Thomas & Mack Center
Las Vegas, NV
Time: 9:00 p.m. EST
TV: ESPN
It's here. Tonight, we will finally get our first (in-game) glimpse of the 2012 incarnation of Team USA when coach John Calipari's Dominican Republic squad visit the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. As has become customary with this year's team, injuries continue to abound, so we may not be able to get a full picture of how the squad will fit together. Blake Griffin will be out (and maybe for awhile) after re-injuring his knee during practice yesterday, while Chris Paul may be limited as he continues to struggle with a sprained thumb. However, no matter who winds up on the court, keen observers should be able to begin gathering at least some insight as to how coach Mike Krzyzewski expects this team to operate in the weeks ahead. It should be fun.
What To Watch For:
The Brow auditions on the big stage. Griffin will be out and, according to sources, Anthony Davis has been asked to suit up for tonight's exhibition. With Team USA's obvious problems in the paint, Griffin's injury could come as yet another blow to Krzyzewski's big man rotation if he is ruled out for London — and someone will have to fill that void. It looks like Davis is (literally) the last viable option at this point, so it will be interesting to see how he asserts himself against a strong post player like the Dominican Republic's Al Horford. If he can hold his own and show he belongs against Horford, it will go a long way toward calming many fans' concerns.
So happy together? One of the things that has intrigued me to this point but has yet to be answered is how LeBron James and Kevin Durant, the two best players in the world and both prolific scorers who each need plenty of shots, will co-exist on the floor together for an extended period of time. Who will assert himself? Who will sacrifice looks for the betterment of the team? Who is the go-to guy when Team USA needs a bucket? Or is all of this just needless worrying and will they mesh together beautifully to actually destroy the entire world through their basketball awesomeness? We will start getting answers to these questions tonight. (For the record, my take? This is LeBron's team first and foremost, and the shots will be distributed accordingly.)
Thumbs, thumbs, thumbs. We know Paul is nursing a sprained thumb, but he has pushed through training camp sessions in recent days, wanting to get in as many reps as possible to get comfortable with the offense. Frankly, that's just the type of player he is — he could be dying and you would still have to drag him off the court. It will be interesting to see if/how the thumb limits him tonight, and if that results in a shift in minutes at the point guard position. After all, Deron Williams is healthy and capable, and this game doesn't actually count for anything. Also noteworthy: Russell Westbrook had his thumb wrapped during yesterday's practice, something dates back to the Thunder's playoff run. This particular injury seems to be lingering, but it hasn't slowed him down yet. Nevertheless, still something worth watching moving forward. Keep an eye on the thumbs.
And so it begins...
Follow @LondonBalling12