# Bowen a lock?



## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

ESPN Insider
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LAS VEGAS -- Cutdown day is coming for Team USA, which needs to whittle its roster of 24 players down to 15 before heading overseas, and then down to 12 for the World Championships.

The first cuts will come Tuesday after the final day of practice. Then the team gets a five-day break, and the final active roster won't be submitted until Aug. 18 -- the day before the tournament begins.

Chris Paul's game was already familiar to Coach K in the ACC.Thus far, Chris Paul has improved his stock the most, with Carmelo Anthony a close second and Joe Johnson third, judging by comments made by coach Mike Krzyzewski after practice Friday.

"Paul has really jumped up. He's the truest point guard, and he gets it downcourt so fast that we have to be able to run with him, and we're not in shape yet to do that," Krzyzewski said.

"Carmelo has stood out, he's like on a mission. I don't know what mission it is, but he's been terrific. I didn't know Joe Johnson, and I don't know if there can be a more solid player. I mean he can play four positions, he shoots, he defends and he doesn't say peep. There's high maintenance, low maintenance and no maintenance. He's no maintenance. And I'm impressed with the potential of Dwight Howard. What an amazing guy, and I just think he's going to grow."

The United States invited 24 players to training camp in Las Vegas, but injuries sidelined Kobe Bryant, J.J. Redick and Paul Pierce, and the death of an infant son caused Lamar Odom to withdraw. Amare Stoudemire is attending and playing, but he's still recovering from knee surgery and would be an extreme longshot to make the final active roster. Michael Redd and Chauncey Billups are in camp but won't be traveling to Asia because of personal commitments.

That leaves 17 players (18 counting Stoudemire) vying for 12 spots, and Krzyzewski offered some insight into what the decision-making process will be when the first cut is made Tuesday.

"We have to be careful not to multiply positions too much," Krzyzewski said. "Can we take two or three points guards on the trip? How many big guys do we need? On the perimeter, do people duplicate something? That's where the decisions will have to be made, and that's going to be tough."

With Coach K's comments in mind, Insider handicaps each player's chances of actually wearing a Team USA jersey when the World Championships begins:

• Carmelo Anthony: A lock to make the active roster, and he may even be earning himself a spot in the starting lineup. "Carmelo came in here as part of a mission, and he has played accordingly. He's making a statement early on in this camp with how much he wants to make this team," team director Jerry Colangelo told Insider.

• Gilbert Arenas: The coach's infatuation with the Paul is going to be bad news for one of the other point guards, but Arenas is clearly the best of them, and Team USA will need his outside shooting to contend with the steady diet of zone defenses they'll see. Pretty close to being a lock for the final 12.

• Shane Battier: His Duke roots won't hurt him, but the numbers game will likely work against him. Odds are he'll be a practice player who makes the trip to Japan but doesn't make the cut from 15 to 12.

• Chauncey Billups: His wife is expecting a baby, and he will not travel to Asia. He still might be a member of the 2008 Olympic team, and he might even play next summer at the Tournament of the Americas in Venezuela if the U.S. fails to win the gold medal in Japan.

• Chris Bosh: He's a favorite of Colangelo's, and Team USA desperately needs his size and inside-outside game. Look for him to be the first big man off the bench in Japan, though he may start against teams with multiple big men who can shoot the 3.

• Bruce Bowen: This is the guy they were talking about when they said they wanted to bring in role players, and Bowen's role will be to defend the opposing team's best scorer. If the US faces Argentina, he'll be the one guarding Spurs teammate Manu Ginobili. With his defense and 3-point shooting, he's another lock for the final 12.

• Elton Brand: He's America's best big man, at least until Greg Oden (who attended two days of this training camp) gets to the NBA, and he has plenty of international basketball experience. Probably the starting center in Japan.

• Kobe Bryant: Stunned Colangelo and Krzyzewski by undergoing knee surgery a couple of days before camp opened. Is not in Las Vegas yet, but is expected to attend the second phase of camp beginning July 31.

• Kirk Hinrich: Has been slowed during camp by a tweaked hamstring, which hasn't helped his case for possibly being the third point guard. It's still too early to count him out, though.

• Dwight Howard: A lock for the 15-man squad that will leave for Asia on Aug. 4, and it's hard to see him being kept off the final 12-man roster. Coach K sounded genuinely impressed, saying he expects to see even greater things two weeks from now.

• LeBron James: The King is a lock for Japan, the only question being what his role will be in the World Championship. You could make the case that he'd be the perfect sixth man if Coach K went with a starting five of Paul, Dwyane Wade, Bowen, Anthony and Brand.

• Antawn Jamison: Told Insider after practice Friday that this is the first time in his life he's been in the position of trying out for a team. "I'm in a situation where I'm on the bubble, but I think I'm unique. I can come in and shoot from the outside is they need me to, or I can score on the inside. I can adapt too to what we're doing defensively, and I think that fits in to what this team is trying to do."

• Joe Johnson: Another lock for Japan, and will probably be the emergency third point guard behind Paul and Arenas. Put him out there with a couple of other shooters, and no one will dare play zone against the U.S.

• Shawn Marion: The only guy in camp who played on both the 2002 World Championship team and the 2004 Olympic team. A favorite of Colangelo's, so we'll list him as a 99 percent lock to make the final 12.

• Brad Miller: When the team bigwigs debate the merits of bringing an extra big man, this is one of the main guys they're talking about. He'll probably be on the plane to Asia, but a spot on the final 12 will have to be earned -- or created by an injury.

• Adam Morrison: He's in camp to get a taste of the program, but his stay is expected to be short. He's the easiest guy to cut, so count on him getting cut Tuesday.

• Lamar Odom: Withdrew after Jayden Odom, his third child, died in a crib last month just 6 1/2 months after being born.

• Chris Paul: The reigning Rookie of the Year, as noted above, has been the most impressive player in camp. He's not a lock yet for the final 12, but he's pretty close.

• Paul Pierce: Is scheduled to have minor surgery on his left elbow Aug. 1, and has not been in camp.

• Michael Redd: Is attending camp, but won't be traveling to Asia because of his upcoming marriage plans. Would have been the pure shooter the Americans have been lacking the past few years, and will probably play in Beijing.

• J.J. Redick: Has been bothered by a back injury, and attended camp for only two days before leaving. Never had a shot at making the final 15, but viewed as a building block for the future.

• Luke Ridnour: He was an early favorite to be one of the first cuts, but Hinrich's hamstring injury might be helping his cause somewhat. If he makes the final 15, he'd be a practice player in Asia.

• Amare Stoudemire: Lots of people forget he was a member of the 2004 Olympic team because Larry Brown kept him buried on the end of the bench. His recent knee surgery makes him the easiest cut aside from Morrison.

• Dwyane Wade: A lock for Japan, and probably a lock for the starting lineup. But will Coach K use him as the starting point guard? Or does he put him at shooting guard and find another place to use LeBron? It'll to be interesting to watch as the team plays exhibitions in Las Vegas (against Puerto Rico Aug. 3), Guangzhou, China (against China and Lithuania Aug. 7-8) and Seoul, South Korea (against Lithuania and Korea Aug. 13 and 15).

Chris Sheridan, a national NBA reporter for the past decade, covers the league for ESPN Insider.


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

Bowen gets Gold
manu gets silver
parker gets bronze

that would be great!


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

I honestly think I'll be rooting for Argentina over the U.S....god I hope they don't play eachother!

Though Bowen guarding Manu would be pretty interesting to say the least...


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## theolo (Dec 19, 2005)

anybody think having bowen on the team is a bad choice? i just think he'll be too old if he plays on the olympics, and he's a little to one dimensional on offense too.


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

Ya wanna know what killed us last time? Three pointers. Believe me, Bowen's ganna stop those, aswell as knock a few of his own. In a case like this, he's just as good a choice for the team as anyone.


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## Pain5155 (May 28, 2006)

US has already won the gold, now that LeBron, wade, melo, and bosh are superstars, this team is unbeatable.


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## hi im new (Jul 4, 2005)

so was the 2004 team =/


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## Pain5155 (May 28, 2006)

They were inexperienced in 2004 coming off there rookie season. LeBron, wade, bosh, and melo have 2 more years of experience and are superstars NOW. Just those 4 can take any 5.


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## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

Bruce Bowen will NOT be on the team:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSA081406.9D.BKO.bowen.17fcb63.html


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## DaBobZ (Sep 22, 2003)

Bruce will be cut but it is better for the Spurs ;o)

Nice to see you guys, but where the hell is Koko the monkey?


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## Spurs™ (Aug 6, 2006)

To my knowledge he came back last year and then left after a day of posting =(


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

why are you sad? You have no idea who he was!


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insi...mns/story?columnist=sheridan_chris&id=2550195


All the evidence from five exhibition games points to Bruce Bowen being the player most likely to be left off Team USA's final 12-man roster, yet I'm far from 100 percent certain he'll be the odd man out. The more I think about it, in fact, the more I'm convinced that it'll be Shane Battier wearing street clothes when the World Championship begins Saturday.

Here's why:

Bowen was brought along for one overriding reason: To defend the best offensive player on the opposing team when the competition starts to get tougher. And when the Americans make it to the medal round at the World Championship, the need for a lockdown, man-to-man defender will become even more urgent. Who's going to guard Manu Ginobili of Argentina? Or Pau Gasol of Spain? Or Leandro Barbosa of Brazil? Or Boris Diaw and Tony Parker of France? Or Dirk Nowitzki of Germany?

The player who can defend each and every one of them is Bowen, which is why team director Jerry Colangelo and coach Mike Krzyzewski will have to think long and hard about whether to include him on the 12-man active roster that must be submitted Friday, the eve of the opening round in Japan. (Gilbert Arenas is already out of the mix after straining a groin muscle at practice Monday, leaving 13 healthy bodies.)

"Well, No. 1, we're healthy," Coach K said after the U.S. improved to 5-0 in exhibitions by trouncing Korea 116-63 in Seoul. "We're still going to have to make a difficult selection to get our roster to 12 players, but our guys have really grown together as a team. They're a good group of guys, and no ego is bigger than the team."

Bowen didn't do much against Korea to help his cause, scoring four points and committing two turnovers in 14 minutes. He averaged a team-low 1.0 point per game and shot a cumulative 2-for-7 in the warm-up games, going 0-for-4 from 3-point range after he had spent the early part of the summer working on his outside shooting.

Still, Bowen isn't going to help the U.S. against the inferior foes they faced in exhibitions and will see in the opening round. He's a guy who will help you when the format turns to single elimination in the Round of 16 and one loss knocks you out of gold-medal contention.

Nobody has focused on it much yet, but the Americans are going to have a very tough opponent in their first game of the knockout round. Assuming they win Group D, the Americans will face the fourth-place team from Group C in the Round of 16. And the fourth-place team in that group will not be a slouch. Aside from Qatar, each of the remaining five teams (Lithuania, Greece, Brazil, Turkey and Australia) in Group C is capable of finishing anywhere from first to fifth.

Assuming the Americans make it to the quarterfinals, there's a good chance they'll meet Germany in that game, as the pairing calls for the winner of the D1-C4 game to face the winner of the B2-A3 game. B2 is likely to be Germany, which figures to finish behind Spain (which went 9-0 in exhibitions, including 2-0 against Argentina) in Group B. And if Germany is the quarterfinal opponent, who will guard Nowitzki? I'd trust Bowen with the task before I'd trust Elton Brand, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard or Brad Miller.

Bowen's primary competition for the 12th spot would seem to come from Battier, who made his second straight start Tuesday but scored just two points in 13 minutes. His averages of 3.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in the five exhibitions gives him better numbers than Bowen, but that doesn't mean he'd be a better choice for the 12th spot. Colangelo will want to have an ace in the hole when he reaches the medal round, and Bowen can provide something that Battier can not -- intimate knowledge, gleaned from years of practicing together and competing in the same division, of how to go up against Ginobili, Parker and Nowitzki.

That's why I have a funny feeling that when USA Basketball submits its official roster Friday night at the technical meeting on the eve of the tournament, Bowen's name will be on it.

Here are a few items from the cumulative stat sheet after five exhibitions:

• The Americans shot 41 percent from 3-point range, which should make opponents think twice about playing 40 minutes of zone defense as they often did at the Athens Olympics when the U.S. team shot just 31 percent from behind the shorter international arc. Brad Miller was by far the Americans' best 3-point shooter, percentage-wise, going 6-for-7. And a pair of forwards -- Antawn Jamison and Carmelo Anthony -- were the most prolific 3-point shooters with eight apiece. Dwight Howard was the only player that did not attempt a 3.

• Dwyane Wade (17-for-18) and LeBron James (10-for-11) were the team's best free-throw shooters, while Howard (5-for-14) and Chris Paul (7-for-13) were the worst.

• Anthony (16.8), James (15.8) and Wade (12.2) were the only players to average double figures in points. Howard led the team in rebounding (5.8), Wade had the most steals (13) and the Americans forced a total of 124 turnovers -- almost 25 per game.

• Miller and Bowen were the only players who did not start any games. No player started all five exhibitions.

• Team USA surrendered an average of 75.9 points and scored an average of 110.0. In Athens, the Americans allowed 83.5 points and scored 88.1.

Chris Sheridan, a national NBA reporter for the past decade, covers the league for ESPN Insider.


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## Diable (Apr 26, 2005)

Bowen was just cut.Sheridan is also an idiot.

http://www.usabasketball.com/seniormen/2006/06_mwc_final12.html


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

DaBobZ said:


> Bruce will be cut but it is better for the Spurs ;o)
> 
> Nice to see you guys, but where the hell is Koko the monkey?


hey mate!!!!!!!!! whats up? ya koko left so i rule this fourm now


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## Cornholio (Feb 13, 2005)

I thought you couldn't post Insider columns in this forum


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

cornholio said:


> I thought you couldn't post Insider columns in this forum


really...ill find out...i didnt know, even though im the mod lol


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

Impeach him! :biggrin:


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## qross1fan (Dec 28, 2004)

ezealen said:


> Impeach him! :biggrin:


 haha and i take over 

But seriously, no surprise he was cut


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## StackAttack (Mar 15, 2006)

Yeah, you can't post tehm anywhere, it's copyright infringement.


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## FreeMason Jr. (Jul 12, 2004)

StackAttack said:


> Yeah, you can't post tehm anywhere, it's copyright infringement.


Did he claim the articles to have been his own? No, he sited his sources. It was not copyright infringement.


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## TheRoc5 (Mar 1, 2005)

ezealen said:


> Did he claim the articles to have been his own? No, he sited his sources. It was not copyright infringement.


thanks ez for having my back..your not on my list lmao


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