Stars and Stripes.

With all the hoopla surrounding the four snaps Brett Favre took in his return to the Vikings, Lou Piniella's retirement, and baseball's division races, it appears people don't realize there is a USA basketball team playing overseas, and representing our country quite solidly. Now, I know there are those out there that will scoff at the mere mention of a USA hoops team without names like Bryant, Kidd, Wade, LeBron, and Carmelo, but I would not discount this team too quickly. I concur that without the “sexy” aforementioned names, this current assortment of ballers may not be worthy of national pandemonium, but they are more than an acceptable group.

With no members of the “Redeem Team” able to play on the World Championship roster, fans of international basketball get to see a new gathering of young, hungry, NBA players, who may not be household names at this point in their careers. This year we say “goodbye” to LeBron James, and “hello” to Kevin Durant, last season's scoring champion. Team USA loses Carmelo and D-Wade, but gains freak athletes in Andre Iguodala, Rudy Gay, and Derrick Rose. The void of veteran leadership left by Jason Kidd and Kobe Bryant is filled by two-time champ, Lamar Odom, and 2004 NBA Finals MVP, Chauncey Billups. When the two rosters are compared, it seems the only aspect 2010 USA Basketball may be lacking is jersey sales.

The 2010 roster may even have one advantage over the 2008 “Redeem Team”: outside shooting. The trio of Danny Granger, Eric Gordon, and Stephen Curry provide consistent outside threats for the drive-and-dish play of Rose and Russel Westbrook. This current roster will also benefit from Billups' ability to knock down outside shots, which should be a benefit when opposing teams play zone.

The one issue for this team will most likely be interior play. The only true center on the Team USA roster is Tyson Chandler, who has proven to be less than reliable, in terms of health, over the past two seasons. It is ironic, however, that Chandler's job will be made a great deal easier by injuries to key bigs on other teams. Chandler should be able to sleep better at night knowing he won't have to contend with China's Yao Ming or Australia's Andrew Bogut. Add the fact that the Spanish national team will only have one Gasol brother, and it suddenly seems as though all Tyson Chandler will have to do is rebound, block a few shots, and maybe throw down an alley-oop or two for the USA to be contenders.

Even though some of these players may not even get recognized in the cities they play in, they still deserve to be appreciated for their efforts. Everybody on this roster could have said “it's not like we're playing in the Olympics,” and just stayed home this summer. But instead they dedicated themselves to continuing the momentum from the “Redeem Team,” in order to make the USA a powerhouse in international basketball again. And I know most of these players may just be auditioning so Mike Krzyzewski will consider them for the next Olympic team, but I see that as a positive. Players like Durant, Rose, Iguodala, and Westbrook are not only the future of the NBA, but are also the building blocks for years of international basketball, and if they don't want to wait for spots on the Olympic team to open up, then more power to them for trying to take a spot. Personally, I am excited to see how these "kids" will stack up against the best in the world. I don't expect it to be an easy road by any means, but I firmly believe that by the end of the World Championships, we'll be proud of them.