If you haven’t already done so, you need to read the comments under my blog post concerning Jay Triano — a Canadian – who ran the USA Basketball mini-camp in Las Vegas a while back. The Canadians are up in arms — some of them in not such a polite way — that I dared suggest that perhaps there may have been an American coach more qualified to run that camp.

As I write this, the dwightjaynes.com War Council has just completed an emergency meeting. It doesn’t want any sort of nasty conflict that both sides would regret but it has set down some terms and conditions for the Canadians. They are as follows:

– A complete apology from all Canadian commenters who dared even suggest there is anyone born north of our borders, including Leo Rautins, Eugene Levy, Rick Moranis or even Leslie Nielsen, who is smart enough to have anything to do with our national basketball team.

– An immediate and complete withdrawal of the Toronto Raptors from the National Basketball Association. And take that Hedo Turkoglu character with you.

– Within the next 30 days locate and sign an American to coach your next Olympic hockey team. And remember, Herb Brooks is dead.

If these terms are not met, the dwightjaynes.com Delta Force will be instructed to set in motion a behind-the-scenes movement that will result in the Memphis Grizzlies returning to Vancouver, B.C.

Trust me, Canada, you don’t want that. Immediately comply with these conditions or else.

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I kind of wondered why former Canadian Olympic player and coach Jay Triano was running that mini-camp so I started asking around a little. I mean, it’s not as if the guy is a long-time successful NBA coach. It didn’t take long before I found out that there was some snickering going on around the NBA about it.

Jerry Colangelo is the supreme czar of USA Basketball right now. Winning the gold medal the last time around at the Olympics only reinforced his power. Triano has been on the staff in Toronto with the Raptors and got the head job in the middle of last season.

What has other NBA people snickering (or grumbling) a little is that Bryan Colangelo is Jerry’s son and he’s the GM in Toronto. “Jerry wants to prop up his kid’s coach a little,” one source within the league told me. “Meanwhile, a lot of young (American) coaches who would love the opportunity to get involved, were shut out so that a Canadian could run our national team camp.”

Not surprisingly, there was also some grumbling that the entire Team USA coaching staff is coming back for another four years. “There should be some rotation so that others can get involved,” a source told me. “It’s not as if these are the only coaches who can win. My goodness, they have the best players in the world by a good margin.

“It’s back to being a good-old-boys system, just like it was before,” another man grumbled.

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The USA basketball mini-camp wrapped up Saturday night with a scrimmage in the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Oden’s team got beat by 19 points. This morning’s story in The Oregonian was obviously written prior to that event.

Oden’s statistics for the Saturday night game: 24 minutes, 7 points, 10 rebunds, 1 assist, 1 block, 1 turnover, 1 steal, 3-6 from the field and 1-2 from the free-throw line. The minutes were pretty well distributed among all players in what was a 40-minute game.

At some point, probably tomorrow when people are back in their offices, I’ll be able to reach some sources from other teams who were at the game and can tell me their reaction to his play.

UPDATE: Good news. My old pal Steve Carp did a great job in the Las Vegas Review Journal of wrapping up Oden’s three days in Vegas, with quotes from Oden after the game:

 ”It was all right,” he said. “I played decent. I tried to hold down the paint and concentrate on defense.

“It was good to be out there, getting some up and down and playing against this kind of good competition.”

SECOND UPDATE: Casey Holdahl, who had a banner weekend not only writing about Oden but relaying video of his performance at the camp, files a final summation here. Great work, Casey.

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Here is a very nice review (and even an abbreviated box score from the scrimmages) from the Las Vegas Sun of Day 2 of the U.S. national team workouts, which included an evening scrimmage. Greg Oden is mentioned as one of the players the staff is watching closely:

It’s likely that Colangelo and Krzyzewski think highly of Portland center Greg Oden, and Mayo and Rose, but none of them were spectacular in Friday’s three scrimmages.

Oden scored two baskets and had five points, but that production might be inconsequential for how Krzyzewski would like to use the 7-footer.

Before Friday’s practice, Krzyzewski told Oden he liked the center’s half-court presence inside, and his main areas of concern are defending and rebounds.

“He said that’s what he’ll try to provide,” Krzyzewski said. “He’s one of the guys I’m looking forward to watching.” 

Tonight is the big public scimmage in the Thomas and Mack Center so there will be much more coverage.

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Yes, I know there is that segment of Trail Blazer fans out there who believe that Greg Oden is the biggest bust since Loni Anderson. USA Basketball and its president Jerry Colangelo – long-time Blazer fans, of course — know how what a horrible player he is, but they have decided to do what they can to make Oden feel good about himself and look good to the rest of the world.

They’ve invited him to the USA team training camp this summer. Oh, they know he can’t play a lick, but you see — they think he’s a nice young man, they love the Blazers and Kevin Pritchard, so what they’re doing is just kind of a charity thing. A good turn. You know, maybe this will make the kid feel better about himself and now Pritchard won’t look bad for taking him with the No. 1 pick.

Because that’s what Jerry and USA Basketball are all about — picking players off reputation (I’m SURE they’ve never seen him play), rather than talent and, you know, just doing good deeds so that fans, franchises and the players themselves feel all warm and fuzzy. What a great bunch of guys and loyal Trail Blazer fans they are.

Yeah, that’s what it is. And by golly, that’s how you win Olympic gold medals.

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