U.S. senior men's national coach Mike Krzyzewki (middle) became the first American coach to win gold at the World Championship and Olympics. (GETTY IMAGES)

Coach Mike Krzyzewski recently visited with ESPN’s Mike & Mike Show and talked about 21-year-old phenom Kevin Durant and
the significance of winning a world championship.

Krzyzewski says winning a gold medal at the FIBA World Championships is a greater accomplishment than winning Olympic gold simply because of the competition. “It’s actually bigger because it’s worldwide and there are 24 countries instead of 12,” explained the Duke University head coach, who now holds the distinction of being the first coach in USA Basketball history to win gold at the FIBA Worlds (2010) and the Olympics (2008).

As for the star player of the 2010 World Championship team who carried the United States to an undefeated mark in Turkey, Coach K had nothing but high praise for the Oklahoma City Thunder superstar.

“I’m not sure a U.S. player in the last quarter century maybe performed better under pressure,” Krzyzewski said. “Usually you have two, three, four scorers that you depend on. For us, he was the guy that we depended on. For him to come up with almost 70 points in the final two games, what a magnificent performance from a great kid who is pure. And he’s really humble.

“He’s as good as anybody in the world right now as a basketball player.”

Durant broke Carmelo Anthony’s single-game scoring record set in 2006 with 38 points against Lithuania in the semifinals. Durant also established a new American record for most points for an entire tournament. His 205 points shattered Luther Burden’s mark of 182, which stood for 36 years.

Coack K firmly believes that the United States can remain the dominant team in FIBA play as long as defense is the focus.

“We are the most athletic team, and if we use that and our depth then we have an advantage,” he said. “The defense has got to be the calling card. Nobody in the world can play the defense that we can play if we put our minds to it. [Other countries] can shoot as well and they can run offense as well, but they can’t play defense as well.”

Spain's Rudy Fernandez should generate plenty of excitement to Blazers fans in 2008-09. CREDIT/FIBAEUROPE.COM

His name is Rodolfo Farres Fernandez but goes by one name on the back of his jersey: Rudy.

Rudy Fernandez is considered by many as the best player in Europe having starred for DKV Joventut in Badalona. At 6 foot 5, he is listed as a shooting guard but can easily play three positions. He doesn’t start for Spain’s Olympic basketball team but he impacts the game as soon as he checks in.

If Pau Gasol is the big engine of Team Espana then Rudy, 23, is the battery for the simple reason that he plays with boundless energy and brings electricity on the court with his unbelievable hops. Think Manu Ginobili but only much younger.

Rudy’s game is NBA ready. He has the NBA-like ability to finish near the rim and is not afraid of contact. He also plays with a little bit of an attitude, which is rare for a European-born player. His talents have been on full display in Beijing.

In Spain’s opening-game 81-66 victory over Greece, Rudy scored a team-leading 16 points off the bench. Against China, Rudy had 21 points and teamed with another young Spanish star, 17-year-old Ricky Rubio, to help Spain overcome a double-digit deficit and score an 85-75 victory in overtime.

Fernandez, whose sister (Marta) plays for the L.A. Sparks of the WNBA, was originally drafted by the Phoenix Suns in 2007 before his rights were traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. His contract from Joventut was bought out in order for him to play for the Blazers this season. Just what the Blazers needed. Another young stud to add to the team’s growing collection of young talent.

If the rest of the world doesn’t know who Rudy Fernandez is then the Beijing Olympics will serve as his springboard to stardom. Who knows? Instead of chants of “Kobe!…Kobe!…” in Beijing, you might hear chants of “Rudy!…Rudy!…”

The sport of basketball was the biggest winner in the game between the United States and China.

Many have suspected that the game, a 131-70 blowout in favor of the much deeper and talented U.S. squad, was witness by billions. That may be an exageration but the impact of the game will be felt in the coming years similar to what the 1992 Dream Team did to the explosion of basketball in Europe.

China is not a basketball power. At least not yet.

The Chinese Olympians, despite the presence of six-time NBA all-star center Yao Ming, was overmatched against the superior athletic talents of Team USA. China has the size to match the U.S. and other countries in the interior. It has Yao Ming (7-6), Yi Jianlian (6-11) and Wang Zhi Zhi (7-0). However, China’s depth in the frontcourt heavily outweighs its skilled perimeter players.

Sun Yue, drafted by the Lakers in the second round last June, is probably China’s best backcourt player. But you won’t mistaken Yue for Kobe Bryant.

Yao may be the face of the country’s burgeoning love for the sport but Kobe Bryant is the model for which the majority of the young Chinese players are going to pattern their game. Kobe’s jersey is the top-selling NBA jersey in China. He’s the player that drew the loudest ovation during the opening ceremonies. He’s the guy mobbed by fans when he entered the arena.

When the 2008 Olympics began, the NBA’s popularity in China was already in the millions. Now, the league and the sport just got bigger. A billion times bigger.