Bryant = Gold (well not yet)

Alright so it's officially on. Kobe Bryant began training for the Team USA squad to play in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. We all remember what happened several years back when Team USA got Bronze in the '04 Olympics, with Manu and his Argentinian teammates playing a beautiful and composed brand of basketball which blew the US squad out of the water.

In the '06 World Championships, Team USA again failed to win Gold, settling for yet another 3rd place finish. And this "team" composed of star athletes like Chris Paul, D. Wade, Lebron, and Carmelo, headed by none other than legendary Duke Coach, Mike Kryzewski was supposed to be the team that got the US back at the top of the basketball world. Instead, it displayed once again, a lack of experience, cohesiveness, and ultimately a lack of synergy. All of which proved insufficient against the highest international play. Times have changed since the days when star-struck international players were flattered just to play against the likes of Magic, Jordan, and Bird. The international level of play has undoubtedly risen within the past decade, and the world can now more than hold their own against what the US has to offer.

Enter Kobe Bryant.

Arguably the game's #1 player had yet to lace up his kicks for any international play, due to his microscopic knee surgery last summer. He's looking to more than make up for it as Team USA starts its Tournament of Americas games, which is a qualifying event for the '08 Olympics in Beijing.

Haters and lovers alike, have waited for #8, err, #24 to don a Team USA jersey forever. If there's one thing most NBA fans can agree on, it's that TEAM USA needed savvy veterans to give this team a backbone. And most will agree that Bryant is the player's player.

If Lebron James is the King, Kobe Bryant is the Emperor. His versatile game combined with his intense determination is exactly what this team was missing. So what does he exactly bring to the table? Well, for starters, he's a one-man army; possibly the greatest offensive player in the history of the game. He plays with an intense desire to win, and that means getting it done on both ends of the court. Whether it's a timely defensive stop or his game-ending heroics, he's proved himself in these last few years that he is basically, the man. The best player in the premier basketball league in the world.

And it looks like the committee responsible for assembling the initial 17 players was smart enough this time around to include proven winners like Tayshaun Prince, Chauncey Billups, Deron Williams, and Amare Stoudamire. Assuming most of these players will stay for the final 12 man roster to compete in the Tournmant of Americas starting late August, it should give Team USA plenty of firepower to push for basketball supremacy once again.

If the below pictures are any indication, it looks like the US has finally got around to gathering the pieces for what may possibly be, a modern day Dream Team.

And at the time of this editorial, KB hit the game-winner in an all-Team USA exhibition match. I believe he means business.