BEIJING — You already knew Chris Paul has an incredible future ahead of him before he helped guide the U.S. team to the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics on Sunday. The New Orleans Hornet capped off a reputation-making year, that already included a runner-up finish in the NBA MVP balloting, in Beijing.

I have to think somewhere the late Skip Prosser, Paul's coach at Wake Forest, is grinning. Here is Paul's final interview in the mixed zone at the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium on Sunday evening.

FYI - Paul is eager to defend the USA's Olympic crown in London in 2012. Hence the photo, which show's the present, future (Paul, Deron Williams) and past (Jason Kidd) of the USA backcourt.

BEIJING — That killed the buzz.

The U.S. destroyed any illusions Spain might have had about being a close second favorite in the men's basketball competition at the Beijing Olympics with a 119-82 Pool B victory over the defending World Champions at the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium on Saturday.

USA forward LeBron James scored nine of the Americans' first 16 points, while the U.S. forced Spain into boo-boo after boo-boo and beat Spain to the other end to score.

Late in the first quarter of USA's 120-65 win over Canada in Las Vegas, there was Deron Williams side-stepping a defender on the break for a bucket. A few possesions later, Chris Paul did the same with a stutter-step, spin move.

And when they came to the huddle after Paul's score for a timeout, there was Jason Kidd smiling and giving out a high five to Paul.

Williams and Paul, as expected, mostly shared the backcourt when Kidd took a breather against the Canadians, who did not qualify for Beijing.

Chris Paul says USA coach Mike Krzyzewski has a solution for keeping egos in check on an Olympic team that will feature Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, LeBron James and CP3 himself: Don't try.

DURHAM — Duke and U.S. national coach Mike Krzyzewski said, besides Kobe Bryant and Carlos Boozer, who played at Duke, he never recruited any of the current superstars on the U.S. team that will compete in Beijing.

Guys like LeBron James, Dwight Howard, and Carmelo Anthony weren't going to stay around college at all or long enough to make it worth Duke's trouble.

Krzyzewski said Wednesday that one look at Howard convinced him to leave it alone. James was an NBA target before the end of his junior year in high school. Bryant actually tried to visit but never did.

The U.S. national team, which includes former Wake Forest star Chris Paul and former Duke big man Carlos Boozer, that will make a run for the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics will be young but experienced and will have to rely on its versatility during the Olympic tournament Aug. 8-24.

DURHAM — Former Wake Forest star Chris Paul will find out Monday if he has been chosen for one of 12 spots on the U.S. Olympic basketball team that will compete at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in August.

National team coach Mike Krzyzewski said he and national team managing director Jerry Colangelo will name the team during a 10 a.m. press conference on Monday in Chicago.