The Best Bronze Medal Money Can Buy?

Rick Chandler — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:35:26 EDT

The U.S. Olympic basketball roster was announced on Monday, and looking it over I think that we've finally engineered a lineup that can beat Angora. USA! USA! Getting by Argentina and Lithuania may be more problematic. Anyway, you've got your Kobe Bryant, your LeBron James, your Dwyane Wade, your Carmello Anthony ... in other words, an enormous cluster**** for the ball every time the shot clock winds below seven seconds. Thank God we'll have the iron nerve and Dumbleodore-like wisdom of head coach Mike Krzyzewski to draw on.

The rest of the U.S. roster: Jason Kidd, Tayshaun Prince, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Michael Redd and Deron Williams. No tryouts of course — what NBA player is going to agree to show up if there's a chance he could get cut? — and the squad will play only one exhibition game, vs. Canada next month, before heading to China in August. Bryant, James, Anthony, Kidd and Dwight Howard started for a team that went unbeaten in the Olympic qualifying tournament last year.

And now in this paragraph I usually rant about how in the U.S., basketball is mostly devoid of fundamentals and is used merely as entertainment, while in the rest of the world it's still taken seriously. Also I would observe that a team of NBA stars got crushed in Athens in 2004. But for this post I'll skip it.

By the way, if you're an NBA player who feels slighted by not being included on the roster, take heart: There may yet be an opening.

James, Bryant To Lead U.S. Team In Beijing [NBC Sports]

Welcome Back, Luther Campbell

Leitch — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 15:30:53 EDT

Having 2 Live Crew lead dog and longtime Hurricanes booster Luther Campbell away from the U for so many years ... it just seems wrong, doesn't it? It's like Pete Rose being out of baseball, except Luther Campbell is much better for the planet.

Anyway, it looks like Miami is welcoming Luther back after years of exile.

apper Luther Campbell says he appreciates how Randy Shannon has welcomed him back to the UM family. 'Randy called the first recruiting day and said, `Luke, I want you to come down here.' And I said, 'You sure?' He said, 'Yeah.' Whatever I can do to help him out, I'm here for.'' Campbell runs an Optimist club in Liberty City, and some of those players could end up Canes. Shannon invited him to bring 8,000 kids to the Georgia Tech game.

Campbell, aware UM had tried to distance itself from him, said, ''I understand they were trying to clean up their image, but I wasn't part of the problem. All I ever did was tell Jerome Brown, Melvin Bratton, Darrell Fullington to go in the right direction.'' But Campbell won't ask for a sideline pass: ``It's too hot.''

True, Campbell once paid Hurricanes for big plays, but that was a long time ago. Besides, if Miami gets in trouble, there's one man who can stand bravely against them.

A Man Who Doesn't Spend Time With His Family Can Never Be A Real Man [Lt. Winslow]

Deadspin: The U

The Best Bronze Medal Money Can Buy?

Welcome Back, Luther Campbell