Mavericks’ Tyson Chandler captivates coaches in Team USA race, again

by Earl K. Sneed of Dallas Mavericks

Chandler hopes his play was enough to keep him around with three more players slated to be cut from the team when it heads overseas.

Tyson Chandler

Big step by big step -- two-handed dunk after emphatic blocked shot -- Tyson Chandler continues to inch closer to a spot on the USA Men's national team that will compete in the FIBA World Championship held in Turkey beginning on August 28.

His latest conquest came Thursday night during Team USA's blue-white scrimmage in the World Basketball Festival held at Radio City Music Hall in New York. While the team took the court on a platform stage, the 7-foot-1 Chandler entered the second round of training and eventual cuts with a personal platform: The newly acquired Dallas Mavericks center and participant with Team USA in 2007 was looking to continue to prove doubters wrong after battling through nagging injuries in each of the past two NBA seasons.

Fittingly, Thursday night it was Chandler's powerful two-handed finish off a lob pass from point guard Rajon Rondo that broke a 47-all tie in sudden death to seal the victory for the blue squad. It was just an exclamation mark as Chandler, one of 15 finalists for the 12-man roster to be named by August 26, continued to prove that he belongs with the best that Team USA has to offer.

"I've been training since two weeks after the season and getting better and better. I'm healthy now, feeling great," Chandler said last month before training with the team in Las Vegas. "It's an incredible opportunity. Whenever you can explain to your kids that you played for the USA team, it's a wonderful achievement."

Now, Chandler hopes his play was enough to keep him around with three more players slated to be cut from the team when it heads overseas.

"Tyson did a lot for us when we qualified in 2007 ... He's much stronger than he was in 2007 and I thought he played well," coach Mike Krzyzewski said of the big man's play since training began last month. "He does all the things to compliment our perimeter players, so he has a chance to be really important for us."

"A couple of years ago when I did it, it was one of the most exciting moments of my career -- just to be out there with those guys and compete everyday in practice," Chandler said. "It will be good because it will be the best of the best out there."

Up next for the USA squad is a five-game exhibition tour. On August 15, the team will match up against France at Madison Square Garden, followed by a closed scrimmage against China, a back-to-back against Lithuania and Spain in Madrid August 21-22 and a final exhibition matchup against Greece in Athens on August 25, which is just a day before the roster must be finalized.

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