Report Card: USA 113, Dominican Republic 59

United States

113

Final

59

Dominican Republic

STARTERS

	Chris Paul, G 0-1 FG | 0-1 3PT | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 3 AST | 0 PTS Whether it was to rest his injured thumb or for some other reason, Paul didn't see much time on Thursday, playing only 8 minutes. When he was on the floor, he was his usual CP3 self, but the sample size isn't big enough to fairly award a grade.
	Kobe Bryant, G 2-6 FG | 0-3 3PT | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 1 AST | 4 PTS A below-average effort for Kobe. He looked disjointed and, dare I say it, old out there. Nevertheless, he is still Kobe and he hit a few unreal shots, as he is prone to doing. This clearly wasn't his best game, but Kobe's not done yet.
	Carmelo Anthony, F 3-6 FG | 0-0 3PT | 7-8 FT | 5 REB | 0 AST | 13 PTS Carmelo score very efficiently, repeatedly attacking the basket and getting to the line. He's still not interested in playing defense, but if he was, hell might actually freeze over. Melo just is who he is — and he had a solid game against the D.R.
	LeBron James, F 2-5 FG | 1-3 3PT | 2-4 FT | 2 REB | 3 AST | 7 PTS LeBron James is the best player in the world, but he was mostly invisible on Thursday. Coach K opted to rest him, playing him only 17 minutes, but he wasn't aggressive when he did get his chances. That's fine in Vegas, not so much in London.
	Tyson Chandler, C 3-3 FG | 0-0 3PT | 1-2 FT | 5 REB | 1 AST | 7 PTS Chandler got into foul trouble early, which is something that absolutely cannot happen against teams like Spain and Brazil. However, he rallied in the second half and showed why he'll be indispensable as the anchor of the defense.

Pre-Game Primer: USA vs. Dominican Republic

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.

With Davis Down and Odom Out, Team USA's Options Dwindle

As you've no doubt already heard (particularly if you are following us on Twitter — shameless plug in the lede!), Anthony Davis went down with a rather nasty ankle sprain in a workout in New Orleans on Sunday, leaving his availability for London in serious doubt. Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski broke the unfortunate news first.

Of course, this being 2012 and the Internet being, you know, the Internet, Woj's revelation set off a firestorm of polarized sermonizing about the impact (or lack thereof) of Davis' injury on Team USA's fortunes. Some felt the prospect of relying on the not-exactly-durable Tyson Chandler as the roster's only true center boded ill for the team moving forward. Others felt that Davis was mostly expendable, that LeBron James playing center in a small-ball lineup is a "dream scenario," and that everyone should just cool their pessimistic jets.

All valid points made by some of our brightest basketball minds. So, who's right? Well, as is so often the case online and in life, the answer likely lies somewhere between the two extremes.

Decision Time: Who Will Make Team USA's Olympic Roster?

With only days remaining until America's best basketball players descend on Las Vegas for the beginning of Team USA training camp, the squad's potential makeup is coming into clearer view. To be sure, there are some tough choices left to be made by head coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff, but a rash of recent injuries has significantly narrowed the pool of available talent.

Dwyane Wade is planning to have knee surgery. Derrick Rose is still recovering from one of his own. Chris Bosh is resting his mysterious (but still really serious) abdominal injury. Andrew Bynum is being, well, Andrew Bynum. And Dwight Howard is apparently spending his summer accusing the Orlando Magic of blackmail.

All of that leaves just 16 players on USA Basketball's current list of finalists to fill 12 seats on the plane to London. Final rosters are due July 7, just two days after players report to camp.