USA – Full steam ahead for Howard, Team USA

LAS VEGAS (Olympics) – Dwight Howard is going at full speed with Team USA after recovering from a stress fracture to his sternum.

The USA center is at the national team training camp Las Vegas this week where the final phase of preparations for the Beijing Games is underway.

“It’s over with,” the Orlando Magic star said of the sternum injury he suffered in the NBA play-offs.

“It’s healed and I’m ready to play now.

“There’s nothing you can do for a cracked sternum. You just have to wait and just let it heal on its own. It’s not a bone that you can put some ice on … you just have to let it heal on its own.”

If Howard is getting over the pain of the cracked sternum, he and his team-mates won’t get over the sting of their 101-95 defeat to Greece at the 2006 FIBA World Championship until they’ve captured gold in Beijing.

The loss to the Greeks occurred in the semi-final, and knocked the Americans out of contention for a gold medal.

“This is my first Olympics and this is step one to get the gold medal,” Howard said.

“I’ve been here for three years and now it’s time to get that gold.”

Howard and the United States know what to expect in Beijing, where they will be in Group B with Spain, Greece, Angola, China and Germany.

“When you play in the Olympics,” Howard said, “everybody is going to be very physical against us and they’re going to try to get us out of our game.

“If we play the way we know how to play we’re going to be unstoppable.”

Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz has a very good feeling about the camp.

"You can feel it coming together," Williams said. "You get chemistry with guys, playing together for a couple of years and you grow to like guys and get to know them, and that definitely helps on the basketball court."

FIBA