"K it Ain't So, Hub?"

(Photo by T. Peter Lyons)

News "Iteam": USA Basketball Names Coach Mike Krzyzewski as the head coach of the 2009-2010-2011-2012 USA Basketball Senior Men's National Team.

TL's quick forward to the column.... "In September of 2004, immediately after the United States Men's Olympics Team "settled for" the bronze medal in the Athens Summer Games, the NBA had a serious decision to make.

There were two paths ahead. Either meet with the USA Basketball hierarchy and encourage them to return to the ways of 'pre-'92' and field teams for the World Championship and Olympics in the same manner that we currently field teams for the likes of the Pan Am Games, the World University Games, the Junior World Championship, etc. or to meet with USA Basketball and say "We've got to change the way we do this and turn the program over to one person and allow that person total autonomy in doing what he/she feels is in the best interest of one goal: Winning the Gold.

Well, the NBA and USA Basketball took the latter approach and on April 27, 2005 named Jerry Colangelo to a then-newly created role of Managing Director of USA Basketball's Senior Men's team.

On that day, Colangelo said the following: “I take on this responsibility with a great deal of commitment and passion,” Colangelo said. “My intent is to restore USA Basketball’s role in international basketball and the status we once enjoyed. With the increased international competition that exists, this will be a major challenge for us as we prepare for 2008 and the Olympics.”

That was the first day of the new program, one that would go on to take a bronze in Japan in 2006 but would win the gold in Beijing in 2008. The USA would have its "redeem team" a few years after the same moniker was hung on the 2004 team by the writer I highlight here today, Mr Jan Hubbard.

Instead of providing my opinion on Mr. Hubbard's work, I am going to post it and then post my comments after the story he wrote and published in the Ft. Worth Star today. Read on:

(The Dallas/Ft. Worth Star Telegram Headline for this story - which reads, "Coach K Gets the Nod, NBA Coaches Get the Shaft," was very inflammatory...and I Chose not to repeat it in my headline. I do make note of the fact it was above the Jan Hubbard-written opinion column in the Ft. Worth, Texas paper.)

By Jan Hubbard

The coronation became official Tuesday night when Mike Krzyzewski, the supposed "savior" of USA Basketball, agreed to a second term as Olympic coach.

Not to be ornery here, but the way I see it, Kobe Bryant was actually the savior when the United States won the gold medal in Beijing at the 2008 Olympics. Krzyzewski’s debut in international play featured this semifinal result in the 2006 World Championships:

Greece 101, USA 95.

Two days later, this was the result of the gold medal game:

Spain 70, Greece 47.

Didn’t say much for Coach K’s defense. Spain allowed 54 fewer points than the United States, and it should be remembered that Pau Gasol sat out that game with a foot injury.

Bryant was not on that 2006 team. When he arrived at the Tournament of the Americas in 2007, it made a monstrous difference. The U.S. had a player who approached defense with the attitude of Joey Chestnut eyeing a plate of hot dogs.

Jason Kidd, who also did not play in 2006, helped direct the 2008 team and players such as LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul were two years older. All that helped.

But Bryant was the leader on the court, clearly the best player in the world. He still is.

Although I don’t blame Krzyzewski for taking a second term as the senior men’s team coach, I do believe some great coaches who have been nothing but loyal to David Stern and the NBA have been insulted.

Utah’s Jerry Sloan has been the poster child for consistency. He’s the longest-tenured NBA coach with 21 seasons. He’s won 1,137 games. He’s coached teams to 50 or more victories 12 times. He’s made two appearances in the Finals, losing only to Michael Jordan. And he’s paid his dues by being an Olympic assistant coach for USA Basketball.

Krzyzewski has been at Duke 29 years and has won three national championships — the last in 2001.

But Gregg Popovich has coached the Spurs for 13 seasons and has won four NBA titles since 1999. USA Basketball puts a large premium on coaches participating in their programs and, like Sloan, Popovich also has served as an Olympic assistant.

Sloan is 67 and Popovich is 60. In 2016 — the first chance either will get to coach an Olympic team — Sloan will be 74 and Popovich will be 67. It is doubtful that either will be considered.

"My judgment was we’ve got the right team together," USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo said. "[Krzyzewski] has earned the opportunity to do it again if he chose to do it again, and there were outstanding people available if he chose not to."

Krzyzewski certainly deserves credit for directing Team USA to the 2008 gold medal — just as he deserves criticism for the 2006 failure.

But since NBA players began representing USA Basketball in 1992, there has not been one second when they were on the floor against a team with superior talent. Not one second. In short, Krzyzewski and Team USA did exactly what they were supposed to do in 2008.

The embarrassments of 2006, 2004 and 2002 were a result of bad coaching, bad playing and bad player selection. Whoever decided to put Stephon Marbury, Allen Iverson and Larry Brown together in 2004 has obviously gone into hiding and is referred to in USA Basketball circles as "He Who Shall Not Be Named."

The 2002 team had plenty of talent but a cavalier attitude that proved to be fatal at the World Championships, with losses to Argentina, Yugoslavia and Spain.

This is no attempt to diminish Krzyzewski, but a lot of coaches could do what he has done. He also coached the 1990 World Championship team, and that group did not win the gold medal.

In the history of U.S. play in the Olympics and World Championships, only two coaches have lost twice — Hal Fischer in the 1967 and 1970 World Championships and Mike Krzyzewski in 1990 and 2006 — and the latter time with pros.

It seems odd that with David Stern the de facto boss of the U.S. Olympic effort and Colangelo, who’s been involved with the NBA for more than 40 years, as the managing director of the senior national team, someone from the college ranks gets to coach in two Olympics.

Krzyzewski has resisted overtures to coach NBA teams in the past, and in terms of international play, that was a good choice.

Because as Jerry Sloan and Gregg Popovich can attest, if Krzyzewski were in the NBA, that would almost certainly mean that he would have no support from the most influential people in the NBA as the Olympic coach.

TL Opinion: On this story, Mr Hubbard shot a complete air-ball. First and foremost, he made one of the biggest mistakes in journalism, he did not let the truth get in the way of a pre-conceived notion that is 100% false. That faux pas, for Hubbard, is a very rare mistake.

Unfortunately, I believe he made the mistake because of the fact that on August 1, '04 -- the same day the United States Men's Olympic Team landed in Cologne, Germany on its training trip in advance of the Athens Olympics -- Hubbard was writing for the Dallas Morning News and awoke in his native Texas rather than waking up in Jacksonville, Florida.

On July 31, 2004 - the United States Men's team lost any chance of winning the gold medal. That major development occurred in Florida, not Athens. However, Hubbard was not covering the game that day, he was writing a story about professional lacrosse which appeared on the pages of the Morning News on August 1, 2004.

On that lovely July 31st Sunday back in 2004, assistant coach Gregg Popovich and head coach Larry Brown lost their team when they chose to bench Allen Iverson, Lebron James and Amare Stoudemire for their tardiness (by five minutes) for a team meeting before the USA vs. Puerto Rico friendly, won by the USA 96-71

That day, everyone involved in USA Basketball knew the model was broken. There was absolutely no continuity, no state of stability between the selection of players and the coaching of those players within the USA men's program. Coach Brown, trying to do his best I stress, did not "like" the very players he was dealt and he made it clear from the 'git go." Coach Brown and Coach Popovich fell into the trap. They circled their own wagons and alienated their team. Coach Brown was preparing for disaster and fueling it at the same time. Coach Pop bought the fuel.

In his article above, Hubbard makes reference to the selection, but he errs mightily when he tagged Coach K with a "savior" tag. That distinction should be hung solidly on the chest of one JERRY COLANGELO. Yes, it was Colangelo who took the keys to the car and made one thing clear in 2005-2006-2007-2008. Colangelo had total authority to name the coaches and players and he would not rely on the prior politics between USA Basketball constituents like the NBA, the NCAA and the various and numerous committees and boards when it came time to name his coaching staff and his team.

So, when faced with the challenge of defending the USA's 2008 Olympic gold medal for the next "three+ years," Colangelo again proved his mettle and evoked his authority when he named Mike Krzyzewski, Mike D'Antoni, Jim Boeheim and Nate McMillan to repeat as the national team coaches. In TL's humble opinion, that move is TREMENDOUS.

Now, I love coach Sloan like a brother and I think the world of his Hall of Fame coaching abilities, but the fact of the matter is -- Coach Sloan was not named the Olympic team coach in 1998-2000 and he was not chosen because of the fact Rudy Tomjanovich coached the Houston Rockets to an NBA title and he was pegged to lead the 1998 World Championship team.

I also respect Coach Popovich and believe he deserves a chance to 'redeem' himself and his shortcomings as an assistant coach in 2002 and 2004 in Indianapolis and Athens, respectively. I honestly hope he gets a chance to take a USA team into competition someday, but with Pop's massive ego, I doubt he would agree.

So, my conclusion is this: Time marches on. The USA men's program is run by Jerry Colangelo. Period. Colangelo faced a lot of pressure and he also faced the music when the USA team lost to Greece in 2006 at Saitama, Japan. After that game, Colangelo and Coach K met the media with a huge task ahead of them. After the loss, they recoiled and adjusted the USA roster to increase the national team's size and strength in the backcourt. That was easily done by adding the best player in the world (Kobe Bryant) and the most experienced and strongest leader among NBA point guards (Jason Kidd).

Note: Kobe was scheduled to be on the 2006 team but had minor surgery on his right knee as the team was about to begin training camp and could not commit to the long and grueling schedule in advance of the '06 Worlds

See the boxscore: http://www.usabasketball.com/seniormen/2004/04_msnt_box1.html

And the game story:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/athens/basketball/2004-08-01-men-schedule_x.htm

Limited Live Blogging from The 2009 NBA Finals

Getting a lay of the land tonight at the Orlando Arena ... aka Amway Arena. Orlando Magic team president Alex Martins and the gang gave a warm greeting on my way in. High fives all-around with TC, Todd H, Billy D speaking so highly of our bud Josh. Felt like old times. (Circa '95 NBA Finals).

David Stern and Coach K will be conducting a press conference at 8pm edt. I will try to get a quick BLOG entry in before the game tips at 8 pm-ish.

T

Team D in the House that Russ Built...

Across the Pond
By Terry Lyons


BOSTON, Massachusetts, March 26 – Villanova head coach Jay Wright calmly strolled the sideline of the TD Banknorth Garden on polished hardwood floor that looked rather odd. There was not a block of parquet to be found under Wright’s nicely polished shoes. When the talented young Villanova coach looked up to check the scoreboard, there were no banners in the rafters to frame his view and remind him of the history of the great game of basketball that was played a few hundred feet east towards Causeway Street.

The NCAA Eastern Regional Finals rolled into The Hub, and the event organizers tucked the Boston Celtics’ 17 NBA championship banners away in a drawer for the weekend, along with banners that honored Walter Brown, Red Auerbach and all of the legendary Celtics of yesteryear whose uniform numbers have been retired to the dusty rafters. They even put away two Stanley Cup banners earned by the NHL’s Boston Bruins, along with a slew of retired Bruins numbers, including Bobby Orr’s #4.

The TD Banknorth Garden was buzzing with basketball, but upon further review, the building’s iconic landmarks from the original Boston Garden were nowhere to be found. The American flag and the great red Maple Leaf of Canada looked a little lonely up there tonight and only a silver microphone, placed in honor of legendary broadcaster Johnny Most, remained on the building’s bright white halo.

One legendary Celtics’ trademark did remain on court when the featured game of the NCAA East Regional tipped-off at 9:57pm EDT tonight. When Jay Wright’s Villanova Wildcats took to the floor to play the class act of American collegiate basketball, the Duke Blue Devils, Wright tapped into the key ingredient of all Celtics’ teams past and present.

The Villanova Wildcats came out and played defense. They played team defense.

They played “bust your ass” and “force a shot clock violation” defense, and they played it against one of the most disciplined and lethal offensive teams in the world.

The ‘Cats held Duke to 28% field goal shooting in the first half, limiting the sharp-shooting Dukies to 7-of-25 from two-point land and a lowly 2-for-11 (18%) shooting from beyond the 3-point stripe. Had Duke not converted 7-of-10 from the free throw line in the first half, they would have been buried. Instead, the Duke Blue Devils stayed close and strode to the hallways at the half, down 26-23.

In the second half, Villanova came out strong and gained the respect of the 18,831 fans that jammed their way into the building to see a college double-header that could have easily been billed as the best in the land, a “Final Four” level tournament. As the second half clock ticked toward its final 10-minute stretch, the Philadelphia faithful stood and cheered “Let’s Go ‘Nova,” at the top of their lungs as the score read 51-40, Villanova. The team mascots dressed as ‘Cats and Devils with a blue dress on danced and bopped as the marching bands battled it out and refused to yield to the enthusiastic co-ed cheerleaders, flipping their pompoms in the air as they performed cartwheels and gymnastics tricks during each and every TV time out.

The Iron Dukes and Coach Mike Krzyzewski seemed a little concerned as the game inched towards its close. Coach K, who brought the USA back to the medal stand last summer in Beijing, recognized his fate in the “Sweet 16” round of the NCAAS. He was coaching a team who had been “D’d” out of the building. While his Duke team defense was impressive, it didn’t come with the same intensity that Villanova brought during each second of the game.

Duke’s second half shooting was limited to 9-of-35 for 26%, along with 3-of-16 or 19% shooting from 3-point land. When the numbers from each half were combined, Villanova held Duke to 16-60 FG shooting (27%) and 5-of-27 three-point shooting ((18.5%). Case closed. Game over. Villanove 77, Duke 54.

“We’re getting better this late in the season, and it’s fun to coach,” said Wright in the press room after the game. “We can see guys improving. We can see our team improving, and that’s exciting.”

“This team can continue to get better,” said Villanova point guard Scottie Reynolds, echoing his coach.

Villanova will need to take its game even one step further in order to beat Pittsburgh and advance to the Final Four. The Pitt Panthers squeaked by Xavier 60-55 in the other Eastern Regional Semifinal, setting up an exciting Big East matchup on Saturday and ensuring one of a possible four Big East Final Four participants. Louisville, Syracuse and UConn also remain alive in the tournament.

Ramble On ...

My man Coach Mike Krzyzewski took on President Obama earlier this week. And, from where I'm sitting, Coach K did a little back-pedaling, wouldn't you say? In recent media reports, K claimed his remarks were taken out of context, but as I watched his press conference, he definitely had a little 'edge' to his remarks and all-out criticism of the POTUS. See this AP story:

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said his wife, Mickie, felt the need to send a text message to Reggie Love, President Barack Obama's personal aide, on Thursday to clarify a statement her husband had made on Wednesday that "the economy is something that he should focus on, probably, more than the brackets." Krzyzewski said the text message said, "Coach didn't mean that. This is what he meant. And I hope he wasn't offended." Love, according to Krzyzewski, sent a text back that said the president wasn't offended, "though some of the staff was concerned because they have to always be concerned. President Obama thinks Coach K's all right." His wife sent a text back to say "thanks." Krzyzewski said his wife and daughters always get more upset than he does, "but they should, and I like that." "I like when your women stick up for you, you know," Krzyzewski said, laughing. "That's the cool thing. That's a really good thing. As a guy it makes you say, 'Maybe I still got it, whatever I have, I got.' " Krzyzewski said he heard at breakfast on Thursday that his quote had been taken out of context. He was asked what he thought about the fact that Duke wasn't advancing too far in a lot of brackets. "Really it doesn't matter at all what anyone predicts, it's what you do," Krzyzewski said on Wednesday. "Somebody said that we're not in President Obama's Final Four. As much as I respect what he's done, really, the economy is something that he should focus on, probably, more than the brackets. So why would I care about that? "I love the guy, and I think he's going to be great. But I love the fact that so many people are filling them out, because the game is growing so much. But until I quit coaching or retire from coaching, I'm never going to fill one out." The second part of the quote obviously didn't get as much attention. Krzyzewski was asked in his news conference Friday if he gets bothered when remarks get taken out of context. "I don't know why people do that," he said. "I mean, a lot of you were here. We were all laughing, and really it was kind of a throwaway line. It wasn't even -- not that I would throw away anything about the president," he said, smiling. "[You] get in trouble for that."

***

If you didn't see Obama on Jay Leno this week, watch this:



***

Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care?

***

My March Madness Mantra ... (MMMM)

I used to start the season and root for a trip to the Final Four,

Then I was happy with an Elite 8,

Then a trip to the Reg. Finals/Sweet 16,

Then, it happened.

I was happy at the NCAA Western Regional,

When Kentucky's Joe B. Hall became Joe "Be" History,

And we connected from Denver to Cincy/Lexington via Peoples Express,

In Newark... and we rented a "red" car.

Then, it happened.

Mully and Mark, Walter Berry and the rest of the team,

Made it to the Final 4.

And it was fun and there was much rejoicing,

But then, it started to happen.

I used to hope for an NCAA berth,

And Selection Sunday made me anxious.

I was usually rewarded with an "At Large" bid,

Then, it happened.

I used to be happy to witness an NIT championship (1965, 1989, 2003),

Then I was happy with the NIT Finals or semis @ MSG,

Then an invitation to the NIT and a home game at Alumni Hall,

Then, it happened.

I used to be happy with a BIG EAST championship,

Then an appearance on Friday or Saturday night at the BIG EAST.

I was always happy to play a good game against Syracuse or Georgetown,

Then, it happened.

I used to be happy with a berth in the BIG EAST tournament,

and a first round win over some former also-ran like Rutgers or DePaul.

I was always happy with a first round win over Seton Hall, Providence or BC.

Then, it happened.

I used to be happy if the team went .500 and was eligible for a post season tourney,

And I would love it when the Johnnies had one of those big regular season wins

Against Duke, Georgetown, UConn or Notre Dame.

But, then it really happened.

I used to be happy to get a few wins over Fordham, Hofstra, St. Francis and LIU,

or a Holiday Festival crown over Cornell, Manhattan, BU and some other team.

I was always happy at the Holiday Festival and had great memories of years gone by,

But, then it happened.

I used to be happy with a berth to the new College Basketball Invitational,

And would start to watch my friends "in the business" coach their own teams.

I was always happy for Coach Bob McKillop and the Davidson Wildcats,

Then, it happened.

I used to be happy watching Davidson make an incredible run in the NCAAs,

And I would be happy for Jay Wright, Tom Izzo, Coach K, Tom Crean (Marquette) and a few of the other great coaches I met along the USA Basketball trail.  I honestly felt some connection to their programs and would follow them all year long, hoping for some magic,

But, then it happened.

I used to "hate" Coach Thompson or Coach Boeheim and would root against them

At all costs... "Anybody but Georgetown" chants at the '85 Final Four in Lexington started in my section at Rupp Arena, tickets courtesy of Villanova by the way.

Then, it happened and I got to know Coach Thompson and Coach Boeheim and they earned my immediate respect and admiration, much the same way that Louie and Coach Kresse earned that unconditional love and respect when I was growing up and watching Johnny Warren.

I used to be happy, when it was tournament time.

But, then it happened.

They hired Coach Mike Jarvis.

And the rest is history.

It is tournament time, 

And, I still love the NCAAs and I'll always love St. John's.

I just need to get over Coach Mike Jarvis.

(That was the last time I will type his name).

I am happy again,

It's tournament time.

Maybe it will happen again.,

Let's hope so.

Olympic Moments: LA Times on Coach K & Las Vegas Review on D-Wade ...

Good stuff coming from the USA Mini-camp... including this piece in Sunday's LA Times on Coach K and the USA Basketball Team.. And a Las Vegas Review item by Steve Carp below.. Read on:

U.S. OLYMPIC BASKETBALL
Mike Krzyzewski sets pace for Team USA
But it helps to have a roster of players who are setting their egos aside and are committed to the approach.

By Jonathan Abrams
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

June 29, 2008

LAS VEGAS -- It's a command played out in countless junior high gymnasiums and one usually met by grumblings and groans.

"Defensive slides," the coach tells his players, his voice even but stern.

Only this isn't any coach. This is Coach Mike Krzyzewski, synonymous with Duke and winning. Coach K, to nearly everyone now.

And this isn't any team, let alone one of seventh- and eighth-graders. This is the USA men's Olympic team, a squad full of big stars, who earn bigger paychecks and strut even bigger egos.

Except there is no grumbling, no groaning. Only a smile from Kobe Bryant as the team splits into two, going to separate baselines and Krzyzewski, notebook in hand, straddling the midcourt line while keeping one keen eye trained on each side.

The team convened for a one-day mini-mini-camp Saturday as it begins tuning up for Beijing, still trying to brush away the aftertaste of coming home from Athens four years ago with a bronze medal.

Enter Krzyzewski.

Still, the task is monumental: mold a team of superstars, fresh off the rigors of a full NBA season, and get them to buy into your philosophy wholeheartedly with precious little time or margin for error.

"It'd be difficult if people don't cooperate," Krzyzewski said. "They need to be superstars on their individual teams. They're the center of the wheel. Everything emanates from them. On this team, they're not. Not one of them.

"We talked about it, but they get it. There's no 'I want to be the center of the wheel' or 'I'm jealous.' There's nothing like that."

Krzyzewski is undeniably smart about basketball, and life, and so ordinarily he does not scream nose to nose at players or referees. He is a man more of calm than calamity, but it's an intense calm.

What exactly is he?

"He's a winner," said forward Carlos Boozer, the only member of the 12-man team to play under Krzyzewski at Duke. "Any time you're playing for a winner, the respect is given before he even comes into the gym. His winning precedes him."

Krzyzewski knows superstars are often perceived as arrogant and petulant, and maybe his history of winning made a difference, but this U.S. team, he says, just isn't like that.

"It goes against what normal people would do, maybe," he said. "Or maybe people who aren't superstars who think that a superstar should act that way. I guess, it goes against stereotypes. Instead of stereotyping them in a negative sense. The reality of it is, they are in a positive sense, so they've been easy to work with."

Yet the perception that superstars will always act like superstars became reality with the Athens Games, when the U.S. was taught that it could no longer slap together a team of All-Stars and dominate in international play.

Larry Brown, the coach of that 2004 team, was rebuked in the media for criticizing his players, the officiating and nearly everything else. Allen Iverson, LeBron James and Amare Stoudemire, for example, were benched for an exhibition game after showing up late to a pregame meeting.

"We didn't approach the Games the right way," said James, one of four current players from that team. "We didn't take the Games serious and we paid for it."

That is why USA Managing Director Jerry Colangelo decided things needed to change.

Colangelo, the former longtime owner of the Phoenix Suns, requested full autonomy in putting together the team, from the coach to the players.

"When I met with guys one on one, eyeball to eyeball, I was looking for a response," Colangelo said Saturday.

"And I basically said, 'Look, here's what I'm demanding and don't ever embarrass me and I'll never embarrass you, but this is all about pride, representing your country. If you want to be part of this, you've got to buy in 100%. This is not halfway. If you can handle what I just said, then I'll consider you. But if you can't, then you're out.' "

"We got total buy-in," he said. "Total."

In Krzyzewski, Colangelo has seen what others see: his soft rhythm, a smooth manner of delivering messages and making sure it is understood, whether the recipient requested it or not.

"He has the ability to use the right words to get his message across and whatever it might be, it's uplifting," Colangelo said. "He can use the right phrases . . . to make his point and guys follow."

Said Bryant, one of those who follows: "Above all else, he just wants to see his players play well and he wants to win. He communicates that beautifully to his players."

Colangelo also did something new -- he asked Krzyzewski to help choose the roster, something previous Olympic basketball coaches had not been allowed to do.

"That team that I had, you just got the team," said Rudy Tomjanovich, who coached the U.S. to its last gold medal, in 2000. "This team got to work out and work with different possibilities to create a team."

Krzyzewski, he said, "has done a tremendous job. . . . There's an intensity there and the players have picked it up."

Outside, the afternoon sun is beating down on Cox Pavilion on the Nevada Las Vegas campus. Nearly two hours into the practice, the slides give way to shooting drills. Players, from Bryant to Dwyane Wade, shout encouragement, be it makes or misses. It's all in perfect symmetry, one the team hopes to carry to Beijing.

So how much does Krzyzewski account for this unity of one team with one goal -- gold?

"Minimal," he said. "I think it's minimal."

Another case of a coach leading by example.

And...

Wade rebounds from injury

Guard returns after knee, shoulder troubles

By STEVE CARP
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Dwyane Wade had the requisite ice pack on his left knee. But for the Miami Heat superstar guard, life was good Saturday.

Wade was back in uniform for Team USA, and he got through a two-hour workout at Cox Pavilion without mishap as the Olympic squad concluded its two-day Las Vegas minicamp.

True, there were no contact drills, and he didn't have to play at full speed. But this was another small test for Wade in his attempt to be at full strength when the Americans begin their quest for gold Aug. 10 in Beijing with a game against host China.

"It felt great to be back," said Wade, who missed last summer's Olympic qualifying in Las Vegas following shoulder and knee surgery. "It was tough sitting out last summer having to watch.

"Anytime you go through surgery, you're going to have some doubts. But I dedicated myself to getting back. I definitely want to be part of this."

Wade had a second procedure on his knee in March, and his return to Team USA was in doubt. Mentally, Wade was committed to coming back. Physically, it was a question of whether the knee would cooperate.

Two weeks ago, Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo and coach Mike Krzyzewski went to Chicago, where Wade was rehabilitating. After watching him play and talking with him, they decided to put him on the final roster.

"The day Coach K and Mr. Colangelo gave me the No. 9 jersey again, it felt great," Wade said. "I was smiling for hours."

Colangelo said he wanted to make sure if Wade was going to return to Team USA, it would be the Wade everyone is accustomed to seeing.

"I told him we needed the old Dwyane Wade, and he understood," Colangelo said. "I also wanted to see if the old explosiveness was there, and it was."

Wade seemed to be moving well in Saturday's practice. He appeared to be back in sync with his Olympic teammates.

"I just have to get my timing back," Wade said. "I haven't played in a real game since March. But I felt good out there with the guys."

Krzyzewski liked what he saw.

"He looked good," Krzyzew-ski said. "But I think we'll get a better idea where we are with him in a few weeks. We're bringing the Select team back when we have our training camp, and we'll scrimmage them every day. Dwyane will benefit from that."

Colangelo said the goal is to have Wade ready for Aug. 10. Saturday was merely another step in the process of achieving that goal.

"Most of these guys are in pretty good shape," Colangelo said. "Guys like Dwyane, we're not going to rush. We have time to get him ready."

The same is true for center Dwight Howard, who did not practice Saturday because of a small crack in his sternum. Howard said it is not a major issue, and he'll be ready to go when Team USA returns to Las Vegas on July 20 and begins practicing at Valley High School on July 21.

Wade also promises to be ready.

"For me, it's now or never," said Wade, one of four players on the U.S. roster -- LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Carlos Boozer are the others -- to take bronze at the 2004 Olympics. "If we don't win the gold, I'll feel like my career is unfulfilled."

• NOTES -- Lakers star Kobe Bryant wasn't saying much about being the target of Shaquille O'Neal's less-than-complimentary impromptu rap last week. When asked if he took what Shaq said personally, Bryant said, "I didn't take it any kind of way whatsoever." ... A film crew from Nike was everywhere during Saturday's practice, shooting footage for a five-part documentary on Team USA that will air on ESPN2 (Cable 31) beginning Wednesday. Nike also shot footage for a commercial that will run during the Olympics. ...

The team leaves today for New York, where the new uniforms it will wear in the Olympics will be unveiled Monday. On Saturday, the uniforms were used for the first time as team and individual pictures were taken. ... Ticket sales for the July 25 exhibition game with Canada at the Thomas & Mack Center are ahead of last year's pace when the team had an intrasquad scrimmage and more than 16,000 turned out. With a low ticket price of $12 and a high of $75, Las Vegas Events officials are hopeful the game will sell out.

Ramble On ...

Every time a pro sports league starts a game a second past 8pm ET, every single sports TV columnist on the eastern seaboard screams bloody murder that the professional sports gurus are only in it for the almighty buck. The naysayers claim that the television executives in search of higher ratings have ruined modern civilization.

Of course, when the NBA tipped Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between Boston and Cleveland last Sunday at 3:30pm, not a word was spoken or written about the early Eastern-time-zone-friendly start. The kids could see the game and all was well, but not a single columnist made note of it.

Instead, all I heard was criticism of the NBA schedule maker. "How come it's not on in primetime? How can the NBA risk having two Game 7s on a Monday night? Mike Francesa of WFAN ranted on THREE TIMES in a span of about 45 minutes, stating the SAME EXACT THING over and over again. "The NBA should have the Celtics on Saturday night at 8pm, then a doubleheader on Sunday with the two Game 7s at 5:30pm and 8pm," he said on his afternoon drive last Wednesday.

I contend, "No matter what time you start a game, you screw some kid somewhere."

For instance, a little kid in Paris would benefit from an 11pm EDT, 8pm PDT start as he or she could wake up early at 5AM in France and watch the game live.

On a slight tangent, it always amazed me that sports TV critics and some fans criticize the TV execs for trying to sell their souls, schedule and alter programming, manipulate the game schedule - ALL to GET better TV ratings. Well, doesn't that equate to getting the game on at a time when the MOST people can view it? Isn't that the overall goal, to please the MOST people?

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This Andy Katz column on ESPN.com caught my eye. It frames the upcoming summer for Coach K and the USA Olympic basketball team:

Coach K juggling Duke shake-up, Olympic team as he goes for gold

By Andy Katz

Last week's ACC meetings in Florida had to get cut from Mike Krzyzewski's schedule.
Something had to give during an offseason that will end up being the busiest, most pressure-packed and easily most disruptive for Krzyzewski in years.

Within the past month, Krzyzewski said goodbye to his former player, longtime trusted top assistant Johnny Dawkins, who took the Stanford job. And then Krzyzewski had to reshuffle a coaching staff that will have three new faces in three new positions.

Krzyzewski saw one top reserve (Taylor King) transfer (to Villanova), but he picked up a steal of a late-spring recruit in 6-foot-10 Miles Plumlee, a one-time Stanford signee who got out of his commitment after Trent Johnson went to LSU.

Mike Krzyzewski has to juggle a coaching staff in new positions as well as the big expectations of the Olympic team this summer.

That's just at Duke. That doesn't even account for the Olympic team, an overriding but welcomed burden that hovers over him.
Instead of the ACC meetings, Krzyzewski spent a few days in Phoenix meeting with USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo and the Olympic team's coaching staff. He has had to pick and choose his spots on when to call the players on the Olympic roster during the NBA playoffs. He is preparing for a minicamp next month. And he's focusing his thought process on the one and only goal for the end of this three-year commitment -- a gold medal in Beijing.

"With all the stuff going on, with my staff, I had a few balls to juggle," Krzyzewski said. "It's all in place now. I don't have much time. It all has got to be done right because it can't linger. I don't have much time."

And that little time will be spent primarily with USA Basketball this summer. Right now, USA Basketball lists 33 names on its men's national team roster. Colangelo and Krzyzewski have to narrow that down to the final 12 who will lead the United States.
"It'll be some tough choices; there are more deserving players for us than just 12," Krzyzewski said. "We've had so many great responses for players who want to be a part of it for the right reasons."

Dwyane Wade's status is uncertain because he was injured for a significant time this past season. (He played in only 51 games.) Wade played for the national team two years ago in the world championship, in which the team won a bronze, but not last summer in the Tournament of the Americas, which the U.S. team won.

Kobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers), LeBron James (Cleveland) and Dwight Howard (Orlando) are all must-have players, Krzyzewski said. The rest of the team will be decided on those who best complement the key players.
"We've got to balance out who they are now and who they were then, because there are guys who have gotten better," Krzyzewski said. The only players who have played in both 2006 and 2007 are James, Howard and Carmelo Anthony (Denver). The emergence of point guards Chris Paul (New Orleans) and Deron Williams (Utah), both on the 2007 team but not the 2006 team, would seem to make them favorites to be on the final 12 this summer.
Krzyzewski said that the plan is to have the team decided by the time it arrives at the Las Vegas training camp on June 30.

The Americans will start practicing in Las Vegas on July 20. They will play five exhibition games overseas before they start playing in Beijing on Aug. 10. Lost amid Krzyzewski's Olympic plans was the disruption to his Duke staff.

Krzyzewski said he wasn't surprised that Dawkins took the Stanford job. Krzyzewski, who insisted he's not ready to retire, said the two had talked about Dawkins becoming a head coach the past few years.

After Dawkins left and took Mike Schrage (the director of basketball operations), the first thing Krzyzewski did was bump Chris Collins and Steve Wojciechowski up to co-associate head coaches. Then he hired Nate James, a former player, to fill Dawkins' spot. Krzyzewski promoted Chris Spatola, a former Army player and his son-in-law, as director of basketball operations. Former Duke player Chris Carrawell moved into Spatola's previous spot as graduate assistant/head team manager so Krzyzewski could "teach him how to be a coach."

Collins and Wojciechowski are part of the extended USA Basketball coaching staff. So bumping up James to an assistant coach will leave at least one of the Duke assistants back in Durham during the summer to oversee the program.
Once the Olympics start, Krzyzewski's family will go to China, leaving James and Carrawell behind to monitor the current players.

A year ago, that could have been a problem. The Blue Devils were a bit bruised mentally, coming off a first-round loss in the 2007 NCAA tournament to VCU. They were still a relatively untested and young team. But now, even though Duke lost in the second round of the NCAAs to West Virginia, its surprising 13-3 finish in the ACC and 28-6 overall record has Krzyzewski beaming about next season's team.

Sure, DeMarcus Nelson is gone. But the return of inside-out scorer Kyle Singler, potential breakout player Gerald Henderson and guards Jon Scheyer and Greg Paulus give Krzyzewski experienced leaders. That quartet, along with guard Nolan Smith, and forwards Lance Thomas, Brian Zoubek and David McClure, and the expected contributions from Plumlee, shooting guard Elliot Williams and forward Olek Czyz in the freshman class, have Krzyzewski pumped about next season.

"I feel really good about the program, and me and Duke," he said. "I'm very excited. We finally have experience coming back. We'll have a deep team. We had a chance to be very good, and our kids were very good this year."

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Congratulations are in order for USA Basketball President Val Ackerman, a former colleague of mine at the NBA and WNBA. Read on from the official FIBA and IOC release with ne thing in mind: Val deserves the honor.

Valerie Ackerman, member of the FIBA Central Board and President of USA Basketball, has received the ‘Women and Sport Achievement Diploma’ from International Olympic Committee President Dr. Jacques Rogge in recognition of her outstanding contribution in promoting the development and participation of women and girls in sport.

“This is an extraordinary and unexpected honor, and I am deeply grateful to the International Olympic Committee for this recognition,” said Val Ackerman. “Women have made great strides in sports over the past few decades, and the IOC, through the unrivaled strength of the Olympic platform, has played a major role in showcasing the tremendous achievements of the world’s finest female athletes. With the sustained efforts of all concerned, I am certain that the contributions of women at all levels of sport, both in the playing arena and at the executive level, will only multiply, and I look forward to seeing the sport of basketball continue to help lead the way.”

In May 2005 Valerie Ackerman became the first female President of USA Basketball for the 2005-2008 term of office. Ackerman played professional basketball in France for one season. Starting in 1988, she served as a staff attorney for the National Basketball Association and as special assistant to NBA Commissioner David Stern. From 1995 to 1996, she was a driving force behind the creation of the historic USA Basketball Women’s Senior National Team program that culminated with a 60-0 record and the gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. In 1996, Val Ackerman was named President of the WNBA. Over the course of her historic term, Ackerman would become the first women ever to successfully launch a women's team-oriented sports league in the USA.

Tough crowd up in the Buffalo-Toronto-Ontario region. Check out this item comparing the Sabres and the National Lacrosse league champion Buffalo Bandits:

St. Catharines (Ontario) Standard
Pro lacrosse gives fans bang for their buck
Posted By DAN DAKIN

Turns out Buffalo can win something. Who knew?
That's right, the Buffalo Bandits finally gave the oft-dejected
Western New York sports fans something to cheer about Saturday night
when they beat the Portland LumberJax 14-13 in the National Lacrosse
League championship game.
Did it make up for decades of losing everything there was to lose?
Probably not, but it was pretty exciting anyway.
Truthfully, the Bandits did win an NLL championship in 1996 and two
more in the early 1990s, but that was forgotten long ago in this city.
Maybe some day in the next 20 or 30 years the Bills or Sabres will win
something, but for now the Bandits will have to do. And you know
something? I'm almost happy it's the Bandits outshining their more
popular siblings.

Let's face it, they may play in the same building and share the same
owner, but the Bandits and Sabres are worlds apart.
The salary of one Sabres star would cover a year's worth of paycheques
for the entire Bandits team. Players in the NLL have an average salary
of less than $15,000 with the "franchise" players making less than
twice that and rookies only making half that amount.

And the fans? Again, a slightly different experience from the NHL for them.
Tickets for Saturday's game maxed out at just $41 US and were still
available to a limited extent on the game day. That's less than $50
for the best seats in the house for a league championship game.
And the NHL? If you're somehow lucky enough to find tickets to a game
in the Stanley Cup final, you'd better have a thick wallet.
Stubhub.com is already selling advance tickets to the championship
series with prices ranging from $330 to a whopping $4,045.