Andre Iguodala (photo. Kelly Turso)

Labor Day celebration: Barbecue, beer, pants-optional day of not having to do any work (well, for most of us) and … the Angolan national basketball team? It’s not the most TV-friendly matchup, but you’re gonna spend some of the holiday watching Team USA, it’s going to be against Charles Barkley‘s favorite pushovers at the World Championship … The U.S. did what they were supposed to do to handle their business and get a favorable matchup in the knockout round, but if you’re rooting for Coach K’s team, you still kind of wish they could get a tougher test before things get real serious … You know who really needs to step up today? Andre Iguodala. After looking like an All-Star in the inter-squad scrimmages and some of the exhibitions, Iguodala lost his game somewhere on the way to Turkey. He’s got a highlight reel dunk here and there, but his shooting has been awful. It’s becoming a water-cooler wager to see how many air-balls and all-backboard threes Iguodala will throw up. The weird part is that he’s connecting on over 60 percent of his shots, it’s just every jumper he tries is ghastly … Considering that Hedo Turkoglu played this past season like he was on a six-month hangover, and that Ersan Ilyasova is still relatively unproven in the NBA, and that the jury’s still out on whether big men Semih Erden and Omer Asik are creations from the Kwame/Milicic Seven-Foot Bust Factory, it’s easy to see why Team Turkey might not be a medal favorite even as the hosts of the World Championship. But the home team is playing just as good as anybody on the planet, knocking off France yesterday to advance to the quarterfinals … Hedo dropped 20 points in a game that became a victory lap following a 21-4 run that started in the second quarter. Boris Diaw scored 21, his best offensive output in a tournament where he seemed uninterested in shooting the ball (but very interested in the post-game spread) … Too bad the WC happens so close to training camp, otherwise some of these guys could play themselves into the NBA contracts that were getting snatched up by dudes who impressed in summer league. For example, France’s Mickael Gelabale famously did nothing in his NBA stint with the Sonics, but he looked like a whole different player this summer that could hang in the League. Assuming he wants to. Some guys will make more money playing overseas and get treated like rock stars, whereas in the NBA they’re just another role player … Slovenia/Australia was even less competitive, as Goran Dragic and crew just rained threes all game long and won by almost 30. It was basically a drive-and-kick clinic, as Slovenia went up 12-0 to start the game and cruised from there … That sets up a Turkey/Slovenia matchup between probably the two hottest-shooting teams in the tourney. If Turkey stays hot and eventually plays Team USA, the crowd is gonna be CRAZY for that game. Kevin Durant and the U.S. will know what it’s like to be on the other side of the Miracle on Ice … Two big NFL stories from the weekend: Matt Leinart got cut by the Cardinals, and Darrelle Revis’ contract holdout is over with the Jets. As for Leinart, what would be the NBA equivalent of a Heisman Trophy winner (who doesn’t have any off-court problems) getting waived by his team while he’s still young and (maybe) not yet in his prime? For Revis, the two sides on the debate were, (1) Pay the man, and (2) He needs to show one more year of best-corner-in-the-world play before getting paid like the best corner. In the NBA, that’d be like Chris Paul demanding to be the highest-paid PG in the League after his rookie year. If NBA contracts could be ripped up and re-done like NFL contracts, would the Hornets have gone for that? … We’re out like Gelabale …