Teammates backing LeBron — guaranteed

In a recent Time magazine story, the injured Cavs star promised that the U.S. would bring home gold.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — LeBron James’ teammates have their own guarantee: They’ll help the U.S. star try to back up his boast.

And none seemed to have much trouble with James’ promise of an Olympic gold medal, which appeared in a Time magazine story that hits newsstands today.

“You know what, I’ve never really understood the big deal about guaranteeing a win,” Dwyane Wade said after practice. “I mean, we all feel we’re going to win, so what’s the difference with him saying we’re going to win?

“They had on ESPN ‘King-sized guarantee.’ Well, we all guarantee that we’re going to go over there and we’re going to win. We’re not guaranteeing we’re going to lose. You’re supposed to feel that you’re going to win every game. You’re not going over there to do nothing but win the gold. And that’s what our vision is, that’s what we’re thinking, then say it.”

James stopped short Thursday of saying “I guarantee” — technically, he never did in the story, either — but made it clear it’s the way he feels.

“We don’t have a choice but to win gold. That’s what we’re here for, so I believe in our team and I believe in what we can do out there,” James said. “So I mean guarantee or however you want to look at it, we want to win and that’s what we’re looking forward to doing.”

In Time’s story, James compared the feeling of receiving a gold medal on the podium to opening a prized gift on Christmas morning. James was asked if that meant he would lead the Americans to the title.

“Absolutely,” James responded.

Asked if he guaranteed it, he repeated, “Absolutely.”

U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski said he hadn’t heard of James’ guarantee. When told by reporters, he responded: “That’s good. I hope he’s right.

“The thing is, if I guarantee it, then I can’t back it up,” Krzyzewski said. “He has the ability to back it up. If he said it, then that’s our goal. We know that it’s going to be really difficult. I haven’t talked to him about it.”

James downplayed the value of a guarantee, pointing out that he’s played in a postseason series when an opponent (Detroit’s Rasheed Wallace) made one, but that, “You go out there and play no matter how you do it.”

However, Jason Kidd — the oldest and most experienced U.S. player in international play — said it’s probably best to avoid firing up the opposition.

“We have to understand everybody is going to be coming,” Kidd said. “We don’t want any headlines or any bulletin board stuff because everybody wants to see us lose and everybody is going to play their best against us. But at the same time, LeBron is going to make sure to go out there and play his best so we have to support him.”