Spain's Ricky Rubio can make (more of) a name for himself in game against Team USA

August 14, 1:29 PMGolden State Warriors ExaminerMatt Steinmetz

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Ricky Rubio: He'll see pressure against Team USA

Admit it, you thought the only reason Spain's Ricky Rubio was generating a lot of attention was because of his name. It is sweet. If you don't know, he’s only 17 and they’re already calling him the next Pete Maravich.

In Spain’s first game, Rubio had trouble handling Greece’s pressure, but since then he has gotten better and better. He’s a bug on defense (and I mean that in a good way), constantly gambling, constantly reaching, constantly coming from behind looking for steals.

Yes, he has some flair, too, even though at this point he doesn't appear to be the greatest shooter.

Clearly one of the games within the game when it comes to Friday's Spain-Team USA game is how well Rubio _ and Jose Calderon and Juan Carlos Navarro _ handle perimeter pressure.

Calderon and Navarro are NBA-caliber point guards, to be sure. But even in the NBA you don't go up against any teams that can come at you with the defensive athleticism of a LeBron James-Kobe Bryant-Dwyane Wade trio.

 ♦ Let’s not get ahead of ourselves when it comes to bestowing the good sportsmanship award on Team USA.

By winning its first three games, Team USA is right on schedule for Goal No. 1: winning the gold medal and making amends for the 2004 debacle.

Goal No. 1A is as important for coach Mike Krzyzewski and managing director Jerry Colangelo: win it with class and humility. Thus far, the U.S. team is doing that, and, quite frankly, getting overly praised for it. Shouldn't that be the norm?

It’s pretty easy to win with dignity, by the way, when you’re hammering everyone. 

The real test comes when the U.S. team gets … tested. It remains to be seen whether or not U.S. players can keep their composure in a tight game with calls going against them.

Of course, one way around the issue entirely is to continue with the blowouts.