Yardbarker: David Anderson

Exclusive David Anderson Interview

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 04:22:59 -0500

The most surprising part about our revolution has been the outpouring of support from little people. Today we'll highlight a little man that plays amongst giants. This small fry will check in time to time to share his experiences in a full figured world. We introduce David Anderson and welcome him to the resistance. David AndersonHouston Texans Diminutive Dimensions - 5'10" 194 lbs.Position - Possession Receiver Why are you supporting the fight against size discrimination? W...

Texans Match Offer Sheet To RFA WR David Anderson

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 21:40:48 -0500

The Texans have matched the three-year $4.5 million offer sheet that wide receiver David Anderson signed with the Denver Broncos last week. Anderson,...

Broncos Sign Texans WR David Anderson To An Offer Sheet

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 03:15:05 -0500

A source close to the situation confirmed that the Broncos have agreed with restricted free agent wide receiver David Anderson on a three-year, $4.5...

Broncos Sign WR David Anderson to an Offer Sheet

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:19:39 -0500

A source close to the situation confirmed that the Broncos have agreed with restricted free agent wide receiver David Anderson on a three-year, $4.5 million offer sheet and a $1 million signing bonus. The Houston Texans will have a week to match the deal. If Anderson is brought in, it could mean the end of [...]

Broncos Make Offer to Texans Restricted Free Agent Anderson

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 01:12:33 -0500

If the Texans want to keep WR David Anderson, they will have to match an offer for him. ESPN reports that a source close to the situation confirmed that the Broncos have agreed with restricted free agent Anderson on a three-year, $4.5 million offer sheet and a $1 million signing bonus. The Texans will [...]

Texans Give Tenders to Five Players

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:15:06 -0500

ProFootballTalk.com is reporting that the Texans have given tenders to five players: The Texans announced today that they?ve assigned restricted free agent tenders to tight ends Owens Daniels and Joel Dreessen, wide receiver David Anderson, tackle Rashad Butler and defensive end Earl Cochran. Daniels received the highest possible tender of $2.792 million from the Texans, per [...]

Houston Texans Free Agents List

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 20:59:44 -0500

The St. Louis Rams 2009 NFL Draft will heavily depend on the 2009 NFL Free agent Period which will begin on February 27th. Do you think the Rams will be interested in any the these Houston Texans Free WR David Anderson OL Rashad Butler DE Earl Cochran ...

2009 NFL Free Agent List

Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:40:02 -0500

ProFootballTalk.com has a team by team listing of the 2009 NFL Free Agents. Of course this will change as the off season continues, but here's a little something to wet the pallet:

2009 Free Agent List, 2/17/09
Posted by Mike Florio on February 16, 2009

AFC EAST FREE AGENTS
Buffalo Bills: LB John DiGiorgio (restricted), LB Keith Ellison (restricted), S Dustin Fox (restricted), QB Gibran Hamdan (restricted), WR Justin Jenkins (restricted/re-signed 2/17/09), WR George Wilson (restricted), OL Kirk Chambers, LB Angelo Crowell, OL Melvin Fowler, CB Jabari Greer, LB Teddy Lehman, QB J.P. Losman, RB Corey McIntyre, OL Duke Preston, OL Jason Whittle.

Miami Dolphins: S Yeremiah Bell, OL Vernon Carey, LB Channing Crowder, CB Andre? Goodman, S Renaldo Hill, OL Al Johnson, WR Tab Perry, LB Derek Smith.

New England Patriots: LB Eric Alexander (restricted), OL Wesley Britt (restricted), LB Pierre Woods (restricted), LB Rosevelt Colvin, RB Heath Evans, WR Jabar Gaffney, P Chris Hanson, S Rodney Harrison, OL Russ Hochstein, LB Larry Izzo, RB LaMont Jordan, CB Deltha O?Neal, OL Lonnie Paxton, S James Sanders, CB Lewis Sanders, LB Junior Seau, DT Kenny Smith, OL Barry Stokes, S Tank Williams, DT Mike Wright.

New York Jets: S Abram Elam (restricted), LB Eric Barton, CB Ahmad Carroll, RB Jesse Chatman, K Jay Feely, TE Bubba Franks, CB Ty Law, DT C.J. Mosley, K Mike Nugent, CB Hank Poteat, S J.R. Reed, FB Tony Richardson, LB Cody Spencer.

AFC NORTH FREE AGENTS
Baltimore Ravens: DE Sean Conover (restricted), RB P.J. Daniels (restricted), P Sam Koch (restricted), S Dawan Landry (restricted), CB Derrick Martin (restricted), WR Marcus Maxwell (restricted), LB Robert McCune (restricted), DT Brandon McKinney (restricted), QB Kyle Boller, QB Todd Bouman, OL Jason Brown, WR Terrence Copper, CB Corey Ivy, S Jim Leonhard, LB Ray Lewis, FB Lorenzo Neal, LB Bart Scott, OL Chad Slaughter, K Matt Stover, LB Terrell Suggs, TE Daniel Wilcox.

Cincinnati Bengals: S John Busing (restricted), RB De De Dorsey (restricted), WR Glenn Holt (restricted), LB Rashead Jeanty (restricted), LB Brandon Johnson (restricted), LB Corey Mays (restricted), OL Stacy Andrews, RB Cedric Benson, LB Darryl Blackstock, S Chris Crocker, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, CB Jamar Fletcher, OL Eric Ghiaciuc, K Shayne Graham (franchise tag), WR T.J. Housmandzadeh, DT John Thornton.

Cleveland Browns: S Mike Adams, CB Travis Daniels, LB Andra Davis, TE Darnell Dinkins, OL Lennie Friedman, LB Kris Griffin, CB Daven Holly, S Sean Jones, LB Willie McGinest, OL Seth McKinney, LB Shantee Orr, RB Jason Wright, OL Scott Young.

Pittsburgh Steelers: OL Willie Colon (restricted), LB Arnold Harrison (restricted), CB Anthony Madison (restricted), TE Sean McHugh (restricted), S Anthony Smith (restricted), QB Charlie Batch, P Mitch Berger, CB Fernando Bryant, OL Trai Essex, LB Keyaron Fox, OL Chris Kemoeatu, QB Byron Leftwich, CB Bryant McFadden, DE Orpheus Roye, OL Marvel Smith, OL Max Starks, WR Nate Washington.

AFC SOUTH FREE AGENTS
Houston Texans: WR David Anderson (restricted), OL Rashad Butler (restricted), DE Earl Cochran (restricted), TE Owen Daniels (restricted), TE Joel Dreessen (restricted), DE Stanley McClover (restricted), S C.C. Brown, TE Mark Bruener, CB DeMarcus Faggins, S Nick Ferguson, OL Scott Jackson, OL Bryan Pittman, CB Dunta Robinson, RB Cecil Sapp, OL Chris White, CB Jimmy Williams, S Eugene Wilson, DT Jeff Zgonina.

Indianapolis Colts: S Matt Giordano, LB Tyjuan Hagler, CB Kelvin HAyden, CB Keiwn Ratliff, DT Darrell Reid, RB Dominic Rhodes, C Jeff Saturday, DE Josh Thomas.

Jackonville Jaguars: LB Brian Iwuh (restricted), DE James Wyche (restricted), OL Brad Meester, OL Chris Naeole, RB Alvin Pearman, LB Mike Peterson, S Pierson Prioleau, S Gerald Sensabaugh, CB Scott Starks.

Tennessee Titans: LB Charles Bennett (restricted), K Rob Bironas, CB Chris Carr, QB Kerry Collins, S Vincent Fuller, DT Albert Haynesworth, P Craig Hentrich, CB Reynaldo Hill, WR Brandon Jones, CB Eric King, OL Daniel Loper, WR Justin McCareins, CB Tyrone Poole, TE Bo Scaife, QB Chris Simms.

AFC WEST FREE AGENTS
Denver Broncos: OL Erik Pears (restricted), RB Tatum Bell, DE Ebenezer Ekuban, DE Carlos Hall, WR Darrell Jackson, S Marlon McCree, OL Tom Nalen, CB Karl Paymah, DE Kenny Peterson, RB Michael Pittman, TE Jeb Putzier, QB Patrick Ramsey, WR Edell Shepherd, LB Nate Webster.

Kansas City Chiefs: OL Rudy Niswanger (restricted), S Jarrad Page (restricted), WR Jeff Webb (restricted), LB Jason Babin, LB Rocky Boiman, S Oliver Celestin, OL Adrian Jones, S Jon McGraw, LB Patrick Thomas.

Oakland Raiders: LB Jon Alston (restricted), LB Ricky Brown (restricted), CB Nnamdi Asomugha, S Rashad Baker, OL Cooper Carlisle, WR Drew Carter, LB Isaiah Ekejiuba, DT William Joseph, P Shane Lechler, WR Ashley Lelie, CB Justin Miller, TE Tony Stewart, QB Marques Tuiasosopo, LB Sam Williams.

San Diego Chargers: WR Malcolm Floyd (restricted), CB Cletis Gordon (restricted), OL Kynan Forney, OL Mike Goff, LB Marques Harris, OL Jeremy Newberry, DE Igor Olshansky, RB Darren Sproles.

NFC EAST FREE AGENTS
Dallas Cowboys: WR Miles Austin (restricted), DE Stephen Bowen (restricted), TE Tony Curtis (restricted), WR Sam Hurd (restricted), OL Cory Proctor (restricted), OL Joe Berger, QB Brooks Bollinger, DE Chris Canty, S Keith Davis, DT Tank Johnson, LB Carlos Polk.

New York Giants: CB Kevin Dockery (restricted); S James Butler, K John Carney, RB Brandon Jacobs (franchise tag), DE Jerome McDougle, CB R.W. McQuarters, OL Grey Ruegamer, LB Rich Scanlon, WR Amani Toomer, RB Derrick Ward, QB Anthony Wright, DE Renaldo Wynn.

Philadelphia Eagles: WR Hank Baskett (restricted), OL Nick Cole (restricted), WR Willie Reid (restricted), RB Correll Buckhalter, S Sean Considine, S Brian Dawkins, CB Joselio Hanson, OL Jon Runyan, TE L.J. Smith, OL Tra Thomas.

Washington Redskins: S Reed Doughty (restricted), OL Justin Geisinger (restricted), DT Kedric Golston (restricted), DT Anthony Montgomery (restricted), K Shaun Suisham (restricted), LB Rian Wallace (restricted), OL Ethan Albright, DT Ryan Boschetti, LB Khary Campbell, DE Demetric Evans, OL Jason Fabini, LB Alfred Fincher, S Mike Green, CB DeAngelo Hall, OL Pete Kendall.

NFC NORTH FREE AGENTS
Chicago Bears: S Mike Brown, QB Rex Grossman, RB Kevin Jones, WR Brandon Lloyd, LB Darrell McLover, S Brandon McGowan, OL Fred Miller, OL John St. Clair, S Cameron Worrell.

Detroit Lions: RB Aveion Cason, DT Shaun Cody, WR Keary Colbert, OL Damion Cook, OL George Foster, K Jason Hanson, RB Rudi Johnson, LB Paris Lenon, OL Andy McCollum, WR Shaun McDonald, DT Langston Moore, LB Ryan Nece, RB Moran Norris, QB Dan Orlovsky, TE John Owens, DE Corey Smith, DL Stanley Wilson.

Green Bay Packers: S Atari Bigby (restricted), WR Shaun Bodiford (restricted), CB Jarrett Bush (restricted), TE Tory Humphrey (restricted), DE Jason Hunter (restricted), RB John Kuhn (restricted), WR Ruvell Martin (restricted), DT Colin Cole, DE Mike Montgomery, OL Mark Tauscher.

Minnesota Vikings: DT Fred Evans (restricted), CB Charles Gordon (restricted), DE Otis Grigsby (restricted), DE Jayme Mitchell (restricted), RB Naufahu Tahi (restricted), DT Kenderick Allen, OL Matt Birk, S Michael Boulware, LB Heath Farwell, LB Napoleon Harris, DT Jimmy Kennedy, TE Jimmy Kleinsasser, CB Benny Sapp, S Darren Sharper, LB Dontarrious Thomas, DT Ellis Wyms.

NFC SOUTH FREE AGENTS
Atlanta Falcons: OL Harvey Dahl (restricted), S Jamaal Fudge (restricted), OL Patrick McCoy (restricted), OL Ben Wilkerson (restricted), LB Michael Boley, DE Chauncey Davis, CB Domonique Foxworth, OL Wayne Gandy, LB Tony Gilbert, DT Grady Jackson, DT Jason Jefferson, P Michael Koenen (franchise tag), S Lawyer Milloy, TE Justin Peele, TE Marcus Pollard.

Carolina Panthers: LB James Anderson (restricted), DT Gary Gibson (restricted), TE Jeff King (restricted), S Nate Salley (restricted), LB Donte? Curry, OL Jordan Gross, OL Geoff Hangartner, WR Mark Jones, LB Jason Kyle, OL Frank Omiyale, DE Julius Peppers, LB Adam Seward, DT Darwin Walker.

New Orleans Saints: OL Jahri Evans (restricted), WR Lance Moore (restricted), WR Courtney Roby (restricted), DT Montavious Stanley (restricted), OL Zach Strief (restricted), CB Leigh Torrance (restricted), CB Jerametrius Butler, TE Mark Campbell, LB Troy Evans, CB Aaron Glenn, K Martin Gramatica, QB Joey Harrington, WR Devery Henderson, S Terrence Holt, DT Antwan Lake, CB Mike Lehan, OL Matt Lehr, DT James Reed, RB Aaron Stecker, OL Jon Stinchcomb, LB Jonathan Vilma.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: OL Donald Penn (restricted), S Will Allen, WR Antonio Bryant, CB Philip Buchanon, DE Kevin Carter, LB Patrick Chukwurah, QB Jeff Garcia, WR Cortez Hankton, DT Jovan Haye, S Jermaine Phillips, DT Ryan Sims, TE Jerramy Stevens.

NFC WEST FREE AGENTS
Arizona Cardinals: TE Leonard Pope (restricted), DT Gabe Watson (restricted), RB J.J. Arrington, LB Monty Beisel, DE Bertrand Berry, OL Elton Brown, CB Ralph Brown, LB Karlos Dansby, P Ben Graham, CB Eric Green, LB Clark Haggans, OL Scott Peters, DE Antonio Smith, FB Terrelle Smith, QB Brian St. Pierre, QB Kurt Warner.

St. Louis Rams: DE Victor Adeyanju (restricted), OL Richie Incognito (restricted), OL Mark Setterstrom (restricted), S Ohiomogho Atogwe, CB Ronald Bartell, CB Fakhir Brown, CB Jason Craft, OL Anthony Davis, DT La?Roi Glover, OL Adam Goldberg, OL Brandon Gorin, WR Dante? Hall, OL Nick Leckey, WR Dane Looker, CB Ricky Manning, RB Travis Minor, DE Eric Moore, OL Rob Petitti, OL Brett Romberg, LB Gary Stills, OL Cory Withrow.

San Francisco 49ers: RB Zak Keasey (restricted), TE Billy Bajema, DT Damane Duckett, DT Ronald Fields, RB DeShaun Foster, DE Roderick Green, WR Bryant Johnson, QB Jamie Martin, QB J.T. O?Sullivan, CB Allen Rossum, TE Sean Ryan, LB Takeo Spikes, CB Donald Strickland.

Seattle Seahawks: LB Lance Laury (restricted), DT Rocky Bernard, WR Bobby Engram, QB Charlie Frye, OL Chris Gray, DT Howard Green, TE Will Heller, LB Leroy Hill, LB D.D. Lewis, LB Wesly Mallard, OL Steve McKinney, RB Maurice Morris, WR Koren Robinson, RB Leonard Weaver, OL Ray Willis, OL Floyd Womack.

Source: ProFootballTalk.com & NFL Players Association

Click here to read the article. Also check out the NFL Draft Site and NFL.com to get the latest news about the 2009 NFL Combine and the 2009 NFL Draft.

Conan O'Brien Is Upset With Gus Johnson

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:11:38 -0500

Great catch by Steph over at Fanhouse today. Conan O'Brien happened to notice that Texans receiver David Anderson used his signature "String Dance" following the score. While that only is hilarious, it's the commentary from Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker that the late night show host focuses on the most. Pay attention around the one minute mark.... Hilarious. I can't imagine that Gus Johnson hasn't watched Conan before, but he obviously didn't recognize the brilli...

Week 8 Fantasy Injuries

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 21:57:03 -0500

The Counselor is IN:

Here are the Week 8 fantasy injuries and my commentary.

Cardinals:
TE Ben Patrick has a knee injury and is questionable for this weekend. He missed practice this week. I would not count on him playing.

TE Leonard Pope is out with an ankle injury and will not play on Sunday.

WR Anquan Boldin has a head injury and is questionable for Sunday. The plan is for Boldin to play in 30 to 35 snaps of this game. That might be enough to be better than his fantasy substitute. If you have a quality WR to replace him with, then let Boldin ride the bench. If not, then start him and hope.

Falcons:
WR Laurent Robinson is probable with a knee injury. He returned to practice and should be ready to play this weekend. You might see a few less snaps by Jenkins. Robinson should only be an off week replacement at this time.

Ravens:
RB Willis McGahee has a sore knee and is probable. He fully practiced on Friday. He will play this weekend. The Ravens are committed to the RB by committee but McGahee seems to be getting the most playing time.

WR Demetrius Williams is questionable with an ankle injury. He did not practice on Friday. It does not look positive for him to play this weekend.

WR Yamon Figurs is out for this weekend with a knee injury. He did not practice this week.

WR Derek Mason has an undisclosed illness and is questionable. He missed some practice with this illness. I hope it is not Staph from the Browns.

Bills:
No significant fantasy injuries.

Panthers:
WR D.J. Hackett is questionable with a sprained MCL. He fully practiced for the first time on Friday since his injury. I don't believe he will play this weekend.

Bears:
Off Week 8

Bengals:
K Shayne Graham is probable with a sore groin. He practiced on Friday and appears to be ready to play this weekend.

QB Carson Palmer has an elbow injury and is out. It is likely that he is out for the year.

WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh is probable with an ankle injury. He fully practiced on Friday. He will be ready to play this weekend but his value is limited with Palmer out.

WR Antonio Chapman has an ankle injury and is questionable. He missed practice this week.

Browns:
TE Kellen Winslow is out with a team suspension. He revealed he has been battling a Staph infection and that the Browns asked him to keep it quiet. The Browns did not like this. I can see a big fight coming with the Players Union. I would bet the Winslow will eventually get paid for this weekend even though he is suspended by the Browns.

TE Steve Heiden has a pectoral injury and is listed as probable. I expect Heiden to play this weekend with Winslow suspended.

Cowboys:
QB Tony Romo is questionable with a broken right pinky finger. Most experts believe that Tony will be out until after the week 10 off week. If something happens to Johnson during the game, Tony would be available.

WR Sam Hurd was put on the Injury Reserve and had ankle surgery.

Broncos:
Off Week 8

Lions:
TE Michael Gaines has a knee injury and is questionable. He is their top TE with Campbell in the IR for the season. If Gaines cannot play then FitzSimmons will start.

Packers:
Off Week 8

Texans:
RB Chris Taylor has a quad injury and was put on the Injured Reserve.

WR David Anderson is questionable for this weekend. If he plays, he will be the third WR.

WR Andre Davis had surgery to repair the ring finger of his left hand and is out for a few weeks.

Colts:
TE Gijon Robinson is questionable with an ankle injury. He missed most of the practices this week.

RB Joesph Addai has a hamstring injury and is questionable. He did not practice on Friday. He will be a game time decision.

Jaguars:
WR Mike Walker is out with a knee injury.

WR Matt Jones is available for this weekend. This is news because it was expected he would be suspended for Cocaine possession. It appears the suspension will not come before this weekend's games.

Chiefs:
QB Brodie Croyle has been placed in the Injured Reserve which ends his season.

QB Damon Huard has been placed in the Injured Reserve which ends his season. Message to the Chiefs: I am available to play QB for your team. I only ask to be paid the Minimum salary for this season. I have vast QB experience on Madden. I believe I can lead your team as well as any of your QBs this season.

Dolphins:
No significant fantasy injuries.

Vikings:
Off Week 8

Saints:
WR Marques Colston was suffering with a torn ligament in his thumb. He practiced this week and is now off of the team's injury report.

TE Jeremy Shockey is probable with a sports hernia. He should play this weekend.

Patriots:
RB Lawerence Maroney has a shoulder injury and was placed on the injured reserve list. He is done for the season.

RB LaMont Jordan is questionable with a right calf injury. He is not expected to play.

RB Sammy Morris has a knee injury and is listed as questionable. He is expected to be out for a couple of weeks. He is not safe start.

Giants:
WR Plaxico Burress is probable with a shoulder injury. He should play with no complications.

Jets:
WR Laveranues Cole has a thigh injury and is probable. He practiced lightly this week. He is expected to play.

K Mike Nugent is listed as out for this week.

TE Chris Baker is questionable with a back injury.

WR Jerricho Cotchery has a shoulder injury and is probable. He was limited in practice this week.

TE Bubba Franks has a hip injury and is questionable. It does not appear that he will play this weekend.

Raiders:
RB Darren McFadden is questionable with a turf toe injury. He is expected to start and play a full role for the Raiders.

TE Ben Troupe has been placed on the Injured Reserve for his foot injury.

Eagles:
RB Michael Westbrook is probable with ribs injury. He will play this weekend. He is a good start.

WR Reggie Brown has a groin injury and is questionable. He is expected to play.

WR Kevin Curtis had a hernia injury but is not listed on the injury report.

Steelers:
RB "Fast" Willie Parker is questionable for this weekend with a knee injury. He is not expected to play.

WR Santonio Holmes is out for Sunday's game.

RB Rashard Mendenhal has been placed in Injured Reserve for his fractured right arm.

RB Carey Davis is probable with an ankle injury. He is expected to play this weekend.

WR Dallas Baker has a shoulder injury and is questionable. He practiced this week.

Chargers:
RB LaDainian Tomlinson is probable with a toe injury. He practiced fully on Friday.

WR Chris Chambers is questionable with an ankle injury. He was limited in practice this week.

WR Craig Davis is questionable with a groin injury. Davis is another WR that should not be considered for your team.

Seahawks:
QB Matt Hasselbeck has a bulging disc in his back and is out for week 8.

WR Koren Robinson is probable with a knee injury. He is expected to start this weekend.

WR Deion Branch has a heel injury and is questionable. He will not play this weekend even though he is listed as questionable.

49ers:
WR Josh Morgan is questionable with a groin injury. He was limited in practice this week.

Rams:
RB Antonio Pittman has a cracked fibula and is probable for this weekend. He is expected to play.

RB Steven Jackson is questionable with a quad injury. He will be a game time decision.

Buccaneers:
WR Joey Galloway is listed as questionable with a foot injury. He will be a game time decision.

QB Brian Griese is questionable with an elbow injury. He was limited in practice this weekend.

K Matt Bryant is probable with a hamstring injury. He practiced fully on Friday.

WR Maurice Stovall has a hamstring injury and is questionable for this weekend.

WR Ike Hillard is questionable from a concussion. He was limited in practice this week.

RB Warrick Dunn has a back injury and is questionable. He will be a game time decision.

RB Carnell Williams is questionable with a knee injury. He did start practicing this week.

Titans:
WR Justin Gage is questionable with a knee injury. He practiced on Thursday and Friday.

WR Justin McCareins has a hamstring injury and is questionable. He did not practice at all this week.

Redskins:
RB Clinton Portis is questionable with a hip injury. The Redskins expect him to start this weekend.

WR Malcom Kelly has a knee problem and is questionable. There are mixed messages out there about how bad Kelly is. There is a belief that he will be put on the Injured Reserve.

The Counselor is OUT:

Houston Texans (Toro Times)

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:58:42 -0500

Team MVP: Well, to be quite honest, this is a toss up. Anyone could throw out Andre Johnson's name into "Team MVP" conversations, but simply due to his recent past injuries, I don't think he'll be MVP, though he will be a powerful piece of the Offensive game plan. You could also make a case for the soon-to-be three year veteran, DeMeco Ryans. DeMeco, who was second last year in the AFC with 128 tackles, is no doubt the leader of the defense who keeps the 4-3 system worki...

Team USA Overcomes Sluggish Start to Beat Australia, 87-76

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:59:20 -0500

Team USA trailed for most of the first quarter but built a 15 point halftime lead and held on to post an 87-76 win over Australia at Qizhong Arena in Shanghai. Team USA finished 5-0 on their pre-Olympic exhibition tour--including a 4-0 mark in the USA Basketball International Challenge, which consisted of two games apiece in Macau and Shanghai--but this game (and a to a lesser extent their 89-68 win over Russia, a contest that was also competitive in the second half) showed that the road to the gold medal will not be a cakewalk for this squad. Dwyane Wade again provided a major lift off of the bench, scoring a game-high 22 points. LeBron James finished with 16 points, four assists and a game-high five steals. Kobe Bryant scored 13 points but did not shoot well (3-9 from the field, 5-8 from the free throw line) and he largely made his presence felt as a defender and playmaker (four assists). Carmelo Anthony scored 12 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds but he shot just 4-13 from the field. Jason Kidd did not attempt a shot and had three assists in 15 minutes as he split time almost evenly with Deron Williams (one point, 0 assists in 18 minutes) and Chris Paul (four points, five assists, five fouls in 16 minutes), Team USA's point guards of the future. Australia placed five players in double figures, led by Patrick Mills and former NBA center Chris Anstey with 13 points each. David Barlow scored 12 points on 4-5 shooting from the field while C.J. Bruton and Brad Newley--a 2007 second round draft pick of Houston's--added 11 points each. For the first time in these five exhibition games, a Team USA player received a DNP-CD (did not play-coach's decision): Carlos Boozer. Although some people continue to insist that Team USA needs more bigs--and Australia, like Russia, did outrebound Team USA (42-41)--Coach Mike Krzyzewski went with a small lineup with no true NBA big for a total of seven minutes; starting center Dwight Howard had eight points and five rebounds in 22 minutes, while Chris Bosh contributed nine points and four rebounds in 11 minutes. Howard shot 4-4 from the field, while Bosh made all three of his field goal attempts. Bigs are not as important in FIBA play as they are in the NBA because of FIBA's trapezoid lane. In any case, James and Anthony are as big and strong as just about any power forwards that Team USA will see, while Howard, Bosh and Boozer provide more than enough depth at center. Team USA's problem is not size but rather maintaining the awareness and discipline to defend against perimeter players from opposing teams; Team USA must contest three point shooters without giving up wide open driving lanes and they struggled in both of those areas in this game as Australia shot 8-20 (.400) from three point range and 29-61 (.475) from the field overall. I'm sure that many people will point out Team USA's subpar three point shooting (3-18, .167) but what concerns me more than that poor percentage is the volume and quality of those long range shots: Team USA shot too many three pointers and they shot them too early in the shot clock. Other than Bryant (2-5), no one on Team USA had a good game from behind the arc: James shot 1-4, Anthony shot 0-4, Michael Redd--who is supposed to the team's zone busting sharpshooter--shot 0-3, Wade shot 0-1 and Paul shot 0-1. It's fine to talk about how many long range shots Redd drained in last year's FIBA Americas tournament but he did most of his scoring after Team USA used good defense to build sizable leads; if Team USA gets in a close game during the Olympics, Redd will not be on the court unless Bryant or James are injured or in foul trouble. There is nothing wrong with adding a shooting specialist to the team but what will make or break Team USA is perimeter defense and this game was a perfect example of that: Australia used a zone, a matchup zone and a sagging man to man defense but Redd contributed just two points on 1-4 shooting in eight minutes. Rick Kamla and Fran Fraschilla handled the play by play and color duties one last time live and direct from ESPN2's studios in Bristol before turning over the microphones to Mike Breen and Doug Collins, who will call the Olympic basketball games for NBC. Fraschilla's three keys for Team USA were bang the boards, deflections and no injuries. He also listed a blueprint for how to beat Team USA in FIBA competition: (1) Don't hit offensive boards (2) Play zone or pack man to man (3) Sub on free throws (4) Take care of the ball (5) Use shot clock Australia followed several of those prescriptions. They won the battle of the boards despite getting just five offensive rebounds, which means that they got back on defense, clogged the paint and often limited Team USA to one shot. The reason it is important to substitute after made free throws is that this limits Team USA's ability to quickly inbound the ball and try to score in transition. Australia took care of the ball in stretches but Team USA built their leads during key runs when they forced some turnovers (Australia finished with 18 turnovers compared to 11 for Team USA). Australia did a pretty good job of using the shot clock, as indicated by the much lower pace of this game compared to Team USA's first three games (Russia also did a good job of slowing the game down). The concern for Team USA is that there are several FIBA teams (Spain, Greece, Argentina) that can follow the above five point plan and that have more depth than Australia and Russia. Team USA won the opening tip and ran a nice backdoor action as Kidd set a back pick for Bryant, who cut to the baseline, received a feed from James, scored, got fouled and made a free throw for a three point play. The reason that I have provided "verbal diagrams" of Team USA's opening play in several of these recaps is that this is often the first--and last--time that Team USA runs a good half court offensive set. Team USA obviously wants to pressure the ball, force turnovers and score in transition but I don't understand why they don't run these kinds of actions later in the game during sequences when the action has slowed down. Australia immediately answered by involving Anthony defensively in a screen/roll, resulting in a Bruton three pointer. During the Olympics, look for teams to go right at Anthony's poor defense, particularly in the one and done games during medal round action. Team USA ran a screen/roll with Bryant and Howard, who was not open on the roll; Bryant kept the ball and was eventually fouled but he missed both free throws. Barlow blew straight past James to give Australia a 5-3 lead. On the next possession, Anthony took the worst possible shot: a long two pointer with :18 left on the shot clock. James stole the ball but promptly threw it away; Kidd alertly broke up the resulting 3 on 1 opportunity for Australia. Anthony was intentionally fouled after a steal. He made both free throws and Team USA retained possession. Team USA again ran a back door action for Bryant, who drew a non-shooting foul but Team USA turned the ball over after Anthony made a bad pass trying to feed Howard in the post. "That's a bad angle," Fraschilla noted. "When you throw the ball in from the top of the key into the post you'd like to have the defender on Dwight Howard's back." The correct passing angle is from below the free throw line extended. Australia led 11-9 at the 4:56 mark when starting guards Kidd and Bryant both went to the bench. Paul came into the game and really struggled to keep Mills in front of him; Mills drove past Paul and went coast to coast for a score after a made basket, something that should never happen. I laughed yesterday when I read that someone--a Hornets fan, naturally, as opposed to an objective analyst--praised Paul's defense in these exhibition games; as I have noted repeatedly and as Fraschilla has mentioned during the telecasts, Paul's defense has been poor. I disagreed with those who criticized Paul's NBA defense last season but there is no question that Paul has not played good FIBA defense so far. As Fraschilla said after Mills burned Paul a third time, forcing Paul to foul him, "There have been a number of times in this (exhibition tour) when he has not guarded the ball particularly well. Patrick Mills takes advantage of that." Team USA regained the lead late in the first quarter thanks to a steal and a layup by Wade, who also made two of three free throws after he was fouled on a three point shot with one second left. That made the score 22-19 Team USA. The second quarter began with Bryant blocking a shot and Williams passing ahead to Wade for a fast break dunk. Then came a series of bad possessions by Team USA, starting with a Bryant three point attempt with eight seconds on the shot clock. Team USA wasted too much time standing around before James passed to Bryant, who was in a no win position: there were no driving lanes available at that point against Australia's zone and the lack of good spacing meant that if Bryant passed the ball Team USA was unlikely to get a better attempt than the one he took. Deron Williams turned the ball over, leading to a Bruton jumper. Then Wade missed a long jumper with :14 on the shot clock. The next time down the court, Anthony bricked a contested three pointer with :12 on the shot clock and Fraschilla immediately exclaimed, "Oh, no. That's just too fast in the shot clock and he didn't move any defenders." Team USA's problem has never been--and is not now--a lack of players who can shoot but rather an inability and/or unwillingness to run good half court continuity; if they would move the ball and move bodies then someone would get an open shot that he is more than capable of making, so there is no reason to jack up long, contested jumpers with 12, 14 or more seconds on the shot clock. Team USA failed to score on the next possession thanks to a James travel. Kidd checked in at the 7:13 mark with Team USA clinging to a 24-21 lead. The teams traded baskets, a James jumper and a layup by David Anderson after James allowed dribble penetration. "Did LeBron fall asleep a little bit there?" Kamla asked after James got completely turned around. "Sure he did," replied Fraschilla, who at one point suggested that Team USA was already mentally in Beijing for the Olympics despite still being physically in Shanghai. He said that during the Russia game, too, but after Team USA's string of failures in FIBA events you'd think that they would be more attentive. James tried to post up on the block and unitentionally provided a good demonstration of why FIBA teams do not frequently use post up play; the trapezoid lane forces the offensive player away from the hoop, making it easier to trap him. "Right now he's playing one on three," Fraschilla said. James fired an ill advised behind the back pass to Anthony but the defense easily rotated and blocked his shot. Anthony went to the bench at the next dead ball with Team USA only ahead 26-25. Team USA had its first good half court possession of the second quarter when James drove to the hoop and kicked the ball to Bryant at the three point line; the drive and kick is a staple of FIBA basketball and in this case the defender, in his haste to recover, fouled Bryant, whose three free throws gave Team USA a four point lead. Bryant's third make enabled Team USA to trap--something you cannot do when you are turning the ball over and taking bad shots--and Bryant forced a turnover that James converted into a fast break dunk. Bryant then forced another turnover, this time leading to a James three pointer. After another defensive stop James missed a shot but Bryant got the offensive rebound and passed the ball back to James, who drove to the hoop and converted a three point play to put Team USA up 37-25. Right around this time Fraschilla made a very astute observation: Bryant put so much pressure on Australia's backcourt that Australia had to go small by bringing in another point guard just to get the ball up the court but this led to favorable matchups for Team USA at the other end of the court, namely a smaller player having to guard either Bryant or James. This is a good example of something that statistical analysis does not pick up: James scored eight straight points and he certainly played very well in this stretch but those scoring opportunities were created not only by Bryant's defense forcing turnovers but also by Bryant's defense forcing a lineup change that created favorable matchups for Team USA to exploit. You may recall that it was right around that point in the second quarter that Greece hit Team USA with a 24-8 run en route to a 101-95 victory in the 2006 FIBA World Championships. That version of Team USA got big offensive performances from Anthony (27 points), Wade (19 points) and James (17 points) but did not have a defensive stopper on the perimeter who could thoroughly disrupt the opponent's ability to even advance the ball up the court. Team USA led 44-29 at halftime but began the third quarter extremely sluggishly. James sagged too far into the paint, enabling Barlow to make an open three pointer; in the NBA you want to defend the paint first but in the FIBA game with the short three point line you simply cannot leave outside shooters unattended. After another Barlow three pointer plus a Bruton three pointer and a Barlow layup, Team USA's advantage shrunk to 46-42. Anthony's jumper pushed the margin to six but Australia quickly answered and Coach Krzyzewski did something he had not done in the previous four exhibition games: call a timeout. Bryant hit a three pointer on the next possession to put Team USA up 53-44. Team USA enjoyed at least a three possession lead the rest of the way, including a 65-55 advantage at the end of the third quarter. Perhaps Team USA was never in serious danger of losing after that point but on the other hand they never really put Australia away, either; there was always the chance that Australia might hit two quick three pointers and be right back in the game. Considering the closeness of this game it is interesting to look at how Coach Krzyzewski distributed the playing time: James played a game-high 33 minutes, while Bryant and Wade played 25 each. Bryant and James were the primary instigators of Team USA's second quarter run, while Wade provided steady scoring throughout the game. Anthony played 24 minutes but Team USA actually trailed 42-41 during his time on the court (Team USA outscored Australia 54-50 when Bryant was in the game and was tied 70-70 and 35-35 respectively when James and Kidd were in the game). Redd (eight minutes) and Tayshaun Prince (three minutes) hardly received any run and, as mentioned previously, Boozer did not even get into the game. Team USA will have to play better than this to win the gold medal but they are more than capable of doing so.