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RJ? No way.

Richard Jefferson was quoted in AP as saying that Rod Thorn told him he was going to be on the US Olympic team. I hope Rod Thorn meant the Equestrian team, because Richard Jefferson does not merit a spot on this squad.

Look at the list of names on the team. Kobe. Duncan. Malone. Iverson. Kidd. I've got nothing against the man, and I think he's an excellent player, and probably the second most valuable guy on the Nets, but RJ is just not in that class of the names listed above. I don't even think it's arguable. Is the goal to send the absolute best basketball players in the US, or is it the goal to send pretty good basketball players who can be counted on to be polite in interviews?

Granted, there is a need at the 3-spot. Kevin Garnett has not yet accepted an invitation, leaving Tracy McGrady as the only guy on the roster who plays that position. And if you've read the 'Bows before, you can guess how I'd feel about having T-Mac be the only small forward on Team USA. We'd prefer Kyle Korver. Still though, I'd argue that center and point guard (if Jason Kidd can't go) are more important positions of need, but if we need a 3, we need a 3. I'm just wondering why it has to be this particular 3.

In order, here are guys I'd take ahead of Richard Jefferson at small forward: Ron Artest, Shawn Marion, Michael Finley, Carmelo Anthony, Bruce Bowen, Lamar Odom, Vince Carter, and maybe even LeBron James.

If you expend the list to include centers and point guards, I'd also take ahead of Richard Jefferson: Ben Wallace, Brad Miller, Erick Dampier, Michael Redd, Stephon Marbury, Sam Cassell, Gary Payton, and definitely LeBron James.

While we're on the subject, how has Ben Wallace not yet been named to the Olympic team? Not only is he an is he the baddest interior defender around, what about the intimidation factor? The Latvian team might come out of the tunnel, take a look at Big Ben, turn around, run to the airport, and hop their asses on a direct flight back to Riga. What's Latvian for "Huge man, giant afro, let's get the hell out of here"?

The US has no centers on the roster. Shaq has not yet committed. Ben Wallace's lack of offensive ability is not a liability on this team, it's an asset. There will be no lack of scoring. But there may be a lack of defense, and there may also be a lack of guys who will be happy when they're not getting touches. Having a couple of defensive specialists around, like Big Ben, Ron Artest or Bruce Bowen, would be the best decision Team USA could make.

The case for LeBron

LeBron and Carmelo are the best rookies to come into a league at the same time since Rick Vaughn and Willie Mays Hays. But the best rookie of this year is LeBron James. Hands down.

As the season gets closer to its end, I hear more and more people arguing for Carmelo. Melo's definitely been a stud this year, and at first glance, LeBron's and Melo's numbers are comparable. Points are about even, rebounding advantage to Melo, assist average to LeBron. And Carmelo's on the better team. On the surface, Carmelo can make a case. Look a little deeper, though, and the hardware's gotta go to LeBron.

Carmelo's rebounding advantage is by about a half a board per game. He pulls down a little over six boards per game, which is not a particularly great number for a small forward. Considering that LeBron's pulling down five and a half a game, and he's doing it from the 1 or the 2 position, I don't see it as an advantage for Melo at all.

LeBron is thirteenth in the league in assists. Being thirteenth in the league in assists as a rookie is pretty impressive, and it's made even more impressive by the fact that he's spent a lot of time away from the point, too. And still, he ranks ahead of guys like Gary Payton, Tony Parker, and Mike Bibby in assists. And most of the guys ahead of him on the assist list can't get close to LeBron's point output.

Carmelo's team is better, and he's gone up against better competition. Those are factors, but they don't outweigh other less measurable factors, things higher expectations and more pressure being on LeBron, while being blessed with less of a supporting cast.

And yes, Carmelo's refusal to enter the game earlier this year is also a factor. It doesn't make the difference, but it's a factor. I understand that he's 19 and that he's not going to be perfect, but if he's old enough to say he deserved an All-Star spot over Andre Kirilenko, he's old enough to take some criticism for doing something childish. In rookie of the year voting, why shouldn't this be held against him? Melo's rookie year is Melo's rookie year, and that was a part of it.

A, Always. B, Be. C, Closing. Always be closing.

The Kings, the Clippers, the Rockets, and the Magic cannot have any coffee. Why? Because coffee is for closers only.

Houston has not closed out the season well. The Rockets have backed into the playoffs, and perhaps worse than that, they let Charles Oakley walk, removing approximately 94% of the toughness from the team. It's hard to take the Rockets seriously in the postseason, but fortunately for them, if the playoffs started right now, they'd be playing Sacramento in the first round, and toughness is not a prerequisite for beating the Kings. The third toughest guy on the Kings is probably Pete Carrill.

And speaking of the pretty purple team, the Kings had been on a nice little slide of their own before beating the Lakers. That win was huge, because winning that division will men the difference in having to play Dallas or Memphis in the first round, or having to play the fade-job Rockets. The Mavs and Grizz can both run, and both the Lakers and the Kings will have a few sets of legs on the floor that aren't the youngest or the freshest. Neither of those teams could play a six-or-seven game track meet series in the first round and still go on to win the title.

The Clippers and Magic have also put together losing streaks to end the season, but with them, it's not so much an inability to close as it is an inability to play good basketball. The Clippers have lost 10 straight, and I really think it may be time for that organization to think about going into a rebuilding mode. Oh, that's right, they've been in rebuilding mode for about 20 years now.

As for the Magic, playing out the string while having apparently replaced Tracy McGrady on the roster with George Aaronow... I'd wish them good luck, but they wouldn't know what to do with it if they got it.

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M.J. Darnell runs www.themightymjd.com.