Basketballjohn's FanPost (below) inspired me to finally do a post I've been pondering all summer. Who are the best point guards in the NBA? I've seen quite a few of these lists floating around the tubes. But most of them involve nebulous terms like "proven leader" or "knows how to win." Very few of them offer legitimate logic and reasoning for why one player is specifically more valuable than the other.

The irony is perhaps quite thick. A Hornets blogger purporting to make a logical, non-biased point guard list? It's fair to sneeze rather loudly. When was the last time you saw a Jazz fan call Chris Paul the best point guard in the NBA or a Hornets fan call Steve Nash the best point guard in the NBA? Probably never. That said, this list is based on plainly verifiable facts.

I've decided to present it differently from how such lists are normally made. Each player's blurb explains why he's better than the guy above him. It's the basketball version of the Straight Talk Express. On steroids. Before the whole "Running for President" thing.

10. Devin Harris

#11 for me is Andre Miller.

Scoring: One of the biggest gripes against Miller is that he has no range. He went 3 for 34 from three last year, to follow up 1 for 19 the year before. Harris offers a 32% stroke from three. While Andre is pretty good at everything else he shoots, so is Harris, who ranks among the better lay-up finishers in the league. The slight advantage in scoring goes to Harris, by virtue of his better true shooting and effective field goal percentages (56% to 53% and 50% to 46%).

Passing: 6 years ago, Miller was perhaps the best passer in the league, leading the NBA in assist rate at nearly 50%. His rates have plummeted since then, while Harris' increased with New Jersey and figure to rise again in his first full season with the Nets. Miller has also turned the ball over a tad more than Harris (16.7 rate to 16.2 rate), and again, I expect Harris' rate to decline this year as he gains familiarity with his system. It's clear who the better passer/ballhandler will be in a couple years, but for now it's a tie.

Defense: I'm a bit torn on this one. Pre-season, John Hollinger called Harris the best defensive point guard in the league, but Devin definitely struggled defensively during his time with Dallas and Jersey last year. He has the lateral quickness to be a Rondo-like defender, and his block rates and steal rates surprass Dre's. Harris is the better defender, and he could eventually become a significantly better defender than he is right now.

9. Gilbert Arenas

Scoring: This one's not even close. Gil has proven himself to be a scorer in the ilk of the Kobes and Lebrons of the world. His field goal percentage took a precipitous drop last year, but when he's been healthy, he's been a monster on the court. His 36% three point shooting dwarfs Harris 32%, his 7.1 free throws/36 dwarfs Harris' 5.1, and he's attempted about 10 field goals per game more in his career than Harris. Really no question here.

Passing/Ballhandling: Gilbert's a surprisingly accomplished passer, given how much he shoots the ball. His career 26.4 assist rate is actually higher than Harris' 25.5. No doubt Harris' assist rates will increase over the next few years as he becomes the man in New Jersey, but up till now, Gilbert has helped out his teammates a tad more. Gil also takes care of the ball quite well. Toss out his injury ridden season last year, and he hasn't posted a turnover rate worse than 11.8 since joining the Wizards. The edge again goes to Arenas.

Defense: This is one of those that more advanced defensive metrics would really help out with. I probably watch about 10-15 Arenas games a season (obviously not last year), but I really can't make a read on how great of a defender he is over an 82 game stretch. See above for my take on Harris's defense. I think, a few years down the road, Harris will definitely be the better defender. For now, I'll call it a push.

Other: Tossing Arenas into this list was easily the hardest thing to do. Healthy, I have him much, much higher than #9. Definitely top 5, if not top 3 or 4.

8. T.J. Ford

Scoring: Ford's ability to put the ball in the bucket will never be the focal point of any offensive attack. He struggles with the trifecta (29.4% last year), doesn't draw fouls at rates his quickness indicates he should, and his career high .484 eFG% last year is lower than Arena's career eFG% of .488. Toss in the fact that Arenas has scored 29.3 and 28.4 ppg in separate seasons with little to no loss in efficiency, and it's clear who the better scorer is.

Passing/Ballhandling: Ford's always been a great passer, starting with his years in Texas. The last two seasons, he's posted assist rates of 44.4 and 44.8, behind only Chris Paul and Steve Nash last year. On the turnover side, he started his rookie campaign as one of the wildest PG's in the league (24% TOV rate) but has improved every year since. While Gil posts surprisingly high AST% figures himself, they pale in comparison to Ford's. Arena's career 14% TOV rate is very similar to Ford's last year. All in all, Ford is the better playmaker.

Defense: Opponent counterpart production suggests that neither is the greatest defender at his position, but that the two are pretty equal. End of the day, I'd probably want Gil defending my goal simply because he's got a 30 pound advantage on Ford.

Other: In a pure talent sense, it's virtually impossible to argue that T.J. Ford is better at playing basketball than Gilbert Arenas. Both have had pretty extensive injury histories throughout their careers. The difference, though, is the nature of those injuries. Ford has suffered two freak neck and head injuries that really have nothing to do with conditioning or bodily wear and tear. Arenas, on the other hand, has what appears to be a recurring knee problem- one that has some analysts questioning whether he'll ever return to his prime again. On that basis, Ford's the pick.

7. Baron Davis

Scoring: Davis and Ford are probably far closer in scoring ability than their raw statistics indicate. Take a look at their per/36 minute scoring stats, and it's clear that the 10 point point per game difference in 2008 has more to do with the minutes Ford played than field goal efficiency. But while Davis might not be that much better at scoring than Ford, he still has the edge in three point shooting and an even greater edge in getting to the foul line. They're not as different as you might imagine, but Davis is still the better scorer.

Passing/Ballhandling: One of the defining trends of Davis' career is a marked decrease in turnover rate. He started wild but gradually improved at taking care of the ball. Last year, that trend culminated in an 11.9 TOV%, the lowest by any point guard in the NBA. Ford is also on that path, but he has a ways to go before reaching Davis' level. Ford has posted better AST% numbers, but Davis' turnover rates more than make up for it, making him the better passer/ballhandler.

Defense: Davis has long been accused of laziness and losing interest over the course of a long season. It happened in New Orleans, and even in Golden State where Coach Don Nelson benched him. But when he's playing inspired basketball- something that happened more often than not in GS- he simply has more physical tools at his disposal than does Ford.

Other: The biggest fear for the LAC is that Davis sits on his fat contract and gets lazy. Everything else- scoring, passing, and defensive ability- indicates that he's better than Ford.

6. Tony Parker

Scoring: I don't know of a better finisher in traffic and around the hoop than Tony Parker. Dwayne Wade makes some circus layups every now and then, but Parker routinely has a couple of those per game. While Parker is not really known for his range, his career 3P% is relatively close to Baron Davis' (.314 to .325). Moving away from the hoop, Parker routinely ranks among league leaders in field goals attempted 5 feet from the hoop and closer as well as total FG%. I doubt that Parker could shoulder the scoring loads and usage percentages that Davis has had to in his career, but his incredible efficiency comes close to negating that. Scoring is a push between these two.

Passing/Ballhandling: While Davis was the best point guard in the league last year with an 11.9% TOV rate, Parker was right there with him at a miniscule 12.1% rate. Parker's career assist rate is at 30%, while Davis hovers at 35.4%. It's Davis by the thinnest of hairs.

Defense: It's probably a little bit unfair to look at statistics on this one, simply because Parker has Tim Duncan behind him while Davis did not. But Parker also has the fundamentals of defense down pat far more than Davis. He moves his feet well to stay with quicker players. He fights over screens rather than ducking around. Davis could afford to stay under because his Golden State teammates were quick enough to stay with guards (Jackson, and even Harrington). However, Davis does have some of the best hands in basketball. His 2.8 STL% dwarfs Parker's 1.6%. Again, neither guy has a significant advantage.

Other: Parker's a career 71% free throw shooter to Davis' 69%. Davis has gotten to the line a career 4.4 FTA/36 to Parker's 4.2. Davis has a rebound rate of 6.4 to Parker's 5.5. It's difficult to imagine two point guards closer in talent and execution. At the end, the edge goes to Parker for durability. Over 7 seasons, Parker has averaged 77 games a year, and over 9, Davis has averaged 67, including various accusations of "dogging it." 10 games a year is enough of a difference to offset Davis' other advantages.

5. Jose Calderon

Scoring: Like Parker, Calderon isn't really called upon to carry a heavy scoring load. In fact, in Toronto's system, less is expected of him than of Parker in San Antonio. But when he calls his own number, he's just as, if not more deadly than Parker. For one, he shot 43% from downtown last year. His effective field goal percentage of .575 dwarfed Parker's .502- and Parker's considered the best in the business not named Steve Nash. Toss in a 91% free throw stroke (to Parker's 71%) and it's clear that Calderon is the better scorer.

Passing/Ballhandling: Calderon has a ways to go before reaching Parker's turnover levels. He has improved his ball control every year (22.3 to 16.2 to 14.2) so it's quite possible that he improves to the 12% range this year. But for now, Parker's the better bet. However, Calderon did post a 42.3 AST% last year. His career low 29.1 rate (rookie season) is virtually the same as Parker's career assist rate. So passing/ballhandling is a push; if anything, Calderon's advantage in passing is bigger than Parker's advantage in ball control.

Defense: Calderon's biggest weakness defensively is that he struggles to keep quick point guards in front of him. Tony Parker has no such problems, but he gives up 30 pounds to Jose. The two play as stylistically different defenses as possible. This is one of those situations where I wish we had more advanced defensive measurements. It's really impossible to say who's the better defender here. I don't imagine that one is wildly better than the other at defense, but it's possible. Push, if for no other reason than lack of data.

Other: Both are average rebounders (actually the exact same rebound rates), so Calderon's scoring edge ends up giving him the overall edge.

4. Steve Nash

Scoring: Nash's shooting percentages have come to represent the standard by which all point guards are measured. Players that Nash had a higher true shooting percentage than in 2008: Tyson Chandler and Andris Biedrins. For the unacquainted, those are two guys that essentially catch the ball and dunk. On every field goal attempt. So for Nash to be outshooting them is quite a feat. And by the way, he outshot (TS%) every single player in the league in 2007 and 2006. Calderon is no slouch, but Nash hasn't shot below 40% from three since 1999. Nash wins scoring handily.

Passing/Ballhandling: Nash's passing is pretty much the stuff of legend, as he led the league in assist rate in 2006 and again in 2007. That said, he's also one of the most prolific turnover-ers in the NBA. Only Jason Kidd posted a worse turnover rate among point guards last season. For some reason, this aspect of his game doesn't get nearly the press his passing does. So while Nash can make a ton of flashy passes, Calderon is virtually even on passing/ballhandling by virtue of his 14.2 turnover rate to Nash's 21.6. This one's push.

Defense: Nash' defense has reached such a stage where he no longer guards point guards in the ilk of Deron Williams, Chauncey Billups, Chris Paul, Tony Parker... I could go on. He's simply assigned to a different guy whenever possible. Complain all you want about Calderon's inability to keep guys in front of him. But I'd rather take that than a point guard who won't, or rather can't, guard point guards.

Other: He might not play D, but Nash still has a hell of a lot of value because of his offensive game. Unfortunately, guys don't magically cut down their turnovers 12 years into a career. With a lower turnover rate, Nash might be considered among the greatest guards of all time. With his current rate, he's definitely among the contemporary greats, and definitely more valuable than Calderon for now.

3. Chauncey Billups

Scoring: Billups is one of the few point guards in the league that can challenge Nash both from three and from the charity stripe. Nash does have the slight edge in terms of 3P% and true shooting percentage. But Billups makes up for those deficiencies in another way: getting to the free throw line. Through his 11 year career, Billups has visited the stripe an average 5.2 times per 36 minutes. During his time with Detroit, that average is in the 6's. Nash, meanwhile, only shoots free throws 3.3 times per 36. So while both Nash and Billups are incredible foul shooters, Chauncey actually takes advantage of his abilities far more than Nash. The extra points generated by Nash through his superior field goal efficiency virtually cancel the extra points Chauncey generates at the line. Call this one a push.

Passing/Ballhandling: Billups is closer in assist rate to a Tony Parker than Steve Nash, and he's really no match for Nash's 39.0 career assist rate. However, he makes up for a lot of it by taking care of the ball well. Last year, he posted an excellent 13.0 turnover rate, his worst in three seasons. Nash's career best turnover rate as a starter (15.8) would be far and away Billups' worst as a starter. Nash owns passing, Billups owns ballhandling, and no matter what the media and flashy highlight reels would have you believe, it's another push.

Defense: Even at his advanced age, Billups is among the best defenders at his position. His biggest strength is being extremely physical with opposing point guards. He knows when to push, when to bump, and how not to get penalized for his physicality. It's amazing that Billups only gets called for 2.4 fouls/36 compared to Nash's 2.1 fouls/36 even though Nash is among the least physical defenders in the league. You often hear commentators refer nebulously to the "smart" defender. Here's a living, breathing example of one. That 2.1-2.4 stat just amazes me.

Other: One guy plays one half of the game extremely well while the other plays both halves very well. That Billups has better steal rates, block rates, and rebound rates is just icing on the cake.

2. Deron Williams

Scoring: Owner of perhaps the best crossover this side of Allen Iverson. Stylistically, Williams plays a very similar game to Chauncey Billups. He looks poised to equal Billups in true shooting and three point percentage in a few years. For now, he's a hair off on both those figures (.549 to .574 and .374 to .385). Billups also retains the foul drawing advantage, getting to the free throw line more proficiently than Williams. Throw in that Billups is a significantly better foul shooter than Williams, and the scoring advantage goes to Chauncey.

Passing/Ballhandling: Perhaps the most criticized part of Williams' game is his ballhandling/turnovers. He really hasn't shown much improvement in turnover rate in 3 years (actually getting worse from 14.4 to 16.9 to 17.7). So Billups wins that battle with his 13.4 rate. Deron is the better passer, surpassing a 40% assist rate in back to back seasons, something Billups has never accomplished. Passing/ballhandling is a push, with maybe a slight edge to Williams.

Defense: Judging from his fouls/36 rates (3.6 as a rookie, then 3.1, 2.4 last year), Deron is gradually mastering the skill that Billups excels at- playing physical defense without fouling. Deron obviously has the fresher legs at this point, so I'd say defense is a push.

Other: So Billups is better at scoring, even with Williams in passing/ballhandling, and an equal defender, but is ranked worse. Why? Overall work load. Billups played only 32 minutes a game last year to Deron's 37, and with the emergence of Rodney Stuckey, I don't expect that to change this year. Five minutes a game might not sound like much, but over an 82 game season that's about 400 minutes of basketball. Also known as: a lot.

1. Chris Paul

Scoring: The difference in shooting ability between Paul and Williams was quite marked in '05-'06, the pair's rookie year. Paul looked tentative, afraid to shoot threes, while Williams attempted about 40 more threes, at a 42% clip. Three years later, Paul is rapidly closing the gap, connecting on 37% of his threes last year, and both taking and making more threes than Williams last year. At this point, Deron is still the more accomplished three point shooter. But in that time frame, Paul also perfected a move that Tony Parker has used successfully for years- the floating one hander. It's allowed him to close with 0.02 points on true shooting percentage of Williams. While Williams has posted higher efficiency in his scoring, Paul has shouldered a greater scoring load, taking about 16.1 field goals per game last year to Williams' 13.6. This one's a marginal advantage at best for Deron, and probably a push.

Passing/Ballhandling: This is where the difference in the two players really comes to the forefront. For one, Paul's 52.2 assist rate last year is higher than any player in NBA history not named John Stockton. Williams' career high 43.6 assist rate in 2008 is still lower than Paul's career assist rate. In terms of ball handling, Paul's career worst turnover rate (13.7) is 7 points worse than Williams career best turnover rate during his rookie year (14.4). Their ball-handling abilities are headed in opposite directions. It's something Deron needs to fix, no matter how pretty his crossover may be, if he hopes to catch Paul. In 60 years, no player had ever crossed the 50% assist rate threshold with a turnover rate lower than 19.1% (Stockton, '90). Last year- Year 61- Chris Paul posted a 12.1 turnover rate to go with his 52.2 assist rate.

Defense: CP3's defense has been much maligned, not only by fans of opposing teams, but also by myself. I do consider Williams the better defender at this point; his frame and size advantage over Paul enable that. But people that say "Chris Paul only plays one side of the ball" are quite mistaken. By virtue of his steals last year, Paul got 126 defensive stops above the average defender (Williams, by the way, finished exactly league average on steals). Paul also offers a significant increase in defensive rebounding over Williams (12.1 to 8.7). So for Paul to have been even an average defender (let alone a defender so horrible as to cancel out his historic offensive contributions), he would've had to give up an outrageous field goal percentage- think in the 70% range- to his opposition- something the numbers suggest he did not.

Other: Fine, Chris Paul has played his worst basketball against Deron Williams. But if you look it up, DWill hasn't played too well against Chris Paul either. At the end of the day, I'll take the guy that destroys 28 NBA teams over the guy who destroys the guy who destroys the other 28. Every player has his nemesis; CP's just happens to be the guy he's compared with all the time.

I've declined to mention overarching stats like PER, Wins Produced, or Win Shares a single time in this post, if only because I wanted to analyze things on a much subtler level. But I will say this. John Hollinger projects a 20.98 PER for Deron Williams this year (a notable increase from last year). Chris Paul posted a 22.1 PER... as a rookie.

Today we have an interview with sports economist and statistician David Berri. He kind enough to give us his thoughts on a variety of topics, including Chris Paul v. Deron Williams, what James Posey brings to the team, and whether Hilton Armstrong may pan out yet. I'd introduce him more thoroughly, but he does a pretty good job of it himself...

At the Hive: Let me start by thanking you for taking the time to talk to us. For Hornets fans who don't know who you are, who is Dave Berri?

David Berri: Most importantly, an Associate Professor of Economics at Southern Utah University.  In other words, I am just a college professor.  Beyond that, I am also vice-president of the North American Association of Sports Economists, lead author of The Wages of Wins (Stanford Press), author or co-author of over 20 academic articles on the economics of sports, and the primary writer at The Wages of Wins Journal

@tH: Have you always been a basketball fan? If not, how were you drawn towards analyzing it instead of, say, football?

DB: Well, I analyze football also.  But I started looking at basketball in graduate school.  When I started looking at the economics of sports, most articles looked at baseball. It seemed to me that basketball had not been examined as much, primarily because measuring performance was more difficult.

@tH: Can you give us a quick summary of Wages of Wins? How does the approach you use to arrive at "Wins Produced" differ from other current basketball statistics?

DB: When people think about The Wages of Wins, they tend to think about basketball.  It’s our work on basketball that caught the attention of Malcolm Gladwell, as well as many other reviewers.  But the book is about quite a bit more.  Essentially the Wages of Wins takes work we wrote on a variety of subjects in sports and economics from academic journals to the general public.  The book begins with a discussion of labor disputes and sports, then moves on to the link between payroll and wins, the measurement and determinants of competitive balance, and then the value of star power in the NBA.  All of that is just the first half of the book.  In the second half we introduced Wins Produced and Win Score (our measures of player performance in the NBA), discuss the ability of NBA players to "step-it-up" in the playoffs, and discuss the consistency of performance in football, baseball, and basketball.  The book concludes with a look at decision-making in the NBA, presenting evidence that scoring is over-valued by coaches and general managers in basketball.

 Wins Produced is detailed in Chapters Six and Seven of the book.  It’s important to note that the book doesn’t include any mathematical equations.  To see those you need to look at an article that was just published in The Business of Sports (a three volume collection edited by Brad Humphreys and Dennis Howard). 

 What makes Wins Produced different is that it is entirely based on regression analysis (the standard statistical method used by economists).  This analysis begins by carefully laying forth the relationship between the statistics the NBA tracks for individual players and team wins (again, you need to see the aforementioned article for the math behind all of this).  With this relationship established we can determine the value of various statistics (points, rebounds, steals, turnovers, etc…) in terms of team wins.  These values are then used to determine the impact each player has on team wins.

 The idea that scoring is over-valued can be seen without looking at Wins Produced.  Simply modeling free agent salaries or the coaches voting for the All-Rookie team tells that story.  Wins Produced, though, also tells this tale.  Players who score inefficiently will simply not produce many wins.  That should make intuitive sense.  Launching shots that do not go in does not actually help a team win games.  Unfortunately, if a player can score – even if that doesn’t happen very efficiently – he can score a major payday.  Hence the incentives of players (i.e. the desire to get paid gobs of money) are not consistent with the incentives of teams (i.e. the desire to win many games).

 A few last notes on the NBA...

It’s important to remember that payroll and wins are not highly correlated in the NBA.  This is the same story we see in football and baseball.  But in the latter two sports, performance is very inconsistent across time. So it’s hard for decision-makers in baseball and football to predict the future and therefore we should not be surprised when payroll can’t explain wins in these sports.

 In basketball, the box score statistics are much more consistent across time (relative to what we see in baseball and football). And these statistics do explain wins.  So we should see teams with the most money acquire the best players.  But this is not what we see.  Although you can see this in the regression analysis, the New York Knicks illustrate the point.  Over the past few years the Knicks have been among the league leaders in payroll but nowhere near the league leaders in wins.

 @tH: One of the more problematic issues today is that "all assists are not created equal." An assister gets the same credit for setting up a guarded, fade-away 26 footer as he does for breaking down two defenders and creating a layup. Due to that, are assists overrated or underrated by current media?

DB: Assists are a fairly crude statistic.  It is the only stat in basketball that is entirely based on the scorer’s judgment.  So we should not be entirely sure about the reliability of assists as a measure of performance.  That being said, I have found that players are more productive when their teammates get more assists.  Although the direction of the causality is not entirely clear, I think assists tell us something.

 As for the media…members of the media do not generally have any training in statistics.  In general it appears they follow this rule: If the numbers support the argument then the numbers are used, if not, the numbers are ignored. 

@tH: If I recall correctly, you looked at Chris Paul's and Deron William's college careers a while back, and came to the conclusion that CP should have been the higher pick. By numerous statistics, Paul has bested Williams for three years now. How wide is the gap currently, according to WoW? And is there any truth to the idea that Deron Williams is a better "fit" for Utah than Chris Paul would be?

DB: Chris Paul led the NBA last year with 25.4 Wins Produced.  So he was the most productive player in the game.   Deron Williams was very good, producing 15.4 wins.  This mark ranked 16th in the league.  Among point guards, only Paul, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Chauncey Billups, and Jose Calderon produced more than Williams.  In sum, Williams is a very good point guard.  But he is not nearly as productive as Paul. 

 As for the better fit issue… I think Utah would be better off with Paul.  Player performance can be negatively impacted by changing teams.  That being said, the effect is not that great.  So I think given the very large difference in productivity numbers between Paul and Williams, I think Paul would likely be more productive than Williams in Utah.

@tH: Staying on the subject of Paul, various statistics suggest that he had one of the greatest offensive seasons by a point guard in history (#1 all time PER, #1 all time Win Shares). In your estimation, where did his last campaign rank historically and what could he have improved?

DB: Since 1991-92, no guard in the NBA has produced more than 25 wins in a single season.  So what Chris Paul did in 2007-08 was very impressive.  Basically you have to go back to the 1980s – when Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan surpassed the 25 win mark a few times – to find a guard who played better than Paul.

@tH: I don't mean to open Pandora's Box here, but there's a question I intend to ask of every sports statistician I ever talk to, heh. What's your take on so-called clutch ability? Does it exist?

DB: As noted earlier, we have looked at performance in the playoffs and the regular season in the NBA.  This analysis failed to find any evidence that a player could systematically play better in the post seasons.  Although I think people can look at this in different ways, I think the underlying story is suspect.  The "clutch ability" story is that a player can simply turn "it" on when his team needs it.   So, according to this story, when a team needs a three pointer to win, certain players can simply step up and hit that shot.   But if that were true, why can’t that same player turn it on earlier in the game? If he did the team probably wouldn’t need a last second three-point shot. 

 My sense is that certain players generally get to take last second shots on teams.  Some of these are bound to go in, and when that happens, the player hitting the shot (and other people around the player) tend to think the player has some special ability.  In reality, a certain percentage of these shots -- given the general shooting ability of the player – are bound to go in the basket.  In other words, hitting a last second shot (or even several such shots) doesn’t mean a player has any special skills.

@tH: The James Posey signing brought up an intriguing question- what exactly is the "value" of winning a championship? (ie, how many consequent mediocre seasons are worth one title?) Is there an answer to this seemingly subjective conundrum from an economics standpoint?

DB: First of all, James Posey is an above average player (at least that is the Wins Produced story).  I talked about this in the following post:

Pargo Helps Out the Hornets

So Posey helps the Hornets with his production on the court.  Now does the fact Posey has played on championship teams help? I don’t buy this story.  The Celtics were led in the 2008 NBA Finals by Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo. None of these players had won an NBA title before 2008.  That lack of experience didn’t seem to matter in the NBA Finals.

@tH: Last, is it true that most big men come into their own during their 3rd seasons? For example, Hilton Armstrong of the Hornets has not shown much improvement over his first 2 campaigns. How do you determine if it's too early to give up on a player?

DB: I am not sure about big men, but players in general do get better in their third season.  When we look at Armstrong, we see that he posted a 0.050 WP48 [Wins Produced per 48 minutes] his rookie season.  Average WP48 is 0.100 for an NBA player in general, although what Armstrong did is close to average for a rookie.

 In his second season, though, Armstrong’s WP48 fell to -0.094 (yes that is a negative sign).  So Armstrong was way below average.  Going back to your question, I think it is incorrect to say Armstrong "has not shown much improvement". What the numbers show is that Armstrong got much worse. 

 So should the Hornets give up on Armstrong?  I am not sure, but it is important for the coaches to figure out why he played so badly in 2007-08.  If those things can be fixed, then the team should keep him.   If not, it is time to look elsewhere.

 @tH: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us, really appreciate it.

DB: Glad to talk to you.  Fans of the Hornets should be very excited right now.  New Orleans is clearly one of the top teams in the NBA and the 2008-09 season should be fun.

Thanks once again to Dr. Berri, hope you enjoyed the interview as much as I did.

Finally, it's the conclusion of the 12 part Olympics preview series. Make sure to check out the preceding 11, alternately posted here and at Green Bandwagon: China, Greece, Russia, Argentina, Australia, Iran, Lithuania, Angola, Croatia, Germany, and Spain. Today, it's Team USA's turn to take center stage. I decided to deviate from the normal preview format a little bit since 99% of you know the roster pretty well.

Instead of offering player bios, I'll break down the individual international matchup I'd like to see most for each Team USA player. Some of them, because of grouping, might not actually happen. I'll take into consideration starting and bench lineups for the purposes of this exercise (so don't come screaming when you don't find a " Ricky Rubio will torch Jason Kidd" prediction).

Jason Kidd vs. Steffen Hamann (Germany)

Hamann is one of the few point guards in the world that can match J-Kidd's height (6'5" to 6'4") and weight (200 to 205). The two are similar in ways beyond height and weight as well. Hamann, like Kidd, has struggled with turnover issues throughout his international career. Both players recently left teams they'd spent a good deal of time with (Hamann departed the Brose Baskets while Kidd left the Nets). I want to see how Kidd reacts when one of his main strengths- rebounding- is potentially taken away from him as well as how well he defends post-ups by the bigger Hamann. As the icing on the cake, both Hamann and JKidd will be dishing to the same seven foot power forward this year- Dirk Nowitzki.

Kobe Bryant vs. Dimitris Diamantidis (Greece)

Hailed by many as the premier perimeter defender in all of Europe, Diamantidis will surely draw the assignment on #24. Could Dimitris claim the much desired title of "Kobe stopper" that various others have bestowed upon themselves (Ruben Patterson comes to mind)? That will be among the many intriguing stories in the U.S.-Greece matchup that many anticipate will be Team America's second toughest challenge. I feel bad posting this, but watch this block on Chris Paul. Then watch this block on Tim Duncan. Defense not your thing? How about Diamantidis drilling a triple in Lebron James' grill? At 6'5", he doesn't seem like the perfect fit to guard Kobe, but his huge wingspan makes up for his height. I'm frothing at the mouth about this matchup already. Dimitris, meet 2008 MVP Kobe Bryant. Kobe, meet 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 Euroleague Defensive Player of the Year Dimitris Diamantidis.

Lebron James vs. Mark Worthington (Australia)

In the 5 pre-Olympics games, I felt like LBJ showed the most competitive emotion (well, other than Dwyane Wade, who was channeling KG). For my money, if Team USA gets involved in a fight, James will be right smack in the middle of it. So that's why I'm looking forward to James matching up with Worthington, who many Australian fans have called a cheap shot artist. Worthington has been noted for throwing intentional elbows at an opponent's neck and face in the past. He's no stranger to being at the center of a confrontation. Not that I'd ever condone a fight, but, you know, if it were to happen and I got to pick the two players...

Carmelo Anthony vs. Luis Scola (Argentina)

Numerous writers and analysts, and most annoyingly, Fran Fraschilla, have repeatedly called Anthony the "best international power forward in the world." Don't get me wrong, I love 'Melo and all, but I'm not buying this. Sure, he's an all world talent offensively. He can drill the long ball, and bang down low. He can bull his way to the bucket or beat you with quickness. But his defense is extremely suspect against NBA small forwards. How exactly is he going to guard the best power forwards in the world? Here's his chance to show us. Scola emerged nicely with the Houston Rockets, but if Argentinian fans are to be believed, we got merely a small glimpse at his true ability. The 250 pound power forward will challenge Anthony tremendously on the boards and test his defensive ability.

Dwight Howard vs. Yao Ming (China)

I was considering going with Iran's Hamed Haddadi, but it doesn't get any better than the Superman-Yao matchup at center. /Bad Joke Begin/ In the 2008 season, Yao was the starting center for the West while Dwight started for the East; in Beijing, their roles will be reversed as Yao represents the East and Dwight the West. /Bad Joke End/. Obviously, Yao has the huge height advantage, but Howard is far stronger and more athletic. I'm sure Chinese fans are hoping this doesn't happen again in Beijing.

Chris Bosh vs. Robertas Javtokas (Lithuania)

Both are 6'11". Both have weights in the 240 pound range. But one has a 33" vertical while the other has a 42" vertical. Javtokas is the owner of the madder hops and has quickly emerged as one of the must-watch players in Beijing. The winner of a 12 foot rim dunk contest, Javtokas returned to basketball from a freak motorcycle injury in 2002. Like Bosh, Robertas can also step out and hit the midrange J when needed. I'm really looking forward to these two guys D'ing up on one another, but more importantly, trying to dunk in each other's faces.

Carlos Boozer vs. Sofoklis Schortsanitis (Greece)

I kind of feel sorry for Carlos; he figures to split time with Chris Bosh in guarding the 6'10", 350 pound Big Sofo (yep, not a typo). At 6'8", 266, Boozer is no stranger to pounding and banging down low, but tackling Sofoklis a.k.a. Baby Shaq a.k.a. The Incredible Hulk will be quite an experience. He's remarkably quick for his size and can get up pretty high as well. This video should give you some idea of just how big "big" is. Time will tell whether Sofo is merely an Eddy Curry type talent, or something more. As far as the Boozer-Sofo matchup, I figure Boozer would do best to draw Sofo out to guard his midrange jumper. Carlos definitely wins the quickness battle here, and it'll be interesting to see if he can use that to outsmart the Hulk on the boards.

Tayshaun Prince vs. Joaquim Gomes (Angola)

This one's a stretch (no pun intended) match-up wise. For one, Gomes is among Angola's starting five while Prince figures to be the twelfth man for the US. Second, at 6'8", Gomes is the tallest player on Angola, so he figures to get more minutes at power forward and center than at small forward. But with Angola's limited depth, it is possible that we see their best player also back up the small forward position. The reason I'd like to see this is because it'd expand Tayshuan's boundaries. We all know he can guard athletic wings and forwards (T-Mac, Kobe, etc). With Rasheed Wallace on his team, we haven't seen him guard opposing power forwards or bigger small forwards that much. We'd get insight into how effective those long arms can truly be as well as some knowledge of how one of Angola's best players matches up against one of the world's most versatile defenders.

Michael Redd vs. Juan Carlos Navarro (Spain)

Even though Navarro will start for the Spanish, we're still pretty likely to see this matchup given how many minutes Navarro should log. In Redd-Navarro, we get a match-up of two of the best pure shooters in the world. Watching either of these guys gun from long range can be absolutely hypnotizing. I could watch JC make it rain all day (sorry, you'll have to endure a few Chris Paul/Tyson Chandler/David West highlights in that clip... totally unintentional, I swear!). Michael Redd's long range stroke is a little uglier, but the results are just as sweet. We can only hope that one or both of these players gets molten lava hot from downtown at some point in Spain-USA.

Dwyane Wade vs. Demond Greene (Germany)

Oh man. With the way Wade played in those opening five games, it's hard to imagine anybody in the world stopping him. But if there's anybody I want to see try, it's Germany's Demond Greene. Greene brings show-stopping athleticism to the table but has been noted for using it defensively more than offensively. He's a great leaper and can also hit the trifecta. Interestingly, Greene originally hails from Fort Hood, Texas. Over the years, he's made a series of highlight reel blocks on elite players from across the world. It's only fitting that his pre-eminent swat is one of D-Wade himself.

Deron Williams vs. Amir Amini (Iran)

From one D.W. to the next. It's almost stunning how similar Deron Williams and Amir Amini are. Amir was born June 10th, 1984, followed sixteen days later by Mr. Williams. They are both listed at 6'3" and 200 pounds. Amini is considered among the purest, most pass-first point guards in all of Europe while DWill ranks among the purest in the NBA. I would be absolutely shocked if these two back up points didn't check one another if Iran were to play the U.S. For Williams, it's a chance to show his rare skills that extend beyond gifted height and athleticism. For Amini, it's a chance to play against someone of his very mold and to understand what it'll take to reach that caliber. And by the way, I didn't put DWill against the 6'4" Ricky Rubio because Rubio plays a quick PG, not Deron Williams' powerful style.

Chris Paul vs. Ricky Rubio (Spain)

Well, you knew I was saving the best for last, right? Obviously, as a Hornets fan, I am drooling over this matchup. My keyboard is so full of saliva, I'm going to have to go buy a new one right after this. The best point guard in the best league in the world gets to take on a 17 year old challenger to his throne. There is wide speculation that Rubio will declare for next year's draft, and some say he should be the number one overall pick. He's brilliant in the open court, a great shooter, and of course, a terrific passer. I read one writer who called Rubio the "greatest teenager he's ever seen." My initial reaction was to scoff; LBJ anyone? Then I saw this on Rubio's Wikipedia page: "In [a] 110-106 double overtime finale victory over Russia, Rubio scored 51 points (including a three-point, buzzer-beating shot from mid-court, to force the first overtime), grabbed 24 rebounds, made 12 assists, and stole the ball seven times, a performance unprecedented in [Under-16] history. Rubio also was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament after leading it in points, rebounds, assists and steals." Ummm. What? 51, 24, 12, and 7? US fans irked at Kidd over Paul and Spanish fans bummed about Calderon over Rubio... cheer up. It's CP3 versus Ricky Business.

Poll

Will the US bring home Gold?

79%

Yes

43 votes

20%

否

11 votes

54 votes | Poll has closed

The U.S. finally had an opportunity to match up with a Beijing bound team today, as they took on Lithuania. As expected, it was a blowout. Yesterday, we saw the back-up point guard pendulum sway Chris Paul's way, as he was the first PG off the bench and the recipient of more minutes than either Deron Williams or Jason Kidd. Let's get started, shall we?

• Play #1 - Kobe Bryant pokes the ball away from a Lithuanian guard, and Jason Kidd is credited with a steal. JK 1, CP 0, DW 0.
• Play #2 - Kidd with another heads-up defensive play, poking the basketball out of bounds. JK 2, CP 0, DW 0.
• Play #3 - Another great play from JKidd, this time on the offensive end. He penetrates past 4 Lithuanian defenders before dumping to Dwight Howard who has 6 early points. JK 3, CP 0, DW 0.
• Play #4 - Yet another steal for Kidd, as he reads the pick and roll perfectly. JK 4, CP 0, DW 0.
• Play #5 - In one motion, Kidd completes the steal and alley-oop passes it upcourt to set up a LBJ jam. Fast start for Kidd. JK 5, CP 0, DW 0.
• Play #6 - Kidd breaks up a fastbreak layup by stripping the ball and sending it out of bounds. JK 6, CP 0, DW 0.
• Play #7 - JKidd converts a fast break layup on the very next play. Lithuania's playing probably the worst transition defense I've ever seen from any team. JK 7, CP 0, DW 0.
• Play #8 - Kidd to Howard again. D-Ho gets fouled and somehow puts it in off glass. JK 8, CP 0, DW 0.
• CP comes in at the 4:25 mark for Jason Kidd who's had a terrific first 5 and a half minutes. DWill on the bench for now.
• Williams checks in at 2:48. Paul hasn't done anything notable in the last 1 and a half minutes.
  
• Play #9 - Chris Paul races up court only to have a Lithuanian player race even faster and force a turnover from behind. JK 8, CP -1, DW 0.
• Play #10 - Deron Williams' turn to throw it away. Luckily though, a good bounce gives him the ball back. JK 8, CP -1, DW -1.
• Play #11 - Crazy shot from Chris Paul. Shot clock winding down, three Lithuanians converge on Paul on the wing. Unfazed, he rises up and fades away, somehow drilling the 15 footer. JK 8, CP 0, DW -1.
• Play #12 - CP3 sets up a wide open three for Deron, but DWill leaves it way short. JK 8, CP 1, DW -1.
• Play #13 - Nice defensive play from Chris as he bats away a long outlet pass and breaks up a fastbreak opportunity. JK 8, CP 2, DW -1.
• Play #14 - Deron deftly escapes a trap in the corner by making a tough bounce pass to 'Melo. Anthony misses the wide open three, but score for Williams. JK 8, CP 2, DW 0.
• Play #15 - CP drives baseline, draws the double, and finds Chris Bosh for the slam dunk. Elementary. JK 8, CP 3, DW 0.
• End 1. The U.S. gave up a mere 15 points in the first period, en route to a 16 point advantage.
  
• Play #16 - D-Will drives baseline but throws it away. JK 8, CP 3, DW -1.
• Play #17 - Williams swings over a nice pass to Chris Paul wide open in the corner, but CP can't convert the trifecta. JK 8, CP 3, DW 0.
• Play #18 - DWill with a nice strip of the ball defensively. He's not credited for the steal officially (I believe Wade gets it), but he made it happen. JK 8, CP 3, DW 1.
• Play #19 - Williams gets it right back from Wade and takes it to the hoop. He's fouled really hard in the air and remains down for a brief second. JK 8, CP 3, DW 2.
• Play #20 - CP with a sneaky defensive play. He pokes the ball out of bounds in the backcourt, then immediately grabs it as though it belongs to Team USA. Not sure exactly what happened or who it belongs to, but good work from Paul. JK 8, CP 4, DW 2.
• Williams leaves for Redd on that stoppage of play (8:32 left in the second). Paul remains on the floor.
• And then Williams comes back in for Paul at 6:30.
  
• Play #21 - Deron gets the ball underneath the hoop and makes a nice kickout to a wide open Michael Redd. Redd misses but score a non-assist assist. JK 8, CP 4, DW  3.
• Play #22 - Another great play for Williams. He takes the lead on the fastbreak, finishing it with a wrap-around pass around his defender to LBJ. JK 8, CP 4, DW 4.
• Play #23 - DWill gets in front of a posting-up Lithuanian player and comes up with the steal. JK 8, CP 4, DW 5.
• Play #24 - He immediately sprints up court with the ball, drawing a clear path foul. JK 8, CP 4, DW 6.
• Play #25 - Williams a little bit overaggressive defensively. He goes for the steal but commits a bad foul by slapping his opponent on the wrist. JK 8, CP 4, DW 5.
• Play #26 - Kobe drives baseline and attracts a crowd before kicking out to Williams. DWill swings it over to Carmelo who drills a three, but I'm not giving any points to Williams on this one. Kobe set up the play. JK 8, CP 4, DW 5.
• Chris Paul comes back in for Williams at the 3:10 mark. So we got a solid 3:20 of a pure Williams at the point look.
  
• Play #27 - CP threads the needle to Bosh on the U.S.' last offensive possession of the half. Bosh somehow throws it in and the foul. JK 8, CP 5, DW 5.
• Play #28 - Paul with a stupid foul chasing a Lithuanian trying to get off a shot before the buzzer. It results in two free throws. JK 8, CP 4, DW 5.
• Halftime.
  
• Play #29 - JKidd picks up where he left off, turning a Kobe Bryant missed three pointer into an extra possession for the U.S. JK 9, CP 4, DW 5.
• Play #30 - Poor pick and roll D from Kidd, and it leads to two Lithuanian free throws. JK 8, CP 4, DW 5.
• Play #31 - Stupid foul from Kidd. He gets caught underneath the hoop with a Lithuanian big due to poor defense from Kobe, but committing the foul was pointless. JK 7, CP 4, DW 5.
• Play #32 - Kidd lays out on the floor to pick up a steal. Great hustle, and he ignites a fast break. JK 8, CP 4, DW 5.
• At 4:50, Chris Paul off the bench for J-Kidd, who turned in another impressive quarter.
• Deron Williams in for Kobe a few seconds later.
  
• Play #33 - Beautiful drive by Williams who threads the needle to LBJ underneath the bucket. And one. JK 8, CP 4, DW 6.
• Play #34 - CP brings it up the court and passes it to DWill; Deron can't handle it and it's a turnover. I'm taking away a point from both- it could've been a better pass, and it could've been a better gather. JK 8, CP 3, DW 5.
• Play #35 - Paul somehow breaks up the ensuing 3 on 1 fast break before Carmelo comes in and is called for a questionable foul. JK 8, CP 4, DW 5.
• Play #36 - Next play, CP3 finds Dwyane Wade for the wing trifecta. I didn't know Wade could hit the three ball... JK 8, CP 5, DW 5.
• Play #37 - Terrific play from Williams. He attacks the zone by driving hard right down the middle. He finishes by taking a hard bump and dropping it off glass with one hand. JK 8, CP 5, DW 6. In case you're wondering, DW's trumped both Paul and Kidd with 8 positive offensive plays thus far to their 5 apiece.
  
• Play #38 - DWill comes right back with another good play. He makes a tough pass to Bosh underneath even though CB can't finish. JK 8, CP 5, DW 7.
• Play #39 - Chris Paul up high to Dwyane Wade. Alley oop! Funny thing about the set up of that play- Chris Bosh rebounded and Deron Williams came and asked him for the ball. Bosh instead passed it to Paul who wasn't in a great position to get it. Hmmm. JK 8, CP 6, DW 7.
• Play #40 - Paul to Wade, straightway three. JK 8, CP 7, DW 7.
• End 3.
  
• Play #41 - Deron Williams strong again to the hoop, drawing the foul. JK 8, CP 7, DW 8.
• Play #42 - Williams right up the gut one more time. This time he finishes it, plus the foul. His second opportunity at a three point play today. JK 8, CP 7, DW 9.
• Play #43 - Good D from Paul, as he knocks the ball high in the air and out of bounds. JK 8, CP 8, DW 9.
• Play #44 - Deron Williams' turn to knock it out of bounds. JK 8, CP 8, DW 10.
• Play #45 - Whoaaaaaa!!! A windmill alley oop by Dwyane Wade off the feed from Chris Paul. Seriously, a windmill alley oop. Wade looks absolutely brilliant. JK 8, CP 9, DW 10.
• Play #46 - Paul makes a dazzling move on the break to lose a defender before finding Redd for yet another corner trifecta. JK 8, CP 10, DW 10.
• Play #47 - Williams again. He is just shredding the zone, as he gets his third opportunity at a three point play (he's missed the free throw twice). JK 8, CP 10, DW 11.
• Ummm. For some ridiculous reason, DWill isn't credited with the bucket. God, FIBA officiating is more suspect than NBA officiating, if that's even possible. I'm not taking away the point though.
  
• Play #48 - DWill make a crisp feed off the drive to Redd who drills the straightaway three. JK 8, CP 10, DW 12.
• Play #49 - There goes Williams. Crossover, and a layup over Lithuania's center. DWill is just unguardable right now. JK 8, CP 10, DW 13.
• Play #50 - Chris Paul with a crazy find of Michael Redd in the corner, an eyes in the back of the head pass. JK 8, CP 11, DW 13.
  
• Play #51 - Paul with a rebound of an airball and then a long pass up ahead for Michael Redd who throws down. JK 8, CP 12, DW 13.
• Play #52 - A drive and kick from Williams, and Tayshaun splashes in a long deuce. JK 8, CP 12, DW 14.
• Play #53 - DWill gets beat on the defensive end by a spinning move from Lithuania's point guard. He commits a shooting foul at the end of the play. JK 8, CP 12, DW 13.
• Play #54 - CP's turn to find Tayshaun. This time, Prince steps behind the three point line before drilling it. JK 8, CP 13, DW 13.
• Play #55 - Chris Paul makes a hard drive to the hoop and gets fouled in the process. U.S. by 35 as the game starts to wrap itself up. JK 8, CP 14, DW 13.
• Play #56 - Williams drives baseline and makes a no-look back tap feed to Redd in the corner. Michael can't connect from deep. JK 8, CP 14, DW 14.
• Play #57 - CP3 threads the needle to Deron Williams who makes a touch pass to Carlos Boozer coming down the lane. Score one for both. JK 8, CP 15, DW 15.
• Play #58 - Good D by Paul on the P&R, as he swats the ball out of bounds. JK 8, CP 16, DW 15.
• Play #59 - Deron gets beat on the drive again by Lithuania's PG. JK 8, CP 16, DW 14.
• Play #60 - Poor execution by Chris Paul on his own P&R as he tries to hit Carlos Boozer with the feed. It's picked cleanly. JK 8, CP 15, DW 14.
• Play #61 - DWill penetrates the zone at well, finding Tayshaun for three. A brick is laid. JK 8, CP 15, DW 15.
• Play #62 - Chris Paul steps out to cover the ball in the front of the U.S.'s 2-3 zone. He comes up with a steal. JK 8, CP 16, DW 15.
• Play #63 - And then he takes it coast to coast for the dunk. Not a Slam Dunk, but a dunk nevertheless. JK 8, CP 17, DW 15.
• Zeroes on the clock, Paul dribbles it out.

So it was the return of Jason Kidd and Deron Williams. Let's start with JKidd. He only got 11 minutes of burn; I think if he had played the 20+ minutes that Paul and Williams did, he easily would've contributed as much. Simply put, Kidd was on top of his game today. He was aggressive on both sides of the court, didn't try to make too many fancy passes (as he did in games 1 and 2), and eschewed that in favor of solid, fundamental basketball. If Coach K. had the slightest doubts about Kidd as a starter, today must have quelled those.

Deron Williams emerged as the primary "zone-buster" among the three point guards. He had an array of acrobatic moves to the hoop, but more important than that was the fearlessness he showed in driving to the bucket. Lithuania was the first of the 3 pre-Olympics opponents to consistently show the zone, and Williams shined against it. Most analysts predict that the Olympic opponents of the U.S. will play zone D in Beijing because the Americans have struggled heavily against the zone in the past. If that proves to be the case, expect DWill to get his share of minutes even if he is outplayed by Paul in the remaining two games.

Finally, it was somewhat of a lackluster game for Chris Paul. I had him scored at a '22' in each of the first two games, and he finished with just 17 today. He certainly seemed a little bit slow on the court, but it's important to note that Coach K did go to DWill a little more than normal (because of the zone). Even though his 2-5 shooting might indicate otherwise, Paul didn't "struggle" against the zone or anything like that.

A more in-depth breakdown of the scoring:

# of...	Chris Paul	Deron Williams	Jason Kidd
Positive Offensive Plays	15	18	5
Negative Offensive Plays	3	3	0
Positive Defensive Plays	6	3	5
Negative Defensive Plays	1	3	2

Deron Williams was clearly the superior player in terms of offensive production. Jason Kidd's value in this game came from how few mistakes he made. Without a single turnover, he made literally zero errors on the offensive side of the ball. And neither of his defensive errors (both silly fouls if I remember correctly) led immediately to a Lithuanian bucket. Finally, CP3 continued his trend of being the best defender among the three point guards. He not only made the most positive defensive contributions of the 3 (6) but also the fewest negative ones (1). I have to repeat again that the low number of negative defensive plays by all three players is quite stunning. All three American opponents thus far (Canada, Turkey, and Lithuania) have featured big guards against CP, DW, and JK but haven't had much success.

Odds and ends: Coach K looked like he hasn't slept in weeks... Fran Fraschilla is getting on my nerves, complaining about the U.S.' (pretty solid) defense every time LBJ or somebody throws down a dunk. Seriously dude, stop being so negative. I understand we need better P&R defense. Just don't tell us that while Wade is throwing down an alley-oop windmill... And Rick Kamla? We understand that there will be "3 or 4 calls every game in FIBA play that nobody will agree with." I'm not going to forget that every 5 seconds. One time is enough... Finally, Dwyane Wade is in full-on Beast Mode. Some writer on the intertubes mentioned that Wade reminds him of Vince Carter circa the 2000 Olympics (ie, when he was coming off a bad year, lost his favorite teammate to another team (TMac), went totally crazy, destroyed entire teams in his wake, and jumped over 7 foot Frenchmen). That writer was deadly accurate- Dwyane Wade is the last guy you want to mess with right now.

Game 2 of the U.S.'s pre-Olympic tuneups. This game- against Turkey- felt a lot more official than the last one, with loud music blaring before the tip and the crowd roaring its approval as LBJ did the powder thing with his hands. Even if China is the clear crowd favorite at Beijing, the U.S. can't be far behind, despite all the anti-American sentiment across the globe. Check my Game One breakdown if you missed it, and on to Game Two! I decided to make one minor change and document Jason Kidd's plays in addition to Paul's and Williams'.

• Play #1 - For the first four possessions, Kidd doesn't even touch the ball. Finally, on #5, he brings it up. Passes it off and doesn't touch again. JK 0, CP 0, DW 0.
• Play #2 - Kidd goes for the risky steal on a 2 on 2 fast break. He swipes at