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Did someone put Mark Cuban in charge of the U.S. Olympic basketball committee? A team is being put together with a collection of stars and scorers, with little attention paid to defense or role definition. I'm expecting Antoine Walker and Ricky Davis to be named team captains any day now.

As of a couple days ago, the team had only Tim Duncan, Jermaine O'Neal, Allen Iverson, and Richard Jefferson as likely participants. The list of players who said they'd rather not play was almost as impressive as the list of guys who did want to play. Jason Kidd. Vince Carter. Ray Allen. Karl Malone. Guys were pulling out of the Olympics like it was Paris Hilton. Mike Bibby and Tracy McGrady have wavered. The notion of another Dream Team is dead.

But the U.S. Olympic committee doesn't see it as an opportunity to add some defense, some toughness, some guys who don't need to score. It extended invitations to Stephon Marbury and LeBron James, exciting players with big names that the media will love, but I don't know how much they're going to do for the Olympic Team.

Stephon Marbury's a very good player for the Knicks. They need to get some scoring from the point guard position. Team USA does not. And Starbury has never proved that he can defer to someone else when it comes to scoring, and committ himself to team play, distributing the basketball, and defense. His inclusion makes no sense from a basketball standpoint. Never should Stephon Marbury be the focal point of an offense with so much scoring available elsewhere.

LeBron's inclusion, I'm a little more comfortable with, but he wouldn't have been among my first few choices. As long as they're not planning on playing him at the point guard, LeBron can contribute and I don't think he'll have any problem passing up scoring opportunities for himself. Put him at the 3, and he'll move the ball around, facilitate the offense, and will get some good looks of his own. But he's still not very good defensively yet, and defense is what Team USA should be emphasizing.

Given Duncan, JO, AI, and Richard Jefferson, here's how I would've filled out the rest of the roster. For a 12-man roster, we'd need two centers, a small forward, a shooting guard, two point guards, and two other players. Assuming that KG, Shaq, Kidd, Vince Carter, Ray Allen, Karl Malone, Mike Bibby, Kobe and T-Mac are out, here's how the roster would look if MJD was in charge. Tim Duncan and Jermaine O'Neal are the focal points, and we're building around them as the #1 offensive options.

Center:

- Ben Wallace. It makes no sense to me that Ben Wallace has yet to be invited. He brings everything the team needs. Interior defense, rebounding, shot blocking, and Ben Wallace will never shortchange anyone with his effort. I don't care if he was a member of the embarrassment of a team the U.S. sent to the World Championships. That was a team without leadership, both on the bench and on the floor. They had no direction, and I don't think the blame should go any farther than the coaches or the point guards on that team.

- Brad Miller. He brings defense, rebounding, toughness, and passing. He's also got a nice jumper and a post-up game if, for some reason, more offense is needed from the center position.

Power forward:

- Jermaine O'Neal.
- Tim Duncan.

Small forward:

- Richard Jefferson.
- Ron Artest. Along with Ben Wallace, he's one of the guys it makes the least sense for Team USA to be without. He's a complete player, and if the selection committee still has reservations about his attitude, or perhaps more accurately, his image, they need to get over it. He plays hard every second he's on the floor. He brings it all. Team USA needs Ron Artest.

Shooting guard:

- Allen Iverson.
- Michael Redd. He's a key for Team USA. Duncan should be drawing double teams on the block, so there will have to be shooters on the outside ready to rain threes. He can shoot from anywhere and has a lightning quick release.

Point guard:

- Eric Snow. The two best American point guards (Kidd and Bibby) are out, and guys like Steve Francis, Baron Davis, and Stephon Marbury have shown questionable decision-making throughout their careers. I say forget about scoring from the point guard position. It's not necessary, and it would hurt the efficiency of the offense. Eric Snow will initiate the offense, set good screens on the perimeter, play defense, and otherwise, just stay out of the way.

- Jason Williams. When Team USA needs a change of pace from a halfcourt to a transition game, Jason Williams comes in. Under Hubie Brown, he's learned to become a true point guard. He's got great speed, can run the break, and has one of the best assist/turnover ratios in the game.

Others:

- Kenyon Martin. Unfortunately, Kenyon is going to turn down the Olympics, which is a shame because I see Kenyon Martin as kind of a Bobby Jackson of the frontcourt. He comes in when Team USA needs an emotional spark or is in fastbreak mode. I can't stand all of his little gestures and head-bobbing, but something tells me I'll like it better when he's playing for a team I like. He's not much of a back-to-the-basket scorer, but no big man runs the floor as well as Kenyon Martin. He's got ridiculous hops, is a very good on-the-ball defender, and can light a fire under the crowd and his teammates.

- Sam Cassell. I almost went with Al Harrington for the final spot. I love his versatility, his all-around game, and his understanding of the role of a bench player, but ultimately, Sam Cassell's jumper and frightening face are just too valuable to be left home. Of course, to be on the team, he'll first have to prove that he's a citizen of the United States and not Nebulon 5 of the Xontar Galaxy, but for right now, I'll take his word for it. I didn't list him as a point guard, because I think the point guard should play a certain role on the team, but if the opposition elects to double the post and give up perimeter shots, putting Sam Cassell and Michael Redd back there will be devestating. Sam's also proving himself a clutch player, and in a tight game, Sam can play the role of Reggie Miller.

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