# Team USA: White vs. Blue



## Basel (Mar 31, 2005)

Game is tomorrow night at 10:00 EST on ESPN2. Last time this happened it turned into an awesome game:






Blue Team: Billups, Evans, Gay, Green, B Lopez, Love, Mayo, McGee, Rondo and Westbrook.

White Team: Chandler, Curry, Durant, Gordon, Granger, Iguodala, Odom, Rose and Wallace.

Who ya got? I'm going with the white team.


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

Does the White team know there are active centers in the NBA?


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## Coatesvillain (Jul 17, 2002)

I thought Lopez was out with an injury.


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## Jakain (Sep 8, 2006)

I think it was the other Lopez (Robin), I think his back was acting up again.


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## c_dog (Sep 15, 2002)

white team for sure. i pick whichever team with durant. add rose, curry, iguodala, granger in the mix and it's just a more athletic more versatile team. wish westbrook was on that team though.

and at the subject of centers, there are no centers on either team. brook lopez gets good stats but he's a sieve on D. forget his stats in fantasy leagues but that guy gets scored on more times than paris hilton on a saturday night.


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

Not to act like this is a serious game or anything, but McGee, Love and Lopez on the boards vs. the white team offering Gerald Wallace and Lamar Odom who's not going to play for real..definitely taking Blue.


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## Coatesvillain (Jul 17, 2002)

Jakain said:


> I think it was the other Lopez (Robin), I think his back was acting up again.


Ah, okay. I had no idea they were both in the running (but I probably should have).


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## ChosenFEW (Jun 23, 2005)

this game will definitely disappoint if you just finished watching that 07 highlight vid


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## f22egl (Jun 3, 2004)

I don't know if McGee will help that much on the defensive end, but he'll turn some heads with his dunking ability.


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## byrondarnell66 (Jul 18, 2004)

Granger should've been on the blue team to give Durant at least a little challenge. Those two one the same side, team white all the way.


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## Sleepepro (Oct 24, 2008)

Man that clip really showed how dangerous D12 would be with a pass first PG instead of a scorer like Nelson


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## BG7 (Jun 25, 2003)

So looking at these rosters:

Billups, Evans, Gay, Green, B Lopez, Love, Mayo, McGee, Rondo and Westbrook.

White Team: Chandler, Curry, Durant, Gordon, Granger, Iguodala, Odom, Rose and Wallace.


We are probably looking at:

Derrick Rose, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Chauncey Billups, Rajon Rondo, Lamar Odom, Gerald Wallace, JaVale McGee, Brook Lopez, Kevin Love, Tyreke Evans, and Rudy Gay as the Team USA roster...or something like that.

This makes me kind of nervous for the world's. We are really weak on the interior, and that is where the USA has been hurt in international play in recent years. The one thing that has me optimistic is how competitive guys like Rose/Durant are, and Rose will have good shooters like Curry and Durant to dish to...but that lineup is going to have to fight to win the worlds.


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## c_dog (Sep 15, 2002)

Dre™;6333839 said:


> Not to act like this is a serious game or anything, but McGee, Love and Lopez on the boards vs. the white team offering Gerald Wallace and Lamar Odom who's not going to play for real..definitely taking Blue.


the white team does have chandler. and odom is no slouch on the boards. i think the talent of the white team especially with someone like durant will be too much for the blue team. let's not act like having mediocre big guys is better than having no big guys. skills is still more important than size, or at least when your guys are all versatile and 6'8-6'11 like durant, granger, iguodala, odom.


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## Wilt_The_Stilt (Jun 7, 2002)

So who should make the team? As of right now, I would take:

Lopez/Chandler
Odom/Love
Durant/Granger
Curry/Mayo
Billups/Rose

That is not necessarily the lineup I would use, but either way it leaves two spots. Not sure who I would take. I'm thinking one of McGee/Wallace/Green and either Iggy/Gordon.


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## BG7 (Jun 25, 2003)

Wilt_The_Stilt said:


> So who should make the team? As of right now, I would take:
> 
> Lopez/Chandler
> Odom/Love
> ...


Good thing that is Tyson Chandler and not Wilson Chandler like I had thought. I would imagine Rondo makes the team too.


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## l0st1 (Jul 2, 2010)

Damn that team has some serious size issues. Nothing but wing players. Definitely need some bigs on that team.


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## Basel (Mar 31, 2005)

When do the World Championships in Turkey start, anyway?


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

I actually thought it was Wilson Chandler. If I were his Owner I'd be a little disappointed he hasn't been healthy enough to play for me at a high level but he's healthy enough to run around with Team USA.


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## MemphisX (Sep 11, 2002)

I just don't see the use of Rondo in international play. Plus you can't have Rondo, Rose, Westbrook, and Iggy on your international team. Rose should be a lock. I would then go with Westbrook.

PG Rose, Curry
SG Billups, Westbrook, Granger
SF Durant, Gay, Wallace
PF Love, Odom
C Chandler, Lopez


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## BG7 (Jun 25, 2003)

MemphisX said:


> I just don't see the use of Rondo in international play. Plus you can't have Rondo, Rose, Westbrook, and Iggy on your international team. Rose should be a lock. I would then go with Westbrook.
> 
> PG Rose, Curry
> SG Billups, Westbrook, Granger
> ...


I wouldn't give Rondo a roster spot, but I just think they will because of his playoff performance.

Hopefully this Rose/Durant team can play well and really make a good team. I would love if this team did well enough where they just left the three divas off the next team, and maybe added Dwight Howard to be the team's center.


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## 29380 (Feb 23, 2009)

Wow they have Odom at center.


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## gi0rdun (May 31, 2007)

Curry is gonna drop 60


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## Basel (Mar 31, 2005)

Sloppy, sloppy game.


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## Gx (May 24, 2006)

One of the announcers just guaranteed Durant would be starting in 2012 even with Lebron, Wade, and possibly Kobe coming back. What do you guys think? Does he start ahead of one of those guys?


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## gi0rdun (May 31, 2007)

It's a 3 point contest!


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## BlakeJesus (Feb 1, 2006)

OJ Mayo hitting two three's in a row.


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## Basel (Mar 31, 2005)

Javale McGee with a nice spark off the bench.


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## BlakeJesus (Feb 1, 2006)

Basel said:


> Javale McGee with a nice spark off the bench.


I was just about to come and say how good he's looked. I've watched a few SL games and now he's playing well again here. Kid looks like he might materialize some of his potential, and I think having Wall is really going to help that process.


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## jokeaward (May 22, 2003)

MemphisX said:


> I just don't see the use of Rondo in international play.


Isn't he a rebound/assist man like Kidd? He's better than Calderon.


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## Basel (Mar 31, 2005)

By the way, I'm surprised to see Billups doing this. Given his age in comparison to most of the players, I thought he'd want the rest during the off-season.


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## 29380 (Feb 23, 2009)

Are Russell Westbrook and Daniel Orton related?


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## Coatesvillain (Jul 17, 2002)

Not sure we have the shooting to win this year. It's possible but... eh... I'm doubtful.


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## Basel (Mar 31, 2005)

I know they've barely been playing together, but jeez, the turnovers are a joke in this game.


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## l0st1 (Jul 2, 2010)

Chandler is looking good, hopefully he can stay healthy.


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## Basel (Mar 31, 2005)

Rondo looks weird without the headband.


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## gi0rdun (May 31, 2007)

Is there a boxscore anywhere?


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## MemphisX (Sep 11, 2002)

Westbrook...not an international player. Gordon and Mayo much better for international ball.


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## MemphisX (Sep 11, 2002)

Brook Lopez looks out of place.


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## Basel (Mar 31, 2005)

gi0rdun said:


> Is there a boxscore anywhere?


Not seeing one anywhere.


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## Basel (Mar 31, 2005)

Gx said:


> One of the announcers just guaranteed Durant would be starting in 2012 even with Lebron, Wade, and possibly Kobe coming back. What do you guys think? Does he start ahead of one of those guys?


Very possible; Wade came off the bench in 2008 as he just pointed out.


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## jokeaward (May 22, 2003)

Durant would be a better starter than Wade because one is a facilitator and it isn't KD. Finishing ace, though.



Basel said:


> By the way, I'm surprised to see Billups doing this. Given his age in comparison to most of the players, I thought he'd want the rest during the off-season.


Gotta set up that next contract with the young bulls.


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## Sir Patchwork (Jan 12, 2005)

Durant and Rose on the same team just isn't fair.


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## Luke (Dec 7, 2008)

Kevin Durant has clearly established himself as the best player in US basketball.


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## Sir Patchwork (Jan 12, 2005)

Kevin Love has impressed me. Dude is a rebounding machine.


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## Diable (Apr 26, 2005)

this is not good basketball...but I guess this is all we have


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## O2K (Nov 19, 2002)

rondo is invisible out there. international play is not his style


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## Basel (Mar 31, 2005)

Hopefully the blue team comes back to make this an exciting finish.


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## gi0rdun (May 31, 2007)

Rose and Durant... Very interesting combo.


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## MemphisX (Sep 11, 2002)

Rondo and Westbrook...no and no


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## Sir Patchwork (Jan 12, 2005)

I was hoping to see some of that three point range from Rose, but just as I thought. It's not that he can't shoot them, it's just not really his game anyways. Dude is a ****ing stud though. One of my favorite players.


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## Luke (Dec 7, 2008)

Get Rondo out of there.


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## O2K (Nov 19, 2002)

Sir Patchwork said:


> I was hoping to see some of that three point range from Rose, but just as I thought. It's not that he can't shoot them, it's just not really his game anyways. Dude is a ****ing stud though. One of my favorite players.


he took one, it went in and out. but he's picking his spots here. i think he just wants to run the offense.


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## Basel (Mar 31, 2005)

Steph Curry's shooting great from 3-point range from what I've seen, which should be a surprise to nobody.


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## O2K (Nov 19, 2002)

ROSE FOR THREE. Just as i posted


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## Sir Patchwork (Jan 12, 2005)

Chandler has actually looked pretty good this game.


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## MemphisX (Sep 11, 2002)

Rose is a beast. Orlando did right by matching Redick. Him andBoozer running pick and roll with Redick and Korver outside would have been nasty.


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## MemphisX (Sep 11, 2002)

Oh and the mistake the US will make is by taking Billups. Not dynamic and overrated as a shooter.


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## Luke (Dec 7, 2008)

Anyone remember when people bashed Chicago for picking Rose over Beasley? Hah.


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## Sir Patchwork (Jan 12, 2005)

VanillaPrice said:


> Anyone remember when people bashed Chicago for picking Rose over Beasley? Hah.


I thought that was one of the biggest no-brainers. A player with Rose's combination of speed, athleticism, strength, skills and poise just doesn't happen often. Kid is the complete package.


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## Luke (Dec 7, 2008)

Sir Patchwork said:


> I thought that was one of the biggest no-brainers. A player with Rose's combination of speed, athleticism, strength, skills and poise just doesn't happen often. Kid is the complete package.


I felt the same way. And by the looks of the game that we're watching, we were correct.


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## Steez (Nov 28, 2002)

I was one of the guys that thought Beasley would be a better player than Rose. I was def. wrong.
Rose + Durant is just crazy. Oh and Gordons outside shot is WOW!


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## GrandKenyon6 (Jul 19, 2005)

MemphisX said:


> Brook Lopez looks out of place.


He sure does.


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## HB (May 1, 2004)

Javale is all kinds of athletic, his behind the back move at the summer league was incredible...seems he brought that to the squad too. He and Wall will be deadly this year.


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## O2K (Nov 19, 2002)

http://www.usabasketball.com/mens/national/showcase_box_score__2010_07_24.html

Stats for the game. Here are some stand outs-
Gay- 23 pts, 7-11 fg

Westbrook 14 pts, 8 reb

Mcgee- 7 pts in 9 min

for the white team

Durant- 28 pts 10-17 fg

AI- 17 pts, 5-6 fg, 6 reb

Rose 15 pts 8 ast. 5 stls.

chandler 13 pts, 9 reb, 6-6 fg


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## EGarrett (Aug 12, 2002)




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## [Myst.] (Feb 27, 2008)

O2K said:


> http://www.usabasketball.com/mens/national/showcase_box_score__2010_07_24.html
> 
> Stats for the game. Here are some stand outs-
> Gay- 23 pts, 7-11 fg
> ...


Westbrook had 4 rebounds, not 8.

I hope Mayo, Gordon, and Curry make the team. Any of those guys on the wings with Rose at point would be awesome to watch (Durant and Rose combo too).


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## l0st1 (Jul 2, 2010)

Curry looks great. That dude might have the best jumper in the league(it's definitely between him, Ray Allen and Steve Nash)

Few things that I took away from this. 

* McGee looked good. Could be a nice future US Prospect. Doubtfull for the 2012 games. 

* Tyson Chandler looked really good. Ran the floor well. Had good defensive rotations. And rebounded like he used to.

* Curry and Gordon have great 3pt shots and could be nice role players in the Worlds. Kind of like Redd was before.

* Rose looked good. Though I think he will need his "improved" range in international play.

* Rondo, I thought, looked good. He had some dumb turnovers because he was obviously showboating ala All-Star game. But he made some great passes. And got to the hole at will(not hard in this game) even nailed a 3pter.

* Jeff Green doesn't belong on this team. He looked out of place and just didn't play well IMO.


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## MemphisX (Sep 11, 2002)

If I were making the team:

PG Rose, Billups, Curry
SG Gordon, Mayo
SF Gay, Iggy
PF Durant, Love
C Chandler, Odom, McGee

Reasoning:

Rose - He will have play majority of minutes for this team to have a chance.
Billups - vet experience only
Curry - Zone buster
Gordon - handles well, physical on both ends, can D, can shoot
Mayo - need another shooter
Gay - scoring, shooting, size on the wing
Iggy - wing defender
Durant - better at PF for this team to force it's style
Love - goon
Chandler - best option available
Odom - like Durant, great for this team's style of play
McGee - have to develop some size for the future


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## c_dog (Sep 15, 2002)

Sir Patchwork said:


> Durant and Rose on the same team just isn't fair.





VanillaPrice said:


> Kevin Durant has clearly established himself as the best player in US basketball.


you guys are too slow. this was stated by many of us in the first page of this thread already.


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## Sir Patchwork (Jan 12, 2005)

c_dog said:


> you guys are too slow. this was stated by many of us in the first page of this thread already.


Swell for you.


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

I think this would be my squad...

Chauncey Billups...Derrick Rose...Rajon Rondo
Kevin Durant...Eric Gordon...Stephen Curry
Rudy Gay...Andre Iguodala...Danny Granger
Lamar Odom
Kevin Love...Tyson Chandler

It's a funny-looking team that is certainly undersized at spots, but it's also a very good shooting and passing (Billups, Rondo, Curry, Odom, Love) team that can run other teams into the ground. Guys like Granger and Gay could play spot minutes at the 4 against a lot of teams, too.


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## Reignman (Feb 15, 2005)

Random notes from watching the game:

* interanational game is 10 quarters of 4 minutes each? 
* Durants ability to set up the big man with bounce passes impressed me
* Rose's athleticism stands out. Nice PG play as well. Given the atheltic tools he has, I wonder why he's not disruptive on D. Shouldn't he slide a little lower when guarding the ball?
* McGee had the minute of his life  Seriously, his temporary effectiveness illustrates the interior size issues of that group.
* Curry is skilled. Wasn't aware, thought his numbers were GS-inflated
* Gordon is effective
* the BRICKYARD ad was not exactly a good fit that game
* I've seen more active appearances from Westbrook
* love Love's rebounding work on the offensive glass - not even the most athletic guy, he's always in good position
* I hate when military and sports are mixed. Kids shouldn't have professional killers as their idols. Not everybody is an idiot of course, but there's no need to celebrate people who did e.g. this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Ghraib_torture_and_prisoner_abuse


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## Ben (Nov 7, 2006)

> Team USA trimmed its roster to 15 on Wednesday by cutting Tyreke Evans, Gerald Wallace, O.J. Mayo and JaVale McGee.
> 
> The moves, coming four days after the completion of the team's minicamp in Las Vegas, come two weeks before the opening of training camp in New York, beginning Aug. 9.
> 
> ...


*Link*

Any surprises?


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## Luke (Dec 7, 2008)

I thought Mayo would have atleast made the 15 man cut and Rondo would be tossed.


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

For what it's worth Lopez was playing with mono, so hopefully in the next game or whatever he looks a lot better.


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## Wilt_The_Stilt (Jun 7, 2002)

Mayo should not have been cut. 

Of the players left, this is who I would keep:

Chandler/Lopez
Durant/Odom/Love
Gay/Iggy
Curry/Gordon
Rose/Billups/Westbrook


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## BG7 (Jun 25, 2003)

I think Rose, Curry, Durant, and Chandler. No real preference on who else they start in the 4 position, but starting Eric Gordon would make the starting lineup read like a mash up of some of the recent Bulls teams.

I think Rose looks like the best point guard on the team from the scrimmage game. He can help the team push the tempo, and he was also one of the best midrange shooting point guards in the NBA, and those will be threes in FIBA.


Then Durant is the no brainer starter. He's the star of the team. Then I start Curry in the last spot, because I think with him Rose, and Durant all in the same lineup Team USA could just blow some teams out from teh get go because they will be too dangerous from three.

Then I start Tyson Chandler because he is a tough defensive big man, which is good for international play.


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## f22egl (Jun 3, 2004)

Brook Lopez withdraws because of mono; McGee makes final 15.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

They may not medal with this group. It's a shame no one from the last team came back. If they all weren't such followers of whatever Lebron James does, we could have fielded a decent team even with a few losses. 

I mean what exactly is Dwight Howard's excuse for not being on the olympic team with Durant right now? He wasn't a free agent or anything. Didn't play in the Finals. And he hasn't played in that many Team USA's either. Missed opportunity on his part, because he could have been out from underneath Wade and Lebron's shadow a bit with a good showing with Durant. Could have marketed himself with Durant as the anti-NWO guy.


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

Why do you exaggerate everything


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## caseyrh (Jun 10, 2003)

This team will still mop the floor with the rest of the world.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

Spain is the favorite for most people in the tournament. Then it's a tossup. We're once again sending a team that has only played together for two weeks, against teams with 10-15 years of continuity. We're undersized.

Look at the Brazillian frontline for the tournament:
Varejao, Nene, Splitter...and they've got Barbosa running the point. How is Lamar Odom going to box out Varejao? Chandler can't guard Splitter, whatsoever. And do we have the cohesion to guard the pick and roll effectively, and keep Barbosa out of the paint?

Our small team could easily be overrun by a good number of these teams. Brazil, Greece, Spain, are all a problem. Heck even the French look like a problem with their front court of Mahimi, Diaw, and Noah. 

We look undersized to me, and the international game is going to be won in the half court, which mitigates some of our athletic advantages in the backcourt.

I think people expecting a gold medal from this group are being unrealistic and setting them up to fail.

if Durant leads this team to even a Bronze, it's an achievement in my book. This is a tall order. Our frontcourt is an absolute joke.

Chandler-Lamar Odom? McGee-Love as the back ups?

That's a joke, and an indictment on our NBA players and our basketball development system as a whole. USA basketball really needs to reexamine how we develop big men in this country, because we haven't produced a great center since Shaq, and that was almost 20 years ago.

Someone needs to get in Dwight Howard's ear and teach him the post game. We need size damnit.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

caseyrh said:


> This team will still mop the floor with the rest of the world.


That's a laughable assertion. How can you say that after watching the last decade? We barely won the medal last time with Lebron, Kobe, Wade, Bosh, Howard ect. And those guys had been together for a fair amount of time building chemistry. This team hasn't played more than two weeks together.

Do you remember when Greece destroyed us by just running a simple pick and roll over and over? 

Don't be shocked if something like that happens again. You just can't compete in these tournaments with all-star teams anymore. You need guys who play together somewhat, who can carry on the same concepts through the years.

It would take a major choke job for Spain to lose to us at this point. Their guards are as good as our guards. But they also have legit european big men who are going to abuse our inexperienced, unskilled bigs.


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## caseyrh (Jun 10, 2003)

futuristxen said:


> That's a laughable assertion. How can you say that after watching the last decade? We barely won the medal last time with Lebron, Kobe, Wade, Bosh, Howard ect. And those guys had been together for a fair amount of time building chemistry. This team hasn't played more than two weeks together.
> 
> Do you remember when Greece destroyed us by just running a simple pick and roll over and over?
> 
> ...


I mean yeah you can look at the few times our team didn't play well. But most of that had to do with our approach to the game and not talent level. 

We have always had far superior talent, but sometimes it just wasn't put together the right way. The players have never been organized very well. This team has vastly superior talent to any other team in the world. We have great shooting, solid roleplayers, 2 elite scorers. And most importantly it has been run and organized much better. I actually think this team will be one of the best international teams we have ever had because of the balance it has. And I don't think these guys have the same type of ego as previous teams. These guys are going to work and play hard. 

We are huge favorites to win it all. If you don't agree so be it. But you should probably stop wasting your time discussing it here. And instead go put a ton of money on Spain.



> Odds to win the 2010 FIBA World Championships All wagers have action.
> Angola
> 1000/1
> 
> ...


http://sports.bodog.com/sports-betting/basketball-futures.jsp

Like I said huge favorites.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/08/05/fanhouses-fiba-world-power-rankings-is-spain-the-real-favorite/

I'm not the only one.


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## Coatesvillain (Jul 17, 2002)

I think the team will medal but I don't see a guarantee of gold. I don't like the team's makeup at all. The way K and Colangelo run the team is better than how it used to be but going into the World Championships they banked too much on the Olympic players returning.

This team is poorly put together for international play. I hope I'm wrong and they do win it all, but it's definitely not a given. I'm not putting too much value in odds for FIBA play because with reffing and the different style of play anything can happen.


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## caseyrh (Jun 10, 2003)

futuristxen said:


> http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/08/05/fanhouses-fiba-world-power-rankings-is-spain-the-real-favorite/
> 
> I'm not the only one.


Well you and the writers of fanhouse should pool your money together and go make a no-brainer investment. You guys can go outsmart vegas together. 

I do think its funny how cocky and strongly you came out against me though because I implied that we were huge favorites. When we in fact are.


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## Wilt_The_Stilt (Jun 7, 2002)

I am actually excited for this tournament. I didn't follow international ball very much until the last Olympics. But I am definitely looking forward to this.

As far as the team goes, I am a little disappointed in who they have chosen to cut. Hopefully they don't cut Gordon and they don't keep Green or Rondo. David Lee could have helped us as well. Too bad he got hurt.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

caseyrh said:


> Well you and the writers of fanhouse should pool your money together and go make a no-brainer investment. You guys can go outsmart vegas together.
> 
> I do think its funny how cocky and strongly you came out against me though because I implied that we were huge favorites. When we in fact are.


I don't know how to gamble. Nor do I have the extra funds to do so. You said the US would wipe the floor with everyone. That's not the same as saying that vegas has them as favorites.

Anyways. One of us will look stupid by the end of the month. I hope that it's me.


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## Dornado (May 26, 2003)

I'm with Casey on this one - the USA is the clear favorite. The problem with some of the teams we've fielded in the last decade is that they weren't put together in a way that allowed us to properly space the floor for international play. Once we seemed to get a grip on that concept it made a big difference. That, and we have a continuity of leadership that we haven't had in the past.

Now we get to watch the moving-pick-a-palooza that is international basketball...


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## Sir Patchwork (Jan 12, 2005)

Team USA is the favorite, but I'd wouldn't be 1% surprised if they didn't win the gold. I'd be surprised if they didn't medal, but there are some good teams that are more than capable of outplaying and beating them.


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## caseyrh (Jun 10, 2003)

futuristxen said:


> I don't know how to gamble. Nor do I have the extra funds to do so. You said the US would wipe the floor with everyone. That's not the same as saying that vegas has them as favorites.
> 
> Anyways. *One of us will look stupid by the end of the month. I hope that it's me*.


So far it's you.

This is far from over yet. But we beat Brazil. We beat Spain. We have already beat most of the big favorites. Plus the other big time countries Spain, Greece, France, Argentina all already got bounced. Face it none of those teams were that good. And none of them even come close to being anywhere near our talent level. I think we will cruise through the rest on this tourney in spite of the rules and refs.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

Weird that you didn't just wait two more days... I think we've looked far from dominant so far. The Brazil game came down to them missing free throws and a layup in the final seconds. We didn't play Spain in the tournament. And the Russia game was closer than you'd think.

I honestly don't think we've been tested yet. We got a favorable bracket because of Greece and Spain crapping out. I would have liked to see us play Spain or Greece in this tournament. But the Lithuania game could be worth watching. And then if we win that, a final against the home country in Turkey will be insane.


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## caseyrh (Jun 10, 2003)

futuristxen said:


> Weird that you didn't just wait two more days... I think we've looked far from dominant so far. The Brazil game came down to them missing free throws and a layup in the final seconds. We didn't play Spain in the tournament. And the Russia game was closer than you'd think.
> 
> I honestly don't think we've been tested yet. We got a favorable bracket because of Greece and Spain crapping out. I would have liked to see us play Spain or Greece in this tournament. But the Lithuania game could be worth watching. And then if we win that, a final against the home country in Turkey will be insane.


So we had one bad game against brazil.. But we still won. We did play Spain in the preliminaries and beat them. I think our scoring margin is like plus 20. So we are steamrolling the rest of the world. I have watched all of these games. The Russia game was close for the first half. I can't tell you how many times I saw Nets games close for the first half. But then we were up 20 in the second half before them making the final score look somewhat competititve in garbage time. I fail to see how that game was "close"

Basically all the teams you said were better than us are out of the tourney. Spain lost three games in the tourney. They were nowhere near us. 

Honestly the U.S. could make _at least _30 12man squads that would be _far_ superior talent wise to any other country in this tourney. 

I didn't wait because the point has already been made. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that comments like this:


> It would take a major choke job for Spain to lose to us at this point. Their guards are as good as our guards. But they also have legit european big men who are going to abuse our inexperienced, unskilled bigs.


or this:


> Spain is the favorite for most people in the tournament. Then it's a tossup. We're once again sending a team that has only played together for two weeks, against teams with 10-15 years of continuity. We're undersized.
> 
> Look at the Brazillian frontline for the tournament:
> Varejao, Nene, Splitter...and they've got Barbosa running the point. How is Lamar Odom going to box out Varejao? Chandler can't guard Splitter, whatsoever. And do we have the cohesion to guard the pick and roll effectively, and keep Barbosa out of the paint?
> ...


Or this:


> I think people expecting a gold medal from this group are being unrealistic and setting them up to fail


or this...


> if Durant leads this team to even a Bronze, it's an achievement in my book. This is a tall order. Our frontcourt is an absolute joke.
> 
> Chandler-Lamar Odom? McGee-Love as the back ups?


Were waaayyyyy off base...
Hilarious.

You got to pray for a miracle US loss. Or you will have to seriously reevaluate your understanding of the game.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

I hope your arrogance proves to be justified. We'll know by the time the weekend is up. It would be nice to win a gold and not have to do the qualifying matches next summer. It's been forever since we've won this tournament, so as an achievement, it really shouldn't be undersold.


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## c_dog (Sep 15, 2002)

i think USA is by far the best team. sure they're missing all their S class players except for durant, but even with the current squad they are just so much more talented. if they don't win the gold it's because in one game elimination, anything can happen. one team could get hot for one quarter and that would be game.

i think the current system team usa utilizes is quite good.. they make these players commit to the team and they actually spend quite some time together. this is all these guys really need to beat the world because if we're talking about individual talent, no other country can even sniff USA.


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## caseyrh (Jun 10, 2003)

well another very easy game...


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## c_dog (Sep 15, 2002)

these are the performances from durant that makes me think he's already the best player in the league. he's carrying the team on his back. somehow i don't think this team would look nearly as unbeatable if they had lebron/melo/dwyane/kobe instead of durant.


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## BeeGee (Jul 9, 2010)

c_dog said:


> somehow i don't think this team would look nearly as unbeatable if they had lebron/melo/dwyane/kobe instead of durant.


Somehow I think you didn't watch the olympics.


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## c_dog (Sep 15, 2002)

BeeGee said:


> Somehow I think you didn't watch the olympics.


what i meant was if you replaced durant with just *one* of those guys, then the team wouldn't be as dominating. of course those guys together are better than durant alone.

i think durant is the best offensive player in the nba. i think he may be the best player in the nba as soon as next season. maybe i'm going out on a limb here but i truly think durant is the best player in the world right now. kobe might do pretty well in place of durant on this team but the length of durant makes him nearly unguardable. for all the shots that kobe would struggle to get off, durant can basically just shoot over any defender with his incredible length.


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

For now and the foreseeable future we're gonna look at it like this: LeBron can not only score, rebound and defend with Kobe, Durant and Wade, he has court vision that's twice as good as the closest competitor of the 3. For that reason...

Durant is a monster but let's not hype him up off of playing teams that wouldn't win 20 games in the NBA.


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## c_dog (Sep 15, 2002)

Dre™;6363598 said:


> For now and the foreseeable future we're gonna look at it like this: LeBron can not only score, rebound and defend with Kobe, Durant and Wade, he has court vision that's twice as good as the closest competitor of the 3. For that reason...
> 
> Durant is a monster but let's not hype him up off of playing teams that wouldn't win 20 games in the NBA.


lebron is not the scorer that kevin durant is. for all the improvement he's made with his jumpshot lebron is still a very inconsistent shooter. lebron is still primarily relying on his size and athleticism to score. and i don't see lebron with the same scoring mentality as durant. durant and kobe are big time scorers who aren't afraid to take and make big shots. lebron does not quite have the same killer mentality.

you honestly think lebron can duplicate durant's production in this tournament right now? because i just don't see it. durant has been absolutely huge for team USA. and in terms of his passing game, durant is underrated. he's been flipping some nice passes to his teammates. maybe if the thunder had better finishers not named westbrook then durant would have higher assist numbers.

and i don't care if these teams would only win 20 games in the nba because the international game is very different. fact of the matter is everybody and their mothers had doubts whether this USA team could even medal without their S class superstars, and Durant has really stepped up. Just an absolutely amazing individual performance so far. all that talk about too many pg's who can't shoot, lack of a true 2, and lack of real centers? no problem thanks to durant.


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## Wilt_The_Stilt (Jun 7, 2002)

c_dog said:


> and i don't care if these teams would only win 20 games in the nba because the international game is very different.


So the international game is very different from the NBA, yet you are using this tournament as proof that Durant is the best in the NBA?


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

c_dog said:


> lebron is not the scorer that kevin durant is.


How do you figure? They averaged basically the same amount of points last year. And Lebron does that while also averaging way more assists.

Lebron gets his points in the paint with dunks, layups, and 3 point plays...which may not be as pretty as Durant's floaty jumpers. But it's just as effective.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

Anyways. Durant's played great with this team. He's really carried Team USA. He's killing them out there. Reminds me of Melo in the international game. His game is perfect for FIBA basketball.


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## BG7 (Jun 25, 2003)

Durant's a better fit for this current team, as he's a better fit for the FIBA game. But when FIBA makes the rule changes starting next year, Lebron will be the better fit for FIBA, because it will basically be the NBA game, and Lebron is the better NBA player by far.


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## c_dog (Sep 15, 2002)

Wilt_The_Stilt said:


> So the international game is very different from the NBA, yet you are using this tournament as proof that Durant is the best in the NBA?


i'm not going to bother wasting time playing rhetorics with you.

the international game is very different because everything is called differently and you know it. but in terms of offensive scoring, durants game has translated perfectly. he is absolutely deadly out there. he's flat out been dominant. you can be ignorant all you want but don't be jumping on the durant's the best player in the league bandwagon when next season comes around.

i'm not even using this tournament as proof. i think durant's progress over his career has shown that by next season he will be the best in the league. take kobe's silky smooth game and make him a 6'9 beast and you'll have kevin durant.


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## c_dog (Sep 15, 2002)

futuristxen said:


> How do you figure? They averaged basically the same amount of points last year. And Lebron does that while also averaging way more assists.
> 
> Lebron gets his points in the paint with dunks, layups, and 3 point plays...which may not be as pretty as Durant's floaty jumpers. But it's just as effective.


i think unless lebron adds more to his game, this is as good as he's going to get. he's not getting younger and he's not getting more athletic. as his body starts to decline he needs to develop something, either a consistent jumpshot or post moves to stay being one of the top players in the league.

kevin durant on the other hand has become just such a dynamic scorer. and i think he's just scratching the surface of what he's capable of. the ppg was close last year but durant has been improving by 5ppg every season. now that doesn't mean he'll necessarily average 35ppg next year and 40ppg the year after, but durant has made such an improvement that i think fans should be aware of that. again, next year, i expect him to be hands down the best player.


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## Wilt_The_Stilt (Jun 7, 2002)

c_dog said:


> i'm not going to bother wasting time playing rhetorics with you.
> 
> the international game is very different because everything is called differently and you know it. but in terms of offensive scoring, durants game has translated perfectly. he is absolutely deadly out there. he's flat out been dominant. you can be ignorant all you want but don't be jumping on the durant's the best player in the league bandwagon when next season comes around.
> 
> i'm not even using this tournament as proof. i think durant's progress over his career has shown that by next season he will be the best in the league. take kobe's silky smooth game and make him a 6'9 beast and you'll have kevin durant.


I agree with you that the international game is different. And it is not the same level of competition. That's why you can't read too much into the FIBA tourney. It was not that long ago that Durant shot 35% for the series against the Lakers.


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## c_dog (Sep 15, 2002)

Wilt_The_Stilt said:


> I agree with you that the international game is different. And it is not the same level of competition. That's why you can't read too much into the FIBA tourney. It was not that long ago that Durant shot 35% for the series against the Lakers.


please tell me you're watching the game right now. durant is a man among boys. nobody in this game can find a shot but durant is making it look so easy. i'm glad the american have durant because there's is not a single player, not kobe, not wade, melo, or lebron that could carry this team the way durant has.


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## Wilt_The_Stilt (Jun 7, 2002)

c_dog said:


> please tell me you're watching the game right now. durant is a man among boys. nobody in this game can find a shot but durant is making it look so easy. i'm glad the american have durant because there's is not a single player, not kobe, not wade, melo, or lebron that could carry this team the way durant has.


I am watching and I agree with you that Durant has played extremely well and is a great player. But I wouldn't use his performance in international play to say he is going to be the best in the NBA next year or even right now. If you already felt that way before this tourney, fair enough. I don't agree but we will see.


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## c_dog (Sep 15, 2002)

i think this is the last we'll see derrick rose on team USA. his game just doesn't translate at all at the international level. westbrook surprisingly has made it work and has played amazing this game. westbrook, gay, iguodala, and odom have been the unlikely heros of this tournament.


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## caseyrh (Jun 10, 2003)

Well That was Easy...

Blatantly obvious as well.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

Impressive result for Team USA. I think this team was the most "team" of USA teams we've had recently. Everyone let Durant be the man, and then played their role. The talent gap between them and the rest of the field wasn't as huge as it has been in the past, but you wouldn't know it the way we pushed our advantages. I hope Coach K learned something this time around. Our concepts were so much better this time around. And I thought our pick and roll defense really turned a corner.

Will be interesting to see who of this team can make the olympic team.

It's a good thing we won this too, because we would have had to qualify next year probably with college players and NBDLers, with the coming lockout.

Anyways. I'm glad I was completely wrong about this team. Good to see Odom redeem himself after that bronze.

What was up with Hedo today? Seemed like he and the coach had a little bit of a falling out?


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

c_dog said:


> i think unless lebron adds more to his game, this is as good as he's going to get. he's not getting younger and he's not getting more athletic. as his body starts to decline he needs to develop something, either a consistent jumpshot or post moves to stay being one of the top players in the league.


He's only 25. His body shouldn't start declining until 29 or so. And by then like most players he'll have adjusted his game. As he gets older he's just going to exploit his strength more and more, instead of his speed. You can play him at the 4 after 30, and he'll still be faster than whoever is guarding him, and probably stronger too. The guy is Karl Malone/Ben Wallace strong. Most guys get even stronger as they get older and slower.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

caseyrh said:


> Well That was Easy...
> 
> Blatantly obvious as well.


Sorry for being wrong.


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

I'm happy for Rudy Gay, because people try to **** on him but the guy wasn't selfish or anything like that. Guys like him and Iggy did their roles (along with Odom, Love, Chandler) got zero accolades, but the team won. Good for them.


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

So how much of a factor in Team USA's success is this whole audition/tryout/scrimmage approach? 

I think 04 was an aberration and we could still send whoever we wanted over there, and in 08 pretty much did and didn't have much trouble.


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

c_dog said:


> lebron is not the scorer that kevin durant is. for all the improvement he's made with his jumpshot lebron is still a very inconsistent shooter. lebron is still primarily relying on his size and athleticism to score. and i don't see lebron with the same scoring mentality as durant. durant and kobe are big time scorers who aren't afraid to take and make big shots. lebron does not quite have the same killer mentality.
> 
> you honestly think lebron can duplicate durant's production in this tournament right now? because i just don't see it. durant has been absolutely huge for team USA. and in terms of his passing game, durant is underrated. he's been flipping some nice passes to his teammates. maybe if the thunder had better finishers not named westbrook then durant would have higher assist numbers.
> 
> and i don't care if these teams would only win 20 games in the nba because the international game is very different. fact of the matter is everybody and their mothers had doubts whether this USA team could even medal without their S class superstars, and Durant has really stepped up. Just an absolutely amazing individual performance so far. all that talk about too many pg's who can't shoot, lack of a true 2, and lack of real centers? no problem thanks to durant.


None of that is saying anything to me. LeBron can put up the same 30 ppg over the course of the season on a good percentage that Durant can, which is my point. Durant is a better shooter, but LeBron manages to get his regardless.


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## c_dog (Sep 15, 2002)

Dre™ said:


> So how much of a factor in Team USA's success is this whole audition/tryout/scrimmage approach?
> 
> I think 04 was an aberration and we could still send whoever we wanted over there, and in 08 pretty much did and didn't have much trouble.


are you kidding me? there's no way this team would have won gold if USA hasn't changed its philosophy. basketball is a team game and these tryouts/scrimmages/practices really help tune the team. and it's not like 04 was an aberration because the team hadn't won world championship in 16 years.. don't forget the fiasco in 02 and the bronze in 06.

and for all those saying lebron can replace durant, don't forget he only managed bronze 4 years ago with wade/melo/howard. that was by far a more talented team and yet they only got a bronze. they got beat by a greece team that didn't even have a single nba talent at the time. people need to be aware of how good durant is and how guys like odom, billups, gay, iguodala really helped glue this team together.


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

I never said anything about LeBron replacing Durant on Team USA, that doesn't much matter to me when like I said LeBron is better than Durant by far in the league that matters.

And we would've won gold pretty easily if we sent our real top 12 over there, but since guys don't agree to it for some reason we got scared and acted like we couldn't send the next 12 and still win. We got a bronze one olympics, that was a dark period yes, but it's not about the world championships anyway, so like I said, aberration. 

We hadn't won the world championships since 94 anyway but we won the olympics in 96, 00 and 08. Aberration. Let Turkey and France worry about the World Championships, we're about the olympics.


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## BG7 (Jun 25, 2003)

c_dog said:


> i think this is the last we'll see derrick rose on team USA. his game just doesn't translate at all at the international level. westbrook surprisingly has made it work and has played amazing this game. westbrook, gay, iguodala, and odom have been the unlikely heros of this tournament.


Rose will be a better fit for the FIBA game when they extend the three point line and go to the rectangular lane. 

I think Rose might be a good fit when you have Lebron, Melo, Wade, Durant, Howard, etc. all out there. He can set them all up. 

But they definitely will need to bring guys like Curry, Gordon, etc. to make sure they have three point shooting. I think that was the key to this USA team over the failure teams...and that is that they had good three point shooting on this team.


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## Diable (Apr 26, 2005)

I don't think the competition this year was up to the same standards as it had been in the past...And we got a very favorable draw as well. The two teams who were expected to be the competition couldn't make it through...Didn't look all that great either. Angola, Russia, Lithuania and Turkey are all teams we should have beaten, although Turkey certainly had the potential to beat us if everything goes right for them. We did what we needed to do, but the result doesn't really justify much overexuberance. We were better than the teams who we had to face, but frankly none of those teams are all that great. I have no clue what happened to Spain. That team looked terrible except for the Greece win. Greece was really the only above average team Spain could beat.


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## caseyrh (Jun 10, 2003)

Diable said:


> I don't think the competition this year was up to the same standards as it had been in the past...And we got a very favorable draw as well. The two teams who were expected to be the competition couldn't make it through...Didn't look all that great either. Angola, Russia, Lithuania and Turkey are all teams we should have beaten, although Turkey certainly had the potential to beat us if everything goes right for them. We did what we needed to do, but the result doesn't really justify much overexuberance. We were better than the teams who we had to face, but frankly none of those teams are all that great. I have no clue what happened to Spain. That team looked terrible except for the Greece win. Greece was really the only above average team Spain could beat.


Lets not forget that we beat most of the "best teams" in the preliminaries. To me it was obvious that we would win this thing easy. Because the talent in the rest of the world is so far behind us.

The only problem we have is that there is so much nonsense working against us. The refs, court, ball, rules, team chemistry, etc... all work strongly against our team and in favor of the rest of the world. We win in spite of that garbage. European basketball is a joke and anyone who ever says a european team might win because of an advantage in talent should get kicked in the balls and be forced to watch the WNBA for a year.


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## c_dog (Sep 15, 2002)

Dre™ said:


> I never said anything about LeBron replacing Durant on Team USA, that doesn't much matter to me when like I said LeBron is better than Durant by far in the league that matters.
> 
> And we would've won gold pretty easily if we sent our real top 12 over there, but since guys don't agree to it for some reason we got scared and acted like we couldn't send the next 12 and still win. We got a bronze one olympics, that was a dark period yes, but it's not about the world championships anyway, so like I said, aberration.
> 
> We hadn't won the world championships since 94 anyway but we won the olympics in 96, 00 and 08. Aberration. Let Turkey and France worry about the World Championships, we're about the olympics.


that kind of attitude is exactly why USA basketball was in a laughable state between 02-06. you honestly think that was just an aberration? you think if USA hasn't change their attitude and respect their opponent that they could just go out and win basketball games at the beijing olympics and world championship this year? don't forget the beijing olympic team was called the redeem team. it's easy to say they would have rolled over any opponent because they did win gold, but don't act like it's not a result of hard work from all players, respect for opponents, and lots of dedication to extra practice time together.

lebron was being called lebronze for all his lack of international accomplishments. that olympic gold was a much needed medal to get critics off team USA's backs.


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## E.H. Munro (Jun 22, 2004)

c_dog said:


> lebron was being called lebronze


By frightened Kobe jockers who feel threatened by him, because they think that Mr. Bean's greatness rubs off on them as his fans. They're simply deluded, however.


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## BeeGee (Jul 9, 2010)

E.H. Munro said:


> By frightened Kobe jockers who feel threatened by him, because they think that Mr. Bean's greatness rubs off on them as his fans. They're simply deluded, however.


... And E.H. siezes yet another opportunity to hijack a thread and turn it into a Kobe thread. :nonono:


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

BG7 said:


> Rose will be a better fit for the FIBA game when they extend the three point line and go to the rectangular lane.
> 
> I think Rose might be a good fit when you have Lebron, Melo, Wade, Durant, Howard, etc. all out there. He can set them all up.


Lebron, CP3, and Deron Williams would all be better options at point guard than Rose. I doubt Rose makes the Olympic team.

I think Lebron, Melo, Wade, Durant, Howard could be the starting five in the next olympics by the by. Durant and Melo are the perfect players to have playing off Lebron and Wade's playmaking.

It's still questionable why Durant didn't make the last olympic team given how much his shooting would have helped spread the floor for Lebron and Wade.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

I think the 12 for next time will be:
Kobe(he won't play much, but he'll be there for vet support)
Lebron
Durant
Wade
Howard
Bosh
Amare
Melo
Chris Paul
Deron Williams
Curry(for shooting)
Bynum or Oden

I maybe forgetting someone. And this doesn't factor in John Wall whatsoever. But he would need to be better than Williams or Paul to get on, since Curry is there for shooting.


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## Jesukki (Mar 3, 2009)

Eric Gordon would also be nice just as shooter.


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## cpawfan (Jun 20, 2004)

Dre™;6363970 said:


> So how much of a factor in Team USA's success is this whole audition/tryout/scrimmage approach?
> 
> I think 04 was an aberration and we could still send whoever we wanted over there, and in 08 pretty much did and didn't have much trouble.


04 was Larry the overrated clown. It wasn't an aberration, it was horrible "coaching." The lineups and the rotations were laughable. 

I really despise that as time has gone on, the clown doesn't get the amount of blame he deserves for his ego-fueled coaching decisions. 

Just for EHM - you can blame 04 on Karl Malone. If he doesn't get injured, the Pistons don't win that title and Larry's ego isn't raging out of control in the Olympics. So once again it is the Lakers and Kobe's fault :devil2:


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## E.H. Munro (Jun 22, 2004)

BeeGee said:


> ... And E.H. siezes yet another opportunity to hijack a thread and turn it into a Kobe thread. :nonono:


Actually, I was stating a fact. As you were not here for the LeBronze thing, you probably don't understand. Kobe jockers were, literally, starting a dozen "leBronze sux0rs!!!" threads a day. It was so bad that we had to add the word to the banned word filter just to stop the avalanche of nonsense.


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## E.H. Munro (Jun 22, 2004)

cpawfan said:


> Just for EHM - you can blame 04 on Karl Malone. If he doesn't get injured, the Pistons don't win that title and Larry's ego is raging out of control in the Olympics. So once again it is the Lakers and Kobe's fault :devil2:


Nah, the 48 year old Karl Malone wasn't saving LA. I agree that the problem with '04 started in the administration, they didn't have the shooters for FIBA play. It's like they were determined to prove that the '02 Worlds squad could have won with the right coaching when anyone that had watched the games knew that the problem was that Paul Pierce was the only player that could shoot from outside 18', and way back then he was still inconsistent with that shot. Add in Brown's coaching and you had a recipe for disaster.


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## BeeGee (Jul 9, 2010)

E.H. Munro said:


> Actually, I was stating a fact. As you were not here for the LeBronze thing, you probably don't understand. Kobe jockers were, literally, starting a dozen "leBronze sux0rs!!!" threads a day. It was so bad that we had to add the word to the banned word filter just to stop the avalanche of nonsense.


I've heard the term all over. Most frequently by Spurs fans that felt Lebron prevented their beloved Tim Duncan from winning gold for USA. Obviously, as you said, I can't speak for the abuse of the term in here, but I think the term definitely goes beyond use by kobesexuals.


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## E.H. Munro (Jun 22, 2004)

The only thing that prevented Duncan from winning gold in 2004 was the fact that he was probably the best outside shooter on a terribly constructed team. James was just the convenient scapegoat (much like Pierce drew the blame for 2002 despite being the only guy during the entire tournament to hit a ****ing jumpshot). And the people using the term, for the most part, couldn't have given two ****s about the Olympics.


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## cpawfan (Jun 20, 2004)

BeeGee said:


> I've heard the term all over. Most frequently by Spurs fans that felt Lebron prevented their beloved Tim Duncan from winning gold for USA. Obviously, as you said, I can't speak for the abuse of the term in here, but I think the term definitely goes beyond use by kobesexuals.


This forum has always been dominated by the Kobe vs _________ threads

The TMac ones were entertaining


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## cpawfan (Jun 20, 2004)

HKF said:


> I'm happy for Rudy Gay, because people try to **** on him but the guy wasn't selfish or anything like that. Guys like him and Iggy did their roles (along with Odom, Love, Chandler) got zero accolades, but the team won. Good for them.


The key is don't ask Rudy to do too much. Which isn't going to happen in Memphis, especially after that contract.


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## BeeGee (Jul 9, 2010)

E.H. Munro said:


> The only thing that prevented Duncan from winning gold in 2004 was the fact that he was probably the best outside shooter on a terribly constructed team. James was just the convenient scapegoat (much like Pierce drew the blame for 2002 despite being the only guy during the entire tournament to hit a ****ing jumpshot). And the people using the term, for the most part, couldn't have given two ****s about the Olympics.


Agree 100%


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## BeeGee (Jul 9, 2010)

cpawfan said:


> This forum has always been dominated by the Kobe vs _________ threads
> 
> The TMac ones were entertaining


This and just about every forum I've ever been a member of.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

cpawfan said:


> 04 was Larry the overrated clown. It wasn't an aberration, it was horrible "coaching." The lineups and the rotations were laughable.
> 
> I really despise that as time has gone on, the clown doesn't get the amount of blame he deserves for his ego-fueled coaching decisions.


Truth. That whole thing was about him and his ego holding down the younger players who were clearly better than the veteran counerparts. Richard Jefferson could do no wrong in Larry Brown's eye, and decisions like that in the end, are what cost us.

I think having one national team coaching staff year in and year out has been really good as well. I think Coach K has definitely learned a lot since his first time around coaching the team. Remember when we lost to Greece ostensibly because he had no answer for the pick and roll, and couldn't decide whether he wanted to switch it or trap it, go over or under the screen. And then after the game didn't even know the names of the greek players who just schooled him...

Seems like he's matured a lot since then, and it's been a huge help for Team USA. You know year in and year out what the system is going to be.


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## c_dog (Sep 15, 2002)

cpawfan said:


> The key is don't ask Rudy to do too much. Which isn't going to happen in Memphis, especially after that contract.


rudy gay and andre iguodala played their roles perfectly. they played tough defense, boxed out and grabbed boards from guys bigger than they were, and gave the team some much needed offense when they needed it. rudy gay actually had his jumpshots falling and looked like he could go and get his but he stayed within the team concept, swallowed his pride, and played off durant. i would like to see both make the olympic team but it's nearly impossible if both melo and lebron are playing.


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## pG_prIDe (Jun 23, 2002)

E.H. Munro said:


> Actually, I was stating a fact. As you were not here for the LeBronze thing, you probably don't understand. Kobe jockers were, literally, starting a dozen "leBronze sux0rs!!!" threads a day. It was so bad that we had to add the word to the banned word filter just to stop the avalanche of nonsense.


Actually, I think the Lebronze thing was started right after the Olympics. I believe it was Nocioni (going into his first season as a Bull, fresh off Olympic Gold) who used that term to taunt Lebron in their first NBA meeting. I think the term caught up with the Bull fans, and eventually caught on with Kobe fans (like you said). 

Just being technical here


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## E.H. Munro (Jun 22, 2004)

pG_prIDe said:


> Actually, I think the Lebronze thing was started right after the Olympics. I believe it was Nocioni (going into his first season as a Bull, fresh off Olympic Gold) who used that term to taunt Lebron in their first NBA meeting. I think the term caught up with the Bull fans, and eventually caught on with Kobe fans (like you said).
> 
> Just being technical here


I really don't care about scrubs, and I don't really care who started it. C-Dog was attempting to revive it for future use in the "LeBron vs. KD" threads to come. I was merely clarifying why the term was so popular on web fora, and it had nothing to do with the Olympics


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## HKF (Dec 10, 2002)

I think Memphis came out of this tournament as big winners because Gay and Gasol both played great basketball. Even Haddadi did as well. It can only benefit them. If Gay plays within the team concept but also sees that he has the ability to take over games, Memphis could be dangerous (I already think they are a playoff contender).


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## Dre (Jun 20, 2003)

At the end of the day I still say we can pretty much call up any 12 top 50 players, tell them we have a tournament in a month, and we'll be gold. 

Like it was said before 04 was an aberration based on poor coaching and player selection(a lot of which was last minute panicking based on all the big dogs at the time saying :hano. It let us know that we're not so good anymore that we can just send *anybody* overseas to compete in that FIBA system, but generally if we put a balanced team together we're not worrying about a thing but minutes.


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## futuristxen (Jun 26, 2003)

Yeah I mean this tournament puts a giant bullet hold in Jerry Colaengelo's main concept with this team that players needed to commit long term. So long as the coaching is stable, it looks like we can swap in anyone from about a pool of 50 players and still have a great shot at the gold. I think the main thing is just make sure you've got at least one true top 5 superstar on the team to carry them.


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