USA Returns to Gold

On Sunday, Team USA beat Spain 118-107 to win the gold medal in men's basketball at the Beijing Olympics. The win marks Team USA's first Olympic gold medal in men's basketball since the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Unfortunately, since the Olympic basketball final aired live at 3:00 AM Eastern time on Saturday night/Sunday morning, most people probably didn't get to see it. And if that's the case, they missed a really fun, exciting game.

Spain gave Team USA all it could handle -- especially under the basket, where Spain's twin tower Gasol brothers (the Lakers' Pau Gasol and Marc Gasol) couldn't be kept off the glass.

But thanks to a spectacular first half performance by Dwayne Wade (who subbed for Kobe Bryant when Kobe was saddled with early foul trouble) and designated go to "closer" Kobe Bryant's heady decision to take over in the final minutes of the game, the Team USA proved to be too much for the scrappy Spaniards.

After having found the previous two U.S. teams (2000 & 2004) difficult to watch -- those editions of Team USA had too many egos, too many ball hogs, not enough defense, not enough teamwork, etc. -- it was a joy to see this U.S. team buy into their respective roles and "leave it all on the floor."

Sure, the U.S. team was perimeter heavy & not very big in the interior. And yeah, Spain got into the lane at will (the culprit often being whomever Chris Paul was guarding) and got too many rebounds and second chance opportunities.

But it was just outright fun to watch Dwayne Wade come off the bench and explode for 21 points in the 1st half, with a crazy burst of energy (knowing that he was merely spelling Kobe, and could lay it all on the line rather than pace himself in order to remain strong throughout the game). As a role player, Wade had the luxury of gambling on defense, over playing the passing lanes to an almost ridiculous degree and gunning for weak side steals on ball handlers.

The result was a flurry of steals and fast break dunks that one doesn't normally see in NBA games.

Credit U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski for being able to get his players to accept their respective roles and gel as a team ... a team dedicated to the common goal of winning Olympic Gold. And credit Krzyzewski and Team USA President, Jerry Colangelo, for assembling a roster with the right combination of basketball talent and character to achieve that goal.

(Image: New York Times)

Pau Gasol to the Lakers

The Pau Gasol sweepstakes are over. Gasol is now a Laker.

The Lakers acquired the one time All Star center from Memphis in exchange for center Kwame Brown, guard Jarvis Crittendon and first round draft picks in 2008 and 2010.

Gasol will play center until Andrew Bynum returns from injury. Gasol is expected to play power forward upon Bynum's return.

Drive and Dish has never been overly impressed with Pau Gasol. Sure, he's an agile, skilled seven foot forward. But he's not much of a presence on the block or under the basket. The Spanish Gasol exemplifies the stereotype of the European big man as a soft, offensive minded (read: defensively deficient), perimeter scorer.

That said, with a line up that will feature Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, the Lakers now have some serious firepower.

Gasol won't be expected to provide a presence down low. Bynum already has that role down. Gasol's perimeter oriented game will fit in with what the Lakers already have in place. Plus, his size, agility and ability to score from outside will create match up problems for teams like Phoenix, San Antonio and Utah. And Gasol will be able to draw opposing power forwards out from under the basket.

The Lakers appear to be a team on the upswing.