FOR USA, EVEN ALL-STARS PLAY ROLES

 The greatest trick USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo has pulled is convincing NBA players they don't need to be stars at the Olympics.

Guard-forward Andre Iguodala is the stalwart of the Philadelphia 76ers and played in the NBA All-Star Game.  His minutes and role with Team USA might be limited at the London Olympics but Iguodala will have a defined yet necessary role for them: Be a defensive stopper and use his athleticism in the transition game.

"That's why they selected me and why they like my game," Iguodala said after Colangelo named the 12-man roster Saturday. "I'm able to do whatever is needed."

Colangelo makes sure the message is heard, received and reciprocated. From Miami Heat forward and Olympic champion LeBron James to Oklahoma City Thunder guard James Harden, the last to make the U.S. team, the phrase of choice is, "Whatever is needed."

"We're all here for one goal, and it's whatever it takes to win the gold medal," said James, the NBA's regular-season and Finals MVP. "It's that simple."

Even James knows he will play less and score fewer points than last season's NBA averages of 38 minutes and 27 points. It's a role he embraces.

"It's a luxury for me to come in here and know I don't have to do as much as I do for my respective team," James said.

Colangelo has long maintained he doesn't want to replicate an All-Star team. He loves to describe a team member as someone who "has built equity with USA Basketball," who can set aside ego for two-plus weeks at the Olympics or world championships.

Of the 12 players on the London team, five won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics — James, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul and Deron Williams— and five won gold at the 2010 world championships in Turkey — Iguodala, Tyson Chandler, Kevin Durant, Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook.

All roles are necessary, right down to the 12th man, who might not play much but must practice hard and do what is asked.

"Philosophically, we've always had that position," Colangelo told USA TODAY Sports. " With the versatility and athleticism we have overall … the coaching staff now has the opportunity to go to a specialist when that's required or necessary."

That is especially important with injuries keeping Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh off the team and helps explain the selections of Iguodala and Harden, the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year.

Iguodala might not have made the team. Harden certainly wouldn't be here. He was a late addition in May after injuries to potential candidates reduced the preliminary roster to 16 from 20. Both now fill vital roles.

"They bring a different dimension. They're kind of 'tweeners,'" Colangelo said. "Iguodala is a defender who can guard all the positions he can, and Harden is a flat-out scorer and a good defender, very actively defensively with loose balls and steals. He's wide. We opted for that."

Iguodala, the prototypical player Colangelo wants, is recognized as an elite defender but he also can make shots at the rim, especially on fastbreaks. He played on the Under-18 U.S. team, the 2007 and 2008 U.S. select teams that scrimmaged against the national team and the 2010 gold-medal world championship team.

"As they move from junior basketball to the select team … to eventually the national team, there is a much easier transition because they understand the rules, the style of play and the level of competition," international basketball expert and former college coach Fran Fraschilla said.

Iguodala made a commitment and earned that "equity," a strong reason why he is on the Olympic team beyond his skills.

"I know the DNA of the guys they want to use," Iguodala said.

Harden, easily recognizable by his long, natty beard, is the welcome interloper. Not an All-Star and without international experience, he has supporters in Colangelo, U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski and teammates.

"Each and every one of those guys makes me feel welcome," Harden said.

Harden comes off the bench for the Thunder and provides scoring, playmaking and defense. He will be asked to do the same in London, in a reduced role.

"Being a sixth man and already coming off the bench definitely helped a lot," Harden said of his inclusion. "Being versatile, even defensively, to guard (positions) 1, 2,, 3 and maybe even 4, helped. Offensively, I will be in a position to catch and shoot, make plays for my teammates and get to the foul line, do everything."

The youngest player, at 22, Harden has bought into Colangelo's message.

"It's a dream come true to represent the United States of America," Harden said. "If I don't get in the game, I'm going to do whatever it takes to help my teammates win the game. That's all that matters."

For all the anxiety about a depleted U.S. team, Colangelo has created a program that can withstand injury after injury to the world's best players and still be the strong favorite to win gold.

The USA could still start James, Bryant, Durant, Paul and Chandler, with six All-Stars off the bench: Anthony, Iguodala, Love, Westbrook, Williams and Blake Griffin.

"Let's give Jerry Colangelo and Coach K some credit," Fraschilla said. "This is the most continuity we've ever seen out of a United States national team. It's at the point now where young stars are coming in like Westbrook, Durant and Love, and they're actually using international experience as a springboard to great NBA careers."

Considered the USA's fiercest competition for gold, Spain heads into the Olympics without point guard Ricky Rubio (recovering from knee surgery) and with guards Juan Carlos Navarro (plantar fasciitis) and Rudy Fernandez (back) not 100%. If Tony Parker (eye) isn't 100% for France, its chances to win a medal decrease.

"Continuity always plays a significant role," Colangelo said. "We've built a program and not just put a team on the floor. We have standards. We have expectations.

"The players have come to understand that and they have bought into it. There's no specific textbook on this. It's because we've been around a while and know what we want in the way of team and know how important attitude is, and we've got that."

As much as the rest of the world closes the gap, the USA is still the dominant basketball nation.

In a gym in Lithuania at the under-17 world championships Sunday, the USA defeated Australia for gold.

"We're very aware of what our youth teams are doing," Colangelo said. "They are our future Olympians."

COACH K & THE DREAM TEAM

Mike Krzyzewski is one of America’s top teachers. His classroom just happens to be a 94-foot stretch of hardwood with a hoop at each end.

Yet, as successful as Duke’s Hall of Fame basketball coach has been — 833 wins, 10 Final Fours, three national championships and, now, Olympic gold — he remains a student.

That is how it is with the best among us: they strive to know all they can, but never claim to know it all.

So while Krzyzewski cherishes the personal relationships he built as Team USA head coach, saying the bonds “will last forever,” he embraced the three-year journey to the medal stand in Beijing as “a chance to learn about the game.”

He kept his eyes and ears open while working with assistant coaches Jim Boeheim, Mike D’Antoni and Nate McMillan, as well as a team of NBA superstars.

“You see how they prepare and you get their insights,” Krzyzewski said.

He brings first-hand knowledge of what the world’s best players are really like. Krzyzewski worked three summers with Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, et al, marveling at the time and effort they invested.

“I never had one second of problem with any of them. They truly are professionals,” Krzyzewski said. “It’s the way they conduct themselves and practice. It’s also what they do when you’re not practicing.”

“People would be shocked at how hard they work away from practice. Early in the morning, after practice, late at night. They may have one or two workouts they do every day in addition to practice to keep themselves prepared.”

CHRIS BOSH

The combination of playing on the U.S. Olympic team and maturity have helped change Chris Bosh for the better.

According to the Toronto Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell:

"His practices are unbelievable, unbelievable. In the past, Chris would come in and do just enough. Now, everything, every possession, every play is 100 percent all out.

I used to tell him all the time, the difference between Kevin Garnett and 97 percent of the league is Kevin played like he practiced. And Chris is getting it, I think the light came on. I can't remember one play that he's taken off in the pre-season, not one. Not one time when he was supposed to run and get to a spot has he not done it. I think he's realizing just how good he really is and how much better he can become.

Says Bosh:

"I've grown mentally as a player over this past summer and everything. Being in that Olympic environment broadened my perspective a little bit, and I started thinking more. That's what we've been talking about a lot in the past, he (Mitchell) is always telling me how I need to be a better practice player, make sure I push the guys and push myself to get better in practice. I really took that to heart and I'm really taking advantage of each day."

HOW IMPORTANT IS SCOUTING?

Perhaps the biggest change behind the scenes that shows just how seriously the Americans are taking the competition involves the evolution and sophistication of their scouting department.

There are three decorated N.B.A. scouts on USA Basketball’s staff.

They have compiled a 37-page report on the Australians. They obsess over basketball minutiae like how often a player goes to his left, who a team’s defensive weak links are and what are the different options on a set play.

They also give a detailed report on each player. For example, Russia’s Andrei Kirilenko has a penchant for slipping screens and sealing his man in international play. Kirilenko is more aggressive at the Olympics than he is in the N.B.A.

After hop-scotching to Puerto Rico, Greece, Spain, China and Japan the past three years, they are not in China to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

From all the information they send over, the Duke staff makes a report that is the front and back of a sheet of paper, which is handed out to the team.

“I think one of the things Tony Ronzone gives us is a feel for players,” Wojciechowski said. “There’s one thing to understand what a team is trying to run, or a guy goes left more than right. Tony gives us a knowledge of a guy’s history. Is he the heart and soul of a team? Is he the guy who takes the big shots?”

KOBE - THE OLYMPICS

Every game, Bryant has been the first player in a defensive stance, the first guy guarding the opponent in the backcourt, squatting and straining alone in front of his four teammates who have no choice but to imitate him and make it their mantra.

"He gives it his all on every second of every play. You see that and you're like, you've got to do the same thing," said center Chris Bosh. "You see a guy playing that hard, you'll do anything not to let him down."

The players who once shunned him now actually learn from him, drawing inspiration from his preparation.

Every game, he's the player pointing to other players, directing them on both sides of the court, counseling them, cheering them.

"You hear a lot of things about Kobe, but I had no idea he was such a basketball junkie," said guard Chris Paul. "He studies all the film and talks basketball all the time."

"We're good friends, so none of what he does surprises me," said center Carlos Boozer.

The loner has become an embraced leader, and you could see it again Friday in a 101-81 rout of defending Olympic champion Argentina.

Before the game, the handful of players who had competed on the embarrassing 2004 Olympics team in Athens pleaded with them for revenge.

Bryant listened, and came out crazy.

He scored the first points on a reverse follow-up layup. He made the first defensive stop while swarming Manu Ginobili into a three-point miss.

He threw the first big elbow of the game, shoving Ginobili right in front of a whistle-chewing official, setting the tone for an hourlong battle.

"Kobe was the guy; he was like, 'I want to guard Manu,' " Chris Paul said. "He always wants to guard the other team's best player."

It's one thing for him to say that in a Lakers locker room, on a team where he has to guard the opposing star.

It's another thing to say it in a room filled with stars, where he knows that concentrating on defense will hurt his scoring.

"The things he does out there, they're not about putting the ball in the basket," said Carmelo Anthony. "They're about his presence."

Notice something interesting about that sentence?

How many times does a teammate compliment Bryant on something that doesn't involve numbers? Even when his Lakers teammates talk about how Bryant won't let them lose, they are talking about his scoring.

As perhaps the ultimate compliment, Bryant's teammates here are raving about him in spite of his numbers.

He is only the third-leading scorer on the team, at 14.3 points a game. He ranks fourth in steals. He ranks sixth in assists. Eighth in rebounding.

It's not about the numbers. It's about the perception.

Notice something interesting about this column?

As recently as a year ago, you couldn't write a story about Kobe Bryant's impact on a team without talking to Kobe Bryant. His teammates never had much to say.

This time, though, there are no Bryant quotes. There is not enough room. His teammates said plenty.