Hoppin' happy about Mad Ants. (fortwaynereader.com)

• The Fort Wayne Mad Ants are the new Bucks NBDL affiliate. The potential of a Luc Richard Mbah a Moute Mad Ants jersey is just the type of splendor that powers this blog.
  
• Tired of typical school or work? Tryouts for the D-League club take place on September 27 and 28 at Wambsganss Gymnasium. Naturally. Where else would you go to become a Mad Ant but Wambsganss Gymnasium, you know? The story also notes a pretty cool fact: the team hailing from the Hoosier state led the NBDL in attendance last season.
• Matt from Ridiculous Upside says three affiliates is a crowd. The Mad Ants are also the affiliate for the Pacers and Pistons.
• According to Hardwood Paroxysm's brilliant NBA Blogger Table of Elements, BrewHoop is... 74 - Bh. That makes us the blogging equivalent of either Tungsten (74) or Bohrium (Bh) on the real table. Ridiculous, Matt.
• Truman Reed, writing for Bucks.com, reports that John Hammond and Scott Skiles are on the same page.
• The "Bucks" finish 25th in nickname rankings according to The Oklahoman. (link-tip: The Arsenalist)
• Jon Mladic at HoopsWorld debates whether the Bucks or Pacers improved more this offseason.
• OnMilwaukee.com, curiously if I may editorialize, ranks Joe Alexander as Milwaukee's 46th most beautiful thing.
• Ballerblogger profiles Sidney Moncrief as part of their regular Baller of the Day feature.
• Bethlehem Shoals at the Sporting News reveals what an NBA fan can do during early fall downtime. 

  Get into advanced stats: We all know the knock on statistics: They offer up a pale reflection of the game, either making it too complex, or, in the case of basketball, have problems accounting for the sport's group dynamics. But with executives like the Rockets' Daryl Morey trying to run his team according to these principles, now's as good a time as ever to get acquainted with this vast, sometimes tedious, and often fascinating realm of discourse.

• ESPN.com forecasts MVP, ROY, best, and worst newcomers. No current Buck mentions, though Mo Williams got one vote for both best and worst newcomer, and Yi Jianlian received two worst newcomer votes.
• My Team USA roster thoughts going forward.

• Bucks.com releases the team's preseason schedule, highlighted by a trip to China, where Milwaukee will play the Golden St. Warriors twice. They tip off at the Bradley Center against Timberwolves on October 6.
• An ESPN.com panel of 25 collectively ranks the Bucks 11th in the East, with a projected 35 wins.
  
• SI.com's Chris Mannix gives the Central Division teams a summer report card. The Bucks are top of the class with an A-.

  Hammond still has some things to do (figuring out if Michael Redd is in the team's long-term plans, for one) and his decision to draft Joe Alexander after trading for Jefferson was a little puzzling. But Hammond has Milwaukee back on the right track.

• Chris Colston at USA Today tabs the Bucks 18th in a first version of preseason power rankings. That places them ninth in the East.
• Michael Redd is the NBA's 46th best player according to Tom Ziller at FanHouse. The always keen Ziller is in the process of counting down the league's top 50 players.

  What the Hades in wrong with being one-dimensional if you're among the best in the world at that one dimension? Redd is an elite scorer: he's unstoppable 80% of the time, he's efficient. He never turns over the ball in score mode, a real special quality given how much offense he creates on his own. Scoring is a pretty important part of basketball -- we act like Redd did the equivalent of tiddlywinks in 2006-07, just because the Bucks were awful.

• Brett at The Bratwurst is a little underwhelmed looking at the offseason moves.
• JS Online's Don Walker reports Charlie Villanueva is working with SolesUnited, a shoe donation program. Great stuff, CV.
• Brian Hood, writing for Fox Sports, devises an All-NBA Football team and slots Richard Jefferson at tight end.
• The Bob Boozers Jinx's J.D. Mo again questions Michael Redd's Olympic performance, as well as local media coverage. Redd certainly was underwhelming on the court. He only played 73 minutes, and for good reason. The glut of guards in front of him (Kobe, Paul, Williams etc.) played better in Beijing, which isn't surprising because they are, well, better players. Redd isn't a good defender, and was cold shooting the ball (32.3 FG% and 27.8 3PT%), rendering him not terribly useful on a team of the most polished players on the planet. Of course, he didn't really have a chance to work his way into a groove, and he's not suddenly a bad shooter. He was simply off for what amounted to about two NBA games worth of minutes. That happens. Recall the heroic Kobe Bryant's first 45 minutes for Team USA in the Olympics? Went like this: 37.0 FG% and 6.7 3PT% with four assist and four turnovers. When you look at the big picture though, Kobe fulfilled his role. Redd? He obviously didn't contribute anywhere near the level of Kobe or most others, but I can't say "he was not a factor in winning the gold." Remember the FIBA's last summer? The tournament that qualified Team USA for the Olympics? Redd hit 53.0 FG% and 45.3 3PT%. That came against lesser competition, and for smaller stakes, but it was a necessary step toward gold. Glen Davis shot 58.3 FG% and played an important role in the first round against the Hawks, but notched 15 minutes total in the Finals. Sure, Atlanta isn't Los Angeles, just as the FIBA's aren't the Olympics. No one is crowning Redd or Davis as the vital player on a champion. But don't tell Davis he didn't earn a ring. And don't say Michael didn't factor in winning gold.

Milwaukee's best. (NBA.com)

• Hoops Analyst's Harlan Schreiber picks the 1970-71 Bucks as the best team in franchise history, as part of an ongoing examination of each franchise's all-time top team. I tend to agree.
• Michael Hunt of JS Online reports the Bucks are flying under the radar this summer, with the Brewers delighting and the Brett Favre dramatics.
• Dennis Krause, writing for SportsBubbler.com, profiles the roles of a pair of local athletes who played for Team USA in 1952, Frank McCabe and Ron Bontemps.

  McCabe remembers "the strain of such a change of pace and the closeness of the score for three quarters. It was only 17-15 at the half. One of their players actually sat on the floor during the early part of the game. That kind of stressed the idea of a real slow down. But their coach got him back on his feet in a hurry. The best memory was stepping up to receive the box holding the Gold medal along with the small bunch of flowers."

• TrueHoop's Henry Abbott writes the article I've been meaning to write since Sunday: the future of Team USA. Abbott does an excellent job of explaining the overall picture of Team USA going forward, noting the vast importance of the 2010 World Championships. He makes roster picks too, and Al Horford and Shane Battier are the only questionable ones to me. Kevin Martin? Yes, please.
  
• David Friedman of 20 Second Timeout delivers an Olympic report card to each Team USA player. Redd scores an "I" for incomplete. A sample of Friedman's notes on Redd:

  Last year, I did a post titled Team USA Needs Bruce Bowen More Than it Needs Michael Redd and I have consistently and repeatedly stated that Redd--who is a very good NBA player--would be nothing more than a spare part on this squad for the following reasons: Team USA's primary focus has to be defense, Team USA has several players who are better perimeter defenders than Redd who can also make the shorter FIBA three point shot and it is much more important for Team USA to defend opposing three point shooters than it is for Team USA to make three pointers.

• Matt Watson at Fan House comments on Felipe Reyes saying Spain deserved gold. Next time you want to blame officials, Felipe, please, please try not losing to the team you claim superiority over by 48 points in 80 minutes beforehand. By... 48 points... in 80... minutes. Promise it'll benefit your case.
• A Stern Warning adds that Jose Calderon says Spain would have won under FIBA rules. Umm, again. Maybe we should just make the gold medal a series rather than a single game, to make sure the better team wins, and to avoid flukes. Might not be as fun to take away all hope of anyone ever beating Team USA though.
• Ryan Schwan of Hornets247 unveils Team USA as ancient Chinese historical figures. Michael Redd, apparently, is Peng Yue:
  

  Peng Yue was a General of the Chu-Han Conflict who eventually became a King.  He was a quiet general who would only sporadically involve himself in battle.  When he was on the field, he was good in certain situations, but when the battles began in earnest, he was usually forced off the field and his position taken by a tougher, more aggressive General.  Still, his loyalty earned him a Kingship under Liu Bang, the First Emperor of the Han Empire.  Redd was used sparingly, couldn't really stay on the floor when the pressure was raised. Still, he was a good teammate, and got himself the gold. 

• Kelly Dwyer breaks down Larry Brown's messy maneuvers as Team USA's coach in Athens in 2004. This article follows Brown quotes that can be easily construed as excuse-making for the team's three-loss, bronze medal showing in the Olympics that year.
• Dwyer also writes in memoriam of Kevin Duckworth, who passed away on Monday at the far too young age of 44. Duckworth played in eight games for the Bucks in 1995-96 and 684 games in his NBA career.
  
• J.D. Mo at the Bob Boozer Jinx reflects on a disappointing run for individual Bucks players in the Olympics. True, Redd didn't factor heavily in Team USA's success, but the team badly needed highly capable players willing to play a reduced role and Redd fulfilled that need.
• Dime debates, bracket-style, the best three-point shooters of the past 20 years. No Michael Redd mention, but Ray Allen nabs a top seed.
• From Bucks.com, pick five Energee finalists for a chance to win four tickets to the home opener against the Raptors, and more.
  

• Kelly Dwyer reflects on Team USA's gold medal triumph and win over Spain.

  Nobody whined about minutes. Nobody was caught on the bench, barely hiding their frustrations at not being able to crack double-figure minutes in a 37-point win. Nobody whined about who started (except this guy), and nobody was caught moping in the face of the lineup that finished the lone close game against Spain.

• SI.com breaks down the inevitable debate: Dream Team or Redeem Team?
• WhaIfSports simulates a seven-game series pitting the 1992 and 2008 Team USA's.
• Jim Paschke thoughtfully considers the "redemption" aspect of Team USA.
• Charley Rosen of FoxSports.com hands out individual grades to American players.
• J.E. Skeets at Ball Don't Lie captures more internet reaction following Team USA's win in Part I and Part II.
• My five thoughts after Michael Redd and Team USA won gold.
• Frank serves on the panel for Hardwood Paroxysm's highly pertinent NBA Blogger Roundtable: The Role Of Small Markets In The League, Part I.
• Posted last Thursday, JS Online's Charles Gardner reports encouraging news on Bogut's ankle.
• Gardner also previews the Bucks' upcoming trip to China, where they will play two games, including one against the Warriors the week of October 12.
  
• Truman Reed of Bucks.com takes a closer look Luke Ridnour's point guard pedigree.

  Luke grew up tagging along to practices and games with his father, Rob, then played for him from 1996 through 2000. Together, they led Blaine High’s Borderites to a four-year record of 97-11, highlighted by Washington class AA state championships in 1999 and 2000.

  The coach’s son averaged 23 points and seven assists over the course of his prep career. He was a three-time AA state player of the year as well as a 2000 McDonald’s and Parade All-American, and he still holds Washington AA tournament records for career points and assists.

• Who should start at point guard? Vote for Ramon Sessions or Luke Ridnour (or Tyronn Lue) if you haven't already. Here's the tally at the time of posting: Sessions 171, Ridnour 139, Lue 3.
  
• The Bratwurst notes Scott Williams joined the Phoenix Suns as a color analyst. Always was enjoyable on the Bucks broadcasts. Good luck, congrats on the new gig, and enjoy the dessert warmth, Scott.
  
• The 540 ESPN audio library has archived interviews with John Hammond and Luke Ridnour.
• Dime reminisces about Michael Redd's 57-point burst against the Jazz on Nov. 11, 2006.
• SI.com's Steve Aschburner writes about Desmond Mason's latest moving experience.
• Bethlehem Shoals' exit interviews installment of Portraits in Patriotism is up at SLAM Online.

• Team USA shoot for Olympic gold against Spain at 1:30 a.m. central time Saturday night/Sunday morning on NBC.
• Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don't Lie looks behind the boxscore at Team USA/Argentina.
  
• SLAM Online's Lang Whitaker also recaps Team USA's latest win.
• FoxSports.com's Charley Rosen predicts gold for Team USA.
• My five observations following Team USA's win over Argentina.
• ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan writes about Team USA winning over the hearts and minds in China.

  Michael Redd described an endless stream of fans following him through a mall as he went shopping: people asking him to stop and pose for a quick picture, or thrusting a piece of paper and a pen toward him for an autograph. "They know all our stats, they know where we come from, they know everything about us. It's amazing -- it really is -- just how popular basketball has gotten. It really has gone global."

• Sheridan also says Team USA's performance against Argentina may have given Spanish coach Aito Garcia Reneses hope in the gold medal game.
• Dime notes it's gold medal time for Team USA.
• Slate considers the marketing genius of the Redeem Team. (Link-tip: TrueHoop)
• SI.com's Alexander Wolff says Team USA won't settle for silver.
• SI.com's Steve Aschburner looks at the tough NBA road ahead for the Redeem Teamers.

  Basically a shooting specialist in Beijing, Redd will be the Bucks' ringleader again, trying to create some instant chemistry on offense with Richard Jefferson and Luke Ridnour. Meanwhile, Mo Williams is gone and Andrew Bogut might be hobbled from his Olympic ankle injury. So Redd, the most flattered of the players invited to play for Team USA, could end up as the hardest-working among them once this is over.

• Team USA defeated Australia 116-85 (recap/quotes) on Wednesday morning. After a sluggish start, the Americans pulled away during a convincing 34-18 third quarter. Australia forced more turnovers (13-11) than the Americans, but were killed on the glass, as Team USA had almost as many offensive boards (19) as Australia had total rebounds (28). Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 25 and LeBron James added 16 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Oddly, the two superstars hit just 1-4 at the line each, and the Americans converted 18-31 (.581) at the line total. In spite of that, Team USA came out with yet another convincing, 31-point win. It's a bit strange that its closest Olympic game thus far was a 97-76 win over Angola, easily one of the weakest teams in the Olympic field.
  
• Andrew Bogut lasted only 11 minutes before departing the game with an ankle injury. Thankfully, reports indicate the injury is not serious.
• Neither Bogut nor Michael Redd made much of an impact in the game. Bogut was quiet in Australia's impressive start, scoring four points and turning the ball over a couple times. As usual, Redd didn't get on the court until later in the game, and finished with five points in nine minutes.
• ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan recaps Team USA's quarterfinal victory over the Boomers.
• The Australian's Luke McIlveen writes that Australia's "Rocky" wish turned into more of a "Texas Chainsaw Massacre"  against Team USA. Ouch.
• TheWest.com reports speedster point guard Patrick Mills, who gave Team USA fits in the the team's pre-Olympic matchup, says the Americans sledged him physically and psychologically in the rematch on Wednesday.
  
• Bob Wolfley of JS Online reports that GM John Hammond is impressed with Team USA's Olympic performance.
  
• Kelly Dwyer of Ball Don't Lie examines how a leader has emerged for Team USA.
• Meanwhile, TrueHoop's Henry Abbott is happy to report that Team USA has no King.
• Up next: Team USA versus Argentina at 9:15 a.m. central time on Friday morning. It was curious to see that many experts weren't so high on Argentina prior to the tournament, with many deeming at least Spain and Greece superior. But with Manu Ginobili surrounded by a stable of familiar teammates, the Argentines remain highly dangerous, and it's difficult to imagine they won't give the Americans a good game.
• On that note, FoxSports.com's Charley Rosen warns that Team USA must take Argentina seriously.
• The victor will advance to the Gold Medal game against the winner of Spain versus LIthuania, which precedes Team USA against Argentina. That games begins at 7:00 a.m. central time. Charlie liveblogged Spain's 72-59 quarterfinal win over Croatia that got them to the semis.
• Sheridan previews Team USA's showdown with rival Argentina.

  Argentina prefers to play man-to-man defense, and Scola said his team has not played one single second of zone during the tournament. That could change if Argentina adapts one of the few defensive styles that have been effective -- to use that word loosely -- against Team USA, but it's likely the teams will go at each other straight up as the game goes through its early stages.

• SI.com's Alexander Wolff pinpoints Argentina's problem: depth.
• Bryan Armen Graham of FanNation makes semifinal predictions.
• USA Basketball has a ton of pre-semifinal quotes from Team USA players.
• Dime is wondering who will be on Team USA in 2012. And who wouldn't want to be?
  
• Bethlehem Shoals at the Sporting News says the Olympics are proving that the NBA's style of play still rules the hardwood.

  Dunking at will, wreaking havoc on defense and spending about two-thirds of each game in transition -- and covering up their weaknesses with raw ability and invention -- it's some of the most exhilarating basketball in recent memory.

  Sounds a lot like the NBA, doesn't it? Or -- even worse -- an idealized version of the All-Star Game.

• In a showdown of the two highest-scoring teams, Team USA play Australia at 7:00 a.m. central time on Wednesday morning. You can watch the quarterfinal matchup live on USA. If you can't catch the game live, take a little trip to NBCOlympics.com, which offers full replays of events. One Buck will march on to face the winner of Argentina/Greece, one won't.
• Australia, sans Andrew Bogut, gave the currently assembled Team USA its most difficult game, on August 5 in a pre-Olympic match. The Americans pulled out an  87-76 (recap/quotes) victory, but were outscored 47-43 in the second half.
• Michael Redd and Team USA are coming off a dominating 106-57 (recap/quotes) win over Germany in the team's final game of group play. Team USA stands as the only undefeated team after five games.
  
• Meanwhile, Australia was perhaps even more impressive in crushing previously undefeated Lithuania. Charlie recaps the 106-75 victory in which Bogut led the charge with 23 points.

  Bogut's revived jumper has done wonders in opening the offense up for both he and his teammates. Instead of receiving a pass at the top of the key, and holding the ball in hopes of finding a cutter, Bogut is going into instant attack mode. He can either pull up for a three if no one's on him, and when he guarded on the perimeter he's used various shot fakes to drive all the way to the basket, where he's been able to do things like this.

• Sure, Team USA is firing on all cylinders, but Australia is getting hot at the right time too. Prior to beating Lithuania, they handily defeated reigning European champions, Russia, 95-80.

• Luke McIlveen of The Australian reports on Australia's preparation for Team USA.

• The Australian also has a video interview with Andrew Bogut following the team's latest win.

• USA Basketball's Team USA/Australia preview includes quotes from Tony Ronzone, American Director of Player Personnel.

• ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan warns that Australia is the team's toughest challenger thus far.

• X's & O's of Basketball offers excellent analysis of Australia's offense.

• SI.com's Alexander Wolff evaluates each Team USA player following pool play.

• Wolff also breaks down Team USA/Australia rematch and predicts winners for the all the games.

• In FanNation, Bryan Armen Graham adds quarterfinal predictions.

• A Stern Warning 's Team USA/Australia preview reveals keys to victory for each team.

• Numbers, live from Beijing: Michael Redd is averaging 4.0 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists on 28.6 % shooting from the field and 25.0 % on three-pointers. He's playing 11.6 minutes per game. Andrew Bogut is averaging 14.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists on 61.7 % shooting from the field and 71.4 % on three-pointers. He's playing 21.4 minutes per game. Yes, Bogut is 5-7 from outside. And yes, that's four more three-pointers than he's made in his career with the Bucks.

• All you need to know about the Mo Williams-to-Cleveland rumors.  Well, most of it at least.
• For the Cleveland perspective, be sure to check out both CavsBoard and Waiting for Next Year.
• Team USA cruised to another group victory in group play, downing Angola 97-76.  Mike Redd was just 1/4 for two points in 14 minutes.  Nobody recaps better than Kelly Dwyer, so just read what he wrote.
  
• Also at BDL, Skeets has a priceless pic of Michael Redd.
• Andrew Bogut and Australia were dealt their second loss in as many games by Argentina, falling 85-68.  Bogut continues to look a bit out of sorts and underutilized, scoring just seven points with four boards and three blocks. Charlie did a liveblog for us with all the details from the game.  Really, all of them.
  
• The Bratwurst takes on the Mo rumors.

  How would this trade affect the Bucks? I don’t think they will win more with Ridnour than they would with Mo. But they wouldn’t lose more, and they would have much more roster flexibility going forward.

  I liked former Indiana PF D.J. White a lot before the draft, so Brett's suggested deal that adds him to the equation works for me.  I think OKC needs more than just Szczerbiak's expiring deal, though.
  
• The Bob Boozer Jinx breaks it down, too.  One thing to note is that teams aren't required by the CBA to take a minimum amount of salary back.  Usually they need to in order to make the deal work for a trade partner, since the maximum a team can acquire is 125% of the salaries they send out plus $100,000.  For example, the Bucks can't trade Mo ($8.353 million) for Luke Ridnour ($6.5 million) straight up, but it's not because league rules forbid them from shedding the salary.  Rather, OKC in that scenario would be taking on more than 125% of Ridnour's $6.5 million + $100,000, so it's the OKC perspective which would cause the problem. 
  
  In a three-team trade like the one being proposed, the Bucks could effectively swap Mo for Ridnour so long as none of the other teams were taking back too much.  However, in the reported Joe Smith, Mo Williams, and Luke Ridnour version of the deal, Cleveland is only sending out $4.795 million and taking back $8.353 million.  That'd be OK if they were far enough under the cap, but like most teams they're not.  If Cleveland were to add players worth a little more than $1.8 million to the deal--whether to OKC or Milwaukee wouldn't matter for cap purposes--then it would work.  
• Marty Burns at SI has MIlwaukee ranked 12th in the East...for now.

  New GM John Hammond made one of the big trades of the summer, acquiring Richard Jefferson from the Nets for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons. Jefferson, along with new coach Scott Skiles, should help improve a woeful Bucks defense. With Michael Redd, Mo Williams, Andrew Bogut, Desmond Mason and Charlie Villanueva, Milwaukee already had enough firepower to score with any team. The trick will be just how fast Skiles can implement his system, and whether there is enough bulk in the frontcourt.

Home-country advantage not enough for hosts against Team USA.

• Bob Finan of the Cleveland News-Herald writes about a rumored three-way trade that could send Mo Williams to the Cavaliers. Oklahoma City is the other team, and Joe Smith and Damon Jones (in the form of expiring contracts) are a couple speculated names that the Cavs could ship to Milwaukee. Stay tuned.
  
• Team USA dispatched China 101-70 (recap/quotes) in its opening Olympic game. The Americans started shakily as China drained enough early threes to draw as even as late as the second quarter. Once the outside shots inevitably stopped falling, the game got out of hand quickly. Although Team USA was only truly dominant one quarter (25-11 in the third), the overall performance was strong. Michael Redd had a fair Olympic debut, scoring 9 points on 3-9 shooting in 13 minutes, hitting 3-7 from outside. Redd was the only American to make more than single three on a day Team USA hit just 7-24 (29.2 %) three-pointers. Dwyane Wade shot a nifty 7-7 from the field for a team-high 19 points in 20 minutes off the bench. Also off the bench, a pair of Chris' (Paul and Bosh) outplayed their starting teammates. LeBron James (18 points, six rebounds, three assists, three blocks, zero turnovers) played like he was the best player in the world, which makes a lot of sense, really.
• Check out Olympics Central at Bucks.com for upcoming games featuring Redd and Andrew Bogut. Up next for Team USA is Angola, on Tuesday at 7:00 a.m. central time on USA. Australia take on Argentina at 9:15 a.m. on Tuesday morning. That game is available online.
  
• Kelly Dwyer at Ball Don't Lie offers first impressions on Team USA/China.

  Team USA got the ball got to the front of that rim, leaking out in transition when it could, but mainly keeping the Chinese team on its heels with fast (seriously, there was some velocity happenin' in Beijing today) passes that initiated the dunk-fest.

• Pat Forde of ESPN.com adds his thoughts on the historic Team USA/China game and event.
• Chris Sheridan writes that former Buck Yi Jianlian came up small against Team USA.
• Lang Whitaker at Slam recaps Team USA/China.
• Dime break down Team USA/China and zone in on an American weakness.
• For other Olympic basketball recaps, check out ESPN.com's Day 1 roundup. Plenty of noteworthy items, including defending Olympic champs Argentina falling to Lithuania 79-75. Also, in the premier matchup of the day, Spain topped Greece, 81-66. Germany rocked Team USA's next opponent, Angola, 95-66. We've more on that somewhere here...
  
• Charlie liveblogs Germany vs. Angola.

  More Mingas! Eduardo hits a three! Angola (bless their hearts) is still playing very hard. They continue to scrap and dive for loose balls despite the large deficit. Their effort draws some applause from the Chinese fans.

• Bucks are 1-1 at the Olympics: Bogut and Australia didn't fare nearly as well as Redd and Team USA. Croatia topped the Boomers 97-82 (recap). Better days are ahead for Bogut, we'd hope. While he didn't miss a shot from the field, he only attempted three. Eight of his teammates managed to shoot more, so the Aussies didn't try too hard to feature Bogut. Then again, more Bogut may have been more problems for Australia anyway, based on this stat line: one rebound, zero blocks and steals, and four fouls and four turnovers, in 21 minutes.
• The Bob Boozer Jinx provides a rundown of ten things you should know about Olympic basketball.

  7) The court is 2' 2" shorter and nearly a foot narrower at an even 28 meters by 15 meters, something that only the great, idiosyncratic shooters of the era, Ray Allen and Reggie Miller, probably ever paid any attention to. The three point line is already much shorter, so trimming five inches left and right along the baseline is negligible for most players.

• At The Hive, teaming with Green Bandwagon, concludes its really outstanding 12-part Olympic basketball preview with a unique look at how Team USA match up against the world's best at each position.
  
• Charles Gardner has more on the pending deal that could bring Francisco Elson to the Bucks.
• Brett at The Bratwurst: not that excited about Elson coming to Milwaukee. 
• Truman Reed ranks the top five U.S. Olympic performances. Always good fun. Before last summer's FIBA Americas I ranked the Dream Teams.

• Jorge Sierra at HoopsHype reports free agent big man Francisco Elson is "leaning" towards the Bucks, while also weighing offers from the Hawks and FC Barcelona. Especially with Chris Andersen and Kwame Brown now off the market, Elson's one of the few proven free agent big men still available.  And with 13 men currently on the roster and only $2.06 million available under the luxury tax, the Bucks will need an affordable big like Elson to fill their need at PF/C.
  
  The major concern is that while Elson was solid in 05/06 and 06/07, starting 41 and 54 games in Denver and San Antonio respectively, he suffered a major dropoff last year. His PER tumbled from 11.26 to just 6.84 while splitting time between San Antonio and the rebuilding Sonics. At the age of 32 he's not getting any better, so the Bucks would have to hope that Elson's 07/08 was more of a fluke than an indication of his imminent decline. As a mobile big man who can guard both big positions, Elson would provide cover at the 4/5 much like Brian Skinner did two years ago.  And he would put the Bucks in the unique position of having both of the NBA's Dutch big men. We might have to start printing up some "Double Dutch" t-shirts.
• Check out the Olympic hoops broadcast schedule.  Coverage of Team USA's opener against China starts at 9:15 am CT on NBC, while Andrew Bogut and Australia open group play against Croatia at 7 am.  You'll have to watch online to catch that one. 
• Nike has a pretty cool Marvin Gaye-inspired promo of Mike Redd and the 2008 edition of Team USA.