Team USA roster shows flexibility

At first glance, it's hard to tell which is more impressive: the list of players who will be with USA Basketball this summer or the list of those who won't.

With LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and Chris Bosh forming Team USA's nucleus, coach Mike Krzyzewski has to like his chances in any game.

But how about a team that includes Dwyane Wade, Shawn Marion, Gilbert Arenas, Paul Pierce, Elton Brand and Chris Paul? Again, Krzyzewski probably would take his chances.

That's the paradox Team USA faces as it gathers the 17-man active roster this week in Las Vegas.

A three-day minicamp begins Friday at Cox Pavilion and culminates with Sunday's State Farm Basketball Challenge Blue-White Game at the Thomas & Mack Center.

It's the first step in the Americans' quest to finish first or second in next month's FIBA Americas Tournament to qualify for the 2008 Olympics in China.

James, Bryant and Anthony figure to be the go-to guys for the U.S. squad, as Wade, Arenas, Marion and Paul sit to recover from injuries sustained during the NBA season.

But Jerry Colangelo, the managing director for Team USA, said he thinks there's still enough talent for the Americans to achieve their goal.

Colangelo knew that not all of the players who made the three-year commitment would be available each summer.

It's why he structured the built-in flexibility within the team's roster to allow Jason Kidd, Mike Miller, Tyson Chandler, Tayshaun Prince, Deron Williams and Kevin Durant to play this summer. None of them did last summer when Team USA failed to win the FIBA World Championships in Japan and secure an automatic bid to the Olympics.

The United States finished third and now must qualify for the Beijing Games.

The new players will join James, Anthony, Bosh, Kirk Hinrich, Shane Battier and Dwight Howard from last year's team, along with Bryant, Stoudemire, Chauncey Billups and Michael Redd. Bryant and Stoudemire didn't play last summer because of injuries, and Billups and Redd were unavailable because of family obligations.

"We've added a lot of quality players," Colangelo said Tuesday. "I think our roster this year, top to bottom, is stronger than last year's."

But some talented players will be missing. Among them is Marion, a former UNLV star who is recovering from a foot injury.

"Shawn told me he was bothered by plantar fasciitis and he doesn't want to push it," Colangelo said. "My stance has been from the start that the players' health comes first. If Shawn can't go 100 percent, he shouldn't play."

Some players had other reasons to stay home.

Carlos Boozer has a family obligation. Adam Morrison and Luke Ridnour decided, after talking to Colangelo, to work on their games on their own given their slim chances of making the team.

With 17 in camp compared with 24 last summer, the court won't be as crowded during the three-hour workouts Friday and Saturday at Cox.

"Let's keep things in perspective," Colangelo said. "This is step two in a three-step process. Last year was step one. This is step two, and we'll have all of next year's NBA season to evaluate those in the player pool to help determine the final roster for the Olympics. That will be step three.

"The fact that we came up with a large roster has already paid dividends. Last year we had a lot of guys who couldn't participate because of injuries, and this year is the same. But we have a deep pool to draw from, so I'm confident about our roster."