Olympic glory. Team USA is going for it. Spain is going for it. And I'm going for it. The game is at the kind of hour (if I'm reading that schedule correctly, it starts at 2:30 a.m. ET) that makes you think Olympic organizers just don't care if America ever sees another live basketball game. But that won't stop me. I will not be recording the game and watching it at a human hour. Oh no. I'll be blogging the game live.

Here's some background on the Spanish team. I think everyone thinks that the U.S. is most likely to win. But I don't think anyone should expect Spain to be intimidated. These players have won these kinds of games before. There's a chance this'll be an Olympic classic.

OK, who feels like some basketball? Getting close to show time.

Chris Sheridan has e-mailed from Beijing, to let me knew that the referees are: Lithuania's Romualdas Brazauskas, Argentina's Pablo Estevez, and Finland's Carl Jungebrand. This game's commissioner -- what does that mean? (I have a lot to learn about the international game) -- is Canadian Fred Horgan. If I used any of their names later tonight, that's a sure sign there has been a very bad call in a close game. (John Hollinger also e-mailed. He's having trouble with both his cable and the online video. So if anybody wants to invite him over to their house to watch, he'd really appreciate that.)

Jose Calderon is not on the floor, and LeBron James is dialed in from downtown. Two bad signs in the early going for Spain. On the other hand, there's plenty for Spain to like in the feisty opening minutes. They have forced some early turnovers, and are holding an early one-point lead.

Without Calderon, there is even more weight on Pau Gasol, and the U.S. is not letting him take over. He's doubled even beyond the free throw line. He'll have to make the U.S. pay for that by passing for layups.

Of course, the upside of Calderon's absence is that us viewers are going to get to see a whole bunch of Ricky Rubio and Rudy Fernandez. The young guards who have played together in Spain have both been exciting in the early going helping Spain to a four-point lead. You wonder if Spain can maintain this energy level on defense. So far they're all over the place.

Dwyane freaking Wade with a big-time steal and dunk. He is leading everyone in scoring, Chris Bosh is in looking like a big man who was built for this game's intense pace, and the U.S. is enjoying the view with a slender lead.

Kobe Bryant took an ill-advised 3, too early in the shot clock as the quarter was nearing its close. Of course he nailed it. Which is great, three points and all, but you hate to encourage his inner gunner.

Then Wade almost had the play of the game. Spain has six or seven seconds to get the first quarter's final shot. Wade decided from 15 yards away to just go steal that ball, and swooped in and swiped it at full speed. Bingo. He's all alone on his way to a buzzer-beating dunk. The hard work is done. All we need is the finish and ... he fumbles it out of bounds with less than a second left. Bummer. The people need their dunks!

Just like to point out that in Spain it's a very civilized 9 a.m. right now. This would be nice over breakfast instead of ... whatever you eat at 3 a.m. (Stale nachos are, I think, the meal of this hour.) So, Spain gets the preferable TV schedule, but here in the U.S. we get a 12-point lead. When the U.S. went up a dozen in qualifying, Spain seemed to wilt. And now the mighty U.S. turnover machine is getting cranked up. Ever since the U.S. subs came in -- Bosh and Wade, mainly -- it has been a different story.

The U.S. starters came back in, and Spain touched off a little run. Coach K wisely brings Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade back.

Wade has 13 points on four shots so far, to go with two steals. That's all in eight minutes. Put that in your "per 48" stats machine, and you'll find ... a monster game. (He just got another steal and dunk, too.) ... then he nailed a 3, and assisted on a LeBron 3. If there's an MVP of the first half, it's Dwyane Wade by a country mile. Not to mention, with Wade on the floor, the U.S. has vastly outscored Spain. I suspect when he's on the bench, Spain has outscored the U.S.

Team USA is 8/11 from downtown. Kiss of death for Spain. On the other hand, the fact that Spain is still hanging around despite that ... tells you how well both teams are playing. This is a good game.

Before the game, I got a mini-prediction from former ESPN colleague, and current Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle. He said it would be "close for a while, then the US will pull away. USA will be ready for zone and will hit 3's and hurt them with second shots." Can not argue with the quality of that prediction.

Spain is closing the half very well. Things tightening up. The tension will persist in the second half.

At halftime, it's an eight-point game.

ESPN's Chris Palmer e-mails: "Is it even possible to put into context what it's like to be a 17-year-old kid playing head up against the likes of Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul & Co. as Spain's Ricky Rubio is doing against the US in the gold medal game? Despite a couple of Paul forays into the trees and D-Wade's open floor reverse throw down, the highlight of the game so far has been Tricky Ricky's behind the back dribble at the top of the key (past Jason Kidd) before splitting Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony to drop in a cottony finger roll. My mind is officially boggled and it's only the first quarter. Seriously, what's going through that kid's mind being on a stage of this magnitude without showing so much as a hint of a deer-in-the headlights look? Did I mention he's 17? Would have loved to have seen him play high school or college ball in America."

Another big storyline: The U.S. is on pace to have a 138-point game. And it's a 40-minute game. This is officially an unbelievably fun game to watch.

Chris Sheridan calls from Beijing, loving this game. He points out that Spain closed the quarter well with Pau Gasol benched after an ineffective stretch. Sheridan is crazy for Rudy Fernandez, and his boldness. But most importantly, he points out the foul situation. Rudy Fernandez, Felipe Reyes and Raul Lopez each have three. Two more and they foul out. Ricky Rubio, Berni Rodriguez and Marc Gasol have two apiece. This could be desperate times for Spain's injury-depleted backcourt in the second half.

Spain is outrebounding the U.S. 14-12.

Dwyane Wade halftime statline update: 21 points on nine shots, with four steals in 13 minutes. (This tournament has been good for him, huh? From forgotten man to superhero. And how he plays defense!) He's credited with one assist, but Sheridan remembers at least three, and says the stats crew has been stingy with assists all tournament long.

Rudy just missed a 3 that would have cut the lead to three. Now it's eight. That would have been huge.

Chad Ford at halftime: "I'm in the Middle East working on a PeacePlayers project. We are all sitting around the TV watching the game live on DubaiSports. Every time Dwayne Wade makes a three the announcer yells 'Allaaaaaah!' similar to the way soccer announcers yell 'Gooooooal' when someone makes a goal. I've always liked Ricky Rubio and thought he'd be a likely top five pick, but his play in this tournament has convinced me to move him up to the No. 1 spot in the draft. He has such amazing poise for someone his age. He needs to improve his jump shot and get stronger ... but he looks really special."

Halfway through the third it's a four-point game. Wow. Wow. This is one exciting game. It is a quarter to four in the morning and I could not be less tired.

Chris Palmer: "Who is D Wade, the Cleaner? The daring steals, the high flying dunks, the reckless abandon. I feel like I'm watching games 5 and 6 of the 2006 NBA Finals. It certainly has been refreshing to see Wade look like his former self. Wade's strength, fluidity, speed and grace is always something to see. Especially when he plays in fast motion using the entire court as he did in the first half against Spain. So much for the outside shooting of Michael Redd. Wade is in style in Beijing right now."

Cereal, by the way. That's what you eat at this hour. Better than stale nachos.

Let's be super clear. This is anybody's game. We're in the third quarter still -- lead hovering from four to six or seven -- and already it feels like nearly every play is a turning point.

Juan Carlos Navarro: Night of the Runner. He's shooting a ton of runners. Too exciting to look away, but the U.S. has built a little lead. Big stops. Some free throws. A Melo three. It's a nine-point game.

Rudy Fernandez and Felipe Reyes both have four fouls. For the U.S., only Deron Williams has three.

With about nine minutes left. Spain down 91-84, Rudy checks back in. And on this first play back, he initiates a stunning alley-oop. Next play after that, he nails a 3, and it's a two-point game.

When this is over, one team will have silver. Let no one criticize that team. The story is both teams playing beautifully.

Oh boy, did Carlos Jimenez ever get Wade to bite on that fake. Wade has had at least two really hard crashes. He needs to find a way to have fewer of those.

Spain misses some shots. U.S. beasts its way back to double-digit lead. Then Rudy SLAMS it home as he is fouled, and the Spanish players on the bench have to warned to stay off the floor.

Palmer: "I learned something tonight. Rudy Fernandez can shoot. And dunk on Dwight Howard. Congratulations Coach McMillian."

Least poised American: Dwight Howard. Been cranky all night. Enter Chris Bosh to play the closing minutes.

U.S. lead down to five. 3:25 left.

Kobe Bryant makes the best play a human can make. A four-point play, on which he fouls out Rudy Fernandez. If he had missed, I would have called that an ill-advised shot, but he didn't, not at all. Dagger.

Both teams trade HUGE threes, and then after Wade's last one, Wade goes to great lengths not to let himself just explode in un-Team USA celebration. Well held. And they Pau Gasol goes to the timeout with that pouty body language he gets sometimes. He needs to inspire right now.

Jimenez misses a 3. Kobe on a tear. U.S. up eight and counting in the final minute. Suddenly Spain can't score, and needs miracles.

Redemption.

This U.S. team looks very happy, and I'm thrilled they got to win it like this -- in a great game. Kobe Bryant gives Pau Gasol one of the great sports hugs of the ages. Looks like Coach Krzyzewski will not be covered in sport drink, though.

The U.S. has a better circle-up team chant at the end then Spain.

This game had so many major storylines. The redemption of USA basketball. Dwyane Wade's perfect start to the game (he finished with 27). Kobe Bryant's end-game heroics. Rudy Fernandez's major-league 22 tough points on 13 shots. Ricky Rubio -- at 17 -- looking at home on the court with All-Stars in the place of injured Jose Calderon. Pau Gasol and Juan Carlos Navarro hitting big shots. Spain coming close to defending their World Championships.

You know what? This could be the biggest win in the history of Team USA. In 1992, no single game really meant all that much. Probably the team's most famous game was that rigged 1972 loss to the Soviet Union. But has there ever been a bigger win?

The celebrity basketball player behind is not even assuredly an NBA-quality player.

The company behind it has declared bankruptcy.

Tthe player will reportedly make north of $20 million this season. He has been lauded as a hero for playing a role in introducing cheap basketball shoes. But now he is suing the bankrupt company for a couple more million.

That'll probably be the final analysis -- how dare he, when he has so much?

(And here's where this post about a little footnote in the apparel industry is going to take a bizarre turn.)

I'll tell you what, I don't like that line of thinking. I mean, if I have a friend who makes $75,000 and I take $750 from her, is she supposed to laugh it off if I don't return the money?

Don't give me that $20 million is no $75k. Here's the thing: Both salaries are well past the point of fulfilling basic human needs.

Food, shelter, education, health insurance ... If you're tough-minded, you can attend to all that for much less than $75k. I know this. And I know that people in most of the world dream of making a tenth of that.

But once you get past the hard needs of life, it's all relative. The extra money is all about retirement, a bigger house, college, cars, vacations ... important stuff! But not the brass tacks of survival.

My point is, if people who make $75,000 are allowed to get upset about getting ripped off, then so are multimillionaires. Neither may feel like it, but they are both rich.

Now, did Marbury actually get ripped off? I'll leave that to the judge.

Writing for Slate, Tommy Craggs has some pretty amazing insight into the "Redeem Team" and its place in the world of commerce:

On Aug. 11, USA Basketball formally sought to trademark the nickname "Redeem Team," including, in its application, a list of 64 pieces of apparel that might one day incorporate the phrase. Among them: Redeem Team hosiery; Redeem Team basketball shoes and Redeem Team basketball sneakers; Redeem Team aprons; Redeem Team undergarments; Redeem Team beach coverups, Redeem Team bathing suit coverups, and Redeem Team bathing suit wraps; Redeem Team bikinis and Redeem Team tankinis; Redeem Team "baby bibs not of paper"; and, of course, the Redeem Team "novelty headwear with attached wigs."

... Surely, by now no one reckons USA Basketball (the governing body that selects and manages the American Olympic team) to be anything but the NBA wrapped in an American flag. (Those with lingering doubts will please note that the preceding clothing list also appears verbatim, right down to the novelty headwear, in the bid by Sonics owners, since dropped, to trademark the name "Oklahoma City Supersonics." They will also note that NBC plays John Tesh's old NBA theme music during every game.)

Now, you should read Craggs' entire article. You really should. Go do it now.

And then come back here and guffaw with me over the kicker at the end. (Spoiler alert!) USA Basketball had applied for that trademark, right? But they didn't get it.

Some dude in Florida, apparently, registered the trademark a few hours before they got to it, and is now looking to partner with a sports apparel companiy to sell you with the same kinds of "Redeem Team" crapola you might have been able to buy from an official partner of USA Basketball.

My question is: When I show my love for the United States by, say, sticking my child in a Redeem Team bib (tankinis have never been his thing) is there any chance that bib will be made in America?

UPDATE: And here's as good a bet as I have seen anywhere about where that name came from.

The Celtics announced today that they have signed Darius Miles.

Terms were not disclosed.

The Celtics are the champions, and they run a tight ship. They don't hand out roster spots like candy. They say they have had him in twice for workouts, and now they're willing to commit some money to the project to keep another team from getting Miles.

That makes you wonder what the NBA's independent doctor was thinking in declaring Darius Miles a medical retirement.

Perhaps that doctor will yet be vindicated, as it certainly does not sound like Miles has actually made the team yet.

"Darius will have the next couple of months," explains Danny Ainge, in a press release, "to prove to myself and Coach Rivers that he can help us win."

If the idea was for Miles to merely prove he can make the team, the only reason I can think they would have needed to sign him to a contract now would have been if there were other teams interested, which is further evidence the guy might actually play.

And as any Blazer fan will tell you, if Miles does actually play in ten games, the medical retirement he never wanted is officially over. That means the massive deal he signed with Portland some time ago goes back on Portland's books, limiting future cap flexibility. (An analysis.)

Reportedly Miles' next NBA season, assuming there is one, will begin with a ten-game suspension, reportedly for taking the drug phentermine, which has been described as a diet pill.

In any case, it's an excellent result for Miles. In short order he has gone from being a popular pick to never play professional basketball again, to having the inside track on joining the defending champions.

There have been many indications -- including some comments from Ainge today in that press release -- that Miles has been working hard. Sometimes adversity can bring out the best in people, and it would be a happy NBA story if this proves to be one such case.

(Thanks to Ben from BlazersEdge for the heads up. Photo: Sam Forencich/NBAE/Getty Images)

There is a big game starting shortly. The United States vs. Argentina in the semifinals of the mighty Beijing Olympics. The winner gets to play for national glory and gold medals. The loser gets to enjoy being called "the Redeem Team" (again, if it's the USA) at the World Championships in 2010.

At the same time, I usually spend the morning reading and putting together the bullets. Then it struck me: Why not do both at once? What could be simpler? Watch a game, blog about it, and meanwhile spend the whole time furiously reading and posting links to all the best stuff out there.

This could be a perfectly terrible idea. Maybe I'll miss all the big plays and the big stories. Who knows. I'm pretty sure it's new and exciting, though.

One little note: I promise to make the bullets -- the parts of this post that are not about in the game -- look like bullets, so you can tell them apart from everything else. Here goes ...

Some video of one of the core Argentina players who may not be familiar to NBA fans: Pablo Prigioni. He's 6-4, 195, and 31 years old. A season ago he led the EuroLeague in assists, playing for Tau Ceramica.

More details to come, but Spain managed to squeak past tough Lithuania in the other semifinal, and thus await the winner of this game.

• Shaquille O'Neal has shown his face in Phoenix. A look at which Suns have already shown up for training.

The Washington Post's Michael Lee on Argentina: "Ginobili appears to have recovered from the sore ankle that limited him during the San Antonio Spurs' playoff run. And while Argentina has several other current and former NBA players on the team -- Andres Nocioni, Fabricio Oberto, Luis Scola and Carlos Delfino -- its team is much different. [Pepe] Sanchez and Walter Herrmann retired from the national team, limiting Argentina's depth. But it has won five in a row since losing its debut in the Olympics against Lithuania."

The teams are warming up now. Layup lines. Plenty of Team USA fans have been in touch to tell me they are nervous. There is the feeling the US could be due for a bad game. That could totally happen. But I can't being myself to get too worried. I fully expect the USA to play well, and I suspect that by the end of the third quarter, we'll all be remarking that Argentina's wing players look tired, undersized, and overworked trying to keep up with the bigger, faster and stronger American wings who will be playing short minutes.

In the first couple of minutes, the U.S. looks tough in the paint on both ends. Andres Nocioni is hurt, which is miserable for an Argentina team lacking depth. Manu Ginobili has clearly perfected the "I haven't shaved in three days" look.

Oh dear. Luis Scola took it strong, and Dwight Howard met him stronger. Big Luis looked tiny for a second. It's like we could see his ego right then. He got the bucket moments later, though, so we'll have to consider Scola "plucky."

Just heard from some people trying to watch this on TV, and heard that they are seeing table tennis right now? Could that be so? I'm watching online, thankfully.

Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, and Dwyane Wade ... together they could the foundation of the best team in the NBA. They are coming in off the bench together. Nice roster.

• David Berri of the Wages of Wins on the Spurs: "... the Spurs are good enough to give their fans hope. And fans of this team should enjoy this sense of hope while they can. Again, the key players are Duncan, Ginobili, Parker, and now Oberto. Although Parker is only 26, the other three members of the quartet are now on the wrong side of 30. As we saw with Finley, age tends to lead to less production. With less production, San Antonio will eventually start to lose more frequently. And no amount of coaching or team attitude (something people often credit for the Spurs success) is going to change this fact." Berri is very high on departed Spur Brent Barry.

Chris Paul does his referee mental jujitsu and gets a second foul on Manu, which hurts. Five fouls and you're benched. Manu looks at the referee and screams: "Did you see how perfect my stubble is! You can't bench this!"

Not the start Argentina (or the Spurs) wanted. Turnovers, misses, fouls ... and now Manu Ginobili limping to the bench.

Kobe's two choices on the break: Go one on one, or leave it for one of two superstar wide-open trailers to dunk with room. Two points, and one missed opportunity to try to shed the selfish tag, for Kobe.

• Some Grizzlies discuss their off-season regimens.
• Blue skies in Beijing.

Andres Nocioni, hurt, trying to make something happen in Manu's absence, has had three of four of the greatest plays of this game, and none was better than his block of Kobe Bryant just now. It might be too little too late (although Argentina is making a little push) but if Argentina somehow wins, they should build gold statues of Nocioni in Buenos Aires.

• Dan Steinberg of the DC Sports Bog with important news from Beijing: "I've discovered a new way to annoy the relentlessly helpful volunteers: keep one shoe untied. It drives them batty. They emerge out of every crevice of the building to tell you about your urgent shoelace problem. I just wave and keep on risking potential bodily catastrophe."

Nate Jones heard something on the internet broadcast earlier that I missed. Manu Ginobili was shooting free throws, and LeBron was chatting away. Kobe had been talking to the opponents in Spanish, and LeBron said something or other to Kobe and then added "make sure they understand that." The idea being, as Nate understood it, that Bryant was to translate some trash talk for James. Hilarious. UPDATE: Post-game, Jones e-mails: "It was actually at the 29:50 mark on the NBC online replay (Chris Bosh is shooting free throws). And after being able to replay it and listen, I realize that it was Kobe doing all the trash talking in Spanish to Scola and LeBron telling Kobe that was enough trash talking and to play ball. While watching it live, I heard LeBron talking to Kobe and Kobe's voice talking to Scola in Spanish and then a voice (which I thought was LeBron's) say 'make sure he understand that.' But it was actually Kobe telling Scola: 'Make sure you understand this!' Not as funny, but still a funny sequence."

OK, it's 39-27 in the second quarter. The gap has closed somewhat. All signs point to a great day for the U.S. but for the fact that there is a wounded dog clinging to their pantleg that have not yet been able to shake free. Let them hang on too long, and they get confident.

Argentina is not a big zone team, but they're trying it now and getting some decent results. That gets them Michael Redd on the floor, in place of a more effective defender and distributor, and it gets them some long-range Kobe Bryant bombs instead of LeBron James and his freight train of destruction at the rim.

Game on. The lead is down to eight with a minute left in the half. Somewhere Doug Collins is talking about how the best teams end quarters well.

The U.S. offense right now is called "You do something." And Kobe says ... OK!

Lead to six briefly, but Argentina forced a miserably long three in the closing moments, before Carmelo Anthony got a fortunate call releasing a 3. Three free throws later, the U.S. is up nine at the half, and this is not one of those games where Team USA is rolling. At the moment, it's the tight game which everyone said might rattle the United States.

Argentina is hanging within nine points while shooting just two of 10 from the 3-point line. The U.S. has made six of 20. Argentina has also endured 12 turnovers. Argentina is outrebounding the Redeem Team 19-17. If 'Melo doesn't get that call at the end of the half, and Argentina shoots closer to their average from downtown and hits two more threes, this is a tie game.

All that said, the U.S. can, and I suspect will, play much better in the second half.

• Another tip for aspiring sportswriters with blogs: Get people talking.
• What it looks like from the 10-meter diving platform.
• Among those stealthily using the Olympics to promote a foreign agenda: U.S.-based Christian missionaries, who say they are having some success eluding authorities and inspiring conversions
• Mihir Bose of the BBC: "Many in the Olympic movement feel that if the 20th century was Europe and America's great century of sport, then the 21st century might belong to China and Asia. While China's presentation at many of the sporting venues was a pale copy of what you might get in the NBA or at a baseball game, the Chinese have been determined throughout the last two weeks to show they can do sport like the West. And there can be no doubt that the Beijing Olympics have done just that."

Things definitely getting heated. I wish I had Tivo right now. Pretty sure that was a Oberto rake across Dwight Howard's face that had all of Howard's teammates escorting him away. Now he's FIRED UP.

• Matt of Basketbawful noticed a youngster buying a whole bunch of that 5-Hour Energy stuff, which he told his mom he needed for his little league games. Matt's thought: "You know, when I was 11, I had 5-hour Energy, too. It was called puberty."

After some lovely passing, the U.S. was about to complete an alley-oop dunk that would have been a serious blow to Argentina. But Carlos Delfino -- he has made a lot of big plays -- picked off the open-court lob. 15-point game at the moment. Terrier's teeth still embedded in the pant leg.

• Preparing, mentally, to perform. No, Usian Bolt is not nuts; experts say it's smart for every athlete to prepare in their own way.
• What's going on with Shaun Livingston? Lottery pick point guard with good size, coming off a wicked injury. Any takers?

Carmelo Anthony, surrounded by three defenders, puts the ball on the floor and dribbles into a fourth. Then he misses.

14-point game with one quarter left. Yes, this looks like this will be a U.S. win. No, it does not look like this game will be, at any point, easy.

LeBron James nails a corner 3 to put the U.S. up by 18 with a little under nine left. I entertain the notion that I might be able to run out for a cup of coffee and return without missing much. Quinteros nails a corner 3 of his own in response. I will without that caffeine, even though James later got two back.

In the timeout, you can hear Coach Krzyzewski trying to settle his team's emotional state.

Tempo, by the way, has been slower than other Team USA games. Somehow, this injured team has kept this team a little slower.

The only US players with more than 20 minutes of PT right now: LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Kobe Bryant. Scola is leading all scorers with 22, and has nine rebounds. Argentina, as a team, has a measly seven assists.

The U.S. will win this one -- up 17 with two minutes left -- but credit Argentina with a seriously impressive performance. Manu Ginobili sits for most of it, and Nocioni is banged up ... but they made it a dogfight, got Scola going (26 and 11 and counting), made nothing easy, slowed things down, and got the Redeem Team a little rattled. Spain is taking notes.

Final score 101-81. I'd say Team USA is halfway redeemed -- by making it to the final game which has eluded them in the last three major international tournaments. This is a big burden removed. All that's left is beating the Spanish team they manhandled in qualifying. It's entirely possible that Spain (a team that seemed to stop competing once Team USA got a decent lead) will play much better, and may have even saved some tricks for the big contest. But you have to be feeling good right now if you're Coach Krzyzewski. The vast majority of the variables have been removed. Now it's down to one game, and your team is (pretty) focused and healthy.

I mean, you know, I like the team and all. Exciting times.

But what I'm really talking about is the fact that Ed Stefanski and the PR staff just hosted a conference call for bloggers. Took just about 25 minutes and nothing was off-limits.

I think it offers the team a connection to the passionate blogging public that is not available any other way.

And they handled the whole thing with a smile. I didn't feel for one second that in the minds of PR man Michael Preston, or Stefanski himself, they were talking to the JV.

It was just a GM and some bloggers having a conversation. That would not have happened two years ago. The Sixers deserve some kudos for being web-savvy.

The talk itself had a number of interesting ideas.

One thing I was curious about was the role of Thaddeus Young, one of my favorite young NBA players. The Sixers became a good team last year pretty much when they started playing Young long minutes, and he mainly got those minutes at power forward. At that position, as opposed to the small forward, it doesn't matter as much that he's not a lights out shooter and has a mediocre handle. Also his speed as a slasher really hurts a lot of other fours.

But now the team has Elton Brand, who is clearly the starting, and ending, power forward. Stefanski himself says that a big part of the reason Brand came to the team was because they had done some winning late last year. But if you bench Thaddeus, or move him to another position, is Brand still joining an exciting young team? So, what is Thaddeus's role now?

"That will shake itself out in preseason," says Stefanski. "Elton Brand is out starting power forward, and I expect that if you asked him Maurice Cheeks would tell you that he envisions Thad at the three, if he had to guess right now. Thad has been working very hard this summer on his handle, and there is no question his handle has gotten better. But only in the preseason can we see how that translates to games. Also, he can play four at times when Elton Brand is getting a break. And don't forget that, especially in the East, sometimes Elton will be able to play some at center."

Some other highlights:

• Stefanski said the Sixers would not have signed Theo Ratliff if Jason Smith had not been injured, and that injury could also mean some NBA playing time for promising rookie big man Marreese Speights.
• Stefanski confirmed that Andre Miller does not have an agent at the moment. Miller had been represented by Lon Babby. When he has an agent, they will talk about an extension.
• He does not anticipate any more deals, although when Willie Green came up, Stefanski said that the team didn't plan to trade him, and he'd get an opportunity to play. Which struck me as notably not the same as saying we think he's a big part of our future. That all makes sense, too. Any GM would prefer those touches go to Louis Williams, Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand, Thaddeus Young and the like.
• Stefanski thinks the Sixers can still run, even with Elton Brand. He points out that Samuel Dalembert is a very fast big man, and if Brand is the trailer on the fast break, that's not the end of the world.
• On the topic of players heading overseas in bigging numbers, Stefanski more or less read from the NBA hymnal: "I know the NBA is the greatest league in the world," he says. "The best players in the world want to take a shot at the NBA." True. Except for Josh Childress, Carlos Delfino, Carlos Arroyo, Earl Boykins, Juan Carlos Navarro, Primoz Brezec, Nenad Krstic, Bostjan Nachbar, Loren Woods etc.
  
• Asked why the Sixers never made an offer to Josh Smith, after courting him, Stefanski said the Sixers love Smith, but suspected the Hawks would match any offer they made. They had also never been certain who might enter unrestricted free agency, and were thrilled when Elton Brand entered the market. Asked later if he thought the Hawks got Smith at a bargain rate, Stefanski said he thought the Hawks were very pleased to have been able to match an offer to Smith, instead of negotiating themselves.

(Photo: Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images)

Petteri Koponen, the 6-5 Finnish point guard who was a 2007 first-round pick of the Portland Trail Blazers, has signed a four-year deal with Virtus Bologna of Italy.

His agent, Marc Cornstein, says the deal has buyouts every summer which would make it possible for Koponen to return to the NBA. The Blazers can continue to hold Koponen's rights until 2011, although it will cost them some flexibility under the salary cap to do so.

In Bologna, the 20-year-old Koponen will compete for minutes at the point guard spot with Earl Boykins.

Koponen (who wants you to know that saunas and Santa Claus are from Finland) is something of an unknown. Although he has played twice as a Blazer in summer league, he has played regular seasons only in the lightly regarded Finnish league, where he was dominant.

Most scouts felt he was not so good last summer when he was 19, but much better, stronger, and more assertive in Las Vegas in 2008. Portland GM Kevin Pritchard had publicly entertained the notion of signing Koponen this year. One hurdle was that the Blazers as presently constructed -- they are adding rookie guards Jerryd Bayless and Rudy Fernandez -- are overloaded with guards.

Cornstein says there was interest in Koponen from other NBA teams. "By drafting him in the first round, Portland has the right to hold onto his rights even if they don't feel he is ready for the NBA," explains Cornstein. "When we investigated trades, the Blazers say that they like Petteri as a player and don't want to give up on him. So our hands our tied somewhat with what we can do in the NBA. And Portland, I think, wants to have its cake and eat it, too. This way Petteri can continue to develop, and they don't have to give up a roster spot."

"The risk, for Portland, is that if Petteri has a bad year or gets hurt, obviously, they won't bring him over. But if plays really well, then because of the rookie scale, he'll have go decide if he wants to play in the NBA, or make two, three, or even four times as much money overseas. Rudy Fernandez just decided to play in the NBA under those circumstances, but I think that will increasingly be the exception and not the rule.

"Petteri's ultimate goal remains to play in the NBA. But he's in a very good situation, with an excellent contract playing in a beautiful place, for a team with a proud history that is committed to winning and has basketball-crazy fans."

Cornstein represents several NBA players who signed in Europe this summer, including Nenad Krstic, Primoz Brezec, and Bostjan Nachbar. Koponen was a different story in many regards, he was not an NBA free agent, but nevertheless Cornstein says the result was the same. "The story of my summer has been the same every time. In every case, the players decided to sign where they felt they were the most wanted," he explains.

"If I could get on my soapbox for a minute, I would say that the one lesson of this summer for NBA teams is to put a little bit more effort into wooing players. The rate of exchange between the Euro and the dollar is not something we can change. For the next few years, the CBA can't change. But at the moment the story is that players who are deciding between the NBA and overseas are not, in the cases we have heard about, being wooed much by the NBA team. If teams do things to make players feel wanted -- like the Kings did last summer with Beno Udrih, when they made him feel beyond wanted -- it goes a long way. Everyone, in every line of work, wants to feel wanted."

End Note: In a great bit of globalization, I first learned of the signing of this Italian club from Portland-based BlazersEdge citing Finnish reports. Then I called his agent in New York to confirm.