LAS VEGAS -- Adam Morrison's mustache practically stood on end when LeBron James loped through the lane, drew contact and muscled in an underhanded bank shot while flying out of bounds.

Morrison gasped and began to rise from his chair in excitement - until he looked down the unimpressed bench at the U.S. national team's training camp.

Nobody rose. James' scrimmage teammates clapped absent-mindedly. Somebody muttered, "Nice move.''

"Now I know you see something like that almost every practice,'' Morrison said, after the team's fifth day of workouts. "I'd never seen a lot of these guys in person before. It's amazing to see how fast the game is played, and how these guys prepare.''

Morrison, a college star at Gonzaga just five months ago, didn't make the 15-man roster that will head to Asia next month for four exhibitions and the world championships in Japan.

But this experience - and the experience to come during his three-year commitment to the national team - will pay off in his rookie NBA season with the Charlotte Bobcats and beyond.

Though the artistry of James, the Cleveland Cavaliers' All-Star forward, might not impress his summertime teammates, every player is soaking up a basketball boot camp of experience.

Joe Johnson, the Atlanta Hawks star, said the week was a chance to play "in the best pickup game in the world.''

"They're getting instruction and chances here that you wouldn't get in a regular NBA summer offseason,'' assistant coach Mike D'Antoni said. "It's a valuable opportunity, even for the guys who don't go with us (to Asia). They're all good players, and they get even better by playing against each other.''

Coach Mike Krzyzewski and managing director Jerry Colangelo made the final cuts Tuesday. Making it were Carmelo Anthony, Eldon Brand, Joe Johnson, Arenas, Kirk Hinrich, Brad Miller, Shane Battier, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Chris Bosh, Lebron James, Amare Stoudemire, Bruce Bowen, Antawn Jamison, and Dwayne Wade.

Krzyzewski, an assistant on the original 1992 Dream Team, points out this U.S. roster is much younger than those Barcelona gold-medalists. The players need this training camp as much as the coaches need it to finalize their decisions.