*USA Basketball* WOMEN EARN GOLD v. ESP (101-72)! MEN EARN GOLD v. SRB (96-66)!

I'm gonna agree. I want to see KD in that lineup though.

 

^ i think there are a hand full of guys who won't be able to make it due to injury..


wade and kobe stick out to me (hence why i was advocating harden getting consideration), but i think the season will take a toll on those guys

 

Randomly thought of players that could make the team:
Guards: Rose, Paul, D Will, Wade, Gordon
Forwards: Durant, LeBron, Love, Aldridge, Melo
Center: Howard, Chandler

I put Kobe out due to his health condition and there were other considerations such as blake, but I wanted to make sure there were 5 guards and 5 forwards and two centers.

 

I think it will take his wrist falling off to keep him out of the Olympics. This is not Tourny of The Americas. He is the fiercest competitor in the world and I don't think much would keep him away from this.
I like USA basketball better than  the NBA. Here would be my picks ( they change weekly I think)

Deron, CP3, Rose

Kobe, Wade, Lebron, KD,Melo

Howard, Chandler, Odom,Bosh

Tough cuts....

Billups for the Jkidd role. Play a few minutes and mentor younger guys. 

Lamarcus Aldridge. May take him over Odom. I gave Odom the edge with international experience. 

Steph Curry...Zone Buster

Igudala...Athlete to defend other teams best offensive perimeter player

I am not a Bosh fan by any stretch but he really embraced his role as a defender and rebounder in the 2008 Olympics. IMO he was arguably the most important guy on that team

 

BFT on Kobe and USA>NBA. I can't wait for international competition, gives me the opportunity as a fan to cheer for players that I admire and appreciate but will never go out of my way to cheer for because they don't play for my Kings or play for teams I despise Plus it unites every American basketball fan to come together and be a fan of one singular group of guys we can all root for and be proud of... granted if we lose a game all hell will break loose again but still  
I remember going into the 2007 tournament when Kobe made his debut with that national team in Vegas..... I was so unsure whether I should be cheering for him or not but the second I saw him on the floor with USA across his chest I had to root for him and every single guy on the team. Heck I hate Duke but having Coach K heading the team

With regards to the guys you picked though, I have a feeling Colangelo is gonna really try to beat the OG Dream Team Because of the I don't see Odom or Chandler making this squad. Especially with how out of shape Odom is now and his poor play so far. Chandler, maybe since we do need bigs.

 

If we don't win by 30+ every game...

 

I got a good feeling bout this..... If Colangelo stays true to his word and builds a team comparable to the Dream Team we will be good

In 08 we were blowing teams out, minus the Gold Medal game... but 12>08. And I'm not really gonna look at our FIBA WC squad as an negative, just more as a team put together because of injuries. Seriously, half the time we were playing with only 9 or 10 healthy bodies plus we had a starting line up of Odom, Iggy, Durant, Rose, Billups The olympic squad this year will boast size and even more versatility than the last two national teams we've had.

 

We won't. Don't underestimate how good other national teams have become. That's the mentality that got us the bronze medal in 04

 

I was in Vegas in 2007 too. Went to 3 games during the week. Planned my vacation around it.As an adult who has watched every Team USA sicne 1992 it still does something for me. Gives me chills. When I see a bunch of grown millionaires jumping around like they just won a church league game in 8th grade makes me proud and reminds me why I love the game so much. Its really the only thing bigger than them that they will ever compete in. And when Kobe did this....I really had chills


I really like Odom in international play. Can play 3 positions and can run offense through him on the high post. Can defend international bigs. As far as Chandler I am hot and cold on him. I love how he can defend the rim especially with no goaltending. I honestly thought he could have made the 08 team. 
Off topic but one guy I always thought would kill in international competition but was too much of a wild card was Rasheed Wallace. In his prime he could guard any big man in the world and had a skill set that many would kill for. Just  was too tough to control and his effort was questionable at times

 

Seriously, if Kobe did that with the Lakers I would be one of the haters crucifying the guy but on the world's stage??? I LOVED it  
Odom style really does fit the International play style, but I think we have most, if not all, our rotational players locked in. The rest of the roster needs to be filled out with specialist, like shooters, defensive, stoppers, and bigs.

 

Cant Wait!

 

I really don't think Rose is a good fit for this team or international play.  Am I bugging or does anyone else see that also?

I'm scared of giving dude extra motivation potentially though

 

I agree with this... but his athleticism/speed is exactly what Coach K wants in our pressing, trapping D. We shall see. I wouldn't be too bummed if he wasn't selected

 

I like the bigger stronger PG's in international play. The smaller ones get bullied too much. Remember CP3's first games. He got bumped off the ball on the perimiter. There is no whistles for that. Guys like J Kidd, Chauncey Billups, Deron Williams and Rose have the body to take those bumps and play through

 

I'd rather see Steph on the team than deron or westbrook

 

It's not so much about how good the other teams are, it's the style of play. It's hard to win by even 20 because the international game is slower, more physical, and the games are shorter (40 minutes). The only reason the Dream Team blew teams out was because every team tried to run with them. Slowing the game down is the only shot other teams have against Team USA. The problem is, in sense, Team USA has actually caught up with the rest of the world.

 

Because the Finals Champ never has an international player? Pretty sure Germany, Serbia, France, and Puerto Rico would have a problem with Dirk, Peja, Mahinmi, and Barea playing for Team USA

  

 

Dudes blurt out opinions without thinking about them on here FAR too often.

 

My 12 man roster (based on the 19 given):

Chris Paul
Kobe Bryant
Kevin Durant
LeBron James
Dwight Howard

Dwyane Wade
Deron Williams
Carmelo Anthony
Kevin Love
Tyson Chandler
Eric Gordon
Chris Bosh

 

Offensive sets are different too. Watch an NBA game and 90% of the offense is either isolation or pick and roll. But why couldn't a team of NBA all stars ( 2007, 2008 USA teams) defend the pick and roll? You would think since they see it so much they would easily defend it. In the NBA teams who reverse the ball and have a second or third option off the play are better offensively. The NBA guys are used to taking the first option away and then "conceding" the second or third option to take a shot or make a play. International teams almost always get to their 2nd, 3rd, or 4th option in the offense. USA teams have had a problems defending the other options for a full shot clock ( just like in the NBA). This is one of the reasons Team USA wants to speed things up. Other reason would be the superior athletes. In a half court slow pace your athleticism becomes much less relevant. 

 

^ No wade?

 

Chauncey Billups should be kept as far away from this team as possible

 

False.

What got us bronze in 2004 was not being able to send our original roster, because they bailed, for various reasons. Of the original 12 we were supposed to send to Athens in 2004, the only 2 that went where Allen Iverson and Tim Duncan. Players like Kidd, Ray Allen, Vince Carter, Jermaine O'Neal, and Kevin Garnett bailed, some at the last minute, and that forced the Team USA powers that be to put together a roster of players who were basically 'willing and good enough'.

LeBron, Wade, and Carmelo were all on the roster, after just one year in the NBA. Emeka Okafor ain't have a damn clue what he was doing with himself. Richard Jefferson and Stephon Marbury were out there for crying out loud.
It wouldn't have mattered who went in 2004. Team USA was increasingly ill-prepared for international competition. They were a bricked three away from no gold in 2000 (you know, with Vince, Ray, Kidd, Garnett, Payton, etc.), and the final wasn't a cakewalk either. They finished 6th at Worlds in 2002. Granted it wasn't the greatest collection of talent in the world, but the writing was on the wall for 2004. They still finished third in 2006 with a stronger team.