Coach K loves hard-nosed, in your face defense. This squad compared to the Beijing team don't really match up in terms of defensive intensity, but some equivalencies could be suggested. The overall defensive strength might be less, but the offensive firepower might be increased.
The guard rotation at Beijing consisted of Kidd, CP3 and Dwill. My match for those three for Turkey are Billups, Rondo & Rose (overWestbrook, but it is close). Michael Redd was the designated zonebuster, and I doubt anyone would argue that Stephen Curry can handlethat assignment. That leaves Kobe and Wade, with the possibilities forthe two spots being Tyreke, O. J. and Eric Gordon. All three can fillup the scoreboard, but I shade Evans and Mayo for their defensiveabilities over Gordon.
At the wing forward positions, LeBron, Melo & Prince was an interesting combination. 'Melo was the offensivejuggernaut, LeBron was the 'do everything' guy, and Prince was thedefensive stopper. I believe a similar triumvirate exists in KevinDurant, Rudy Gay & Gerald Wallace. Wallace is the strongestdefender, while Rudy is offense. Few will deny that Durant is anadequate defender, while being an offensive threat as soon as he stepson the court.
The big rotation was Howard, Bosh &Boozer. With the first list of players, I saw the closest equivalencyto that as Brook Lopez, David Lee, and Lamar Odom. Lopez is notas good a defender as Dwight Howard, but he was the only true Centerthere, plus he is a definite offensive upgrade. Odom is the bestdefender of the three, and I see Lee as a better fit over Love.
Billups, Wallace and Odom should be locks with their veteran experience along with what they bring to the table. Durant, Rondo, Rose & Gay have all been pretty much givens by mostobservers, and Tyreke and Curry have both gotten lots of press as beingheavy favorites. O. J. is the man on the bubble here. He is going toneed an impressive camp in order to make the team.
