Wade Won't Let Anyone Cut His Hair Overseas

Allow me to reintroduce myself - again. I haven't stepped inside the blogosphere for a long, long time for a myriad of reasons, but I didn't want to go much longer because, well, it might be a long time before I come back into this space again.

I'm heading off to China on Thursday morning to cover the Olympics, with most of my time focused on USA Basketball. I have been pretty adamant that I think this team will win the gold medal in Beijing.

For the first time since 1992, the U.S. can say that its roster will boast the two best players in the NBA (LeBron James and Kobe Bryant) and the most efficient offensive player in international basketball (Carmelo Anthony). It also has an incredible second unit (which includes Chris Paul, runner-up for MVP, Dwyane Wade, former NBA Finals MVP, and Deron Williams, a second-team All-NBA player).

Raise your hand if you think the U.S. will win the gold medal. (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

I know some people say that the U.S. has had talented rosters before and failed in international competitions but I argue that the Americans weren't this loaded in 2002, 2004 or 2006. I am far more confident than I was in 2004 (when the US starting lineup included Richard Jefferson, Lamar Odom and Stephon Marbury) and 2006 (when the starting backcourt was Kirk Hinrich and Joe Johnson).

In addition to talent, this team also has a group of extremely motivated and driven players who actually like each other. They've been together for the past three summers and respect what each player has to offer. Plus, with veterans like Bryant and Jason Kidd, the U.S. likely won't panic like it did in 2006.

Yes, the U.S. is the favorite, but don't forget about us!( Reuters)

Spain, the defending world champion in basketball, is having a banner year (Carlos Sastre won the Tour De France, it won the European soccer championships, Rafael Nadal won the French Open and Wimbledon) and will probably be the greatest challenger to the U.S. in Beijing. With the Gasol brothers (Pau and Marc), Jose Calderon, Wizards fan favorite Juan Carlos Navarro, Rudy Fernandez and - remember this name - Ricky Rubio, Spain certainly isn't lacking for talent. Argentina, the 2004 gold medallist, is welcoming back Manu Ginobili, and Lithuania should be in the mix as well.

That being said, you should feel confident about Team USA in Beijing - and genuinely shocked if it loses. Why, considering the past losses? Because this is the first time since 2000 that the Americans can honestly claim that they are sending their best. There really are no excuses this time around.

I thought I'd leave a few nuggets leftover from notebook after my trip to Las Vegas last weekend.

James on The Dream Team
LeBron James was the first member of Team USA to publicly guarantee that it will win the gold medal in Beijing, but he also said this team is going to try to get some Dream Team Love.

If confidence is a crime, then I am guilty. (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

James was just 7 when Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley and others smashed through the competition in Barcelona and helped NBA Commissioner David Stern place his stamp on the global market place.

When asked about the original/only Dream Team, James said, "As I look back on it, the '92 Dream Team was the best team that we've had so far. What they was able to do on a world stage was unbelievable."

A reporter then asked James, "The best team so far? Some people think that was the best team ever."

"They are the best team so far," James said, defending his comment. "You never know, another team could be better. You can't predict the future. You never know what could happen in 2016 or 2020 or beyond the years. You might find a team that you'd think was better than the first Olympic Dream Team. Then you'll have something to talk about."

Then the reporter asked James if this team plans on being as good as the 1992 team.

"We're going to try," James said.

Wade On His New Look
The reaction to Dwyane Wade's bald head has mostly been negative - if you ask Wade. But he has an explanation for abandoning his low cut for the shiny dome: He's afraid of the barbers in China.

I'm shining, y'all!( Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

"I'm not letting nobody cut my hair overseas. I'm sorry," Wade said. "I don't want to even worry about it. I'm not trying to look pretty. I'm strictly about basketball right now."

I asked Wade if he was going to let his hair grow out in China - like Vince Carter and Gary Payton did in Sydney in 2000. You guys probably don't remember Vince Carter with an Afro, do you? Anyway, Wade said he's going to keep cutting his hair whenever it gets unruly.

"This is my hooping look and anybody that don't like it - I don't care," Wade.

Kobe On Getting Old
Kobe Bryant turns 30 on Aug. 23 - the day before the gold medal game. He said that he doesn't feel like an old man just yet. "I feel younger this year than I did last summer," Bryant said.
Asked why, Bryant said, "I have no idea. I'm fine wine, baby."

Bryant did express some disappointment that he won't get to celebrate his milestone birthday with his daughters, Natalia and Gianna, who will be in the United States. "That'll be my first birthday away from my kids - obviously, since they've been born. Those are sacrifices we've made for our country," Bryant said, adding that it's good that he likes his teammates. 'They become your extended family. This is the summer where we make sacrifices, our families make sacrifices, in terms of being away from home and us banding together as brothers."

Michael Redd On Milwaukee
For those who read Gilbert Arenas's latest blog, you know that he is not a fan of the city of Milwaukee. Joking about the recent trade of his friend, Richard Jefferson, from New Jersey to Milwaukee, Arenas wrote, "Oh man, did I start laughing. You know why? Because every player hates Milwaukee. Nobody wants to live in Milwaukee. I'm sorry, Milwaukee, to come down hard on you, but no one in the NBA wants to play in Milwaukee."

Gilbert killed your city, man.( Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

Redd was asked about Arenas's comments, but he refused to bite. "That's his opinion," Redd said. "I can't knock it. That's what he believes. That's all I can say"

I asked Redd if it bothered him that there is a perception that Milwaukee is a bad place to be. Again, he was very diplomatic. "It doesn't bug me," he said. "I like it in Milwaukee. The people are great. I've been there for nine years, so I don't have anything bad to say about it."

kaynak : NBA