Colangelo to meet with Beijing Olympians

PHOENIX (AP) - Team USA chief Jerry Colangelo plans to meet with members of the Beijing Olympic team  to talk about the next Olympic cycle.

Instead of seeking a three-year commitment, as he did for the Beijing Olympics, Colangelo said he'll ask players to be part of the 2010 world championship team in Turkey and the 2012 Olympic squad in London. If the U.S. wins the world championship, it would skip regional qualifying in 2011.

"I really want only a two-year commitment, not a three," Colangelo said on Friday. "But I'm picking the years - 2010, 2012."

Colangelo said he doesn't need commitments for another year. But with U.S. stars such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in town for the NBA All-Star game, Colangelo figured it would be a good time to meet.

"I'll let the players make their own decision," Colangelo said on Friday. "If they want to be considered for '12, they should know it would probably be important to participate in '10. Otherwise we're going to have a group representing us in '10 that will have a lot of consideration for '12. So it's going to be up to the players - no push, no ask, just tell me what you think."

Veterans of the last Olympic cycle apparently haven't thought much about it.

"Honestly?" Wade said. "No."

Toronto forward Chris Bosh, who played in the 2006 world championships and the Beijing Olympics, seemed skeptical about the possibility of a two-year commitment.

"See, the thing about it is, world championships, they're hard to win," Bosh said. "We lost one game (in 2006) and we didn't win, and there's only one team that can capitalize. So that's kind of putting your eggs in one basket. My grandpa told me not to do that. Realistically, it's a three-year commitment. We went through that, and that's part of the process."

Colangelo said he would invite 24 "young" NBA players to Las Vegas for a camp this summer. Those players would be considered for the world championship roster, which would be finalized in 2009.

"I'm assuming that we'll have a large representation from the Olympic team that played for us in Beijing and there'll be some additions from this young group," he said.

DURANT WAITING FOR STAR TURN:@ Kevin Durant had a spot in the rookie challenge and a place the next day in the H-O-R-S-E competition.

He didn't seem bothered that he had nothing to do Sunday night.

The Oklahoma City forward wouldn't complain that he wasn't selected to play in the All-Star game, figuring he'll get there eventually.

"Obviously it's not my time so I'm just going to continue to work and wait my turn," Durant said Friday. "Hopefully that turn comes up sooner than later."

It will if he keeps playing the way he has lately.

The Rookie of the Year has raised his average to 25.5 points, fifth in the NBA and the most among players who aren't All-Stars. His problem is his play is sometimes unnoticed because the Thunder are among the NBA's worst teams, and some coaches hesitate to vote for players on teams with losing records.

But if they had to vote again, they might reconsider Durant. He averaged 27.8 points in January and is at 30.8 points per game through six games in February.

Plus, the Thunder have begun to play better, though it was too late for Durant's chances. Still, he's heard people say that he has a good All-Star case.

"It feels good for people to really respect my game that way," he said.

Durant spoke after practicing with the sophomore team for the game against the rookies later that night. He has a good case to be in the main game, but said he wouldn't let any disappointment affect his play Friday night.

"I just want to get better as an individual and help my team, so I think I'm doing that so far," he said.

SPUD POWERED:@ Nate Robinson was only 2 years old at the time but he insists he remembers watching 5-foot-7 Spud Webb win the NBA dunk contest in 1986.

"Watching him as a little kid in the dunk contest, I was like 'Oh My god, I can do that. That little guy is dunking like this,'" Robinson said on Friday.

Robinson, who stands 5 feet 9, brought down the house in the 2006 contest when he dunked over Webb, a fete that can still draws thousands of viewers on the Internet.

"He made it easier for me to believe," Robinson said of the pioneer for big-leaping small men. "He made me a firm believer."

Robinson is among those competing in this year's dunk affair.

HELPING HANDS:@ No ladder needed with Shaquille O'Neal on hand to help.

O'Neal was among a number of NBA All-Stars helping to revitalize a local school and its playground Friday during the league's "NBA Cares Day of Service."

After planting some trees with his mother, O'Neal grabbed a brush to paint the backboard support on a newly rebuilt basketball court. The 7-foot-1 Phoenix center was able to reach nearly to the top of the pole without much effort.

The NBA began its All-Star "Day of Service" last year in New Orleans, undertaking a number of projects in helping the city rebuild from the disaster caused by Hurricane Katrina.

Projects in Phoenix included home refurbishments and a playground build. O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Yao Ming and Allen Iverson were among the players who went to the Cesar E. Chavez Community School, where recently built basketball courts were dedicated and ball fields were being repaired.

"Obviously the NBA has a huge program of NBA Cares and giving back to the community and being very involved," said Lakers All-Star Pau Gasol, who also worked at the school. "It feels good to be a part of it. We're proud to be a part of this beautiful project."

AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney and AP Sports Writer Bob Baum contributed to this report.

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