The Works: Team USA in the Key of B, Corporate Logo Creep, Iverson in China

by Bethlehem Shoals and Tom ZillerFiled under: USA Basketball, Sports Business and Media, The WorksRob Peterson (@ShotDrJr) is filling in for Bethlehem Shoals this week. In The Works today, logos will creep onto NBA jerseys (and that's OK) and Allen Iverson mulls an unofficial goodwill tour of Chinese basketball arenas.

But first, we insist this American squad continue to be called The B-team.

Alphabet Hoop: When you are derided as inferior, yet you overcome all obstacles to succeed, you are legally obligated to invoke the Law of Nobody Believed In Us!.

The 2010 incarnation of Team USA was certainly considered inferior, earning the moniker "The B-team" once every last member of the 2008 Olympic champion team opted out ahead of the World Championship this summer. The B-team, of course, did what the A-team couldn't in 2006: won the Worlds, a deeper, arguably tougher tournament than the Olympics. With the win, Team USA tripped a clause demanding the activation of the Law of Nobody Believed In Us!.

Kevin Durant is a stickler for regulations, so he ran with it, tweeting post-gold, "B-team huh?? Haaaaa we got it done... ." But all this passive-aggressive rage against the media ignores the very important reality that this really was a B-team. This was not a collection of the 12 best American NBA players. That was 2008. That was, essentially, 10 of the top 20 American NBA players on the planet, plus Tayshaun Prince and a guy dressed like Michael Redd. That was a true A-team ... Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

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