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The buffer between Summer League action and the daily grind of the regular season has become the excellent play of the national team. Ever since Jerry Colangelo took over basketball operations for the United States and brought along Coach Mike Krzyzewski in 2005, the team has won championships in the Beijing Olympics, 2010 FIBA World Championships and last year's Olympics. A refocused effort on team unity, hard work and dedication has furthered the program and reaffirmed them (or us, if you're real patriotic) as the best basketball nation in the world.
With that being said, the Team USA minicap with the younger players, sans superstars like Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Derrick Rose, wraps up with a scrimmage between the blue and white.
According to Rich Twu, I think, of LetsGoWarriors, here are the players of their respective rosters.
WHITE 24 Anderson 20 Conley 25 Drummond 33 Faried 29 George 27 Holiday 23 Irving 35 Jordan 32 Kidd-Gilchrist 21 Lawson 39 Parsons 38 Zeller
— LetsGoWarriors (@LetsGoWarriors) July 24, 2013
BLUE TEAM: 46 Barnes <- 36 Cousins 42 Davis 41 DeRozan 37 Favors 31 Hayward 22 Lillard 62 Monroe 34 Thompson <- 51 Waiters 26 Walker 50 Wall
— LetsGoWarriors (@LetsGoWarriors) July 24, 2013
Though it'll probably be treated as an exhibition or more likely, an All-Star game where players don't go all out until the 4th quarter when competitive egos clash, it'll be refreshing to watch this caliber of basketball after the moribund style permeating the arena in the past week. It also appears that Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes are on the same team as Oakland-native Damian Lillard. Hmm, I wonder who we will be cheering for.
The 12-man roster for 2014's World Cup is still in question—though two guys made announcements today—so this is an up close and personal way the players can make an impression. With LeBron James's Olympic career ending, it'll be interesting who the next wave of elite athletes are that will represent "Murica. Anything is possible, obviously, but it appears some of the frontrunners in this scrimmage will be Kyrie Irving and Paul George with everything else looking like a crapshoot.
But back to the game itself, what are going to be your favorite matchups today and who do you think will form the 12-man roster in 2014?