US Olympic Baketball Team

[$outhPhillypuppet]

USA Basketball's Men's Senior National Team currently consists of 33 players:
Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets)
Gilbert Arenas (Washington Wizards)
Shane Battier (Houston Rockets)
Chauncey Billups (Detroit Pistons)
Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors)
Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz)
Bruce Bowen (San Antonio Spurs)
Elton Brand (Los Angeles Clippers)
Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
Tyson Chandler (New Orleans Hornets)
Nick Collison (Seattle SuperSonics)
Kevin Durant (Seattle SuperSonics)
Kirk Hinrich (Chicago Bulls)
Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic)
Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks)
Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks)
LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Antawn Jamison (Washington Wizards)
Shawn Marion (Miami Heat)
Brad Miller (Sacramento Kings)
Mike Miller (Memphis Grizzlies)
Adam Morrison (Charlotte Bobcats)
Greg Oden (Portland Trail Blazers)
Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers)
Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets)
Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics)
Tayshaun Prince (Detroit Pistons)
Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks)
J.J. Redick (Orlando Magic)
Luke Ridnour ( Seattle SuperSonics)
Amaré Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns)
Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat)
Deron Williams (Utah Jazz)

The USA Senior National Team coaching staff is led by Duke University head coach Mike Krzyzewski, and also features assistant coaches Jim Boeheim from Syracuse University, New York Knicks head mentor Mike D'Antoni and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Nate McMillan.

[$outhPhillypuppet]

how good do you think this team is gonna be.

I know the "Best" team to put out would be
Chris Paul
Kobe Bryant
Lebron James
Carlos Boozer
Dwight Howard

but i dont think that would work since that would put Kobe and Lebron on the floor at the same time.

[Jinky08]

i know nothing about basketball, why do they pick university coaches and not an nba coach ?

[Ice]

They picked Krzyzewski since he's known to be a master of zone defense, which is especially important in the international game...and since some NBA coaches failed (George Karl for example)

[Jinky08]

Alright thanks

[OG Cabrini]

Im surprised A.I. wasnt invited. I thought he was one of the best players in the NBA, like he is every year. Did something happen with him that im not aware of?

[$outhPhillypuppet]

Im surprised A.I. wasnt invited. I thought he was one of the best players in the NBA, like he is every year. Did something happen with him that im not aware of?

After what happened in '04 the US rebuilt the team with younger player.
thats why Tim Duncan,KG,Allen Iverson,Barron Davis,Vince Carter,T-Mac and all the rest of them dudes didnt make the team.
The "Old" dudes on the team are there for specific reasons.
Billups and Kidd are experienced point guards the can lead a team.
Bruce Bowen is there for defense.

I just dont understand why they got JJ reddick on the team when they already got Mike Miller,Micheal Redd and Joe Johnson.

[Ice]

That's an extended roster, he won't make the cut when they announce the official squad for the Olympics

[OG Cabrini]

Los Angeles (dpa) - Kobe Bryant earned his first NBA Most Valuable Player this season, and the Los Angeles Lakers' superstar will have an opportunity to bring home his first Olympic gold medal this summer.

Bryant was among the 12 NBA players selected on Monday to the USA Basketball team for the 2008 Games, August 8-24 in Beijing, China.

Making his first Olympic appearance, Bryant is joined by LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks) Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat) Tayshaun Prince (Detroit Pistons) Carlos Boozer and teammate Deron Williams (Utah Jazz).

Rounding out the squad includes, Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets), Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors), Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks) and Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets).

"Whatever I say will not fully describe just how difficult this selection process has been," said senior national team managing director Jerry Colangelo, who made the announcement.

"The players selected have incredible talent. More importantly, we think this team has excellent leadership, great versatility, balance and very good chemistry, which are critical parts in building a great team. I believe this team is a team all Americans can and will be proud of."

Duke University head coach Mike Krzyzewski will guide Team USA.

"I'm excited about the players who comprise this team, he said. "Our team has excellent athleticism and great versatility. We have players who are experienced in the international game thanks to the last two summers' training and competitions.

"I feel really good where we are. We have the foundation in but we have a lot work ahead."

The star-studded squad hopes to wipe away the bad taste of a disappointing third-place finish at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, Greece, and recapture the success of their gold medal showing at Sydney in 2000.

The Americans have been considered the gold standard in the international competition, but have not been as dominant recently as reigning gold medalist Argentina has emerged as a force led by Manu Ginobili.

However, loaded with a superstar roster, the U.S. is confident it can return to the top.

"As we have learned, the international teams we will face in Beijing are also extremely talented and they play very well as a team, Krzyzewski explained.

"It's really the world's game, but we think we're the best at playing that game. This summer's Olympics are going to be an unbelievable competition."

Team USA will have a mini-camp this week in Las Vegas, Nevada, reconvene there July 20-25 to train and play an exhibition against Canada before heading overseas. They open Olympic play against China on Aug. 10.

[$outhPhillypuppet]

Jason Kidd 1
Chris Paul 1
Deron Williams 1

Dwyane Wade 1,2

Kobe Bryant 2
Michael Redd 2

Carmelo Anthony 3
Tayshaun Prince 3
LeBron James 3,2,4

Dwight Howard 5,4
Carlos Boozer 4,5
Chris Bosh 4,5


why do they only have 3 big men?

[Vincetheprince]

this USA team unlike other recent USA teams is gonna ball BIG time

[Young Deuce]

did yall see the us vs canada? goddamn shit was terrible...

[$outhPhillypuppet]

did yall see the us vs canada? goddamn shit was terrible...

yeah they wrecked them dudes.
they had Carmello running at the 4.
so im thinking thats how they are gonna address the lack of big men.

[Vincetheprince]

they smashed on them, they opened a NIG FAT CAN of WHOOP ASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[thetheory]

why do they only have 3 big men?

International teams generally do not feature very many traditional centers, I guess a lot like the NBA these days. Most international players around 7 feet are Nowitzki-type jumpshooters that don't have a post game.

Doesn't really matter, anyway. USA's not going to win the gold.

[Vincetheprince]

That's for sure.

[punamusta]

What country usually win these kind of big, international tournaments? USA?

I don't watch basketball at all, so that's why I'm asking...

[Vincetheprince]

USA EVERYDAY ALL DAY

[$outhPhillypuppet]

What country usually win these kind of big, international tournaments? USA?

I don't watch basketball at all, so that's why I'm asking...

Talent wise the USA has the absolute best group out there.
thats a fact
our third string dudes can easilly start on almost any other team AND be the star player.
the thing is the FIBA rules and play styles are different from th NBA rules so there is always and added adjustment level to things.

but regarding your question about the big tournament winners.
usually we rule the court but the US has been taking some loses as of late.
most notably at the 04 olympics and at the 06 Fiba championships.
those loses made the USA change from just putting out an allstar team to actually having a team that practices and plays together from year to year with only minor roster moves.

[thetheory]

I don't know if it's so much the FIBA rules that cause such a hard time. The only real difference is that the refs don't call complete BS hand checks like they do in the NBA, so they let them play without the bailouts that Wade and LeBron get all the time. Also, once the ball hits the rim, it's live, but you don't really see that many players grabbing the ball off of the rim for what would be a goaltend in the NBA - I don't think it's that big of an issue. FIBA rules and refs allow for a more free-flowing game - it's like the second half of an all-star game.

The biggest problem for the USA is that they don't play together regularly. Even the summer time for the last few years isn't half as much time as the other countries spend practicing together. There's not the same chemistry, and that's what makes the difference. You can't put together the all-star team and just run the table to the gold anymore. That's why the USA won't win.

Only chance they have is to give the ball to Kobe in every 4th quarter and let him completely take over. Despite his finals performance, he remains the best player in the world, and cold-blooded in a way Rick James could never imagine. That's the best shot the USA has...

[Vincetheprince]

they'll win

[Young Deuce]

damn we samshed china 1-0

[$outhPhillypuppet]

U.S. men 2-0 after win against Angola

LeBron James and his teammates easily shoved Angola aside. Now come the teams that can push back.

Dwyane Wade scored 19 points, James dominated the game with his size and strength on both ends, and the U.S. Olympic team wrapped up the easy portion of its schedule with a 97-76 victory Tuesday night.

Dwight Howard added 14 points and James finished with 12 for the Americans, who had another rough night from 3-point range but don't appear to be stoppable in the open court. Wade was perfect from the field in Beijing until missing in the third quarter.

The United States improved to 4-0 against Angola, starting with the Dream Team's Olympic debut in 1992. That romp is best remembered for Charles Barkley's elbow to an unsuspecting Angolan player in a 116-48 victory.

Angola went down almost as easily this time.

The Americans (2-0) moved on to face Greece, the team that stunned them two years ago in the semifinals of the world championship. Two days later comes a matchup with Spain, the team that won that tournament and is also 2-0 in this one after rallying to beat China in overtime behind 29 points from Pau Gasol.

Long before this rout started, the Americans were already looking ahead.

U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff were seated behind the baseline about 5½ hours earlier for a look at the Greeks, who shut down Germany over the final three quarters while pulling away for an 87-64 victory.

Greece stunned the United States 101-95 two years ago in the semifinals of the world championship in Japan. This U.S. team is much deeper, and James is a whole lot stronger.

James hadn't done much offensively midway through the second quarter when he made his presence felt on the other end, jumping so high to block Felizardo Ambrosio's shot that it looked more like a volleyball spike, with James glaring back at the fallen Ambrosio as the ball went out of bounds.

The Angolans were down only seven with less than 4 minutes remaining in the half when James simply muscled them out of the way. After Wade's 3-pointer, James went all the way for a layup, then knocked Leonel Paulo backward to grab a loose ball and convert a three-point play that made it 47-32 with 2:26 left.

James then came up with a steal and flipped the ball behind him to Chris Bosh for a bucket, then capped a 16-2 spurt with another layup that extended the U.S. lead to 55-34. The Americans were up 55-37 at the break, with James, Howard, Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Bosh all perfect from the field.

The U.S. shooting would have been much better if not for Bryant's 0-for-5 half, but he quickly got involved in the third quarter with eight points, highlighted by a spinning dunk on the fast break.

The Americans lost some concentration on the defensive end, allowing Angola enough open looks to keep it from becoming too much of a blowout for a while. Eventually they pulled away to win almost as easily as they did in a 101-70 victory over China on opening night.

Anthony also scored 12 points for the United States. Every U.S. player but Jason Kidd scored, but the Americans were only 5-of-21 from behind the arc after they hit just 7-of-24 against the Chinese.

Carlos Morais scored 24 points for Angola (0-2).

http://www.nbcolympics.com/basketball/n ... l#two+down

[$outhPhillypuppet]

I watched this game on a live stream with no commentary and that shit was funny.
Lebron be talkin all types of shit during the game, and without the commentary you can hear it clearly.

[thetheory]

I also watched it without the commentary, and besides how much noise LeBron is always talking, I was surprised at how Kobe Bryant treats everybody on the court. There was all that nonsense during the finals about how bad of a teammate Kobe is. I don't know if that's true or not, but in the Olympics, this guy's nice to everybody. I didn't see a single time today where a player from his own team or Angola would fall and Kobe wouldn't be right there to help somebody up.
I know everyone's on that Pat Riley kick-em-while-they're-down attitude in the NBA, but Kobe is really representing the USA very well. Good for him.

[Vincetheprince]

yup congrats im proud

[$outhPhillypuppet]

there first real test will come later today at about 10'ish i think.
be sure to watch that game against greece peoples.

[$outhPhillypuppet]

there first real test will come later today at about 10'ish i think.
be sure to watch that game against greece peoples.

my bad that shit start in like 12 hours

[thetheory]

Good call on U.S. vs Greece. United States dominated. But Greece's win was a fluke last time, so I don't expect them to compete. I'm looking forward to the United States playing Spain and Argentina. Those two teams will give the U.S. problems. Lithiuania isn't bad, either, but they don't have enough to get thru. I'm just waiting to see what happens when the game's close in the 4th quarter, to see how the U.S. responds.

[Vincetheprince]

I'm half Spanish but I went for USA, my whole family was talking a gang a shit because I was talking mess about the Spanish team