled Milwaukee/DC feud.  I think at the end of the day no one would be going out of their way to rip Milwaukee if the Bucks were winning games; funny how that can make up for all the other problems a city has (see Detroit as exhibit A).  But until the Bucks become relevant on the court, the combination of small market + cold winter + losing = no respect.  That's just how it's going to be.  
• Dave Berri looks at rookie summer league performances.  As you might guess, the number's aren't great for Joe Alexander, but they were actually worse for O.J. Mayo.  Something else you might not have expected?  Luc Richard Mbah a Moute ranked fifth out of 32 rookies in per-minute production, tying Vegas MVP Jerryd Bayless
  
• Royal Ivey is now a Sixer. Ivey's hard work and penchant for floor burn were appreciated, but he's below average in essentially every phase of the game.  I wish I could say he's a hard-nosed defender or something, but the fact was that opposing guards had their way with him most of the year.  As the Bratwurst pointed out, getting in a defensive stance and fouling a lot doesn't equal good defense.
  
• Bucks Diary crunches numbers on the Lue and Allen signings.
• Ted Bauer at ESPN the Mag chronicles Sam Cassell's greatest hits.

Close your eyes (not yet though) and imagine for a moment that you're a world-class basketball player. Is it really that much of a stretch to believe already? At 13 years old, you probably had perfected being the announcer counting down the shot clock, thousands of screaming fans filling a packed stadium, and Mookie Blaylock swishing a game-winner at the buzzer -- all at the same time. I had, and I'll call more than a couple slabs of blacktop as my lead witnesses. 

With your imagination sparked, think about what stage your ultimate backyard last second shot took place on. The NBA Finals, in Game 7 perhaps? I surmise that's the most common answer, at least for those growing up stateside.

Others, who grew up in the 1990's in Europe, South America, and other basketball hotspots may also have mimicked MJ, Pippen, or Clyde the Glide, but perhaps not so much for their NBA exploits. Rather, the original Dream Team is often cited as the key inspiration for millions of future cagers born outside the United States. The degree to which the Olympics inspired, as opposed to the NBA, is debatable, but certainly the summer games 16 years ago in Barcelona opened many wide eyes to the game of basketball.

Meanwhile, some years after the spectacle of the 1992 Olympics, international basketball became an afterthought to many Americans, and arguably to some of the country's elite players, who preferred to rest the rest of the summer to representing the stars and stripes.

By 2003, the program was on a verge of a mini-renaissance, but aside from the hardcore minority, basketball fans in the United States remained far more interested in the NBA than any international tournament. The different rules, unfamiliar opponents and regulations, and time zone issues still work together against international basketball.

The latest edition, dubbed Team USA's second coming, combined with the ever-increasing visibility of international stars such as Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, and Manu Ginobili, has without doubt prompted renewed interest from fans as we close in on USA-China in the opening game on August 8.

More interesting is how straightforward American stars including Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and your very own Michael Redd have prioritized winning gold. The quotes curiously registered nary a blip in the basketball blogosphere, but they loudly indicated one united belief: winning Olympic gold beats winning an NBA title.

Mildly surprised? Utterly shocked? Absolutely thrilled? Eyes open yet?

I'm just the messenger, and an indirect one at that. Check out USABasketball.com's Quotes of the Day from June 28 for the full dish.

The following is merely a sampling. Chris Bosh, Jason Kidd, and others sang, in enthusiastic, varying baritone pitches, the praises of USA Basketball too .

Kobe Bryant: It would be the most special thing to happen in my career. Winning an NBA championship is incredible. But you're playing for a particular market. With a gold medal you're playing for your country. I don't think there's any greater honor as a professional athlete that you can have.

Interesting. There are some, like MJ and KG, to refer to them by their bland nicknames, who have won both, and could rightfully compare. Kobe's got the NBA hardware, and the odds are he'll come back from Beijing golden.

LeBron James: It would be the ultimate. I've definitely put in a lot of time, I've sacrificed a lot of time as an individual. But the experience that I've had has been unbelievable. This is something I can tell my kids' kids once I get older. This is a great experience and to be able to tell them about a gold medal that I won in 2008 would be the icing on the cake.

The King's not exactly faintly praising what the Olympics mean to him. Just another genuinely prideful American baller.

Michael Redd: It would mean everything. Everything. Obviously the NBA championship is awesome, it's the pinnacle, but this is even higher than an NBA championship. This is a whole other level. It would mean everything.

Again, not mincing words. The phrasing makes it sound like he already won an NBA title as the third best player on a great team six years from now led the Bucks to a championship, but you get the point: an Olympic gold medal is truly it.

Chris Paul: Don't get me wrong. I would love to win the NBA Finals, but this right here is about representing your country. All of us represent different teams, different organizations, but there's no greater feeling than to represent your country, to have U-S-A across your chest.

Don't get CP3 wrong, he obviously gets the ladies because of his virtual Blogger MVP status, but not even that can top what is about to happen over in the Eastern Hemisphere, if all goes well for the red, white, and blue.

Add Carmelo Anthony to the list, who was forthright in a recent interview with ESPN.com's Scoop Jackson:

Anthony: That would be the best thing that ever happened to me. The best thing ever, period. Winning that gold medal … [takes a deep breath] … look, I won in high school, I won a national championship in college, I want to win one in the NBA. But winning a gold medal, I don't think anything can top that.

It's pretty obvious I'm not taking anything out of context either when I tell you some of these guys rate Olympic gold above all else. Understand also though, that we're dealing with preeminent talents, but also workday warriors. It doesn't take many November nights to see that Kobe and co. earn their NBA paychecks. Even if they claim one game or competition is slightly more important, that doesn't mean they don't try equally and completely. With very few exceptions, they do. Sure, Kobe might play more aggressive defense when he loses the purple and gold, but that's only because of the nature of the brief international competitions. He's going all out, no matter. 

Nonetheless, some of the quotes are quite striking to me. Particularly because I don't predict that many American fans would pick Team USA bringing home gold over (insert favorite team here) winning an NBA title, though I suspect fans cheering on any club other than Team USA would be just the opposite in this regard. The underdog factor can't be overstated.

Then again, you collectively admitted that the NBA champs aren't on Team USA's level. So if your country, say, puts together the best team in the world, in the most prestigious international competition, why wouldn't that rank as top priority? Still worried about "losing" your club star to national duty perhaps? True, this isn't always simple stuff, even for players, and in different sports.

You're encouraged to either back up my hypothesis (I predict more will pick an NBA title) or prove me wrong (I shudder to think) with this here poll at the bottom of the page. Your choice, really and truly.

Postscript: The poll is designed to represent your preference from your actual (fan) perspective. Would your answer change if you were a player? I'm also particularly curious to hear what fans think who are pulling for a team other than Team USA. Please leave your thoughts in the comments.

Nate Robinson gets no respect.

• As detailed by the intrepid Matt Watson over at FanHouse, the most confusing moment of the weekend came Sunday afternoon when the Vegas organizers mocked honored summer league veteran Nate Robinson with a straight-faced jersey retirement ceremony.  Robinson only played two games this time around, but he won the Vegas MVP award in 2007 and has now made the trip to Sin City four times.  Which apparently makes him the Reggie Jackson of July or something.
  
  So now that his #4 jersey is hanging from the cinderblock wall of the Cox Pavilion, Nate's been forever immortalized, right?  Um, not exactly.  A couple hours after the jersey was unveiled with much pomp and circumstance, a maintenance guy showed up with a ladder and took it down. As Matt so adeptly narrates in the video above, "It took four years to put it up there...20 seconds to take it down." Sorry, Nate. 
  
• With 21 NBA teams involved, there was no shortage of familiar faces roaming the Thomas & Mack Center.  Aside from the lottery picks on the court, Chris Paul, Carmelo, LeBron, and Brad Miller were among those making appearances in the stands, while coaches, GMs, and other front office-types milled around for scouting, small talk, and interviews. 
  
• Having done a more typical Vegas trip in February, I ended up having a very basketball-centric weekend hanging out mostly with the FanHouse Matts: Mr. Watson of Detroit Bad Boys fame and Mr. Moore of Hardwood Paroxysm/Ridiculous Upside fame.  Fellow SBNers Dave and Ben from Blazer's Edge and Stan from Bright Side of the Sun also made the trip.  It seemed like the media ranks had largely thinned out by the league's final weekend, though J.A. Adande, David Aldridge, and Chris Mannix were among the notables hanging around until the bitter end.  
• The most interesting game of the weekend had to be the Blazers/Suns game Saturday night, where Vegas MVP Jerryd Bayless erupted for 36 points including the eventual game-winner.  Bayless seemed to be playing angry all weekend (Vengeance for his draft night tumble?  Some bad Chinese?), which apparently worked for him. 
  
  But even more impressive than Bayless was the Blazer fan presence.  For whatever reason a huge contingent of rowdy Blazer fans made it to the Saturday/Sunday games, which added another dimension to the normally bland atmosphere at the Cox Pavilion.  Things got especially loud everytime Arkansas rookie big man Steven Hill touched the ball.  However, I'm sad to report that Hill didn't look quite as scrubby as he did in college, nor was he rocking his famous white socks, opting instead for a more discreet ankle-high black pair.
• You might remember Henry Abbott's story last year about the inexplicable love that NBA players have for the Cheesecake Factory, so I'd be remiss not to link to Matt Moore's Vegas follow-up.  That picture came from my camera, folks.  I'm quite proud.
• While Vegas always has its share of guys who don't belong anywhere near an NBA court, it also struck me how many reasonably talented players don't ever make an NBA roster. While most of these guys are light years behind the NBA's best in terms of overall skillset, the line between the 13th-15th men on an NBA roster and the guys who are perpetually dominating the D-League is decidedly blurry.  Watching Pops Mensah-Bonsu run, dunk, and generally dominate all aspects of Vegas life, I have a hard time believing he's not good enough to be on the end of an NBA bench.
  
• Speaking of guys fighting for respect, the dunk of the weekend for me was from Minny point guard Blake Ahearn.  The 6'2" Ahearn looks more like your company's IT guy than an NBA player, but that didn't stop him from driving through the lane and throwing down a somewhat vicious one-hander out of a halfcourt set on Sunday.  Too bad the gym didn't have a replay board, because we were all having a hard time grasping what had just happened.

• Check out our summary of 2008 draft prospects and vote for your current favorite.  We'll try to have polls every week or so and keep track of how guys' imaginary stock rises and falls leading up to the draft.
• Sparky Fifer has another good interview with John Hammond over at WSSP, this time focusing on the draft. Hammond didn't sound crazy about Danilo Gallinari when pressed, but then again he also compared him to Tayshaun Prince, which is high praise from Hammond. He also said that the Bucks wouldn't necessarily pass on a player just because they played the same position as Bogut or Yi, which might be significant should a guy like, say, Kevin Love be available.
• Dan Labbe at Cleveland.com is campaigning hard to bring Michael Redd to Cleveland. In response, WaitingForNextYear debates whether the Cavs should go after Redd.  While Cleveland fans might prefer a big-time post-scorer, they're unlikely to find any who are available. That's in contrast to Redd, whom the Bucks have begun to shop in recent weeks. While the number of teams interested in taking on Redd's salary will probably be limited, Cleveland can't offer much more than expiring contracts (Anderson Varejao being the most attractive) and middling draft picks at the moment.  Is Redd really that out of favor?  I'd guess that Dallas, Chicago and Toronto would all be better trade partners at this stage, but none of them are likely to be as interested as Cleveland.
• As noted on BDL, The Dallas Morning News' Tim McMahon reports that while Mark Cuban kind of, sort of defended Josh Howard in a recent radio interview with Dan Patrick, the out-of-favor small forward is still on the block.

  Maybe Howard has said the right things to the Mavs' brass in recent weeks, but he sure didn't sound like he'd learned a lesson the day after the season ended. Cuban, however, insists that the Mavs aren't putting a priority on getting rid of Howard.
  
  "If someone makes me an offer I can't refuse, just like anybody else, you have to consider it," Cuban said.
  
  The hunch here is that the Mavs will work hard to find an offer they can't refuse.

• Chad Ford chatted today and reasserted the availability of Michael Redd, Charlie Villanueva and Mo Williams. Perhaps more intriguingly, he also alluded to the Bucks making an offer for Carmel Anthony.

  There will be lots of interest in Melo ... the Nets obviously have interest. I think the Bucks will too. Knicks for sure. The Nuggets want to cut payroll and obviously get a higher pick in the draft. The Nets have some pieces to make that happen. The Bucks may be in a better position to do it.

  Both Denver and the Bucks would reportedly prefer to lighten their luxury tax load--Denver is already in trouble there, while the Bucks might be close in 2009 if the current roster is maintained. But neither team can help themselves much given neither the Bucks nor Nuggets have expiring deals  (unless Allen Iverson is involved). Then there's the further question of whether the Bucks can put together a package of players and picks compelling enough to make Denver give up on their 23-year old star. Some combination of Redd, Mo Williams, Yi Jianlian, Charlie Villanueva, Ramon Sessions and picks would have to be involved, but whether there's a mutually agreeable combination is another question.
  
  Melo's recent DUI arrest coupled with yet another first-round exit have justifiably raised questions about the validity of his superstar status, but in fairness he's also a 23-year old that has been the best player on a playoff team in each of his five seasons.  He's unquestionably a bigger impact player than Redd, and in a league that revolves around stars, that's important.
• Ersan Ilyasova helped Barcelona surprise DKV Joventut 93-90 in the first game of their best-of-three Spanish semifinals, scoring 16 points and grabbing a season-high 14 for a crucial road win. Check out the video highlights of Ersan here.
• The Big Lead ponders if Michael Beasley could be the next Andrew Bogut.  And like, not in a good way.
• Charles Gardner profiles Wisconsin native and new Bucks' assistant Joe Wolf.

  "To get a call from a guy you have great respect for and have known for a long time, and to get an opportunity with a team in your home state, a team you grew up watching games in the MECCA, it's just a fantastic time in my career," Wolf said on Thursday.