Kobe, AI, and Jermaine O'Neal join USA Team

[Scary Hedo]

http://www.usabasketball.com/seniormen/03_molyq_third3.html

USA Basketball officially announced today that NBA All-Stars Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), MVP of the 2002 NBA All-Star Game and a three-time member of the NBA champion Lakers, Allen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers), 2001 MVP of the NBA, and Jermaine O'Neal (Indiana Pacers), winner of the NBA's Most Improved Player Award in 2002, have been added to its Senior National Team.

[Andrew]

Looks like the team will be at least as strong as Dream Team III (1996) or Team USA of 2000. A good thing after the poor showing in the World Championships.

[Bill Russell]

Just making it official... I hope someone like Ben Wallace gets named too, and if Shaq changes his mind he'll be more than welcomed...

[Matthew]

Iverson, Kobe, Tmac, Jermaine O'neal and td in the same starting line-up.. damn...

[Andrew]

If Larry Brown can't coach that team to victory in the qualifying tournament, then his credibility as a coach will certainly be questioned, to say the least.

According to ESPN.com, the next three players who are expected to receive invitations for the team are Elton Brand, Richard Jefferson and Nick Collison from Kansas. I'm not sure if I agree with this idea of nine core players and three role players that the article refers too. I know Stern said a couple of years back "no more Dream Teams", but after the showing at the World Championships, I thought that should be the idea.

There's enough question marks surrounding Mike Bibby's inclusion in the team as one of the supposed nine "core players" of Team USA, let alone Richard Jefferson. Still, this is only for the qualifying tournament - the article did say changes could (and probably would) be made for the 2004 Olympic team.

The link, if anyone wants to read it for themselves:

Brand, Jefferson, Collison to get Team USA invites

[Rens]

Jefferson and Collison are not picks I would've made, I mean Collison over players even like Kurt Thomas, Brian Grant, Juwan Howard? They could all fill that role player role. Also, no Garnett (yet) ? Yet Jefferson and Collison.. interesting to say the least.

[Andrew]

If that article is anything to go by, KG will probably skip the qualifying tournament, but accept the invitation to be on the squad that competes in the Olympic tournament.