James, Paul, Williams, Dwyane Wade, Bosh and Howard (who, through free-throw despair, is becoming the next Shaq) would put Team USA on the doorstep of a repeat if they commit to returning.

We'll see where three years of development put the others.

The system

Let's hope the 2008 gold medal fails to validate the current U.S. system at the grassroots level.

National-team failure in 2006 provoked more player-development overtures from the mighty sneaker companies, but young American players continue to play an inordinate amount of AAU games.

A more reasonable basketball calendar would offer a period of physical training and skill development that can incorporated during the high school season and a scaled-down club season.

That probably won't happen because a crazy July calendar is of greater practical application for college recruiters, and it does enable more prospects to be seen by those who would offer a free education.

Maybe that's preferable to a gold medal every four years or perhaps the current model can serve both masters more than once every 16 years. As long as a smart national-team coach can line up great talent that buys into his tactics, the U.S. (in theory) can prevail.

It also should be pointed out that USA Basketball's Under-18 squad lost to Argentina in the gold-medal game of the 2008 FIBA Americas tournament. A look at the box score indicates that Team USA didn't exactly suit up all of the best dozen 18-year-olds at its disposal.

But I'm not sure if Argentina did, either.