This is the third time around for LeBron James. It’s hard to believe that James is that experienced and aged, but he’s only 27. It’s just that he was so good at such a young age, and he appeared at the perfect time to hit the Olympics in 2004 as well as 2008. Now that he’s back again at 2012 in London, he’s the most experienced member of the team along with Carmelo Anthony.
That’s a good level of experience to have given the young nature of the rest of the team. Many lack experience in the NBA, let alone international competition, and it would have been even more so if Anthony Davis had made the roster. He still could as an alternate should another player become injured.
LeBron says the challenge is ahead for the team to come together, but that some time together can fix all of that.
"The first team in ’04, we were put together really fast. The pieces didn’t fit right and it showed in our play," James said. "In ’08, it was ‘The Redeem Team,’ and guys had committed to the Olympics for a long time. That’s why we were able to win that gold because we were all about that chemistry. It’s going to take some practices, it’s going to take some exhibition games, [but] we have a lot of guys in our prime and we have a lot of young guys and hungry guys who are always looking forward to a challenge."
Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden all made the team from the OKC Thunder, so it will also be a great time for those players to gel in a completely different environment.
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