USA Basketball Team Full of Big Names, but Not Big Men

The NBA is a guard's league. After all, fans love to see the high-octane, high scoring, Phoenix Suns style of game. As a result, most of the biggest names in the game aren't very big in a literal sense.

The USA basketball team roster was announced-the twelve men who will represent the country in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Below is the complete list.

C Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic)
PF Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz)
PF Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors)
SF LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
SF Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets)
SF Tayshaun Prince (Detroit Pistons)
SG Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
SG Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks)
SG Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat)
PG Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks)
PG Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets)
PG Deron Williams (Utah Jazz)

The USA basketball team is clearly loaded at guard, with the likes of Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Paul at the forefront. At the three spot there lies some length and athleticism with LeBron and company.

But what about the big men? Only one quarter of the squad plays in the front court. A three-man rotation certainly maximizes playing time, keeping the best bigs on the court as much as possible, but if one of them goes on a fouling frenzy, who's left to fill in? I can personally guarantee that you won't be seeing LeBron James battling down low at the four spot.

As talented as the elected point guard trio are, there won't be nearly enough minutes to go around, which means one of those guards is eating up a roster spot on the bench. A more valuable use of that spot would have been to keep just two point guards and add a third fourth big man-like Tyson Chandler or Rasheed Wallace.

Or Kevin Garnett.

If it's a transition game the coaching staff is after (which very well be the case with Mike D'Antoni as one of the assistant coaches), Garnett fits that role in addition to being the powerhouse in the middle. But with his new ring in hand, Garnett has stated that he will not be playing on the USA basketball team this year.

Playing with a guard-infested lineup seems like a great idea on the offensive end, but without the depth in the middle, the USA basketball team may find themselves getting pounded in the paint. Don't get me wrong, the combination of Carlos Boozer and Dwight Howard is scary, not to mention more than capable of standing up to the best bigs in the world, but the selection committee did not provide enough depth. The USA basketball team needs more tanks and less infantry.