These guys would give it the old college try
Luckily, it doesn't have to come to this and we've got Kobe Bryant, LeBron and Jason Kidd all representing the United States at the Olympics next year in Beijing.
However, what if the NBA guys weren't allowed to play in the Olympics? Like it was before The Dream Team in 1992 when college players had to carry the American flag.
Here's our 12-man team comprised of college players — if we couldn't throw our pro guys out there.
Starting five
SF — Chase Budinger — The Arizona sophomore still has plenty of work to do on the defensive end, but he's a big-time athlete who can also make shots from the perimeter. Also, character is a priority on our squad. Budinger is a high-character guy who is beloved by his teammates. More importantly, he can play.
PF — Brook Lopez — The more skilled of the Lopez twins can step out and make shots from 15 to 18 feet and is now completely healthy following a back injury that hampered his play early in his freshman campaign at Stanford. He plays so darn hard, it's almost scary. And, he is versatile enough to put up a triple-double early in his college career.
C — Kevin Love — I know he hasn't even played a game in the collegiate ranks and most would take 7-footer Roy Hibbert over the UCLA frosh, but there's no better passing big man than Love. He'll make sure perimeter guys get easy looks and he can also score around the basket and from mid-range. He's extremely skilled and is a terrific positional rebounder.
PG — D.J. Augustin — This was by far the most difficult call to make because, frankly, college basketball is loaded with quality floor leaders. We decided to pass on Ty Lawson because our point guard needs to be able to shoot the ball well from the perimeter. That's why we decided on Augustin, who may not be the most athletic guy around, but he knows how to run a team and makes shots from long distance. He was superb playing in the shadow of Kevin Durant last season at Texas.
Chris Lofton would provide the outside touch on this Team USA. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
SG — Chris Lofton — There's no better contested shooter in the country than the Tennessee senior shooting guard. He's got unlimited range and that's a priority since the Americans see plenty of zone in international competition.
Bench
Eric Gordon — I thought long and hard about starting Gordon over Lofton, but we gave the nod to Lofton because of his college experience. However, Gordon just may be the guy you want to have the ball in his hands for one final shot. He's a big-time scorer who can get to the basket and finish and also shoot it from beyond the arc. He'll waste no time starring at Indiana as a freshman this season.
Tyler Hansbrough — The North Carolina big man isn't intimidated by anyone and just plain outworks everyone he goes up against. He's a team guy who may not be a legitimate center, but he could slide into the middle and accept his role to rebound, defend and finish under the basket.
Drew Neitzel — He's tough, gritty and can play both backcourt positions. He's a shooter who basically carried Michigan State to the second round of the NCAA tournament last season. He'll provide leadership and help with the chemistry of the team.
Roy Hibbert — He's a legitimate 7-footer who has improved as much as anyone in the past three years. The Georgetown senior will give the team another option down low, although he still needs to become a more effective rebounder out of his zone.
Kyle Singler — He's the big wing that can spell Budinger. Singler, who will change the complexion of Duke this season, is Mr. Versatile. There's nothing he can't do — and one thing he does extremely well is defend.
Darrell Arthur — The Kansas sophomore is ridiculously talented and people should get a chance to see it more this year with the departure of Julian Wright. Arthur is an athletic power forward who can score in a variety of ways.
Jim Baron Jr. — You can never have enough shooters. Baron, who is the son of a coach (he plays for his father, Jim Baron, at Rhode Island), shot 48 percent from three-point range last season despite playing injured. He's also a terrific teammate who would take the role that Mike Miller should hold for the NBA squad in Beijing.
Outlook
Obviously, this isn't a team loaded with star power ... yet. They'd definitely have their work cut out for them against the top international players. If Carlos Arroyo and Puerto Rico were able to beat Team USA when the pros were playing, it'd be difficult to imagine any team loaded with college guys bringing home the gold.
But that's also why chemistry and shooters were so essential in trying to determine a college-based roster. It's why some big-name players — Darren Collison, Ty Lawson, D.J. White, Joey Dorsey and Brandon Rush, just to name a few — don't make our final cut and a relative unknown like Baron does.
This is a high-character group and if you put them together — and gave them the practice time to gel — I think they'd certainly be competitive on the world stage.
Now, do I think they could win it all? Not a chance.
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