FIVE QUESTIONS: TEAM USA

Saturday, July 21, 2007 | 7:23 a.m.

What: State Farm USA Basketball Challenge

Who: USA Basketball senior men's team featuring 17 NBA stars

When: 4 p.m. Sunday

Where: Thomas & Mack Center

Tickets: $10-$75; www.vegassummerhoops.com

1. Who's coming?

Seventeen players will participate in a two-day mini-camp before being split into teams for Sunday's State Farm USA Basketball Challenge at the Thomas & Mack Center. At press time, these were the guys expected to hoop it up: Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets), Shane Battier (Houston Rockets), Chauncey Billups (Detroit Pistons), Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors), Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), Tyson Chandler (New Orleans Hornets), Kevin Durant (Seattle SuperSonics), Kirk Hinrich (Chicago Bulls), Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic), LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), Jason Kidd (New Jersey Nets), Mike Miller (Memphis Grizzlies), Tayshaun Prince (Detroit Pistons), Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks), J.J. Redick (Orlando Magic), Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns) and Deron Williams (Utah Jazz).

2. Who's not coming?

Gilbert Arenas (Washington Wizards), Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz), Bruce Bowen (San Antonio Spurs), Elton Brand (Los Angeles Clippers), Antawn Jamison (Washington Wizards), Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks), Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns), Brad Miller (Sacramento Kings), Adam Morrison (Charlotte Bobcats), Greg Oden (Portland Trail Blazers), Lamar Odom (Los Angles Lakers), Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets), Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics), Luke Ridnour (Seattle SuperSonics) and Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat). All of the above are on the USA Senior National Team extended roster , although some, like Wade, who is rehabbing knee and shoulder injuries, are more doubtful than Thomas the Apostle.

3. Will I be able to get Kobe's or LeBron's autograph?

Maybe, if you buy a ticket to Sunday's game and are willing to hang out in 110-degree heat near the players' entrance (beware those bus fumes). There are no formal autograph sessions planned and practice is closed.

4. Did you say practice?

You mean this so-called mini-camp isn't just a glorified shoot-around to give the NBA stars something to do when they're not playing blackjack and hanging out at the Hard Rock pool?

If you saw how our guys defended the pick-and-roll against Greece in last year's FIBA World Championships, then you know there's a lot of work to be done. This mini-camp will help determine the 12-man USA roster for the FIBA Americas Championship featuring national teams from Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay - you know, all those soccer-mad countries. The tourney will be held Aug. 22 to Sept. 2 at the Thomas & Mack Center. The top two teams from that tournament will qualify for the 2008 Olympics. The others won't have to worry about the security hassle at the Olympic Village. The USA team will return to Las Vegas to train for the qualifying tournament from Aug. 13 to 21.

5. Who's coaching?

Coach K - Duke's Mike Kryzewski - is back as head coach with a lot of notes about how to defend the pick-and-roll. With an assistant coaching staff that includes Syracuse's Jim Boeheim and NBA head men Mike D'Antoni (Phoenix Suns) and Nate McMillan (Portland Trail Blazers) , I suspect that this year, they'll figure it out.