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Burning Questions for Team USA Men's Basketball at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Published by Bleacher Report on Tue, 02 Aug 2016


The biggest question is already settled: The USA men's Olympic basketball team will win gold in Rio.Sorry for spoiling the suspense.Though the list of those not participating features plenty of superstarsStephen Curry, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard and James HardenTeam USA has more than enough talent to flatten the other 11 teams in the tournament.When Kyle Lowry, Harrison Barnes and Jimmy Butler are three of the last guys off your bench, you're going to be fine. And when Kevin Durant is there to take the last shot (on the off chance it ever comes to that), there's even less to worry about.Still, before things kick off on Aug. 6 with group play, there are a few issues we're curious about.They involve social media contrition, shot impersonations, showboating and Vanessa Carlton.Is Draymond Green a Distraction'"All you can do in life is learn and move on," Draymond Green toldreportersafter making hisfirstapology to Team USAthe one he issued after a July 10arreston assault charges.That situation resolved quickly with aplea agreement,and Green seemed to understand the impact of his behavior. "Dont make the same mistakes twice," he said July 19. "As a public figure, as a guy who is representing this country, its bigger than me; its bigger than anybody on this team. Thats just the stuff we have to remember."So much for that.Though Green'ssecond incidenthardly rises to the level of an assault charge, his social media gaffe attracted yet another round of embarrassing attention.Team USA has the luxury of not needing Green, so if all the negative press becomes overwhelming, it can bury him on the bench and let the spotlight shine elsewhere. It's the Golden State Warriors who should be most concerned with the ongoing string of missteps that also includes ahigh-speed Snapchatpost and a playoff suspension. The Dubs can't back-burner Green like the U.S. can.They'll have to hope he finally makes good on the repeated promises to learn from mistakes.The only real danger of distraction for Team USA is the rest of the guys devoting too much time tomaking funof their pic-posting teammate. Will We See the Lineup of the Future'It will be hard to get away from playing DeMarcus Cousins and DeAndre Jordan, both of whom figure to smash international competition with unparalleled size and strength. Team USA could probably shoot something like 20 percent on jumpers and still produce efficient offense behind those two dominating the offensive glass.At the same time, one of the most intriguing aspects of this roster is its ability to scrap bigs and smalls entirely.Imagine a five-man unit of Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, Klay Thompson, Durant and Green. Butler could swap in for somebody, too, and the positionless quintet would still be perfect.Five guys capable of defending multiple positions, handling the rock and shooting it from anywhere on the courtbasically, an evolutionary version of Golden State's vaunted Death Lineup in which there are no exploitable size mismatches.Centers can't post up Green, and there's not a conventional 4 in the international field capable of staying with the other versatile wings the U.S. can toss out there.Team USA won't have to get this revolutionary to win, and it's not like using true centers and dominant point guards such asKyrie Irving and Kyle Lowry is some kind of hindrance against overmatched competition. But it sure would be fun if we got a glimpse of the hybrid lineup of the future.Will Shot Impersonations Tear the Team Apart'(Video contains NSFW language.)Of course not.But isn't it fun to know the best players in the world do the same thing you and your buddies do when you're shooting around'Making fun of your pals' shot mechanics is a grand tradition, and there's just something delightful about seeing Olympians do the same replication of weird hitches and goofy sidearm windups for each other.The caveat, of course, is that the aesthetic perfection of Thompson's shot is inimitable. That's what happens when a beam of light from the heavens comes down and delivers perfect formwhich is how Thompson got his shot. Don't look that up.If George and Cousins could accurately recreate Thompson's jumper, they'd probably split the next 10 MVP awards.Is Showboating a Problem'Complacency has long been one of Team USA's biggest concerns, which is understandable. Since the Dream Team in 1992, the U.S. has entered every international competition with a distinct talent advantage. Knowing that, the guys have sometimes gotten a little too loose with ball security or overpassed in search of highlights.In 2004, the problem came to a head, resulting in a bronze medal in Athens.DeMar DeRozan tried to put the exclamation point on a 106-57 exhibition win against China with a 360 poster dunk. He missed it, but the attempt didn't sit particularly well with head coach Mike Krzyzewski, perMarc J. Spearsof The Undefeated:"We had a little bit too much fun out there tonight. We have to tone that down a little bit."With massive leads, plays such asDeRozan's don't have any real negative impact on the game. But they don't help with diplomacy or sportsmanship either.Assuming the U.S. adheres to Coach K's directives, we won't see the problem get serious. After all, Team USA hasn't let assuredness in its own superior talent lead to as much sloppy play as you'd expect. In every exhibition game so far, America has forced more turnovers than it has committed. In fact, outside of the 18-giveaway effort against China on July 26, the U.S. has only posted a turnover mark above 13 once.That's not bad for a group that has only been playing together for a few weeks.How Good Can This Defense Be'We touched on the hybrid lineup possibilities and the overwhelming physical advantages Team USA has in Rio, but the stopping power hasn't gotten its due yet.More than anything, recent iterations of USA Basketball have been built on smothering defense.PerSean Deveneyof Sporting News: "The 2014 World Cup champs held opponents to 39.6 percent shooting and 28.0 percent from the three-point line, only the second U.S. team to keep foes below 40 percent from the field and 30 percent from the arc (the other was the 2000 Olympic team, which also won gold)."Coach Krzyzewski feels good about what he's seen so far from this iteration, tellingreporters:"The one thing we should be able to do better than anyone is play defense. ... One through 12, we have outstanding athleticism and size where you can switch. You can really get after people, and then you have guys who can be rim protectors. That's the makeup of our team."With Green, Butler, Jordan and a healthy George on the roster, the 2016 roster is uniquely equipped to dominate. Durant emerged in the 2016 NBA playoffs as a potent weapon, too. Stylistically, the U.S. has also employed aggressive half-court traps against the pick-and-roll, as well as a suffocating 94-foot zone press.If the focus and intensity don't wane, this group has a chance to force heaps of turnovers through pure length and aggression. And with no shortage of capable back-line help, an attacking style away from the basket won't necessarily yield easy looks inside.We may be on the verge of seeing the best defensive performance in USA Basketball history. Will Carmelo Anthony Ever Embrace Vanessa Carlton'Come on, Melo. Just give in.She'll wear him down eventually. Follow Grant on Twitter and Facebook.
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