My thoughts from my blog:<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>The US originally had planned to trim the roster from this week's 17 to 12 after yesterday's game. But they decided to bring everyone back for the training camp in August, along with Greg Oden and Nick Collison. Additionally, there will be an elite team of young NBA players brought in to scrimmage Team USA, and the Celtics' Al Jefferson will get a call. "He's on my list," said Team USA honcho Jerry Colangelo. The final, 12-man roster for the Olympic qualifier does not have to be submitted to FIBA until Aug. 21, the day before the tourney starts.- Boston Globe</div>It's great that Al is getting the chance to at the very least practice with the best players in the NBA. I have a feeling he won't make the team because of how deep it is but he will be able to get experience, getting a feel for how he's gonna play some of these guys before the season starts. The downside to this of course is injury. But I mean, he's just gonna be scrimmaging.
I agree that Big Al probably wont make the team, but it's definitely a nice oppurtunity for him to prove himself. I'm assuming that he's getting invited because Colangelo sees him as a future player for Team USA. IMO, Big Al would be a great fit for Team USA in the future. His post game is one of the most well developed in the NBA, he's a great rebounder, and he's becoming a very good defender. Help defense is one of his biggest strength's. He's rarely late on rotations and is becoming very skilled at altering shots. Also, he runs the floor very well for a big man, which is becoming increasingly important in international play.All I can say is watch out for Big Al when the 15-18 foot shot becomes automatic. It's already effective enough for the defense to be honest. I'm hoping it can become a pattented part of his game in the future, as long as it doesn't hinder his inside game.
Big Al's going to open a lot of eyes. Most of the Big Men on Team USA are foul prone (Howard, Stoudemire) except for Bosh. It'll be fun to see Al fake the Team USA big men out of the soles of their shoes in August.
Al would be a great low post scoring threat to come off the bench for team USA. That would be something if he could play for team USA.
