Another NBA season over

With Dallas finally getting the Miami monkey off its back, it's time to play "2010/2011 NBA Season Pros & Cons!"

Pro: Blake Griffin finally busts out and makes people wonder if LA is now a Clipper's town.
Con: The Clippers give up an unprotected draft pick to Cleveland which turns out to be number 1.

Pro: Rumours abound Iguodala may be traded for Kaman. Imagine that front court!
Con: It's the Clippers. Nuf said. What's the over/under on Blake running into Mo during the pre-season and busting both their knees for a year?

Pro: Kevin Love sets a record for double-doubles.
Con: And his team almost sets a record for suckiness.

Pro: New York becomes semi-relevant again! And this time it's not for a sex scandal or incompetent management!!
Con: Having to put up with a season worth of Melo-drama.

Pro: Gilbert becomes Agent Zero again!!
Con: Everything else about Arenas.

Pro: Nash to Gortat on the pick and roll!
Con: Vince Carter. Again, nuf said.

Pro: At some point or another all three of those players were on my Fantasy roster.
Con: At some point or another all three of those players were on my Fantasy roster.

Pro: Gerald Wallace, Western Conference first round game 4 vs Dallas - "When people ask me what did I do in the fourth quarter, I'll tell them I stood in the corner and watched The Brandon Roy Show."
Con: Brandon Roy after game 2: “I’m not going to lie: It’s hard. My pride is a little scarred. It’s difficult sitting on the bench.”

Pro: Leonard wins back-to-back fantasy titles!
Con: No con here. It's all good.

Pro: Simmons launches Grantland.
Con: Not sold yet. It's looking promising, but we'll see.

Pro: The Mavericks pull off a six game finals victory, making Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry's tattoo, Bill Simmons (who bet heavily on six games), every LeBron-hating sportswriter, the city of Dallas, the city of Cleveland, in fact anyone outside of Miami (and the people working on the Heat Index), extremely happy. The win caps off an incredible narrative that sells the game around the world, making the product more popular than it's been in years!
Con: In 16 days it all goes down the toilet unless someone does something incredible to stop a lockout.

Leave your other season pros and cons in the comments.

A debate has broken out around the office...

Can you legitimately call the U.S. Olympic basketball team the world's best at this point?

I was looking at this report on the site and took umbrage at the first par.

"Team USA showed their strength as the world's top basketball team (my emphasis) powered past European champion Russia 89-68 before an energised crowd in Shanghai in an Olympic Games warm-up match."

So the question came up; can you legitimately call the current U.S.A. men's basketball team the world's top team when they haven't won a major international competition in six years? I don't think anyone assumes that this particular team isn't the gold medal favourite, but can you say they are the current top team in the world?

I'm of the opinion that at this point you have to call Spain the best team in the world. They are the current FIBA World Champions and until someone comes along and proves otherwise.

My colleague contends that this is not purely hyperbole, asking whether, in my opnion, I would realistically call Argentina or Spain the top basketball team in the world. As he put it, how do you determine this title? If you look at win/loss, or number of international tournaments it would be hard not to say the U.S. team is not a clear front runner.

I hold to my original position, that until (or, realistically "when") the U.S.A. team sweeps everyone in their path to regain the Olympic gold medal, then, and only then, should they earn the title of world's top team.

Thoughts?