batista roars...

so Team USA has been playing in this olympic qualifying tournament the last couple weeks. all this week, i've made a point of at least watching the first quarter before i crash (games start at 11 every night on ESPN 2; they've played every night this week).

things i've observed:
- jason kidd is still a great point guard. he's pushing the ball like a champ, just as well as steve nash can. can't shoot as well as nash, but he's a better defender.
- carmelo is a fucking baller. leading scorer and rebounder on the US, playing the 4 spot. hitting threes, just dominating inside.
- kobe is playing great defense, and seems to be playing with a good attitude. he and kidd are the team leaders.
- chauncey looks slow out there. i think deron williams should get most of the backup PG minutes.
- michael redd is too streaky. he's not what they need in their "designated shooter". mike miller has been a little sporadic as well, but i think he's a better option. where the hell is ray allen?
- you might know esteban batista, a backup center for the hawks. well, he looks really good playing for uruguay. leading scorer and rebounder in the tournament. last night dwight howard, amare, and tayshaun all tried to check him, to no avail. hope the hawks keep him around and play him more than last year. i think he's a free agent. he's like oberto/zaza with a serious mean streak, could be a solid nba backup.

on the whole, the squad looks right. best Team USA since the original Dream Team in '92.