ESPNNBA

This is not the real dunk contest. But at the 2010 All-Star Game in Los Angeles they will have the second-annual dunk contest seeking four of the best dunkers from outside the NBA, which happens separately and promises to be entertaining again.

The NBA has been holding public tryouts across the country, and just launched a Web site where you can watch video of the 10 best dunkers so far.

Here's the most amazing thing about the whole deal: Through the magic of ... life, I guess ... all 10 dunkers have nicknames. Ten for ten! I got a press release from the NBA about this and it included a little Microsoft Excel table with the header "nickname." There were no blanks.

We -- meaning you, me, and everyone else on the planet with an Internet connection -- get to vote for the finalists who will compete in L.A. It says you can vote as many times as you want, so I just voted for T-Dub, Air Bender and Young Hollywood. I may head back one more time to click the box for Junior, too.

• Andre Iguodala for the Philadelphia Daily News: "(Yesterday) was really the first time I've thought about being away from home as long as I have. The reason is because they have been treating us so well ever since we left. We have a chef from Detroit who makes us some great stuff, we have a Nike suite that we all hang out in after games. All the guys on the team have gotten along really well so it doesn't seem so much like we're so far away from home, it's more like a long road trip in the NBA. There really can be no complaints. In Greece, the food was just OK, but in Spain we found restaurants that we liked and all is cool here. Training camp is right around the corner, and it's going to be a busy few weeks for me before then. Hopefully, we'll get where we want to here and win the gold medal. Then, when we land in New York, I'm gonna try to go to a Jay-Z concert at Yankee Stadium. Then I have to go to Chicago and Los Angeles to get my stuff together and get it shipped to Philadelphia. I also have an event in New York and an event in Philly before training camp starts. But, like I said, I'm really looking forward to training camp and being back in Philadelphia and get the new season started."
• Pete Thamel of The New York Times: "A dance squad from Ukraine, known as the Red Foxes, has performed at Ankara Arena during a majority of the games involving the six teams in Group C. But in each of Turkey’s past three games, one of which was attended by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and another by the country’s foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, the dancers have disappeared. The speculation here is that the scantily clad dancers were pulled to avoid performing in front of Turkish government officials, but no one can agree as to why. The dance team’s coach, Elena Rozhkova, said her team was pulled from the past three Turkey games for a 'political' reason. And FIBA, basketball’s international governing body, admits to making cultural adjustments. But the Turkish Basketball Federation said the dancers were not scheduled to perform. 'I would like to assure you that the decision had no influence from either the government or the federation itself,' Sancar Sonmez, the Turkish federation spokesman, said. In a country that is almost entirely Muslim, where Asia and Europe intersect, and where secular Western and more devout Muslim cultures mingle, the issue has become divisive. Muslim women are often expected to dress more modestly. ... In Turkey, the decision has been hotly debated. 'It’s crazy,' said a former Turkish national team member, who did not want to be named for fear of retribution by the government. 'In a secular country like Turkey, they shouldn’t have to do that.' "
• Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com: "Danny Ainge admitted that trading Delonte West was one of the hardest decisions he's made as Boston's president of basketball operations, but three years later he's hoping West, like the players he was swapped for did in 2008, can help bring the team a championship. Ainge confirmed Wednesday that the Celtics have signed West, adding the 6-foot-4 free-agent guard to Boston's impressive offseason haul. ... 'He was one of the toughest guys for me to trade,' said Ainge, who sent West, Wally Szczerbiak, the No. 5 pick in the 2007 draft (Jeff Green), and a 2008 second-round pick (Trent Plaisted) to Seattle in exchange for Ray Allen and the No. 32 pick in the 2007 draft (Glen Davis). 'I'd do it again, of course, but we really liked Delonte when he was here. Even though we knew the issues and the challenges he needed to take care of, we also think Delonte is in a better place today than he was the day he left. He wasn't perfect, but we still liked the player.' ... Ainge acknowledged the baggage that comes with West, but said he thinks he's returning to a positive situation with a team that will welcome him with open arms. 'There's a familiarity with the roster and a familiarity with the players,' said Ainge. 'Paul [Pierce] and Rajon [Rondo], especially, were big fans having played with him. I'm a fan of Delonte.' "
• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: "Wednesday was like any early September day at US Airways Center the past eight years. Always an early-summer arrival, Amar'e Stoudemire was working out in the training room, playing informal games with some Suns and leaving last after a rigorous individual session. Even though he wore Suns shorts, he was just visiting an old home now that he's a member of the New York Knicks. It is a common open-door policy for NBA players to work out in opposing arenas, but Stoudemire did not expect to find a game to join, and he needed to borrow shorts. Three months after signing a five-year, $99.7 million deal with New York, Stoudemire, who played eight years with Phoenix, said he is not used to his new life. But he has no hard feelings about his departure. ... 'It was fair from Robert's standpoint,' Stoudemire said. 'I understand his concerns, which were injuries and health. There are no hard feelings at all. From a security standpoint for myself and with as much work as I put in on the court, I was after a greater goal. It was a fair offer from his standpoint. We still talk and have a good friendship.' "
• Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee: "I take some time off and suddenly the Kings rumored to be trading for Carmelo Anthony. Anthony will just be the first of many names that will be linked to the Kings because of the financial flexibiity the team has. The Kings are about $14.6 million under the salary cap and looking ahead to next summer will have more room than any other team with the contracts of Samuel Dalembert, among others, coming off the books. The Kings figure to re-sign one or both of those players. But after being saddled with big contracts, the Kings are now an attractive trade partner. Teams looking to move high-priced veterans will make calls to Sacramento. Teams will also look to deal for expiring contracts the Kings will have. And with today's technology allowing any of us to play general manager there will be plenty of Kings rumors this season. But unless a deal includes a star such as Chris Paul or Anthony, the Kings might be inclined to wait on a deal until the summer. ... The speculated Anthony interest should probably be tempered until Denver's new general manager Masai Ujiri has a chance to meet with Anthony. But the chatter about the Kings won't cease soon. With cap space comes the rumors."
• Fred Mitchell and David Kaplan of the Chicago Tribune: "New Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau says he is not concerned that his All-Star guard, Derrick Rose, might be burned out for the start of the NBA season after playing for Team USA this summer. 'He has been terrific,' Thibodeau said. 'And the way he practices ... I'm real excited. I thought he showed great leadership out there, and their team is playing extremely well right now. … I think being around those types of players and being around that type of competition is great. I think he will take a lot from it.' Joakim Noah also endorses Rose's European experience: 'I see Derrick on TV and he looks pretty good,' said Noah. 'I know that Derrick always works very hard and he is going to be in great game shape. He has a chance to win a medal. He's doing big things ... sometimes you forget he is only 21 years old.' "
• Marc Berman of the New York Post: "Toney Douglas only could laugh when two of the first three questions from young kids at a Knicks youth camp in the Hamptons were on his thoughts on LeBron James choosing Miami over the Knicks. Douglas said he only can control what he can control. What he should have said is he can't wait to meet James in the playoffs. Because Douglas, the Knicks' backup point guard, said he thinks his team is going to break its six-year playoff drought. 'Definitely,' Douglas told The Post yesterday at Hayground School in Bridgehampton. 'I feel like have a lot of talent. We just all have to be on one page and make sure everybody is totally on it. I feel we are a playoff team.' The coaching staff will tell you nobody has worked harder than Douglas this offseason. The second-year Florida State product has done two-a-days at their Westchester compound since the beginning of May -- save for a two-week break in July. Douglas, the Knicks' most tenacious defender, said one of the reasons he has worked so hard is he wants to be a leader this season. There were none during last season's 29-53 campaign."
• Ronald Tillery of The Commercial-Appeal: "The Grizzlies want fans to know that this season -- their 10th in Memphis -- is the one to really believe in. And the franchise is sending the message with a full-court billboard campaign. More than 80 billboards featuring Griz players were unveiled Wednesday in the Mid-South as the team attempts to generate more enthusiasm for the upcoming season. 'We started out with an aggressive television campaign that is fun. We've really gotten a positive response from that, and it set the tone for introducing our 10th year in Memphis,' said John Pugliese, senior director of marketing communications. 'But we know it's about our basketball team and what coach (Lionel) Hollins is putting on the court. Our ad campaign will start to shift to a focus on our players and coaches. We know we'll have something special on the court this season.' Pugliese contends that the onslaught of billboards is the most aggressive any business has employed in the Mid-South. The Grizzlies reach far, with billboards in Mississippi and Arkansas."
• Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press: "Rodney Stuckey and Diane McElhinney, fresh in town from out west, arrived to hand out backpacks and Pistons caps to 500 kids as part of a back-to-school initiative Wednesday. McElhinney, who took in Stuckey, 24, just before his senior year at Kentwood (Wash.) High, said she is impressed by how he is growing into a man. McElhinney is a good friend of Stuckey's mother, Faye. 'I see a great level of maturity, even though he's always been mature,' she said. 'I see that he's very grateful for the opportunity that he has and that he works for. He also understands that he's in a position to give back now, and he's thoughtful about that. He just continues to grow into the great adult that he is. Good father; he's just maturing in all the right ways.' "
• Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun: "Television schedule release day used to be an exciting sign for Raptors fans that the season’s opening tip was nearing. But, for the second year in a row, hoop heads in this country are being thrown lumps of coal by a major sports broadcasting entity. Though the TSN2 debacle surely is one the folks at Bell will not soon forget, it appears their main rivals, Rogers and specifically, Sportsnet, did not learn a thing from the incident -- except, perhaps, that there is money to be made by holding the sports-mad public hostage. A huge chunk of Raptors games were inaccessible to many viewers a year ago when Bell and Rogers got into a row about the addition of TSN2 to the dial, leaving the channel off of Rogers until the issue was finally resolved in May. This time around, Bell and other non-Rogers subscribers will be the ones left in the dark as at least seven games will air exclusively on the new Sportsnet One channel. TSN and TSN2 will carry 47 games with the remaining 35 going to Sportsnet or Sportsnet One. CBC is out of the picture this year, having lost interest in hoops."

ISTANBUL -- One of the big mysteries surrounding Team USA at the FIBA World Championship is why Kevin Love's playing time has been so limited.

He has been, by far, the most productive and aggressive player for the Americans when it comes to producing points and rebounds off the bench, but he is playing behind Andre Iguodala at the 4 spot and behind Lamar Odom (and sometimes Tyson Chandler) at center.

In yesterday's victory over Iran, which I dissected in my postgame column with a critical eye regarding the Americans' offense, Love led the team in scoring with 13 points despite playing the fewest minutes (just under 11) of anyone on the roster.

"I just go out there and try to be productive. Coach said today everybody's in their roles," Love told ESPN.com. "I think for me, I know Lamar is going to be the starting center, and he's going to play a lot of minutes. So when I get the chance to come in, whether I'm playing 5 minutes or 25 minutes, I have to get the job done. And I feel I've done a good job contributing thus far."

Love played only 5:20 in Team USA's 2-point victory over Brazil, 13:24 in the 22-point victory over Slovenia and 13:14 in Team's USA's tournament-opening 28-point victory over Croatia.

That's a total of just 42 minutes in five games, yet Love leads Team USA in total rebounds with 28 (Kevin Durant is second with 27, and Odom has 26) and in offensive rebounds with 10 (Iguodala is second with 6). He also has shot 50 percent from 3-point range and 61 percent overall, and he is the team's fifth leading scorer (8.3 ppg) behind Durant (18.8), Chauncey Billups (10.0), Derrick Rose (9.5) and Rudy Gay (9.0).

The folks who are consistently commenting in my columns are taking particular issue with coach Mike Krzyzewski's heavy use of Iguodala, but I should point out that Coach K sees Iguodala as the team's best on-the-ball defender, and he used Iguodala as the primary defender on both Leandro Barbosa and sharpshooter Marcelo Machado in Monday night's 70-68 edging of Brazil.

So I don't see Coach K changing up his strategy in that regard as Team USA moves into the Round of 16 when they will play the loser of today's Angola-Australia game. But one thing he may look at changing is the starting backcourt, where Billups has struggled playing off the ball, shooting just 3-of-16 on 3-pointers. The problem is: Who would replace Billups? Eric Gordon has regressed since scoring a team-high 16 points in the opener against Croatia, missing his first seven shots against Slovenia, going 0-for-2 against Brazil and 3-for-7 (including 2-for-5 on 3s) against Iran. Stephen Curry has been sloppy with the ball, no more so than when he threw an atrocious behind-the-back bounce pass to nobody yesterday on a 2-on-1 break against Iran. Russell Westbrook could be the answer, as Coach K recognizes that he has experience playing off the ball at shooting guard when he was at UCLA. Westbrook has shot 11-for-20 from the field over the first four games but has not yet attempted a 3-pointer, so it bears watching how he performs today against Tunisia -- a game in which the Americans have been installed as a 45.5-point favorite.

A few other mysteries to consider on the final day of the preliminary round:

-- I have been asked several times by foreign journalists why there are so few American writers here. (There are only five of us from the mainstream media: Brian Mahoney of AP, Pete Thamel of the New York Times, John Schuhmann of NBA.com, Chris Tomasson of Fanhouse, and myself. But I would be remiss if I did not mention the presence of industrious Syracuse senior Nick Gibson, who is blowing off his first two weeks of school to build his brand.) My stock response is that there are more of us here than there were four years ago in Japan, when ESPN.com, the AP, the Akron Beacon-Journal and the Houston Chronicle were the only U.S. news outlets to cover the entire tournament -- although Commissioner Ryan parachuted in f0r the medal round.

-- Why are we seeing so much less of the Eastern European dance teams that perform during timeouts and between quarters? Thamel has some answers in today's NY Times.

-- Is anybody going to tank today? The Greece-Russia game offers the most promise, because the loser will finish third in Group C and will go into the easier side of the medal round bracket. Schuhmann delved into some of the higher math involved in the tiebreaking procedures in his blog post today.

They’ve already had one press conference in Denver this week, but that will almost certainly be the only one.

The Nuggets and new vice president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri, just introduced Tuesday to the local media, are not close to announcing a Carmelo Anthony trade.

Sorry to disappoint again: Anthony isn’t even on the market.

Not yet, anyway.

That status could certainly change before NBA teams open training camps later this month, should Ujiri prove unsuccessful in his forthcoming attempt(s) to convince Anthony to sign the three-year, $65 million contract extension that the Nuggets, right around the June draft, believed Melo was on the verge of accepting.

The current reality, however, is that Melo is not in play for trade pitches.

The Nuggets can do nothing to prevent the future of Anthony – along with Chris Paul and Deron Williams (“I have a feeling he’s next for all these trade stories,” one Western Conference team official said of D-Will) – from becoming the new season’s sidebar obsession to the actual basketball. But they can tell teams that call about Anthony that they’re not ready to discuss potential Melo trade scenarios.

They can and they have said that already.

You can safely assume that roughly 29 teams have called Denver since Aug. 16, when our own Ric Bucher reported that it was “a matter of when, not if, Anthony and the Nuggets will go their separate ways.”

Yet sources tied to five potential Anthony suitors, reached in recent days by ESPN.com, all relayed the same story about the Nuggets’ response: They’re pretty much ending these conversations before they even start by saying that they don't want to engage in Melo talks.

Ujiri's Denver superiors instead want him to lead the club's mountain climb of a bid to try to reconnect with the 26-year-old scoring machine before they even consider trading him, hoping that some sort of positive karma exists in the reunion of Ujiri, a former Nuggets scout, and Anthony, who both arrived in Denver in 2003 and spent several formative seasons together in the organization.

A face-to-face plea before camp starts from Nuggets coach George Karl, who’s nearing his return to work after a frightening battle with throat cancer, is likely as well. Futile or not.

So …

Considering Anthony just got back to the States from a trip to China, next week would appear to be the soonest that trade talks with any substance could commence … and that likewise seems awfully fast for Denver's surrender. If Ujiri and new boss Josh Kroenke, alongside longtime Nuggets adviser Bret Bearup, ultimately have to trade away one of the game’s three most feared scorers in their first season holding such positions of prominence, they’d probably prefer not to rush it.

Unlike the two-year wait for free agency that Paul faces, Anthony indeed has the leverage to force a quicker exit with the ability to become a free agent after this season. It thus figures to be much tougher for Ujiri and Karl to dial down the tension between franchise and superstar in the way new GM Dell Demps and new coach Monty Williams appear to have done in New Orleans with Paul.

But the Nuggets do at least have some time.

Although one source close to the situation insisted last week that a trade could materialize quickly enough that Anthony “might never wear a Nuggets uniform again,” Denver isn’t obligated to do anything drastic before the February trading deadline.

Anthony would essentially have to be dealt by that point if he continues to refuse the contract extension, lest the Nuggets wind up in July 2011 like Cleveland or Ujiri’s last team in Toronto when LeBron James and Chris Bosh bolted for Miami in Summer of 2010 free agency. Yet it’s a serious stretch – for all of Melo’s presumed longings to return to the East Coast and the understandable appeal of the Knicks and (eventually Brooklyn) Nets to Anthony and wife Lala along with the Nuggets' obvious desire to be proactive while maintaining as much control as possible – to suggest that the bidding has already begun.

Maybe check back in two weeks.

The New York Times summarizes some recent research that suggests stretching before exercise may not be all that valuable -- unless your body is used to that. They also found that stretching in general should not be static like touching your toes, but dynamic, which basically endorses all those fancy forms of skipping and the like you see people doing these days.

Note comment No. 25 on the story, from someone named "P":

I've said this many times. 40 years ago, no one stretched before a basketball game. We were rarely injured. We went out slow, did the two lines drill, broke into shooting time, and then started the game.

Today, they stretch for an hour prior to a game, and there is no difference -- it’s a waste of time ...

Meanwhile, people like Michael Jordan's trainer Tim Grover have changed basketball forever by fostering athleticism that is off the charts. And if you talk to Grover, he'll tell you sport-specific stretching should be a huge part of any athlete's routine.

I'd be interested to understand how this all fits together.

I should disclose that I'm not coming at this topic as an unbiased observer. In my own life, I've found that stretching before I exercise does nothing at all.

But afterward, for me, it could not be more essential. Basically, if I play basketball, or go for a longish run, and don't go through a series of stretches afterward, it's a stone cold guarantee I'll have excitingly painful and debilitating lower back spasms the next morning. On the other hand, if I do stretch -- and trust me, I do -- I never have any back pain at all. Just by figuring this out, I've been able to go years and years without spasms, and I expect I'll never have them again. If I feel the slightest tightness, I just stretch it all out and I'm good to go.

And this all circles back to the NBA. If you've ever shown up early to watch an NBA game, you've seen trainers out there on the floor helping players limber up with some good solid pregame static stretching -- the exact kind researchers have found does little, if anything.

That's common.

What's not common, however, is seeing the same thing -- or any stretching -- after the game. Even if you have locker room access. I'm sure some players do limber up postgame, but I'm even more certain most don't. Players listen to the coach, shower, get dressed, talk to the press and then head out to restaurants, hotels or home wearing suits and the like, looking like people who are not worried about hamstring tension. All but the first 10 minutes of that happens right in front of reporters, too.

Sure they'll be a guy in the training room here or there. But I know if I followed the NBA routine of showering and going to dinner after games, I'd spend my days much like I spent a chunk of my honeymoon: hopped up on muscle relaxers and painkillers, telling long stories that trail off into nothingness and smiles. (Come to think of it, that's not entirely unlike what I do for a living.)

• Ben Polk of a Wolf Among Wolves: "Kevin Love tends to draw the kind of praise that we’ve come to understand as racially coded cliches. In the Worlds, Fran Fraschilla (who I should say right out front is a terrific analyst who understands the hell out of international basketball) busted out the full complement: Love is 'your perfect teammate,' he is 'smart' and 'hardworking' and 'unselfish.' These make him sound just like an unathletic, Big Ten white dude and I confess that they are part of the reason that I was a little disappointed when the Wolves picked him up. I mean, weren’t you just sick to death of hearing about how great an outlet passer this guy was? As it happens, Love actually is an unselfish, hardworking, intelligent player."
• Anatomy of Spain's underperformance.
• Can you imagine a draft where one team drafted 10 players from another team's roster? Is that a draft at all? It happened, in the D-League.
• Mike Schmitz of Valley of the Suns has been scouting new Sun Hedo Turkoglu as he suits up for the host country at the World Championship. Turkey is undefeated, but ... "Turkoglu is shooting 23.5 percent against mostly non-NBA talent and hasn’t looked like he’s in the greatest shape in the world. Suns fans should hope this isn’t the Hedo they’ll be getting."
• Tom Sunnergren of Philadunkia on what Rod Thorn brings to the Sixers: "A few weeks before the Sixers held their press conference announcing Rod Thorn would be taking over as team president, Paul Krugman wrote an interesting critique of Obama’s economic policy for The New York Times. Here was the thrust: Krugman was rankled that the administration hadn’t injected additional -- and, in his estimation, needed -- stimulus funds into the economy, but was especially rankled by their reason for not doing so. According to Krugman, they stood pat not because they thought additional stimulus was unnecessary -- they thought it was very necessary -- but because they thought it would be politically unpopular to add to the deficit. Krugman argued that this calculation was cynical, cowardly, and self-interested, but even more damning; it was stupid. What counts in electoral politics, what gets votes, he said, isn’t how people feel about an individual piece of economic legislation, but whether or not that legislation works. Everything else is noise. Find what works and do it, he implored the administration, the rest will follow. He was convinced though that his plea was falling on deaf ears. This is a tidy analogy for the Sixers hiring of Rod Thorn. The buzzword after the announcement was 'credibility,' as in, 'Rod Thorn lends the organization some much needed credibility,' or 'the hiring went a long way towards solving the Sixers’ credibility deficit.' From all indications, the buzz was and is accurate. The Sixers hired Rod Thorn because he brought credibility. Because it was popular."
• Losing hurts. And Doc Rivers hopes it will keep hurting until death.
• Would you trade Brook Lopez for Carmelo Anthony? Nets are Scorching's Evan Kaplan: "Under no circumstances should Brook Lopez be traded. There are other young, talented players on the roster that can be dealt to acquire Carmelo. Even if you are getting one of the top five players in the NBA in return, you just do not trade a 22-year old center that is already a proven commodity. Having Lopez on the roster for the next 10 years would be a major factor in convincing Anthony to sign a long-term contract with the Nets. Carmelo is a great player but he knows he can’t win a title by himself. The Nets could replace Derrick Favors, Terrence Williams or even Devin Harris. But there is no replacing a young, burgeoning center that will anchor the post for the next decade."
• D.J. Foster of ClipperBlog is wondering about the very same thing. Would you trade Blake Griffin for Carmelo Anthony? Umm ... "Blake Griffin is untouchable. He’s not going anywhere."
• I don't know if you've seen this story about Twitter, casinos and Michael Jordan's son. Two thoughts: Someone once told me that as a parent, every second you're being an example for your kids, and that will overwhelm anything else you teach them. In other words saying "don't hang around in casinos" is a far weaker message than being a parent and hanging around in casinos, which tells your kids to do just that. In other words, example is a parent's strongest kind of leadership. Food for thought. Also, realize that without Twitter we know none of this, and I can imagine no starker evidence that the media landscape has changed. What the father did routinely the son causes a stink with before even getting out of college.
• If Daryl Morey ever needs to apply for a job as a Russian mobster, this is the photo he should submit with his application.
• Derek Fisher as a motivational speaker.

You know how the United States has, in the last decade, often been everybody's pick in advance of international contests, then has surprisingly underperformed?

This year it's Spain's turn.

It was co-favorites with the undefeated U.S., but Spain dropped two of its first three games in pool play. Even if it makes the elimination round, after losing to Lithuania, it's going to do so with a low seed and a very tough road to getting any medal at all.

Jay Aych of The Painted Area:

If Spain is waiting to turn it on, it may be too late. Spain had a disastrous fourth quarter that was reminiscent of its fourth-quarter collapse in the 2007 EuroBasket final vs. Russia. Now, Spain is looking at a third-place finish in Group D, which would put them in line to play Greece in the Round of 16 and the U.S. in the quarterfinals -- a matchup that would be reminiscent of the USA-Yugoslavia quarter from the 2002 Worlds: the two best teams on paper playing, with one team going home medal-less.

Lithuania thoroughly outplayed Spain in the 4th. Spain was outscored 23-9 in the final frame and they committed seven TOs. Marc Gasol replicated his brother Pau's poor play in the fourth quarter of the '07 Euro final by missing three crucial FTs and coughing up two TOs in the last 6:00.

The offensive glass battle, in which Lithuania grabbed 14 offensive to Spain's 23 defensive boards, might have tipped the game in Lithuania's favor. ...

We could have two out of the pre-tournament medal favorites of Spain, Greece and USA not medaling.

• Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post: "Nuggets coach George Karl, having cleared every major hurdle in his latest bout with cancer, has little doubt he'll be back for the upcoming season. 'I'm not sure it's official. Before we make that declaration, there's probably one or two more doctor's appointments that I want to get done,' Karl said Tuesday. 'But my mind slot is: Get ready.' Karl missed the majority of the last two months of the regular season and all of the playoffs last spring as he battled neck and throat cancer. With the help of his life partner, Kim Van Deraa, and other friends and family members, Karl is on track to getting back in the coach's chair. Karl has one year left on his contract. 'I'm excited about training camp,' he said. 'We have 10 practices before our first (exhibition) game, which I think is really fun.' "
• Pete Thamel of The New York Times: "The shrill whistles, the deafening din of Thundersticks and singsong chants began a half-hour before Greece played Turkey at the world championships. Centuries of tension between these ancient rivals reverberated during each possession. ... Amid an atmosphere than makes Red Sox-Yankees or Auburn-Alabama feel like pillow fights or patty-cake, Turkey pulled away for an impressive 76-65 victory. Turkey improved to 3-0 in Group C. The game showed that any game featuring the Turks in the knockout round will be a daunting contest. 'Our fans are great today,' the Turkish guard Kerem Tunceri said. 'Before the tournament here, we talked a lot about this. When we get down they help us a lot. We have to use it.' Despite being NATO allies, there is a reason Greece and Turkey celebrate their national days of independence because of victories over the other. They have fought four wars since the late 1890s, but with foreign ministers from both counties in the stands, there is an appearance of an active effort of cooperation. The Turkish coach, Bogdan Tanjevic, who is from Montenegro, called the game a 'gentleman’s fight.' "
• Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register: "Byron Scott took himself off the market and almost off the radar. He is heading into the apocalypse now known as post-LeBron Cleveland ... and starting a new supervisory job at the Cavaliers' old manufacturing plant just as Phil Jackson is vowing this will be his final season as the Lakers' head coach. Is it a purplish and golden opportunity lost for Scott? Yes, if you believe Jerry Buss saying last November that his next head coach would be someone he and son Jim have 'a special fondness for' meant Scott would be trusted to keep the current Lakers in dynasty mode. When you consider just how deeply and openly Scott is tied to the Lakers, not waiting and seeing makes little sense – until you understand that's exactly why he isn't waiting: Scott knows the Lakers so well that he trusts this isn't his only opportunity. And he's right. Scott will still be the Lakers' head coach someday, just not next year. Odds are that day will not be all rainbows and rings – and pressure – as awaits Brian Shaw in all likelihood as Jackson's successor. When Scott comes back to the Lakers, it will be a Monday morning – with much work to be done – and that will actually fit him best. He views himself as a rebuilding specialist after NBA Finals appearances in his second and third seasons in New Jersey and then quite a booster shot in New Orleans, too."
• Bob Kravitz of The Indianapolis Star: "... after two weeks of researching this, I've come across ample national sentiment that Reggie Miller has a borderline case for the Hall of Fame. They'll point to the fact he got just three MVP votes during his career, that he didn't win any championships, that he made just five All-Star teams and never made the All-NBA first or second teams (playing, by the way, at the same time as guards Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, John Stockton, Gary Payton and others). All true. But here's my counter: Miller currently ranks as the 14th leading scorer of all time with 25,279 points. There are 15 NBA players who've scored 25,000 points or more, and every one -- with the exception of Miller and current players Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant-- is in the Hall of Fame. While Miller didn't have the eye-popping regular-season numbers -- his 18.2 points per game doesn't even rank in the top 100 of all time -- he routinely lifted his game in the playoffs, and he did so with maddening, year-in and year-out consistency."
• Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "The money train just keeps on rolling for the Hawks, with each expenditure maintaining their proverbial “core” but squeezing their resources and roster flexibility. They paid Bibby and Marvin last summer. They paid J.J. (Joe Johnson) this summer. They may have to pay Al now or next summer. The AJC’s Mark Bradley calls it the increasing price of NBA success. Or, as one NBA exec joked, nothing ever stays the same for a good team because everyone wants to be paid or and nothing ever stays the same for a bad team because everyone is subject to being fired or traded. Rick Sund’s philosophy plays into this, too. For the most part he lets his employees finish out their contracts before offering new deals (or not). When Sund was Seattle’s GM, Ray Allen had to hit the open market before securing a deal he liked from the Sonics. Rashard Lewis become an unrestricted free agent and ended up in Orlando. The most recent exception to Sund’s reluctance to extend vets is, of course, the maximum extension offer for J.J. last summer. But J.J. seems to be an exception to Sund’s general rule. Sund has been consistent in his belief that J.J. is a franchise cornerstone whom the Hawks couldn’t allow to walk if they hoped to maintain their momentum."
• Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News: "From a Spurs roster once described as older than dirt has sprung a new cadre of players characterized as younger than saplings. Unless additional 30-something players are signed before training camp opens on Sept. 27, only three Spurs -- Antonio McDyess (36), Tim Duncan (34) and Manu Ginobili (33) -- will be older than 30. Richard Jefferson and Matt Bonner turned 30 in recent months. The rest of the opening night roster likely will include at least five players between the ages of 21 and 25. 'We used to talk about how old we are,' general manager R.C. Buford said. 'Now we have (three) guys above 30 but a lot of fresh, new faces. It’s exciting to me, but it probably scares the coaches to death.' Little wonder, then, that Spurs assistant coach Chad Forcier, tasked primarily with player development, has hop-scotched the country this summer working with Spurs, young and old, seeking to improve their games. 'I’ve been pretty busy,' Forcier said during a phone interview conducted, appropriately enough, while awaiting a flight connection at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. 'I’ve logged a lot of miles.' ... Forcier believes the Spurs have been as committed to the offseason improvement of their players as any team in the league. He cites the willingness of veterans such as Tony Parker and Jefferson to submit to instruction as evidence of team-wide determination."
• Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel: "Andrew Bogut's terrible tumble put a hurt on the Milwaukee Bucks' playoff hopes last spring. Bogut suffered a gruesome, season-ending injury when he hit the Bradley Center floor after dunking the ball against Phoenix on April 3, and the 7-foot center suffered broken bones in his right wrist, a fractured right hand and index finger and dislocated right elbow. Now the focus switches to the upcoming season and Bogut's ability to make a full recovery. He has been working diligently on his rehabilitation routine in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia, and is expected to return to Milwaukee on Tuesday as players begin arriving for informal workouts in anticipation of the 2010-'11 season. It's unclear when Bogut will be ready to resume his place in the Bucks' lineup, but team officials remain optimistic about his recovery. 'Our hope and anticipation is that Andrew will be ready to go when the season begins,' Bucks general manager John Hammond said. 'The great thing about going through this process with Andrew is he's proven to us as an organization and to our fans that his effort, energy and toughness will never be questioned.' The Bucks have made a serious effort to strengthen their front court during the off-season, signing free agent power forward Drew Gooden, acquiring power forward Jon Brockman in a trade with Sacramento and drafting 6-foot-11 Larry Sanders in the first round."
• Andrew Macaluso of Dime Magazine: "If Deron Williams chooses to opt-out of his contract in 2012, where would he end up? How about following his roots in Dallas to play with the Mavericks. Deron starred at The Colony High School near Dallas, and last year at the NBA All-Star Game in Dallas, that was the happiest Williams has looked in two years. Another thing to consider is that the Mavericks will have substantial cap room in 2012, right when Deron can choose to become a free agent. If Deron ends up in Dallas, he would have a much better supporting cast than with the Jazz. ... The Mavericks have one of the best shooting big men in the history of the NBA in Dirk Nowitzki. Don’t get it twisted though – he’s not a choke artist like fans believe. This is a guy who is 7-0 and has averaged 23.0 points and 8.5 rebounds for his career, all on jump shots. But let’s face it; Dirk’s never had a great point guard in his prime during his time in Dallas other than Steve Nash – and he still couldn’t lead the Mavericks to a title. ... The best part of all is that Deron has the chance to play for the arguably the best owner in basketball, Mark Cuban. Cuban is the kind of guy that will gladly go into luxury tax in pursuit of a title, which he’s done numerous of times. Deron just wants to win, and at this point, he can’t win in Utah. Maybe Chris Bosh was right, it’s time players stop mixing loyalty when it comes to free agency."
• Perry A. Farrell of the Detroit Free Press: "Veterans Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, rookie Greg Monroe and recently acquired Tracy McGrady have been working with conditioning coach Arnie Kander in hopes of coming to training camp in great shape. 'A lot of players have been in our gym, and that's good news,' coach John Kuester said. 'They realize how important they are, and their making adjustments to make themselves better is very important for us. I'll tell you this, what Tracy has done so far is put in a tremendous amount of time with Arnie. I had a chance to watch him work out, and he was moving extremely well.' McGrady could be a key offensive component if he's half the player he was five years ago. 'One of the things that we see (in McGrady) is a player that had high potential at one time, and he is somebody that is working religiously with Arnie, and that's so important...' Kuester said. 'McGrady is somebody that can give us a high-risk, high-reward situation.' "
• Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun: "It's not carved in stone, but the likelihood is Andy Rautins has played his final basketball game at the 2010 world championship. A knee injury that got aggravated Sunday in a loss to Lithuania kept Rautins in street clothes for Tuesday's game with France. Head coach and Andy's father, Leo Rautins said Tuesday night his son was probably done for the duration. 'The pain is too restrictive and he's got a high threshold,' the senior Rautins said. 'He has played through a lot of (crap).' Worse from Leo's perspective, he feels he probably asked a little too much of his son. 'I feel like I compromised that father/son relationship (on Sunday),' Rautins said. 'I know him so well. Put it this way. If it were any of my other players, I might not have played him when I did.' "
• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: "Channing Frye joined Suns workouts this week, putting nine contract players in town. Jason Richardson, Hakim Warrick and Jared Dudley are expected to arrive next week. ... The Suns hired Nenad Trajkovic to assist player development. Trajkovic worked in player development for BDA Sports, an agency that represents Steve Nash, Earl Clark and Warrick. He has coached for 30 years, including stints as head coach for five European pro teams and the Yugoslavian and Latvian pro teams. Trajkovic has spent his first days with the Suns working with their big men."
• John Reid of The Times-Picayune: "Terry Kofler, who had been the New Orleans Hornets' only athletic trainer since their inception in 1988 when they were based in Charlotte, N.C., will not be retained for this upcoming season, team officials announced on Tuesday. Since Dell Demps was hired in July as general manager last month to replace Jeff Bower, the Hornets' basketball operations department continues to undergo restructuring. The departures have included scouts Kip and Kelly Bass, director of basketball administration and player development Andrew Loomis, former assistant coach and scout Rob Werdann, video coordinator Irving Roland and strength and core trainer Jack Manson. With Kofler's departure, equipment manager David Jovanovic, executive vice president of operations Sam Russo and Harold Kaufman, vice president of communcations, are the only holdovers that have been with the Hornets since their inaugural season in 1988-89."

• Jay Aych of The Painted Area on Brazil's performance against the U.S.: "We have to give props to Brazil Coach Ruben Magnano. We've been huge fans of Rubes for about a decade since his Argentina team put on a clinic vs. Team USA in 2002. Magnano-led teams have now given Team USA fits four times: two wins (ARG '02 Worlds, ARG '04 Olympics) and two scares (ARG '03 Americas, BRA '10 Worlds). Brazil spread the floor well, a Magnano trademark, and would often start its sets up very high. The pick/roll coverage wasn't superb but I don't think Team USA had major breakdowns there. Team USA actually got hurt on off-ball curls off nearly as much as pick/rolls. This is not a surprise as NBA players don't see the type of off-ball movement in the U.S.--lots more moving parts to deal with in FIBA ball. Brazil ran a lot of continuity sets, like the ones Magnano's Argentina teams used to perplex Team USA with. It's not pick/roll ball that befuddles Team USA, it's the off-ball action and screens coming from all angles. You will see a lot of variations on Princeton sets or flex sets in this tourney. Constant offensive motion is a staple of int'l basketball. Offenses with reads, counterplays, and counterplays to the counterplays. If we were preparing Team USA for what to expect in this tourney, we'd tell them that it's like playing the Jazz many times. And if you ask NBA players about defending the Jazz offense, we're sure most would say it's not fun."
• Texas-based ad man Prentice Howe writes a Sports Business Journal Op-Ed that is hard-core against the kind of star-based marketing that David Stern used to make the NBA a big success. "As tempting as it may be for the Wizards to declare [John] Wall their Marketing Commander in Chief, let's hope they show some restraint. Using him as the centerpiece of a marketing campaign may seem like a no-brainer, but it's probably the riskiest move they could make. And my words of caution aren't Wizards-centric. This advice applies to all pro teams ... This cautionary tale can be summed up in eight words: Ben Roethlisberger, Michael Vick, Tiger Woods, Gilbert Arenas ... Does a face alone sell game tickets? I don't believe so. Fans cheer for players so long as their guy is wearing the uniform, but it's not the player who endures. It's the logo, the lore, the stadium experience, the brand persona. Your star player isn't your greatest asset; your brand is. If we can sell dishwashing soap without showing the detergent and vodka without showing the spirit, why can't we sell the game experience without defaulting to a huge image of a player dribbling down the court?"
• Worth noting that where the Wizards once featured a huge banner of Gilbert Arenas there is now a huge banner featuring several players.
• Pat Riley likes superstar trios, even when they don't play basketball.
• How much does it matter where Carmelo Anthony plays?
• Matt Moore of Hardwood Paroxysm: "All in all, the Knicks are likely to be dreadful on defense." By the way, that problem would not go away if they were lucky enough to land Carmelo Anthony.
• A Nets blogger says, in case you're wondering, that yes, he would include Devin Harris in a trade for Carmelo Anthony.
• Breaking down the performance of Kevin Love, who is blatantly in his element on Team U.S.A. I'd be shocked if there's a key crunch time moment of a Team U.S.A. game this summer when he's on the bench.
• Looks like the Jazz will play on a newly designed court this season.
• Even as Tyson Chandler has been underwhelming for the national team, there's still good reason to believe he'll be missed by the Bobcats now that Chandler is a Maverick.
• Trevor Ariza, Darren Collison, Arron Afflalo, Jordan Farmar and other former UCLA players appeared at coach Ben Howland's Huntington's disease (HD) fundraiser. HD is a brutal genetic disease -- the effects are not unlike Parkinson's -- which affects the family of Howland's wife. As there are now genetic tests to detect HD, there's some hope the disease could be eradicated.
• Tony Ronzone, new assistant general manager of the Minnesota Timberwolves and head of Team U.S.A.'s scouting operation, talks to Jonah Ballow of the Wolves' website about what Brazil did well against the U.S. The more people I talk to, the more I'm convinced that growing up playing soccer gives you certain advantages in basketball. (If you want to know more about this, ask Steve Nash.) Ronzone: "After the game Coach K and our staff went to the film room and we were up till four in the morning watching tape and reviewing it. We slipped on some of the stuff that we did earlier in games. One of the things with Brazil, they are different than Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, and Spain, teams that we played earlier because Brazil is a more soccer orientated country. They are constantly attacking, they move well without the ball and it's a different type of basketball. One of the things they do is they are quicker and chase you down, so before we were getting transition baskets with good effort but we were beating Croatia and Slovenia down the floor. With Brazil, they matched our quickness at spots with Leandro Barbosa and Marcelo Huertas and those types of players. They chased us down and got back, so it was an adjustment for us in comparison to the games we played before."

One of Europe's most respected coaches, Real Madrid's Ettore Messina, blogs on Sports.ru that he thinks the World Championships -- and other similar contests -- should be held in July, not September.

He explains:

For instance, players will know that after the tournament they’ll have a large chunk of summer to rest and recover. And national teams’ coaches will focus more on schemes and team play as opposed to spending vast amounts of time on physical preparation. Four weeks will probably be enough for teams to revise plays and get everybody on board from the tactical standpoint, so it’s absolutely possible to hold the tournament in the beginning or in the middle of July. And the remaining part of summer will be resting time for players. NBA guys might even have up to 2 months to recover after long season.

Also, this way club coaches will have the opportunity to run normal preseasons for their sides. I’ll give you an example – this year the Worlds conclude on September, 12th. I’ll be forced to call up my international players (and we have six of them at Real Madrid) to club duties almost immediately after that, because we play in Spanish Supercup on September 24th and then on October 3rd we face Estudiantes in the ACB League season opener. So, there’s no other choice for us but to rush the preparation of guys who will be returning from Turkey as we’ll only have two weeks to get them in sync with the rest of the club.

Moreover, if history is any indication, players who participate in international competitions in September are much more likely to suffer injuries over the course of the following season.

That’s why I think it’ll be much safer to go back to the old schedule and allow clubs which invest a lot of money into players to arrange full-scale preparations with necessary amount of teaching and sufficient number of scrimmages before the start of the official season.

Whatever the optimum schedule may be, it certainly seems like seeing our best players unified on their national teams is a worthy goal. It's good basketball, and fun to watch for a million reasons. (This functions a little like a series of All-Star teams -- favorite stars together! -- only the basketball is way better.) At the moment players do so while putting their professional teams in some degree of peril. To the extent players can be spared that tough choice, and instead given the opportunity to do both wholeheartedly, it would seem to benefit basketball fans. If that means holding these tournaments earlier in the summer, who'd be against it?

I'd also point out that if a national team commitment leaves a player simply playing too many games in a year to stay healthy, perhaps that's argument No. 697 for shortening the NBA season a little.

(Thanks, Alex.)

A few days ago I blogged about defense winning championships. Then I blogged about it again. Now that I'm getting a heck of a lot of e-mail, phone calls and comments about it, I can't stop!

To recap: We're not really just talking about the old adage here. Instead, we're talking about newly unearthed numbers showing that being an elite defensive team has, historically, make it more likely that you'd win a title than a team that was similarly good at offense. Neil Paine at Basketball-Reference looked at a half-century of title-winning teams. They're pretty much all good at offense and defense. However, he noticed that small improvements to defense increased a team's chances of winning titles a lot more than the same improvement to offense.

In general, especially when you measure by possession, the game is half offense and half defense. Right? Makes sense. Possessions alternate just about all game -- you get a chance to score, and then its our turn. All game long you're playing offense or defense, in alternating stints. They ought to both be important.

But when it comes to winning titles, the numbers suggest what coaches have been harping on since the dawn of timeouts -- the defensive part matters a little more than the offensive part.

I have already offered two quick theories as to why:

• Maybe defensive efficiency is a marker for which teams have good coaching and team cohesion. In other words, of course the defense itself helps, but maybe showing you can play good team defense is also a way of showing that you're a good team, a team that's prepared to hang together when the going gets tough, and maybe that's really what's winning those titles.
• My first guess was that offense is more volatile than defense, because it's based on shooting, which is an iffy proposition for even the best shooters in the world. What that means to me is that if your team's main thing is being able to score like crazy, and that's how you intend to win, you will still have games -- every team does -- where the ball does not go in the hoop as much as normal. Those games will be losses for you against good opponents.

But now there are many more theories to consider:

David Thorpe has been reading all this, and loves the idea that good defense may be a marker for team cohesion. However, he also thinks we have been missing a major point, which is that good defense leads to good offense, and the opposite is less true.

One of the ways this is true is that playing really active team defense is a way to make the referee blow the whistle in your favor. Illegal screens, over-the-back, frustration fouls, even technicals -- intense defense drives all of these things, which can in turn help your team with free throws. (It occurs to me those things can also, of course, get opposing players in foul trouble.)

But the most obvious way a good defense can help your offense is in creating live turnovers. A few years ago, Sandy Weil and John Huizinga, as part of their hot hand research, found something pretty important. As I wrote after they presented their findings at MIT: "How you get the ball matters tremendously to how likely you are to score with it. If you get the ball in a live ball turnover (a steal for instance) your shooting percentage is 12% higher than normal. If you get the ball from an offensive rebound, it's 8% higher. Home teams, meanwhile, shoot 1.5% better -- so you can see these advantages are major."

"I don't care what kind of offense you run," says Thorpe, "it works better if you start it by forcing turnovers."

Meanwhile, coaches often say that offense can help defense, because you can set up your defense more easily as opponents inbound after your made shot.

Thorpe also believes that teams with a reputation for playing good defense have multi-faceted psychological advantages. For instance, playing against the Celtics, Kobe Bryant or LeBron James might tweak his normal shot selection, knowing that there won't be any easy opportunities. That may earn the Celtics some key stops -- thanks to poor shot selection by opponents -- before they even start playing defense.

Paine's numbers showed that elite defensive teams won more championships than you'd expect. And I think what we're finding is that if you're one of those really great defensive teams we might also know that you're likely to:

• Be well coached.
• Have good teamwork.
• Get more easy offensive possessions than an average team.
• Draw more offensive fouls and violations.
• Have certain psychological advantages.

Some other e-mailers have additional thoughts:

• One of the best offensive performances in NBA playoff history was Michael Jordan's 63 points against the Celtics. But it is interesting to note how even though the Celtics could do nothing at all to stop the most potent offensive force in the game, they still played good team defense generally (and offense) and marched on to a title while the Bulls were swept in the first round.
• The numbers may be a bit skewed, because good teams allow few points and score a lot. That means a point or two of improvement in defensive efficiency is a bigger deal than the same improvement in offense. On Basketball-Reference.com, commenter Jax points out: "Allowing 10 fewer points on defense is a lot harder to do than adding 10 points on offense. The percentages are also different. 80 -> 70 is a 14.2% change. 80 -> 90 is a 11.1% change."
• A few other e-mailers pointed out that in the playoffs referees have the reputation of allowing more physical play, which favors aggressive defenses more than aggressive offenses. (This is suspect, however, as a way to explain titles. Almost every year, teams shoot more free throws in the playoffs than in the regular season. This is a topic for another post ...)
• Wayne Winston, the business professor who supplied the Mavericks with statistical insight for nearly a decade, e-mails: "I think you are right on team concept. In playoffs teams will always find your weakness. A chain is as strong as its weakest link so a weakness on defense will usually be more important than an offensive weakness. ... You have to win four series to win the title and any serious weakness is bound to show up."

• Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal: "Mo Williams' flight into Cleveland on Sunday was four hours late. Turns out, it was perfect timing. The travel delay allowed Williams to unexpectedly bump into LeBron James at Hopkins airport for a clear-the-air type of discussion between the two former teammates that Williams says was 'much needed.' Williams and James were close during their time together with the Cavaliers, and Williams was one of the players stung the most by James' departure to the Miami Heat this summer. ''Part of me is still sour ... but I wish him the best,' Williams said Monday between holes at the Cavaliers' Youth Fund Golf Classic at Westfield Country Club. 'He's got enough people rooting against him, he doesn't need one more.' Hours after James announced he was leaving the Cavaliers, Williams tweeted: 'We were so damn close. So damn close now we have taken leaps and bounds backwards.' He wouldn't go that far Monday but understands how much more difficult the road ahead appears without James. The Cavaliers are no longer the best team in the Eastern Conference."
• Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman: "If you want to know how big a star Kevin Durant has become, search his name on Twitter. The Thunder swingman had the Internet's popular social-networking site buzzing after he led Team USA to another victory at the FIBA World Championships. He'd scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. He'd almost single-handedly held off Brazil's upset bid. Durant was being talked about not only by folks from across the United States but also by people from around the world. There were 140-character comments in Spanish, Turkish, Italian and Portuguese. Playing in the world championships is only broadening Durant's popularity. It is growing his brand. It is widening his stardom. That, Thunder fans, is great news for Oklahoma City. ... Over the years, players in Durant's position have fled to bigger markets for a variety of reasons. While the Thunder can control some of the variables that will influence their young superstar, the franchise can't turn him into a worldwide phenom. Know what can help the process? Scoring a team-high 21.0 points a game and looking like a man among the boys at the world championships. That's the kind of thing that is adding more shine to his already brilliant star. Good for Durant. Even better for Oklahoma City."
• Andre Iguodala for the Philadelphia Daily News: "I know my role on this team. The main thing is we got the win. All the other stuff doesn't matter. It only matters what the score is at the end of the game. I had a job, which was to make it tough on [Leandro] Barbosa to score and he had to pull out his best moves to score in the second half. I've known [my role] ever since being a part of the USA Basketball system, knowing that we're going to have some great scorers. You got the Dwyane Wades and Kobe Bryants and on this team you got the Kevin Durants of the league. I feel like I can fit into any system no matter who I'm playing with. With this group, I feel like I go out there and try to shut down whoever their top scorer is. We switched it up [on defense] a little bit . We were giving them too much freedom coming off and we applied a little more pressure in the second half and it seemed to work. I think, in the past, USA teams, if they aren't scoring baskets then they're struggling on the defensive end and that's how we had those three losses that we had. I think tonight we just continued to stick with it. We showed some character as far as if we're not scoring, we're going to pull it out on the defensive end and get stops as well."
• Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: "From a national standpoint, Team USA's at-times sloppy 70-68 victory over Brazil on Monday was notable in that it kept the Americans undefeated in the FIBA World Championships. The San Antonio-centic storyline, however, was Tiago Splitter. Splitter, the 25-year-old Brazilian center set to join the Spurs this season, saw his first extensive action against a team consisting completely of NBA players. With the game televised live on ESPN, it provided a sneak peek at what we might expect to see from Splitter in silver and black come October. ... Obviously, one game is hardly much a sample size from which to draw any lasting conclusions. However, if Splitter can provide the Spurs with what he provided Brazil on Monday -- a solid if unspectacular post presence -- he will earn his NBA keep."
• Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com: "Tyson Chandler was receiving strong reviews from USA teammates as well as coach Mike Krzyzewski as he appeared to nail down the starting job at center. In fact, it seemed almost odd that the starting center for Team USA would come to Mavs training camp in less than a month as the backup to Brendan Haywood. However, in the three games that Team USA has played over the past three days, Los Angeles Lakers forward Lamar Odom has started at center as Krzyzewski goes with a smaller lineup, and Chandler's role has continually decreased. After playing 11 minutes with four points, four rebounds and two blocked shots in Saturday's opening win against Croatia, the 7-foot-1 Chandler, the only true center on the roster, has managed no points, two rebounds and one blocked shot against Slovenia and Brazil in just 13 total minutes. ... It will be interesting to see if Krzyzewski finds spots to utilize Chandler or if he trends toward the end of the bench."
• Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee: "The fatigue/injury factor that has diluted the talent pool at the ongoing World Championships in Istanbul strengthens the case for the international game as a showcase for the younger stars. In other words, let the kids play ... and let Dirk Nowitzki, Manu Ginobili, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, etc., use the offseason to rest their bodies and rehabilitate their injuries. Of course, while the rest of the world values the World Championships, the United States places a greater premium on the Olympics, which means there will be the usual pressure on NBA stars to compete in 2012 in London."
• Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun: "No matter what transpires over the next few days for the Canadian senior national team here on the coast of the Aegean Sea, this summer will be looked back on as one of the best Canadian basketball has ever enjoyed. And while the senior men’s national team haven’t had a lot to do with that good feeling, strides there have been made too. In fact, Canada’s growth in international basketball has been surpassed by only two countries over the past five years according to a points system FIBA uses to track these things. 'With the success this summer, particularly with that bronze medal by the Cadet (Under 17) team, we now rank third in FIBA points of all the 213 FIBA countries in world age group championships since 2005/2006,' said Wayne Parrish, the Executive Director and CEO of Canada Basketball who is in Izmir with the senior men’s team. 'The only ones ahead of us are USA, which dominates, and Australia which is slightly ahead of us. I think that is a good indication of where we are going.' "
• Fred Mitchell and David Kaplan of the Chicago Tribune: "New Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau says he is prepared for the scrutiny that comes with being a head coach in the NBA. 'That goes with the territory,' Thibodeau said Monday before the team's charity golf outing at White Pines Golf Club in Bensenville. 'There is no one who is going to put more pressure on me than I am going to put on myself. Whatever comes, comes.' Thibodeau, who recently completed his move from Boston, said he hopes to complete his staff of assistants soon. 'We're talking to a couple of people still,' he said. 'By the start of training camp, we will have everyone in place.' "
• Bill Bradley of The Sacramento Bee: "If there's smoke, should there be a three-alarm blaze? According to a report making the rounds on the Internet, the Kings are among three teams favored to trade for Nuggets superstar forward Carmelo Anthony. If that seems odd, then take a look at the other two rumored favorites: The Timberwolves and the Nets. While the Nets make sense, the Kings and Wolves don't fit because Anthony has been talking about leaving Denver for a high-profile East Coast team (i.e., the New York Knicks). He could come here because the Maloofs, who own the Kings, like high-profile players who can win games and draw fans. However, any deal for Anthony would take a contract extension (he's a free agent after this season) and require a few choice players and draft picks. Is it worth trading for Anthony if it upsets the rebuilding project?"

Last week I blogged about some research showing that defense is, apparently, slightly more important than offense in determining who wins titles.

I have no idea what that is, but I speculated a bit just for fun:

My first guess as to why would be that offense is more volatile than defense, because it's based on shooting, which is an iffy proposition for even the best shooters in the world. What that means to me is that if your team's main thing is being able to score like crazy, and that's how you intend to win, you will still have games -- every team does -- where the ball does not go in the hoop as much as normal. Those games will be losses for you against good opponents.

That prompted several comments and e-mails, including one from TrueHoop reader David, who sent a fascinating e-mail, including this point:

Defense is dispersed, while scoring necessarily depends on individual success.

Sure, Pick and roll, read-react, triangle, and flex continuity all depend on multiple people fulfilling their roles. The ones who do it best (Re: Phx, Dal, Utah) certainly have lots of guys helping and scoring.

But all offense leads to one moment, securing a single shot for a single player in a desired manner. This makes the impact of offense localized to the individual at any one time. Everyone in the NBA can and does get a chance to shoot (okay, maybe not Ben Wallace), they can at least get the ball in the hoop with some frequency. But the shot still remains, at its heart, and individual act.

In contrast, by simply bumping someone off a screen, Rondo can dramatically decrease the likelihood of the opponent aligning for its highest percentage play. He can do this as his four teammates simultaneously occupy similar, productive roles.

Jason Richardson cannot help “guide” Amare’s post-up if he is on the opposite side of the floor. He cannot increase the likelihood of the Suns scoring on that particular play to the same degree his opponent can decrease the likelihood of the Suns scoring. And for the defense, this happens on every, single, play.

David was making a subtle series of points, from which I extracted this one little aspect.

However, think about this aspect. Good defense is just about always about every player on your team doing things well. Good offense, on the other hand, can be about a few players on your team doing things well.

Forgive me this analogy: Offense is like breaking out of prison. To do that, you just need one person to figure out the weak part in the security system. Defense, on the other hand, is like keeping people in prison, which means knowing that every single wall, fence, floor, ceiling, security guard, door, window and everything else has to work perfectly to keep people in.

Another analogy, this one likely less offensive to the NBA: Hold some water in your hands. If all of your fingers are in on the project, it's doable. But if, say, you need your index fingers to type a 700-page book (Bill Simmons has actually done this, with two fingers) then you can't hold any water at all.

It's not hard to see that keeping people contained is something that will always require a lot of cooperation. While busting loose is something an intrepid prisoner, drop of water, or NBA scorer can do alone or with just a buddy or two.

And while I still can't pretend to know why defense seems to matter a bit more than offense, to my guess of offensive volatility I'll add a new second guess to the brainstrom session: Maybe good defense is a marker for good teamwork.

In other words, maybe you win titles with good team cohesion on the court and good coaching. Maybe those are the teams that hold up the best in the stress of the playoffs, with its Game 7s, finely prepared opponents, fired up crowds, physical play and endless adjustments.

And maybe defensive efficiency is a marker for which teams have good coaching and team cohesion. In other words, of course the defense itself helps, but maybe showing you can play good team defense is also a way of showing that you're a good team, a team that's prepared to hang together when the going gets tough, and maybe that's really what's winning those titles.

• Kevin Durant says he's enjoying having the green light to gamble on defense.
• A fascinating note from Pete Thamel of The New York Times: "France stunned Spain on Saturday, a loss that could potentially cost Spain a first-place finish in Group D. That could be a good thing for the Spanish, meaning they would not face the United States until a potential finals matchup. International competition is filled with tanking and subterfuge, which is why Team USA did not see any zone defenses in its exhibitions. Take nothing for granted in the different world of international play. The vagaries are a good reminder that even with the Americans’ strong play so far, no one should be going too crazy." Did Spain tank a game?
• M. Haubs of The Painted Area does not speculate about tanking, but does find if curious that Spain didn't use a zone more against France -- a mediocre shooting team that relies on athleticism. He also says that was a horribly officiated game, and the key play turned out to be a bad call on Rudy Fernandez. The Painted Area has a ton of World Championships coverage.
• Hornets247's Ryan Schwan can't fathom trading Marcus Thornton. Here's why: "He has the potential to be exceptional. ... In general, player production peaks at age 24 and 25. Marcus Thornton turned 23 this summer, and by most scales I've seen, we can probably expect him to produce about 5% more this year, and another 5% more after that (this isn't a hard and fast rule, it could be more, it could be less). If Thornton does improve that much, by the time Thornton is 24, he'll be posting a PER around 20. That makes him elite, and considering his likely salary even if he blows up this year, it'll also make him a bargain. To me, that makes him untouchable in trade for all but the most consistent of superstars. I'd just rather have Marcus Thornton for the next five years or so with a salary artificially depressed by his draft position. That's why I had a really hard time putting him into a trade for Carmelo Anthony. On the face, it seems ridiculous, but Carmelo will be paid 20 million a year to produce three more points of PER. I don't think that's worth it, and if I'm barely willing to put him into a trade for the league's third leading scorer, then I'd apply the untouchable tag."
• Yi Jianlian has been among the tournament's best scorers and rebounders. Here's a close look at what he's doing differently than in the past. One very basic assessment: More dunks!
• Ante Tomic knows where to catch the ball.
• Vermont to Los Angeles is a pretty big cultural shift, but Marqus Blakely is OK with it.
• If the Hawks overpay Jamal Crawford to back him off that trade demand, it'll make that bad Joe Johnson deal look even worse.