Don't let the 91-76 score fool you.  Team USA's win over Argentina on Thursday wasn't that close.  Refusing to be distracted by Argentina's oddly hypnotic jerseys, the Americans made their way into the semi-finals of the Tournament of the Americas, and now need only a win Saturday over Puerto Rico (you lovely island) to clinch a slot in Beijing.  I'm willing to pencil that one in early, if nobody minds.  Kobe Bryant, who hadn't really gone off yet in the TOA, went off in a big way -- 15 points in the first quarter, 27 overall.  Some see a not-so-random happening.  Others see a highly competitive, and very valuable, dude.  I see a lot of people trying to assign deeper meaning than happenings in an Olympic qualifying tournament against the JV teams of North and South America probably deserve.   

-- BK

LeBron James was a perfect 11-11 from the floor, good for 26 points in only 14 minutes of play as the United States stayed unbeaten in the Tournament of the Americas, defeating Uruguay 118-79.  Kobe Bryant, who is getting along swimmingly with Coach K, added 13 points along with four boards, three dimes and two steals in 14 minutes of his own.   I know what you're thinking:  "C'mon, BK.  Show some enthusiasm.  This is Uruguay we just took down!  The same Uruguay featuring Hawks supersub Esteban Batista, who poured in 1.5 ppg in 13 games with Atlanta last season, and lit up the Wizards for four points in only three minutes last April!  The same Uruguay that produced renowned mathematician Jorge Lewowicz, whose research has helped demystify the classification of discrete expansive systems on surfaces!  Why so blase?"

Guess I'm just jaded.  Still, the U.S. should receive a much stiffer test, relatively speaking, when it faces Luis Scola and undefeated Argentina tonight.

-- BK

What it doesn't have, however, is lingering bragging rights over the U.S.  Not after Team USA took it down 117-78 in a semifinals-clinching victory.  2004 saw the Red, White and Blue fall in stunning fashion to the Carlos Arroyo Gang, but a balanced American attack, topped with 21 points from Average Joe LeBron James, was enough to turn 3-year-old tables.  Next up, Uruguay, which has been no slouch at 3-1.

For Kobe Bryant, the Tourney O' the Americas has served as a platform to reassure any doubters that "leadership" can be added to his already impressive resume.  He's not a team captain (which shouldn't be taken as a diss, since nobody is), but he's showing  teammates the way via example and humility.  And he's sharing his thoughts on what this experience means to him.  Hopefully, the summer spent balling won't leave him too tuckered out to be a thrilla in Manila.

-- AK

And, finally, Lakersblog sends a message to Rafer Alston: Dude, settle down!

Still, the challenge Team USA didn't get from Brazil arrived yesterday in the form of Nolan Richardson's  Mexican national team.  Sort of, at least.  The U.S. still won by nearly 30 (127-100), but unlike every other game in the tournament, the blowout portion of the program didn't come until later in the second half.  At least if you define "blowout" by the standards set by the Tournament of the Americas.  The U.S. led by 22 after one quarter, 14 at the half and 23 after three.  This was only a close game in relative terms.  But the Mexicans deserve some credit for hard, scrappy and occasionally effective play against an often lax U.S. defense (although Kobe's has gotten plenty o' props, all in all).  And if you're the type who likes to worry, this game gave you the room to do it.  Personally, I think you can only keep a team sporting former Laker camp invite Adam Parada (go Anteaters!) down for so long. 

Kobe had 21/4/3 on 5-13 from the field and 9-10 from the line.

-- BK 

If there was a team in the Tournament of the Americas that was supposed to be capable of giving the U.S. a tough run, it was Brazil.  That's a big if, considering no team, from Brazil to Argentina, is playing at full capacity, nor can any team in the tournament come close to matching the U.S. in talent.  Still, anyone who saw Sunday's 113-76 U.S. win clearly saw that "if" didn't pan out.  One big reason was Kobe Bryant's defense on Leandro Barbosa.  10 (it was hard enough to remember 24, right?) teamed with Chauncey Billups and locked up the high-scoring guard all night.  Barbosa came into the game as the tourney's leading scorer with 27 a game.  Team USA held him to just under that ... if by "just" you mean "four."  With Barbosa in lockdown all night, Brazil used its size to keep the game close long enough for folks, at least the ultra-pessimistic and paranoid, to gas up their Doomsday Machines.  But by the time the tanks were maybe half-full, the U.S. had hit the gas themselves.  Game over. 

Although his D got most of the attention, Kobe finished with 20/2/2. 

-- BK 

I didn't actually see it happen, but I heard/read that the U.S. D'd up big time on our neighbors to the north Saturday, leading to a 113-63 win over Canada in the Tournament of the Americas.  Kobe, on the odd chance some of you might be curious, had 15 points, two boards and a steal in 20 minutes of work.  So this incarnation of Team USA remains undefeated in its quest to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.  Very nice.  Although I have to say, the exuberance with which Charley Rosen applauds our squad's defense is a little silly.  Take a look at the box.  Team Canada isn't exactly filled with a bunch of high-flyin', bucket-fillin' types.  Our league's best guys can shut down the equivalent of, at least in professional terms, a rec league squad?  I'd hope so.  But it's worth noting (and applauding) that the U.S. is bringing it hard from the opening tip to the final buzzer.   That sort of intensity, unity and organization should help avoid any of the embarrassing losses that have plagued the program over the last few years.  It's what you'd expect to see out of our country's best hoops stars. 

Brazil is next. 

-- BK

Apparently, the strength of knowing Tim Duncan is from your native land isn't enough to compete with Team USA.  In a stunning non-upset, Team USA dismantled the Virgin Islands (the basketball team, not the actual landmass) 123-59 on Thursday night.  Kobe, who picked up his second foul only four minutes in, spent most of the game watching Michael Redd bury threes over a weak V.I. zone.  Bryant finished with nine points and four dimes, and saw folks at Thomas and Mack sing him "Happy Birthday" while taking free throws.  It was either that or Applebee's gift cards. 

Things may get a little harder for Team USA down the road, but if the two hoops festivals we've seen thus far were college football tussles, they'd be next week's USC/Idaho and Texas/Arkansas State games.  Fun enough for the home team, but not all that revealing.

-- BK 

With a 112-69 thrashing of Venezuela in the books, Team USA has officially entered competitive battle.  Tonight, they square off against the Virgin Islands, all part of a quest to take home the 2008 gold and imitate a certain squad of the past.   The Battle for America tourney also marks Kobe Bryant's maiden voyage into Olympic hoops, and judging by his energy on both sides of the ball, dude's pretty geeked to be on board.  My question for y'all is, do you get geeked by the whole Olympic hoops thing?  And does Kobe's involvement automatically raise the "geeked" factor even more?

We asked a couple of days back for some suggestions for blog topics, having spent a fair amount of time on Kobe Bryant this summer.  One of my favorites was the suggestion for an all-time Lakers roster.  Not just a starting lineup, but a full 15-man squad (including three for the inactive list) that would go up, at least theoretically, against every other franchise's ultimate team.  Kind of a fun exercise.  It's not just about coming up with the 15 best Lakers, but the combination that you think would actually produce the best on-court product.  Fortunately, you'll have a lot of choices.  Unfortunately, you'll have a lot of choices (what do you do with all the great centers the franchise has seen?), though I'm certain this guy will make everyone's roster.  However you construct your 15, it should make for quality debate.

Me?  I'm trying to figure out how to squeeze Sedale Threatt onto my team.   

-- BK

UPDATE: Excellent point made by exhelodrvr:  "I assume that the selections should be made based on how someone performed with the Lakers, not over their entire career.  Based on that, Wilt should not be on the team, nor should McAdoo."  Argue about the specifics, but it seems like a pretty good rule to add to the selection process, though those of you with Karl Malone at PF may have to rethink it.

So I know people have been looking for a new thread, and I've been looking around for some news ... but really, there isn't any.  At least nothing I can find.  So anyone have any ideas?  Places to take this one?   There's always Kobe (haha).  You got your USA Basketball, trade ideas, hypothetical mascot ideas.  Anything.  I'll accept solicitations, and then perhaps start a new, new thread.

UPDATE:  Well, there is something new to talk about.  Sort of.  More on the Kobe situation, courtesy of ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan.  Bryant continues to be vague about his status, leading Sheridan to say something that basically summarizes how I've felt for a while, given the current state of the roster and prospects for quick improvement:  "Around the league, most people seem to think it boils down to this: Kobe still wants out, but the Lakers won't trade him -- at least that's the impression being left by Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, who was unavailable for comment because he is not due back from a European vacation until Friday."

Of course, there's no way to know for sure, but it's the feeling I get as well.

-- BK

And really, if a meeting between Kobe Bryant and T.J. Simers doesn't inspire a rousing chorus of this classic by the Turtles, then perhaps your heart's just grown a bitter shade of cold.

But all kidding aside, even taking into account the annoyed reactions Simers often inspires from his interview subjects or any desire on Kobe's part to avoid stirring the pot, it would be a stretch to conclude from the exchange that Kobe's eagerly awaiting a 2007-08 purple and gold season.  Although as unwilling as Kobe is to verbally commit to any thoughts regarding the Lakers, he is willing to make his feelings toward Simers clear, so for those looking to grasp at straws of any kind, there you have it.  As I've said many times since May, I envision a rather interesting Laker season in the works.  Or, as we've come to know them over the years, a Laker season.

Damn, do those Turtle dudes look high or what?

-- AK

P.S.  I just realized that we've never linked Stephon Marbury's bizarre "Mike'd Up" interview on this blog.  That needed ASAP remedying.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the nicknames of professional gambler James Batista, one of the alleged co-conspirators in the Tim Donaghy case.  Try as I might, I just can't make stuff like this up. 

So what can Mr. Baba (or Mr. Sheep, depending on your preference) and Thomas Martino look forward to in the future?  Well, if Donaghy's guilty plea is an omen of sorts, I'd keep my day planner open for upward of the next 25 years.  That's the stretch inside Donaghy could be facing as a sentence for conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting wagering information through interstate commerce.  There's also about 530 large in fines, a hefty sum that could ironically force Donaghy to lay a few bets in order to pay off the debt.  Might we recommend looking into tennis, Timmy?

At long last, the second half of my interview with Maurice Evans.  Sorry it took a while to get this part finished up, but we've been extremely busy with a few ESPN assignments the last couple of weeks that have required a lot of hours on a plane or in the car.  I could break the excuses down into further and more specific detail, but you'd probably rather just read the interview.  Part I was about Mo's trip to Kenya with the NBA Player Assn.'s "Feeding One Million" campaign.  Part II is more hoops-centric, with topics such as Kobe, K.G. and the upcoming season.  Here's what Evans had to say:

Andrew Kamenetzky:  Moving a little more into basketball, I know there are going to be a lot of Laker fans disappointed that you couldn't parlay your friendship with Kevin Garnett into him wearing purple and gold.  Have you talked to him since the trade? (Note: This interview took place Aug. 3, so the two may have spoken by now.)

Maurice Evans:  No, I haven't talked to Kev.  I haven't gotten a chance to congratulate him on his signing with Boston.  I'm sure I'm gonna see him at some point.  He has a home in L.A. and Malibu.  But I'm happy for him.

But the article on Tim Donaghy in the new issue of ESPN The Magazine (Prince Fielder on the cover) is worth checking out.  It's not so much about Donaghy as the state of NBA reffing in general.  More specifically, the league office's not-so-positive effect on said state.  Micromanaged videotape review (which often leads to being retroactively criticized for calls previously issued a thumbs-up).  Refs being told they personally need to call particular infractions more often.  The urgency to stave off the henpeckers, which often results in ticky-tack fouls.  A decided emphasis on adhering to rules and appearances over context, which, as one former ref put it, has "taken the common sense out of the officials' hands."   Just one example of how the league has grown exceptionally overcontrolled since the Palace brawl.  Since most of y'all are pretty critical of David Stern, Stu Jackson and the gang (for many of the reasons I've been), I thought this would be up your alley. 

If you have ESPN Insider, you can click here, then sift through the table of contents.  Otherwise, it's not presented in a linkable format, but you can always plant yourself at the nearest Brentano's and peruse the whole thing.  Just don't bring it into the bathroom or else you've agreed to a purchase.  No questions asked.  Or answered.  Kinda like Kobe's appearance on the "Jimmy Kimmel Show."

-- AK

I'll keep calling back this joke until it either stops amusing me (not likely to happen anytime soon) or YouTube runs out of clips (certainly a danger).

The Sporting News' Sean Deveney gives his 2 cents on the possibility of Jermaine O'Neal heading west, a relocation he doesn't picture happening.  But for what it's worth, he's not banking on JO joining the Nets in the near future, either.  Same reason in both cases.  Larry Legend's asking price -- whether you're talking Andrew Bynum/Lamar Odom or Richard Jefferson/Nenad Krstic -- is too much for a very good but not incredible player with a lot of tread on his often-injured tires.  The Lakers situation, however, is two-fold.  While Deveney thinks that the Lakers should stand their ground when it comes to declining Bird's current proposal, he also acknowledges that subbing Kwame Brown for Lamar Odom isn't quite giving the Pacers enough.  Thus, the need to either add a third team in the mix or wait for Bird to lower his asking price.

Plus, another scene from that breakdancing opus.  Because that's just how we roll on this blog.

As noted yesterday, the NBA world was all a-buzzin' with talk that Jermaine O'Neal was trying to push a trade to the Lakers of Los Angeles, creating appearances that he no longer wanted to play with the Pacers of Indiana.  Well, not so fast, according to the big man in question.  JO's saying he'd only want a trade if Indiana's looking to rebuild, a detail the media failed to point out in their reports.  As for O'Neal's reported criticisms of Larry Bird in an ESPN article, the all-star's claiming it never came from his mouth, and ESPN stands by the story.  They say "God is in the details," so perhaps only the Lord (or Morgan Freeman) knows for sure what was said and what wasn't.  In any event, O'Neal getting dealt could create a butterfly effect of events for the Pacers, Nets and Lakers.

That's the talk on the street right now.  But will such a sequel, this time a pairing of Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O'Neal, come to fruition (and will it match a level of sequel excitement that's 100% Ice-T approved)?  The issue remains up in the air.  For that matter, what O'Neal actually said in regards to his desire to relocate West is also being debated, mostly by the man himself.  While attending an L.A. charity hoops game, O'Neal let it be known that he'd be more than cool with a trade that paired him with the Mamba, that he'd opt out of his contract in a season if things don't pick up in Pacer Land, and even played a little backseat G.M., saying he doesn't want to play for a new team that's been gutted, a likely scenario if Larry Bird gets his way. 

Well, maybe he said all that, because O'Neal was pretty quick to clarify and/or soften stances.  For starters, it's not a trade "demand," per se.  Just a concept that he's open towards.   As for the critique of Larry Legend (who issued a statement of his own), JO maintains those words never even left his mouth.  In any event, the Lakers (and maybe even Kobe) would consider moving Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum as a solid example of "gutting," which is reportedly the root of any holdups.

And finally, for any Laker fan losing sleep over the notion that a divorce would prevent Rick Fox from ever appearing on "Ugly Betty" with his ex, you're now back to getting eight hours a night again.

(Also, we're on the road again today, but we've let mission control know.  Hopefully, the comments will go through at a reasonable clip.)

UPDATE (8-6): We're on the road today, so expect a delay here and there in comments getting posted.  We'll do our best to keep up, as will HQ.

As some of you may already know, Lakers swingman Maurice Evans recently took part in the NBA Player's Assn.'s "Feeding One Million" campaign, a partnership with Feed The Children to help provide food, clothing, medicine and other essential items to 1 million children in Kenya.  Evans accompanied Ron Artest (Sacramento Kings), Theo Ratliff (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Etan Thomas (Washington Wizards) to Africa, embarking on an eye-opening journey into a plight and poverty most of us are lucky enough to find unimaginable.  I caught up with Mo by phone a few days ago, and we discussed the goodwill mission, how the trip affected him on a personal level and, of course, hoops (Lakers or otherwise).  Here's Part 1 of what he had to say:

Andrew Kamenetzky:  How did you find out about the trip to Kenya?   

Maurice Evans:  Actually, I have been with Feed the Children already prior to that.  They did the "Feed the 5,000," which was feeding 5,000 families in Oakland.  We did that when I was in Detroit.  We fed 5,000 families there.  And last year, with the Lakers, we went to New York and a couple guys from the team were involved with that as well.  (Players Assn. President) Billy Hunter knew that I had been involved in the first two and called me over the summer and asked me if I was interested in doing (the trip to Kenya), and I was like, "without a doubt."  I wanted to help these people.

Oh, wait.  It's actually Ric Bucher talking.  Typing, if you want to get technical.  But given how things have operated with #24 of late, that's about as close as it gets.  Bucher's written a new piece describing the New Jack Bauer's mood of late and the gist is ...

1) Balling with Jason Kidd during Team USA practices hasn't exactly made Kobe second-guess his earlier contention that the Lakers should have shipped Andrew Bynum's ass out to land the point guard.

2) Since nobody's counting on Boston flipping KG the Lakers' way, the commonly proposed formula for reassuring the New Jack Bauer is now off the table. 

3) Luke Walton, Chris Mihm, Javarris Crittenton and D. Fish (all sentiment and friendship aside) aren't likely enough to make Kobe buy in.

4) Kobe took the Lakers adding Coby Karl as a mockery of him, a team basically daring him to leave.  "There's a million other cats with your name we can replace you with, pal.  Oh, look!  Here's one now.  Spelled different, but close enough.  Nobody will ever notice the difference, hot shot!"

OK, that last part I made up.  But even if Kobe did have a "this town ain't big enough for two variations of my name" attitude, Bucher thinks he'll keep it to himself.  For that matter, he predicts Bryant won't say much publicly about anything and simply let what he sees as inevitable front-office inaction speak for itself.  But if it means anything to Kobe, there are some fans echoing his sentiments.

-- AK

Thought y'all might be interested in John Ireland's take on the Celtics' "KG in L.A."-stifling deal.   His 1985 references at the end are very funny.  Although, as I told him, 1985's watershed moment is clearly the release of both "The Breakfast Club" and "St. Elmo's Fire."  Were there ever any doubts about Judd Nelson's acting range, seeing him play a nostril-flaring high school senior and a nostril-flaring college grad in a scant four-month time frame put that second-guessing to bed once and for all.

With that semi-organic Hollywood segue, here's news about Rick Fox landing himself a new TV gig.  Sounds interesting enough, but if Fox can convince AMC (and HBO, I guess) to let him star as a post-parole Jackson Vayhue, I would never miss this show.

UPDATE:  For those concerned that no more Kobe vs. Shaq on X-Mas Day means network honchos no longer consider the Lakers an ad revenue cow, fear not.  The Lakers will instead play the hated Phoenix Suns on Jesus' birthday.  If you ask me, that's a much better game with a non-manufactured rivalry, so thumbs up.  They'll open the season on Oct. 30 at Staples against Yao, T-Mac and the boys.  Here's all 82 games.

-- AK