Oh yeah...I learned... what the hell happened to all the 'expensive Avatars" that were training when Jake went trying out his new body?
I think they were still playing basketball the whole time. 
They weren't actually part of the missions on Pandora, the same mysterious military/company was trying to develop a team that could actually defeat the Harlem Globetrotters. Their centuries-old program to improve the Washington Generals was met with bitter failure. Even the robot team they sent to face the Globetrotters faced on Gilligan's Island was outplayed. With the Na'vi I think they finally have their answer.