Players participating in the Team USA training camp July 19-24 in Las Vegas

[FinishHim!]

Chauncey Billups
Tyson Chandler
Stephen Curry
Kevin Durant
Tyreke Evans
Rudy Gay
Eric Gordon
Danny Granger
Jeff Green
Andre Igoudala
David Lee
Brook Lopez
Robin Lopez
Kevin Love
OJ Mayo
Lamar Odom
Rajon Rondo
Derrick Rose
Amare Stoudemire
Gerald Wallace
Russell Westbrook

[Yung D-Will]

Why is it that Melo is better then everyone on that list?

[UtahJazzFan88]

Why is it that Melo is better then everyone on that list?

I'm not sure what you meant by that, but probably because most of the players that played on the Olympic team didn't want to play this year, unless I misunderstood your post. I wouldn't say Melo is better then Kevin Durant at all, personally.

[Bruinlove]

Why are David Lee and Robin Lopez in there over a guy like Joachim Noah?

[TheLogo]

Chauncey Billups
Tyson Chandler
Stephen Curry
Kevin Durant - good
Tyreke Evans
Rudy Gay
Eric Gordon
Danny Granger
Jeff Green
Andre Igoudala
David Lee
Brook Lopez - good
Robin Lopez - good
Kevin Love
OJ Mayo - good
Lamar Odom
Rajon Rondo - good
Derrick Rose - good
Amare Stoudemire - good
Gerald Wallace
Russell Westbrook - good


don't care for the rest.

[sunsfan1357]

I went a couple years ago to a Team USA blue/white scrimmage. It was pretty cool seeing LeBron, Kobe, Kidd, etc. play against each other. I think Kobe hit a game winner as time was running out that game.

[Younggrease]

This team is gonna lose, they dont have quality big men, not enough seasoned swingmen...

[joyner82]

Why is it that Melo is better then everyone on that list?

Kevin Durant

[TheLogo]

I went a couple years ago to a Team USA blue/white scrimmage. It was pretty cool seeing LeBron, Kobe, Kidd, etc. play against each other. I think Kobe hit a game winner as time was running out that game.

Not to mention, after he hit the game winner, he played lockdown defense on Lebron.

[Bruinlove]

This team is gonna lose, they dont have quality big men, not enough seasoned swingmen...
No, Pau Gasol and Manu Ginobili aren't playing either. Even one of our weaker players like Tyreke Evans is more talented than anyone on any other team in the tournament.

Durant is just going to destroy everyone in his path, his game was built for FIBA ball.

Just hope David Lee doesn't make the team, he doesn't even try on defense he's so useless. Get Noah in there!

[Yung D-Will]

Kevin Durant
Why is it that Melo is better then every player on that list?

[joyner82]

Why is it that Melo is better then every player on that list?

How many 1st team NBA selections/scoring titles does Melo have? Durant has 1 of each and is soon about to become the youngest MVP in league history. I guess the Melo fans of Utah commercial was legit.

Pretty sad that prime Melo can't even hold 21 year old Durant's jock.

[DuMa]

Durant is gonna eat those euro ****!

[Younggrease]

No, Pau Gasol and Manu Ginobili aren't playing either. Even one of our weaker players like Tyreke Evans is more talented than anyone on any other team in the tournament.

Durant is just going to destroy everyone in his path, his game was built for FIBA ball.

Just hope David Lee doesn't make the team, he doesn't even try on defense he's so useless. Get Noah in there!

Spain will beat Team USA without Pau. They are just a better team. Its not about the indivdual talent level.

Oh and Tyreke Evans should not make the team...he would be horrible in FIBA...

Oh and Durant is not just gonna run through FIBA...he is gonna be their best player but he isnt gonna guarantee wins with the bigs they are given this squad.

[sunsfan1357]

Not to mention, after he hit the game winner, he played lockdown defense on Lebron.

Yep I recorded it all on my camera, but then my camera ended up getting stolen at a party before I can upload it anywhere :rant

[Grinder]

My guess:

Rose / Billups / Curry
Evans / Mayo
Durant / Gay
Amar'e / Lee / Odom
B. Lopez / R. Lopez

[joyner82]

What's the record for ppg during a FIBA tournament? I'm pretty sure Durant is about to destroy that.

[Yung D-Will]

Pretty sad that prime Melo can't even hold 21 year old Durant's jock.
http://i27.tinypic.com/b85jtg.jpg

So why is it that Melo is better then everyone on this list?

[Bruinlove]

Spain will beat Team USA without Pau. They are just a better team. Its not about the indivdual talent level.

Oh and Tyreke Evans should not make the team...he would be horrible in FIBA...
People said Dwayne Wade would be horrible in FIBA because he can't shoot-and he was USA's best player in 08. Tyreke can penetrate just as well as Wade.

Stop overrating these soft Euros. Spain is not a better team than team USA-how can you say that when you haven't even seen our players play together yet?

Spain isn't going to do jack shit. If they are the toughest team we go against, I am confident we will win this easily. Who else will beat team USA? Shitnoulis lead Greece? :roll:

No one will be able to check Durant. Also our bigmen will be destroyed? The deepest team Spain have one good big Marc Gasol and the rest are useless like Garbagejosa. How come USA needs better bigmen but a shitty team like Spain doesn't? Stop giving the soft euros credit they dont deserve

[Yung D-Will]

Lol anyway this team should dominate if Rondo's running the point along with Rose . Rose to close out games, Rondo to start them.

[Younggrease]

My guess:

Rose / Billups / Curry
Evans / Mayo
Durant / Gay
Amar'e / Lee / Odom
B. Lopez / R. Lopez

Amare looks lost in FIBA...Evans is way to ball dominate, and carries too much for FIBA rules(he will get called for a lot of violations)...Gay will also look lost out there...

They need at least one of Kobe, Wade, Bron out there....they need at least CP3 or Deron Williams too.

The reason this team is gonna have trouble is because the bigs of the other team are much better FIBA players


People said Dwayne Wade would be horrible in FIBA because he can't shoot-and he was USA's best player. Tyreke can penetrate just as well as Wade.

Stop overrating these soft Euros. Spain is not a better team than team USA-how can you say that when you haven't even seen our players play together yet?

Spain isn't going to do jack shit. If they are the toughest team we go against, I am confident we will win this easily. Who else will beat team USA? Shitnoulis lead Greece?

No one will be able to check Durant.

Everyone knew DWade would be good and he really wasnt team USA's best player...You cant tell who is the best player when every game is a blowout.

Oh, and Greece and Spain could both beat this team. This team has basically 0 international experience and arent that good to begin with, plus they have never played together.

[DuMa]

I'm pretty sure Melo is gonna be starting at the 4 again for Team USA

[The Choken One]

Lol anyway this team should dominate if Rondo's running the point along with Rose . Rose to close out games, Rondo to start them.

Rondo? Come on... Billups and Rose.

[Bruinlove]

Amare looks lost in FIBA...Evans is way to ball dominate, and carries too much for FIBA rules(he will get called for a lot of violations)...Gay will also look lost out there...

They need at least one of Kobe, Wade, Bron out there....they need at least CP3 or Deron Williams too.

The reason this team is gonna have trouble is because the bigs of the other team are much better FIBA players
The bigs on the other teams are 6'9 fatty perimeter jumpshooters, what the hell are you talking about son?

[Yung D-Will]

Rondo? Come on... Billups and Rose.
When you have alot of individual talents isn't it better for the better passer
and playmaker to run the show so he can give them the ball in their spots and run the offense?

[Younggrease]

The bigs on the other teams are 6'9 fatty perimeter jumpshooters, what the hell are you talking about son?

the ones that come out every year and score on the USA players on either pick and rolls, pick and pops or in the post. It happens every international comp.

[Bruinlove]

When you have alot of individual talents isn't it better for the better passer
and playmaker to run the show so he can give them the ball in their spots and run the offense?
Rose is a better passer and playmaker-when you're going against alot of Zone defense on a smaller court it is wiser to take the PG who can shoot better instead of the PG who is better at running the fastbreak and can't shoot even simple 15 footers consistently.

[Yung D-Will]

Rose is a better passer and playmaker-when you're going against alot of Zone defense on a smaller court it is wiser to take the PG who can shoot better instead of the PG who is better at running the fastbreak and can't shoot even simple 15 footers consistently.

Wait. Did you just say Rose is a better passer and playmaker then Rondo?

That's just dumb.

[Papaya Petee]

How many 1st team NBA selections/scoring titles does Melo have? Durant has 1 of each and is soon about to become the youngest MVP in league history. I guess the Melo fans of Utah commercial was legit.

Pretty sad that prime Melo can't even hold 21 year old Durant's jock.


And Carmelo Anthony is still a better player then Kevin Durant, but good try.

[Bruinlove]

the ones that come out every year and score on the USA players on either pick and rolls, pick and pops or in the post. It happens every international comp.
Name some, Garbagejosa, 39 year old bald Spanish guy who sucks, Pau and Marc are the only ones that come to mind and of those only Pau and Mark are decent.

Sofo-fatass was good in his day but his day was like 5 years ago.

Scola is ****ing amazing in FIBA and I remember was scoring vs double teams and dominating us in the 08 olympics but we still creamed Argentina-they are not a threat without Manu.

Serbia-their bigs suck, Darko used to be the best one and I believe he doesn't even get called up anymore for being a locker room cancer.

Why do you overrate this scrub unconditioned jumpshooting euro-bigs so much?

[Bruinlove]

Wait. Did you just say Rose is a better passer and playmaker then Rondo?

That's just dumb.
In half court? Yes. Do you think Bostons offense would improve or get worse if you replaced Rondo with Derek Rose? Creating plays also involves creating shots for yourself.

[sunsfan1357]

Isn't FIBA going to use the NBA style kyle now instead of the trapezoid? Doesn't that negate some of the "advantages" people said international teams had in post play? They also moved back the three point line, did a quick search and here's a link: http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/olybb/news/story?id=3368944

I'm not keen on international play so can someone tell me if that's going to make a difference?

Also is Amare expected to play in the WC? After all the talks of injury affecting his contract negotiations I wouldn't think the Knicks would be too happy with him extending his season and going through with this.

[joyner82]

http://i27.tinypic.com/b85jtg.jpg

So why is it that Melo is better then everyone on this list?


Because the Nuggets played the Thunder 10 times last year?

LOL @ your stupidity and bringing w/l into this when one player was on a lottery team for 2 of the 3 years.

Melo's best year(last year) vs Durant's 3rd year


Rk Player Season Age G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
1 Carmelo Anthony 2009-10 25 69 69 38.2 10.0 21.8 .458 0.9 2.7 .316 7.4 8.9 .830 2.2 4.4 6.6 3.2 1.3 0.4 3.0 3.3 28.2
2 Kevin Durant 2009-10 21 82 82 39.5 9.7 20.3 .476 1.6 4.3 .365 9.2 10.2 .900 1.3 6.3 7.6 2.8 1.4 1.0 3.3 2.1 30.1


Rk Player Season Age G MP PER TS% eFG% ORB% DRB% TRB% AST% STL% BLK% TOV% USG% ORtg DRtg OWS DWS WS WS/48
1 Carmelo Anthony 2009-10 25 69 2634 22.2 .548 .478 6.7 13.1 9.9 15.9 1.7 0.9 10.6 33.4 110 109 5.6 2.4 7.9 0.145
2 Kevin Durant 2009-10 21 82 3239 26.2 .607 .514 3.8 17.9 11.0 13.5 1.8 1.9 11.7 32.0 118 104 11.1 5.0 16.1 0.238



This comparison is a joke, which is why Durant was 1st team All NBA and the favorite for the MVP this year at only 22 years old when noone under 24 has EVER won the MVP.

[NuggetsFan]

What's the record for ppg during a FIBA tournament? I'm pretty sure Durant is about to destroy that.

And when he doesn't you'll probably go into hiding just like all the predictions you had with Durants first playoffs. Before you go and bring up other players first playoffs remember were comparing them RIGHT NOW so age is irrelevant :oldlol:

[Grinder]

People make it sound like Brook Lopez, Amare, and David Lee are garbage.

David Lee can consistently drain 3s from the FIBA 3 point line and Lopez is very good.

Who's going to dominate our bigs? Bourousis? Marc Gasol? Felipe Reyes? Tiago Splitter? Krstic? Velickovic? Bogut? None are better than Amare and Brook Lopez.

[Bruinlove]

Isn't FIBA going to use the NBA style kyle now instead of the trapezoid? Doesn't that negate some of the "advantages" people said international teams had in post play? They also moved back the three point line, did a quick search and here's a link: http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/olybb/news/story?id=3368944

I'm not keen on international play so can someone tell me if that's going to make a difference?

Also is Amare expected to play in the WC? After all the talks of injury affecting his contract negotiations I wouldn't think the Knicks would be too happy with him extending his season and going through with this.
Lol that's bad news, the small courts and short 3s were the only thing keeping them in the game against us.

With the small courts the euros could play zone and cancel out our athleticism advantage, but with NBA sized courts their zone won't work nearly as well.

On top of that, decent Euro shooters such as Spanoulis and JCN have proven to struggle with NBA length 3s. Is the FIBA president trying to hand us the world championship?

[NuggetsFan]

Because the Nuggets played the Thunder 10 times last year?

LOL @ your stupidity and bringing w/l into this when one player was on a lottery team for 2 of the 3 years.

Melo's best year(last year) vs Durant's 3rd year


Rk Player Season Age G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
1 Carmelo Anthony 2009-10 25 69 69 38.2 10.0 21.8 .458 0.9 2.7 .316 7.4 8.9 .830 2.2 4.4 6.6 3.2 1.3 0.4 3.0 3.3 28.2
2 Kevin Durant 2009-10 21 82 82 39.5 9.7 20.3 .476 1.6 4.3 .365 9.2 10.2 .900 1.3 6.3 7.6 2.8 1.4 1.0 3.3 2.1 30.1


Rk Player Season Age G MP PER TS% eFG% ORB% DRB% TRB% AST% STL% BLK% TOV% USG% ORtg DRtg OWS DWS WS WS/48
1 Carmelo Anthony 2009-10 25 69 2634 22.2 .548 .478 6.7 13.1 9.9 15.9 1.7 0.9 10.6 33.4 110 109 5.6 2.4 7.9 0.145
2 Kevin Durant 2009-10 21 82 3239 26.2 .607 .514 3.8 17.9 11.0 13.5 1.8 1.9 11.7 32.0 118 104 11.1 5.0 16.1 0.238



This comparison is a joke, which is why Durant was 1st team All NBA and the favorite for the MVP this year at only 22 years old when noone under 24 has EVER won the MVP.

It's arguable who's the better player at this point in time. I seriously doubt anyone takes Durant over Melo last year if there trying to win the championship. Durant will pass Melo but your a complete homer if you don't think it's at the very least close right now.

[Yung D-Will]

Because the Nuggets played the Thunder 10 times last year?

LOL @ your stupidity and bringing w/l into this when one player was on a lottery team for 2 of the 3 years.

Melo's best year(last year) vs Durant's 3rd year


Rk Player Season Age G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% FT FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
1 Carmelo Anthony 2009-10 25 69 69 38.2 10.0 21.8 .458 0.9 2.7 .316 7.4 8.9 .830 2.2 4.4 6.6 3.2 1.3 0.4 3.0 3.3 28.2
2 Kevin Durant 2009-10 21 82 82 39.5 9.7 20.3 .476 1.6 4.3 .365 9.2 10.2 .900 1.3 6.3 7.6 2.8 1.4 1.0 3.3 2.1 30.1


Rk Player Season Age G MP PER TS% eFG% ORB% DRB% TRB% AST% STL% BLK% TOV% USG% ORtg DRtg OWS DWS WS WS/48
1 Carmelo Anthony 2009-10 25 69 2634 22.2 .548 .478 6.7 13.1 9.9 15.9 1.7 0.9 10.6 33.4 110 109 5.6 2.4 7.9 0.145
2 Kevin Durant 2009-10 21 82 3239 26.2 .607 .514 3.8 17.9 11.0 13.5 1.8 1.9 11.7 32.0 118 104 11.1 5.0 16.1 0.238



This comparison is a joke, which is why Durant was 1st team All NBA and the favorite for the MVP this year at only 22 years old when noone under 24 has EVER won the MVP.

So basiclly you showed me a year where Melo averged 2 less points ? Way to prove your point

[Grinder]

So basiclly you showed me a year where Melo averged 2 less points ? Way to prove your point

Wow.

Durant averaged more points on higher FG, 3pt, FT%, averaged more rebounds, nearly the same assists, more steals, more blocks, got to the line more and less fouls.

So what, exactly is it that Melo does better than Durant? :ohwell:

[sunsfan1357]

So basiclly you showed me a year where Melo averged 2 less points ? Way to prove your point
Didn't you do the same with your statistics? :confusedshrug:

[MasterDurant24]

Chauncey Billups
Tyson Chandler
Stephen Curry-good
Kevin Durant - good
Tyreke Evans(not good if trying to play PG)
Rudy Gay
Eric Gordon- good
Danny Granger- good
Jeff Green
Andre Igoudala
David Lee
Brook Lopez - good
Robin Lopez
Kevin Love
OJ Mayo
Lamar Odom
Rajon Rondo - good
Derrick Rose - good
Amare Stoudemire - good
Gerald Wallace
Russell Westbrook - good


don't care for the rest.
Fix'd

Alos, why the hell is Tyson Chandler always on the team? I think Bynum, Jennings, Aldridge, and Al Jefferson would be better than Chandler, Jeff Green, Odom, and Robin Lopez.

[NuggetsFan]

Wow.

Durant averaged more points on higher FG, 3pt, FT%, averaged more rebounds, nearly the same assists, more steals, more blocks, got to the line more and less fouls.

So what, exactly is it that Melo does better than Durant? :ohwell:

Melo averages more offensive rebounds and has a much better rebounding front court so explains the edge Durant has in defensive rebounds. Plus Karl has Melo leaking out on the break to establish post position early on alot of the rebounds.

Melo averaged more assists with less turnovers. Durant might be more efficient and averaged 2 more points but Melo easily has the more complete offensive game and I'm pretty sure it matters how you score because that determines how defense's plan on stopping you and your teams(Look at Dwight Howard he scores like 19 a game but it's more than numbers). Averaged like .1 less of a steal a game.

Melo completely blowed away Durant in the playoffs. Age is irrelevant because were comparing them in the current state. Were not comparing Durant to year 3 Melo. How you play in the playoffs should play a pretty big part.

[Yung D-Will]

Didn't you do the same with your statistics? :confusedshrug:

I wasn't trying to prove a point I was posting neck and neck head to head numbers because you believe Melo doesn't hold a candel to durant

[joyner82]

So basiclly you showed me a year where Melo averged 2 less points ? Way to prove your point

lol...wow. Durant averaged 2 more ppg on 1.5 less FGA. You give him Melo's shot attempts and he is likely around 33 ppg. He was a far better defender, 104 PP100P vs 109PP100P, much more efficient offensively, a better teammate, and Durant had a total of 1 tech which was a double T the entire season meaning he never cost his team with dumb mistakes.

Just look at the advanced Metrics...Durant .238 WS/48 vs Melo .145. Like I said, this is a joke. Durant destroys him in PER, WS's, On/Off, +/-, Advanced +/-, Roland Rating..literally every stat.

[Yung D-Will]

Wow.

Durant averaged more points on higher FG, 3pt, FT%, averaged more rebounds, nearly the same assists, more steals, more blocks, got to the line more and less fouls.

So what, exactly is it that Melo does better than Durant? :ohwell:
Well I think that averging 1 less rebound doesn't say anything Melo since he playes with Nene and K-Mart. He's a better clutch shooter, Better post up player, better mid range shooter , better all around game period.

[sunsfan1357]

I wasn't trying to prove a point I was posting neck and neck head to head numbers because you believe Melo doesn't hold a candel to durant

I personally don't believe that, I think you got me confused with someone.

[NuggetsFan]

Well I think that averging 1 less rebound doesn't say anything Melo since he playes with Nene and K-Mart. He's a better clutch shooter, Better post up player, better mid range shooter , better all around game period.

Not to mention he out rebounds him on the offensive end. Durant doesn't have a front court taking rebounds away from him.

[Bruinlove]

lol...wow. Durant averaged 2 more ppg on 1.5 less FGA. You give him Melo's shot attempts and he is likely around 33 ppg. He was a far better defender, 104 PP100P vs 109PP100P, much more efficient offensively, a better teammate, and Durant had a total of 1 tech which was a double T the entire season meaning he never cost his team with dumb mistakes.

Just look at the advanced Metrics...Durant .238 WS/48 vs Melo .145. Like I said, this is a joke. Durant destroys him in PER, WS's, On/Off, +/-, Advanced +/-, Roland Rating..literally every stat.
stop with the stats battles, stats say Vince Carter and Joe Johnson are better than Manu Ginobili

[Grinder]

Melo averages more offensive rebounds and has a much better rebounding front court so explains the edge Durant has in defensive rebounds. Plus Karl has Melo leaking out on the break to establish post position early on alot of the rebounds.

Melo averaged more assists with less turnovers. Durant might be more efficient and averaged 2 more points but Melo easily has the more complete offensive game and I'm pretty sure it matters how you score because that determines how defense's plan on stopping you and your teams(Look at Dwight Howard he scores like 19 a game but it's more than numbers). Averaged like .1 less of a steal a game.

Melo completely blowed away Durant in the playoffs. Age is irrelevant because were comparing them in the current state. Were not comparing Durant to year 3 Melo. How you play in the playoffs should play a pretty big part.

Having a complete offensive game doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things when Durant is going to get his on good %s. I don't care if someone scores 30 points on post ups, step backs, pull ups, drives, spot ups, etc. and someone else gets 30 by living at the FT line, in the end it's still 30 points on similar efficiency.

Durant was being defended by Ron Artest in the playoffs and also had Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum defending the rim. Melo had Wes Matthews and CJ Miles defending him with Kryrlo Fesenko being the only capable shot blocker. :oldlol:

[joyner82]

Melo averages more offensive rebounds and has a much better rebounding front court so explains the edge Durant has in defensive rebounds. Plus Karl has Melo leaking out on the break to establish post position early on alot of the rebounds.

Ridiculous logic due to the fact Denver plays at a much faster pace therefore there are more rebounds to be had.


Melo averaged more assists with less turnovers. Durant might be more efficient and averaged 2 more points but Melo easily has the more complete offensive game and I'm pretty sure it matters how you score because that determines how defense's plan on stopping you and your teams(Look at Dwight Howard he scores like 19 a game but it's more than numbers). Averaged like .1 less of a steal a game

Melo averaged a grant total of .4 more assists and .3 less turnovers than Durant. That is the equivalent of less than 1 point in an NBA game. Given he takes 1.5 more shots and scores 2 less points your argument is moot. Also Melo averaged 1.2 more fouls which is equal to around .6 possessions.



Melo completely blowed away Durant in the playoffs. Age is irrelevant because were comparing them in the current state. Were not comparing Durant to year 3 Melo. How you play in the playoffs should play a pretty big part.

Durant played the 2 time defending champions who also happened to be the best defensive in the league when healthy.

Melo played against Wesley Mathews and the Jazz who had no front court whatsoever.

Joke comparison.

Uh

[joyner82]

stop with the stats battles, stats say Vince Carter and Joe Johnson are better than Manu Ginobili

Uh...no they don't. They say Manu was the 3rd best SF of the last decade behind Kobe and Wade. He had the 3rd highest WS/48 and 2nd highest PER lol...

[NuggetsFan]

Having a complete offensive game doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things when Durant is going to get his on good %s. I don't care if someone scores 30 points on post ups, step backs, pull ups, drives, spot ups, etc. and someone else gets 30 by living at the FT line, in the end it's still 30 points on similar efficiency.

Durant was being defended by Ron Artest in the playoffs and also had Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, and Andrew Bynum defending the rim. Melo had Wes Matthews and CJ Miles defending him with Kryrlo Fesenko being the only capable shot blocker. :oldlol:

Are you kidding me? Dwight Howard gets his on great %'s too so we should probably chalk him up as a better scorer than Yao. The way you score determines how you get defended. Durant gets alot of points because he's a great shooter so you don't exactly need to double him as much because you just need to stick a body on him and get a hand up. Melo going to work in the post you need to have other defenders come over and help out because he's either going to blow past his defender or just body him thus creating better shots on the perimeter for his teammates such as AA\Billups. It's ridiculous how people just fall in love with statistics and forget how the game is actually played. That's what makes players like Kobe\LeBron great because of how the play the game not because of there statistics. I'm all in favour of using numbers to help with what you missed but to completely disregard how players score and play the game? No thanks.

He still seen defensive attention. He still out played Durant is practically every area. I'm not saying Melo's better I'm just saying it's close. Melo is the more established player and I think that means something in comparisons. I fully expect for Durant to fully surpass him soon but as of right now you can't say one player is much better than the other.

[AirJordan23]

I can't comment much on most of the young guys since I hardly watch the lottery teams play. Don't care much for rookies and sophomroes unless they're on playoff teams or have a GREAT impact (rookie Duncan, Shaq Bron, Wade etc). And I don't watch college ball at all.

Chauncey in 2007 wasn't that great. Don't know why but he didn't shoot that well and he seemed uncomfortable on the court. It's funny because he seems like a great fit for international play. Can defend well although his lateral movement isn't that great any more. He's a great shooter (pull up, catch and shoot etc) and can run an offense pretty well. And they're gonna need his verteran presence and leadership since that roster is inexperienced with a bunch of young guys. Rose or Curry can back him up. Rose's jumper isn't going to be much of a problem due to the shorter line. And Curry seems to move well off ball and has a deadly jumper. Not too sure about it since I haven't seen him play much. Not sure about Rondo or Evans. They seem a bit ball dominant. Amare was dominant in 2007. Scored in the paint pretty well and efficiently. Odom was subpar in 2004 but that had a lot to do with Brown playing him as a defensive stopper which was ridiculous. And he doesn't have much range on his shot anyway.

You need zone busters, perimeter defense, size and versatility to be effective in international play. Talent has never been much of a problem. USA was effective in 2008 because their squad was very well built and they had enough experience of playing togeter. Coach K's defensive scheme also worked very well. Pressure defense resulting in steals. The guys were really good in passing lanes and played great defense. Anticipation, ability to read plays etc was all there. Isolation plays are not going to get you anywhere against a zone. You have to move the ball, move off ball and find spots to capitalize on. Offensive cohension, communication and ability to play together is key. Lack of experience is definitely going to be a problem but I don't think the guys will underestimate opponents like in the past (see 2002, 2004).

[Bruinlove]

Uh...no they don't. They say Manu was the 3rd best SF of the last decade behind Kobe and Wade. He had the 3rd highest WS/48 and 2nd highest PER lol...
lol look at ppg and apg lol also the stats dont say that Manu is a small forward

[MasterDurant24]

Uh...no they don't. They say Manu was the 3rd best SF of the last decade behind Kobe and Wade. He had the 3rd highest WS/48 and 2nd highest PER lol...
I'm thinking he means overall stats. Winning factors in PER.

[Yung D-Will]

Are you kidding me? Dwight Howard gets his on great %'s too so we should probably chalk him up as a better scorer than Yao. The way you score determines how you get defended. Durant gets alot of points because he's a great shooter so you don't exactly need to double him as much because you just need to stick a body on him and get a hand up. Melo going to work in the post you need to have other defenders come over and help out because he's either going to blow past his defender or just body him thus creating better shots on the perimeter for his teammates such as AA\Billups. It's ridiculous how people just fall in love with statistics and forget how the game is actually played. That's what makes players like Kobe\LeBron great because of how the play the game not because of there statistics. I'm all in favour of using numbers to help with what you missed but to completely disregard how players score and play the game? No thanks.

He still seen defensive attention. He still out played Durant is practically every area. I'm not saying Melo's better I'm just saying it's close. Melo is the more established player and I think that means something in comparisons. I fully expect for Durant to fully surpass him soon but as of right now you can't say one player is much better than the other.

This I hate that argument. Because He gets more points at a higher percentence he's the better scorer? Not at all

[NuggetsFan]

This I hate that argument. Because He gets more points at a higher percentence he's the better scorer? Not at all

These guys better be using the numbers to say Dwight's a better scorer than Yao too. I'm pretty sure one year he averaged more points on a better % as well.

[MasterDurant24]

This I hate that argument. Because He gets more points at a higher percentence he's the better scorer? Not at all
Alright, give me your reasons why Melo is a better scorer than Durant.

[joyner82]

Are you kidding me? Dwight Howard gets his on great %'s too so we should probably chalk him up as a better scorer than Yao. The way you score determines how you get defended. Durant gets alot of points because he's a great shooter so you don't exactly need to double him as much because you just need to stick a body on him and get a hand up. Melo going to work in the post you need to have other defenders come over and help out because he's either going to blow past his defender or just body him thus creating better shots on the perimeter for his teammates such as AA\Billups. It's ridiculous how people just fall in love with statistics and forget how the game is actually played. That's what makes players like Kobe\LeBron great because of how the play the game not because of there statistics. I'm all in favour of using numbers to help with what you missed but to completely disregard how players score and play the game? No thanks.

Uh no, Dwight is a TERRIBLE free throw shooter. Durant was actually a more efficient scorer last year when he shot 47.6% than Dwight was in 09 when he shot 57.2% from the floor due to Durant's ridiculous free throw numbers.

Also WTF are you talking about? Melo plays on the block yet Durant gets to the line more frequently than him...lol


He still seen defensive attention. He still out played Durant is practically every area. I'm not saying Melo's better I'm just saying it's close. Melo is the more established player and I think that means something in comparisons. I fully expect for Durant to fully surpass him soon but as of right now you can't say one player is much better than the other.

Durant is better offensively which is obvious by the numbers. Durant is better defensively which is obvious by the numbers. Durant's team is entirely dependent upon him for offense which is demonstrated by the On/Off numbers. His team also gets significantly worse on defense when he's off the court.

What exactly is Melo better than Durant at? Being a clutch player?

Melo shot 42.7% in the last 5 minutes of games last year. :applause:

[Yung D-Will]

These guys better be using the numbers to say Dwight's a better scorer than Yao too. I'm pretty sure one year he averaged more points on a better % as well.
Yea I've heard Dwight is a better scorer because he scores more points on a higher percent. That's stupid

Prime A.I shot a horrible percent but I'd still take him as a better score then 95% of the people in the Nba

[Yung D-Will]

Alright, give me your reasons why Melo is a better scorer than Durant.
Better post up game
Better Mid range Game
Better clutch scorer
Better finisher

Does that sum it up

[bokes15]

Fix'd

Alos, why the hell is Tyson Chandler always on the team? I think Bynum, Jennings, Aldridge, and Al Jefferson would be better than Chandler, Jeff Green, Odom, and Robin Lopez.
He's not on the team. This is just the training team before they cut it down, and he was selected way back just like a lot of the rest of them were. He'll most likely be cut before the games begin.

[MasterDurant24]

He's not on the team. This is just the training team before they cut it down, and he was selected way back just like a lot of the rest of them were. He'll most likely be cut before the games begin.
ok good.

[joyner82]

Better post up game
Better Mid range Game
Better clutch scorer
Better finisher

Does that sum it up


You do realize that a 3 point shooter than makes 40% of his 3's is better than someone at his same position that lives in the paint that shoots 59%, right? If they get to the line the same amount of times/shoot the same % the 3 point shooter will ALWAYS score more ppg.


You're basically arguing Melo is a more complete scorer, which doesn't even matter because Durant just had the greatest season scoring the basketball since Jordan in 92.

[Yung D-Will]

You do realize that a 3 point shooter than makes 40% of his 3's is better than someone at his same position that lives in the paint that shoots 59%, right? If they get to the line the same amount of times/shoot the same % the 3 point shooter will ALWAYS score more ppg.


You're basically arguing Melo is a more complete scorer, which doesn't even matter because Durant just had the greatest season scoring the basketball since Jordan in 92.

So you basiclly just tried to convince me that playing on the perimeter is better then playing inside? Isn't that what every coach advices directly against. Aren't you always supposed to bring the ball inside instead of settling for jumpers?

[NuggetsFan]

You do realize that a 3 point shooter than makes 40% of his 3's is better than someone at his same position that lives in the paint that shoots 59%, right? If they get to the line the same amount of times/shoot the same % the 3 point shooter will ALWAYS score more ppg.


You're basically arguing Melo is a more complete scorer, which doesn't even matter because Durant just had the greatest season scoring the basketball since Jordan in 92.

Laughable. Statistics forgot to tell you that playing inside opens up the perimeter for teammates to get better shots. You should know that as a Thunder fan because it's what there lacking to become a really dangerous team.

[joyner82]

So you basiclly just tried to convince me that playing on the perimeter is better then playing inside? Isn't that what every coach advices directly against. Aren't you always supposed to bring the ball inside instead of settling for jumpers?

No, you're supposed to score as efficiently as possible at all times.

And Durant just became one of 5 players in NBA history to average 30+ with a TS>60%. The other 4 are Karl Malone, Adrian Dantley, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Michael Jordan. The youngest to do it was Kareem at 24, Durant just accomplished the feat at 21. There is a real chance barring injury he ends up the greatest scorer in league history.

[KobeDaMamba]

Durant is the most overrated, one dimensional player ever. Melo over him, no contest.

[RoseCity07]

It really is a shame to me that oden can't be there like last year. He's one of the o ly blazers that care to play for team USA, but he just is never healthy

[joyner82]

Laughable. Statistics forgot to tell you that playing inside opens up the perimeter for teammates to get better shots. You should know that as a Thunder fan because it's what there lacking to become a really dangerous team.

Really? Is that why Melo averaged a grand total of .4 more assists than Durant last year despite the fact his team played at a much higher pace and actually has other players than can score?

Facts are the Nuggets sans Melo is a 40-45 win team. The Thunder minus Durant are a 15 win team.

[Yung D-Will]

No, you're supposed to score as efficiently as possible at all times.

And Durant just became one of 5 players in NBA history to average 30+ with a TS>60%. The other 4 are Karl Malone, Adrian Dantley, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Michael Jordan. The youngest to do it was Kareem at 24, Durant just accomplished the feat at 21. There is a real chance barring injury he ends up the greatest scorer in league history.

Lol I doubt he even ends up being a greater scorer then Iverson.

[MasterDurant24]

Better post up game
Better Mid range Game
Better clutch scorer
Better finisher

Does that sum it up
For the record, I didn't say that Melo wasn't a better scorer than Durant. I was just wondering what your argument was. I do think that Durant is a better overall player though.

[joyner82]

Durant is the most overrated, one dimensional player ever. Melo over him, no contest.

Yet virtually everyone has Durant winning the MVP next year which would make him the youngest in league history by 2 years :confusedshrug:

http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1036395&start=15

[NuggetsFan]

Really? Is that why Melo averaged a grand total of .4 more assists than Durant last year despite the fact his team played at a much higher pace and actually has other players than can score?

Facts are the Nuggets sans Melo is a 40-45 win team. The Thunder minus Durant are a 15 win team.

It has nothing to with assists or what players were talking about. If a player is going to work down low it opens the court up for better shots from the perimeter. He's not going to get an assist if he kicks it out to player A and player A swings it to player B for the look but it was the player drawing attention down low that made it happen.

Nobody is denying Durant is going to be amazing. I've said multiple times he'll surpass Melo soon and he might be better now but it's still a close call and there in reach of eachother.

[joyner82]

Lol I doubt he even ends up being a greater scorer then Iverson.


He is already a better scorer than Iverson was at any point during his career. As a matter of fact right now he is the best scorer since Jordan.

[MasterDurant24]

Durant is the most overrated, one dimensional player ever. Melo over him, no contest.
Lol.

[NuggetsFan]

He is already a better scorer than Iverson was at any point during his career. As a matter of fact right now he is the best scorer since Jordan.

Really no point in arguing with you :oldlol:

[Yung D-Will]

He is already a better scorer than Iverson was at any point during his career. As a matter of fact right now he is the best scorer since Jordan.
:roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll:
Better scorer then Iverson lmaooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooo

I guess you're one of those people who think efficency = Better scorer

[MasterDurant24]

He is already a better scorer than Iverson was at any point during his career. As a matter of fact right now he is the best scorer since Jordan.
Iverson is not that much of an efficient scorer. Averaging 414% FG for your career ain't gonna cut it. But I still don't think Durant is at Iverson's level yet.

[Yung D-Will]

Iverson is not that much of an efficient scorer. Averaging 414% FG for your career ain't gonna cut it. But I still don't think Durant is at Iverson's level yet.
Efficency = Equal being a great scorer.

A.I is pound for pound one of the greatest scorers to ever play the game.

[MasterDurant24]

Efficency = Equal being a great scorer.

A.I is pound for pound one of the greatest scorers to ever play the game.
Do you mean it doesn't equal being a great scorer?

[Grinder]

Efficency = Equal being a great scorer.

A.I is pound for pound one of the greatest scorers to ever play the game.

So you think 30 points on 50% from the field is equal to 30 points on 40% from the field?

[KobeDaMamba]

Damn geeks in here.

[joyner82]

Efficency = Equal being a great scorer.

A.I is pound for pound one of the greatest scorers to ever play the game.

Please tell me what makes someone a great scorer than.

Let me rephrase my previous statement. Durant is the most efficient scorer since Jordan.

[Yung D-Will]

So you think 30 points on 50% from the field is equal to 30 points on 40% from the field?
Who said that? And why are you just looking at stats.

Watch Prime A.I

then watch Durant

And you will clearly see who's the better scorer

[NuggetsFan]

So you think 30 points on 50% from the field is equal to 30 points on 40% from the field?

How about watching the game? Numbers don't make players pal so more info is needed there besides %'s and numbers. Do you honestly think is doesn't matter where you score the ball from. Do you believe Dwight was a better scorer than Yao in 09? He scored a point more on a better % :confusedshrug:

The fact you don't take into consideration defense's do different things to stop different scorers. Weather it be closing off the lanes\just using one guy on the perimeter\trying to deny him the ball.

Statistics are good but it's ridiculous how some people just use them alone. It's like they watch the boxscore and not the game.

[Yung D-Will]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdQcg7KPKok

Watch Iverson breaking Wilt's scoring records in his Rookie season

[Yung D-Will]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvOqS9yITbo&feature=related

Watch how A.I scores 52

You can see what makes him one of the greatest scorers to play the game

[Grinder]

Who said that? And why are you just looking at stats.

Watch Prime A.I

then watch Durant

And you will clearly see who's the better scorer

I'm a Sixers fan and I've seen prime AI...I'd rather have Kevin Durant.

AI was an amazing scorer, but in all his prolific scoring seasons he never once shot a FG%, 3pt% and FT% that Durant had this season. Durant also gets to the line just as much as AI did.

I'll take a 6'10" G/F that can shoot the lights out, get to the line and whose game doesn't rely as much on his athleticism as his skill than a 5'11" freak athlete combo guard who needed 25-28 shots per game and 42+ minutes to be effective. You can disregard stats but in the end they're pretty substantial when comparing volume scorers on good teams.

[joyner82]

So apparently you value the way someone can score over how well someone can score. Unfortunately there is not 1 GM in the world that shares those feelings.

AI needed 24+ shots to score 30 ppg. Durant needed just 20 to score 30 ppg last season.

If you don't understand why Durant is the better scorer, then I don't know what to tell you.

[Yung D-Will]

So apparently you value the way someone can score over how well someone can score. Unfortunately there is not 1 GM in the world that shares those feelings.

AI needed 24+ shots to score 30 ppg. Durant needed just 20 to score 30 ppg last season.

If you don't understand why Durant is the better scorer, then I don't know what to tell you.

Ok then I guess by your logic Dwight is a better scorer then Yao.

Durant is a better scorer then Kobe
Melo is a better scorer then Kobe
Dwight is a better scorer then Jefferson
Kidd is a better 3 point shooter then Ray Allen

You can't determine how good a scorer is just by looking at percentages and stats. You have to watch. You can see who's the more complete offensive players who scorers in every way.

[Grinder]

How about watching the game? Numbers don't make players pal so more info is needed there besides %'s and numbers. Do you honestly think is doesn't matter where you score the ball from. Do you believe Dwight was a better scorer than Yao in 09? He scored a point more on a better % :confusedshrug:

The fact you don't take into consideration defense's do different things to stop different scorers. Weather it be closing off the lanes\just using one guy on the perimeter\trying to deny him the ball.

Statistics are good but it's ridiculous how some people just use them alone. It's like they watch the boxscore and not the game.

Saying Durant is a better scorer than Melo is comparable to Dwight being a better scorer Yao is a joke.

Scoring in different ways doesn't make a big difference in the grand scheme of things. Tyreke Evans gets his points by putting his head down and charging towards the rim...while OJ Mayo has all sorts of offensive skills...give me Tyreke all day.

[Yung D-Will]

Saying Durant is a better scorer than Melo is comparable to Dwight being a better scorer Yao is a joke.
Well why not they both score more on higher percenteges? Are there exceptions to your logic?

[NuggetsFan]

Saying Durant is a better scorer than Melo is comparable to Dwight being a better scorer Yao is a joke.

I'm using your theory tho. Dwight scores more and on a better %. Not as big of a difference than Melo\Durant but it's still the same theory.

Your words not mine :confusedshrug:

[Grinder]

I'm using your theory tho. Dwight scores more and on a better %. Not as big of a difference than Melo\Durant but it's still the same theory.

Your words not mine :confusedshrug:

Does Dwight hit threes at a better clip and shoot a better % from the line?

Don't distort it to say the only reason Durant is better than Melo is because he strictly shoots a higher FG% and scores more.

[Yung D-Will]

Does Dwight hit threes at a better clip and shoot a better % from the line?

Don't distort it to say the only reason Durant is better than Melo is because he strictly shoots a higher FG% and scores more.

Then I guess Dwight two years ago was a better scorer then 03-04 shaq

[NuggetsFan]

Does Dwight hit threes at a better clip and shoot a better % from the line?

Don't distort it to say the only reason Durant is better than Melo is because he strictly shoots a higher FG% and scores more.



So you think 30 points on 50% from the field is equal to 30 points on 40% from the field?

All I see here is points\FG%. Even if you want to include %'s like Free throw\3 point your still stricly using numbers to determine who's the better scorer and not factoring in how defense prepare them selves for certain scorers. You not factoring in how players benefit there teams by scoring in different ways and how much doubles players would see from scoring in different ways.

Scoring 30 points on the perimeter on 48% is still MUCHHHHH different than scoring 30 points in the post on 48%. The game will play out different and I guarantee you that.

[Grinder]

Then I guess Dwight two years ago was a better scorer then 03-04 shaq

Uhh, you realize Dwight two years ago averaged less points in more minutes while Shaq regularly drew triple and double teams.

You just keep going in circles with layman's logic.

[Grinder]

All I see here is points\FG%. Even if you want to include %'s like Free throw\3 point your still stricly using numbers to determine who's the better scorer and not factoring in how defense prepare them selves for certain scorers. You not factoring in how players benefit there teams by scoring in different ways and how much doubles players would see from scoring in different ways.

Scoring 30 points on the perimeter on 48% is still MUCHHHHH different than scoring 30 points in the post on 48%. The game will play out different and I guarantee you that.

So the way defenses prepare for and play Melo as opposed to Kevin Durant is so drastically different that it makes up for Melo being inferior in almost every relevant statistic across the board?

[joyner82]

Everyone knows when you're attempting to determine the ability of the scorer you need to look at PPS, TS%, and points per minute.

[Yung D-Will]

This logic has was to many exceptions and loop wholes

[NuggetsFan]

So the way defenses prepare for and play Melo as opposed to Kevin Durant is so drastically different that it makes up for Melo being inferior in almost every relevant statistic across the board?

I wasn't even talking about those two anymore just showing you how retarded it that you basically use numbers\boxscore to see who's a better scorer.

Drastically different? Nope just like Durant isn't drastically better in every area of the game. Does Melo draw more defensive attention? I'd bet so because of his post game alone.

Whatever. If somebody thinks it couldn't go either way and it's not at the very least close than they clearly aren't watching the game. And if Durant is better than Melo because of stats than those same people better be saying he's better than Kobe too because of stats. Durant is the second best player in the league according to statistics probably. The fact you don't see how playing scoring different affect the outcome of the games makes this a lost cause. I'm not even a stat hater either but it's pretty clear 10 points from different spots isn't the same.

[Grinder]

I wasn't even talking about those two anymore just showing you how retarded it that you basically use numbers\boxscore to see who's a better scorer.

Drastically different? Nope just like Durant isn't drastically better in every area of the game. Does Melo draw more defensive attention? I'd bet so because of his post game alone.

Whatever. If somebody thinks it couldn't go either way and it's not at the very least close than they clearly aren't watching the game. And if Durant is better than Melo because of stats than those same people better be saying he's better than Kobe too because of stats. Durant is the second best player in the league according to statistics probably. The fact you don't see how playing scoring different affect the outcome of the games makes this a lost cause. I'm not even a stat hater either but it's pretty clear 10 points from different spots isn't the same.

And it's retarded if you think the only case for Durant being a better player than Melo is stats. There's tons of reasons one could argue Durant is a better player outside of stats and it's not like they're empty stats either, he's doing it on a winning team in just his third year in the league.

[NuggetsFan]

And it's retarded if you think the only case for Durant being a better player than Melo is stats. There's tons of reasons one could argue Durant is a better player outside of stats and it's not like they're empty stats either, he's doing it on a winning team in just his third year in the league.

Did I say that? nope. I don't see any other reasons for Durant being better in this thread besides the use of statistics tho. I'm not even saying Melo is the better player all I'm saying is that you flat out can't ignore how players score and who has the more complete scoring game.

Third year is irrelevant when comparing them in the current state also.

[MasterDurant24]

The reason people think of AI being such a great scorer is many people hadn't seen such a small, scrappy guard will himself to get so many points game after game in a long time. I really feel weird about calling Durant a better scorer since I used to love watching AI play...but I won't be able to deny it much longer.

[Bruinlove]

Who said that? And why are you just looking at stats.

Watch Prime A.I

then watch Durant

And you will clearly see who's the better scorer
I see Durant as the better scorer, smoother jumpshot, doesn't halt ball movement of his team like AI, shoots 50% instead of chucking up whatever shot he feels like no matter how bad. AI was impressive whenever he'd do teardrops over prime shaq after fearlessly attacking him and when having 50 point duels against Vince Carter in the playoffs, but I'm not delusional enough to call him a better scorer than Durant

[leopoldstotch]

back to the point of the matter.

i do not like USA's chances in the FIBA tournament next month if this list holds. i see no NBA veterans or guys who are experienced with FIBA rules. looks like 2002 all over again.

[Birmingham1955]

back to the point of the matter.

i do not like USA's chances in the FIBA tournament next month if this list holds. i see no NBA veterans or guys who are experienced with FIBA rules. looks like 2002 all over again.

That's what I am thinking. A backcourt of Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, Kevin Durant, OJ Mayo. That's simply way too young they are like all 21 and 22 years old. They could still be playing college ball right now. If LeBron James couldn't win at that age what makes it seem that they can?

[Bruinlove]

back to the point of the matter.

i do not like USA's chances in the FIBA tournament next month if this list holds. i see no NBA veterans or guys who are experienced with FIBA rules. looks like 2002 all over again.
It would if the other teams were sending their best players but Manu and Pau and other top players aren't going either.


And again, look at reality. There is no one on any other team's roster who is as good as 21 year old Tyreke Evans and Tyreke probably won't even make the final roster.

So Tiago Splitter, Garbagejosa and Nenad Krstic are supposed to be able to tear our front court apart? Remember even Chris Bosh looked good defensively in FIBA ball :roll:

[Bruinlove]

If LeBron James couldn't win at that age what makes it seem that they can?
Because Lebron's an arrogant idiot who expected the games to be handed to him and to be treated like god by the refs like he is in the NBA

[Birmingham1955]

Because Lebron's an arrogant idiot who expected the games to be handed to him and to be treated like god by the refs like he is in the NBA

Get real LeBron James at 21-22 is better than all 4 of those players combined, that's Evans,Rose, Durant, Mayo combined. He was a manchild that lead his team to the finals.

[Bruinlove]

Get real LeBron James at 21-22 is better than all 4 of those players combined, that's Evans,Rose, Durant, Mayo combined. He was a manchild that lead his team to the finals.
Get real, his game does not translate well into FIBA ball, where he was facing zone every time down the court, he has a bad jumpshot and no post game, two horrible traits in FIBA ball.

Tyreke has a bad jumper too but Wade has shown you don't need a consistent one to dominate.

Also, Manu Ginobili the FIBA GOAT was in the tournament those years Lebron lost.

[csklmf]

OKC National team. :lol

[Birmingham1955]

Get real, his game does not translate well into FIBA ball, where he was facing zone every time down the court, he has a bad jumpshot and no post game, two horrible traits in FIBA ball.

Tyreke has a bad jumper too but Wade has shown you don't need a consistent one to dominate.

Also, Manu Ginobili the FIBA GOAT was in the tournament those years Lebron lost.

Manu has never been better than LeBron not even when LeBron was a rookie. Check LeBron's stats he is the best player in the world.

[Bruinlove]

Manu has never been better than LeBron not even when LeBron was a rookie. Check LeBron's stats he is the best player in the world.
In FIBA Manu is clearly better than Lebron.

Also 3 rings>0 rings IMO

stats mean jack shit if they don't translate to championships.

[jamal99]

This is how Euros do it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQEzmPKdqt4

You don't have to be athletic and shit...

[Birmingham1955]

In FIBA Manu is clearly better than Lebron.

Also 3 rings>0 rings IMO

stats mean jack shit if they don't translate to championships.

Manu played with role players. LeBron played with all-stars. If LeBron played with trash like Delfino he would have averaged 30 points.

Manu had Tim Duncan a top 10 player of all time. LeBron had Mo Williams big difference. Now LeBron has Wade and Bosh. He is going to beat Kobe and the Lakers and win 4 straight championships.

[chips93]

In FIBA Manu is clearly better than Lebron.

Also 3 rings>0 rings IMO

stats mean jack shit if they don't translate to championships.

guess that makes steve kerr better than manu?

[Bruinlove]

This is how Euros do it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQEzmPKdqt4

You don't have to be athletic and shit...
Too bad Serbia doesn't have the best Serbian player ever to save them vs USA anymore.

The Serbs team is a sad sad shadow of it's former self these days.

[Bruinlove]

Manu played with role players. LeBron played with all-stars. If LeBron played with trash like Delfino he would have averaged 30 points.

Manu had Tim Duncan a top 10 player of all time. LeBron had Mo Williams big difference. Now LeBron has Wade and Bosh. He is going to beat Kobe and the Lakers and win 4 straight championships.
Yeh in FIBA manu has weaker teammates but he still has no problems winning gold medals and world championships, because he does whatever it takes to win.

Lebron, atleast back then when he was nicknamed Lebronze wasn't willing to do what it took, he didn't play hard at all on defense and seemed to care more about getting his then running an offense and getting wins.

He changed his game in 08 when we won gold.

[jamal99]

Too bad Serbia doesn't have the best Serbian player ever to save them vs USA anymore.

The Serbs team is a sad sad shadow of it's former self these days.

Well, Bodiroga was really one of a kind, but this young team won silver medal one year ago in eurobasket and they can hold their own against almost everyone.

[Grinder]

I see Durant as the better scorer, smoother jumpshot, doesn't halt ball movement of his team like AI, shoots 50% instead of chucking up whatever shot he feels like no matter how bad. AI was impressive whenever he'd do teardrops over prime shaq after fearlessly attacking him and when having 50 point duels against Vince Carter in the playoffs, but I'm not delusional enough to call him a better scorer than Durant


Exactly. It's just a young poster overrating AI.

[Tez62]

Stephen Curry
Kevin Durant
Danny Granger
Brook Lopez
Robin Lopez
Kevin Love
Lamar Odom
Rajon Rondo
Derrick Rose
Amare Stoudemire
Gerald Wallace
Russell Westbrook

[MasterDurant24]

guess that makes steve kerr better than manu?
Kaboom.

[Lakas Fan Yo]

No, Pau Gasol and Manu Ginobili aren't playing either. Even one of our weaker players like Tyreke Evans is more talented than anyone on any other team in the tournament.

Durant is just going to destroy everyone in his path, his game was built for FIBA ball.

Just hope David Lee doesn't make the team, he doesn't even try on defense he's so useless. Get Noah in there!

Wow you are totally delusional. No way in hell that US team sniffs gold.

[Lakas Fan Yo]

What's the record for ppg during a FIBA tournament? I'm pretty sure Durant is about to destroy that.

The record for the world championship is something like 37 points per game by Nikos Galis. Not a chance in hell that Durant comes close to that. Find a new sport to comment on because you are embarrassing yourself.

[Lakas Fan Yo]

The bigs on the other teams are 6'9 fatty perimeter jumpshooters, what the hell are you talking about son?


STFU and GTFO you racist POS.

[InspiredLebowski]

Just like Daddy used to say, pull out Granger, pull out.

[Lakas Fan Yo]

Lol that's bad news, the small courts and short 3s were the only thing keeping them in the game against us.

With the small courts the euros could play zone and cancel out our athleticism advantage, but with NBA sized courts their zone won't work nearly as well.

On top of that, decent Euro shooters such as Spanoulis and JCN have proven to struggle with NBA length 3s. Is the FIBA president trying to hand us the world championship?

You moron. First of all the rules changes will help European teams. They didn't change one damn thing about the court you idiot. Also the rules are not even changed yet you moron.

[Lakas Fan Yo]

It would if the other teams were sending their best players but Manu and Pau and other top players aren't going either.


And again, look at reality. There is no one on any other team's roster who is as good as 21 year old Tyreke Evans and Tyreke probably won't even make the final roster.

So Tiago Splitter, Garbagejosa and Nenad Krstic are supposed to be able to tear our front court apart? Remember even Chris Bosh looked good defensively in FIBA ball :roll:


Your lack of basketball knowledge is incredibly disturbing.

[Grinder]

Wow you are totally delusional. No way in hell that US teams sniffs gold.

How about you take a ban once they do win gold and I will if Greece does?

[Lakas Fan Yo]

How about you take a ban once they do win gold and I will if Greece does?


You have been harassing me and lying about me here and spreading lies and rumors about me. You should be banned just because you are psycho.

[Grinder]

How about you STFU?


LMAO. Just goes to show that you don't believe the shit you're saying. :lol


Now go make a gyro you pousti.

[knickballer]

This would be my team

PG:Billups/Curry
SG:Mayo/Gordon
SF: Durant/Wallace
PF:Love/Lee
C:Lopez/Lee

This team still has more talent than any other team in the Tourny..

[TAZORAC]

Chauncey Billups
Tyson Chandler
Stephen Curry
Kevin Durant
Tyreke Evans
Rudy Gay
Eric Gordon
Danny Granger
Jeff Green
Andre Igoudala
David Lee
Brook Lopez
Robin Lopez
Kevin Love
OJ Mayo
Lamar Odom
Rajon Rondo
Derrick Rose
Amare Stoudemire
Gerald Wallace
Russell Westbrook


These guys can win it

ROSE BILLUPS RONDO CURRY
WALLACE ODOM GAY GRANGER
STOUDERMIRE CHANDLER B.LOPEZ

[novocaine]

Its gonna be hard for the US Team.

Currently my Top 5 Ranking:

1. Spain
2. Greece
3. Turkey (crowd will go insane)
4. USA
5. Germany (only with Dirk and Kaman)

[Go Getter]

Its gonna be hard for the US Team.

Currently my Top 5 Ranking:

1. Spain
2. Greece
3. Turkey (crowd will go insane)
4. USA
5. Germany (only with Dirk and Kaman)
I have to fight the urge to insult this bogus list.

Turkey? Greece? No. Just no.

[MasterDurant24]

STFU and GTFO you racist POS.
How was he being racist? :confusedshrug:

[Samurai Swoosh]

Chauncey Billups
Tyson Chandler
Stephen Curry
Kevin Durant
Tyreke Evans
Rudy Gay
Eric Gordon
Danny Granger
Jeff Green
Andre Igoudala
David Lee
Brook Lopez
Robin Lopez
Kevin Love
OJ Mayo
Lamar Odom
Rajon Rondo
Derrick Rose
Amare Stoudemire
Gerald Wallace
Russell Westbrook

I'm taking

G - Chauncey Billups / Rajon Rondo
G - OJ Mayo / Stephen Curry / Tyreke Evans
F - Andre Igoudala / Gerald Wallace / Danny Granger
F - Kevin Durant / David Lee
C - Brook Lopez / Amare Stoudemire

Good mix of length, defense, athleticism, off the dribble penetration, shooting, experience

[Samurai Swoosh]

STFU and GTFO you racist POS.
How on earth was that racist?

:oldlol:

[Lakas Fan Yo]

Its gonna be hard for the US Team.

Currently my Top 5 Ranking:

1. Spain
2. Greece
3. Turkey (crowd will go insane)
4. USA
5. Germany (only with Dirk and Kaman)


Argentina, Serbia, Brazil, Croatia, Russia, Slovenia I would say those teams are all stronger than Germany, no matter if Dirk and Kaman are playing or not. I'm not sure if Germany is even as good as Australia.

Depends on what team Germany picks with the other players besides Dirk and Kaman. They have some excellent players like Schaffartzik and Benzing but will they select them?

[Luigi]

1) Derrick Rose / Rajon Rondo / Chauncey Billups / Tyreke Evans / Stephen Curry / Russell Westbrook
2) Andre Igoudala / OJ Mayo / Eric Gordon
3) Kevin Durant / Gerald Wallace / Danny Granger / Rudy Gay / Jeff Green
4) Amare Stoudemire / David Lee / Lamar Odom / Kevin Love
5) Brook Lopez / Tyson Chandler / Robin Lopez

Good size potential in the bigs, lots of 3s which is good for the international forward game, and plenty of points / large points to work with. I wonder who makes it to the end.

[AirJordan23]

I'm taking

G - Chauncey Billups / Rajon Rondo
G - OJ Mayo / Stephen Curry / Tyreke Evans
F - Andre Igoudala / Gerald Wallace / Danny Granger
F - Kevin Durant / David Lee
C - Brook Lopez / Amare Stoudemire

Good mix of length, defense, athleticism, off the dribble penetration, shooting, experience

I actually like this line up. Veteran PG, great floor general in Chauncey. Rondo, a pure point to get everyone involved. Wings won't be a problem. I see a lot of talent and athleticism in Mayo, Iggy, Crash and Granger. Can spread the floor, penetrate, dish etc. Iggy's a great perimeter defender along with Wallace. Durant can takeover. Lopez and Amare can definitely dominate the paint. Rebounding won't be much of a problem. They can effectively play an uptempo or halfcourt game. I might add a defensive big like Chandler or R. Lopez and take out Evans. Durant is big enough to play the 4 in the international game like Melo did in the previous years. But, you always have to keep foul trouble in mind. Refs in the international game call the game a lot differently than the ones in the NBA. There won't be anything such as superstar calls like in the previous years. Young, inexperienced bigs like Lee and Lopez will definitely be prone to foul trouble and going small will definitely not help.

[Doranku]

Why was Magikarp invited?

Some of these selections are pretty terrible. I'd be shocked if we end up winning.

[Bosnian Sajo]

Robin Lopez?

[novocaine]

Argentina, Serbia, Brazil, Croatia, Russia, Slovenia I would say those teams are all stronger than Germany, no matter if Dirk and Kaman are playing or not. I'm not sure if Germany is even as good as Australia.

Depends on what team Germany picks with the other players besides Dirk and Kaman. They have some excellent players like Schaffartzik and Benzing but will they select them?

Schaffartzik, Benzig, Pleiss (OKC 2rounder), Harris (Gonzaga), Femmerling, Hamann, Greene, Ohlbrecht....

This is a pretty good team.

[Bosnian Sajo]

Robin Lopez was invited?????

[chips93]

Schaffartzik, Benzig, Pleiss (OKC 2rounder), Harris (Gonzaga), Femmerling, Hamann, Greene, Ohlbrecht....

This is a pretty good team.


is it reeeeeally close to the usa talent tho.

durant is gonna kill

[chips93]

Robin Lopez was invited?????


hes active and plays defense, very solid

[novocaine]

is it reeeeeally close to the usa talent tho.

durant is gonna kill

u ever heard of 1 of them?









thought so.

[Grinder]

Schaffartzik, Benzig, Pleiss (OKC 2rounder), Harris (Gonzaga), Femmerling, Hamann, Greene, Ohlbrecht....

This is a pretty good team.

Hamann and Femerling are terrible, Benzig and Ohlbrecht are very raw, Green and Garrett are below mediocre. Pleiss was solid at the Eurocup level. Schaffartzik is decent. Jagla is better than any of those guys you mentioned.

Saying Turkey and Greece are better than the US team is a joke and you didn't have Serbia in your top 5. :oldlol:

[MasterDurant24]

Robin Lopez was invited?????
His brother might have not wanted to play without him.

[ProfessorMurder]

Kendrick Perkins was going to go to this until Kobe blew out his knee.

[lilojmayo]

I know we havent won this tournament since 94? Give me Derrick Rose, OJ Mayo, Kevin Durant, Amare Stoudamire, Brook Lopez i'll be happy to go to war with any country in the world.

[Lakas Fan Yo]

Hamann and Femerling are terrible, Benzig and Ohlbrecht are very raw, Green and Garrett are below mediocre. Pleiss was solid at the Eurocup level. Schaffartzik is decent. Jagla is better than any of those guys you mentioned.

Saying Turkey and Greece are better than the US team is a joke and you didn't have Serbia in your top 5. :oldlol:


Damn you don't know anything about basketball.

Benzing isn't raw at all. He's very skilled. Shaffartzik is easily the best player in that group. Jagla is good and so is Pleiss. Olbrecht isn't bad either. Femerling isn't "horrible" he's more than decent. I doubt he would even play anyway.

Hamann sucks that is true. But this post of yours is further 100% proof that you have NEVER in your entire life watched any European or FIBA games. You are the biggest poser I have ever seen.

[Lakas Fan Yo]

Saying Turkey and Greece are better than the US team is a joke and you didn't have Serbia in your top 5. :oldlol:


Clearly you are one of the biggest posers in this forum. Greece will easily beat that Team USA selection. Won't be any problem for them at all.

US better hope to hell they don't get Turkey in the quarterfinal. That Team USA would be at best 50/50 to beat Turkey at Istanbul in an elimination game.

You are even worse than the extreme NBA only fans, because you are an extreme NBA only fan who also poses and PRETENDS to know about international basketball, when clearly you don't anything about it.

Your posts are so embarrassing and really are a black eye on this forum's reputation. ANYONE with basic basketball knowledge just laughs at people like you.

[OmniStrife]

:applause:
http://tophatal.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/boorke-and-robin-lopez.jpg

[Go Getter]

We havent won in a while becaise we take a group of individuals and not a team every year and the big dogs only think about gold medals.

Now that we have Team USA more organized with a group that has the same system every year and practices with the same coaching staff every summer we can better compete with nations that have more established teams/systems.

[ThemBombs]

while i've noticed a lot of you saying that "USA is extremely weak, will lose early", keep in mind that most of these international starters are NBA Draft prospects.

[ThemBombs]

My Top 5:

1. USA
2. Spain
3. Greece
4. Serbia
5. Russia

[ThemBombs]

PG:Rose/Rondo
SG:Iguodala/Mayo
SF: Durant/Wallace
PF:Love/Lee
C:Lopez/Lee

i'm missing a few other players, but these guys can and will tear up the tourney...

[qrich]

Might be because I'm a huge fan of his, but I really believe Eric Gordon will thrive in the FIBA game. Dude is a good shooter from basically anywhere on the court, damn good at attacking the bucket and his defense is well above average.

I'd go with:
Billups | Rondo
Curry | Gordon
Durant | Mayo | Iggy/Crash
Granger | Love | Lamar
Lopez | Lee

Might be undersized, but Love/Lopez/Lee all are pretty damn good defenders and everyone else on the squad can hit jumpers and create for others. Also no need for a third point guard since Lamar, Mayo & Curry can spot minutes as the primary ball handler and the team is versatile as can be with every player having the ability to play multiple positions sans Lopez & Rondo who will run the point and be the center.

[Grinder]

Damn you don't know anything about basketball.

Benzing isn't raw at all. He's very skilled. Shaffartzik is easily the best player in that group. Jagla is good and so is Pleiss. Olbrecht isn't bad either. Femerling isn't "horrible" he's more than decent. I doubt he would even play anyway.

Hamann sucks that is true. But this post of yours is further 100% proof that you have NEVER in your entire life watched any European or FIBA games. You are the biggest poser I have ever seen.

You pretty much agreed with my post you ****ing idiot. :roll:


Take a self imposed ban when Greece gets blown out by the US, if they even get to them.

[KIRA]

USA is basically bringing it's C-team and our C-team is atleast twice as talented as any other team at the tournament. Greece will be blown out. What will be Lakers Fan Yo's excuse when we destroy all competition we come against?

[Xplicit]

Y'all need to stop being so damn confident. The US have lost plenty of times in international competition over the last decade. This isn't the 90's Dream Team winning by an average of 30-40 points any more. The rest of the world has closed the gap and we have been losing in international competition. Did we already forget about the embarassing losses to Argentina? To Greece? To Spain? Did we forget that the Olympic team with Lebron and Wade on it was only able to win bronze? And this team has no one on it the caliber of Wade or Lebron. I would not be surprised at all if this team does not end up winning it.

[bonddm]

Why is it that Melo is better then everyone on that list?

Yea the list looks pretty weak but I'm guessing the coaching staff feel they can work with these players more so than some of the more ego centered players in the league.

[O.J A 6'4Mamba]

Y'all need to stop being so damn confident. The US have lost plenty of times in international competition over the last decade. This isn't the 90's Dream Team winning by an average of 30-40 points any more. The rest of the world has closed the gap and we have been losing in international competition. Did we already forget about the embarassing losses to Argentina? To Greece? To Spain? Did we forget that the Olympic team with Lebron and Wade on it was only able to win bronze? And this team has no one on it the caliber of Wade or Lebron. I would not be surprised at all if this team does not end up winning it.

Back in 04' 06' we had no shooters or leadership. Bron and Wade weren't good outside shooters then ( still aren't)

[O.J A 6'4Mamba]

OK guys here is our group play bracket

1. Brazil #14 ranked
2. Croatia #15 ranked
3. Iran unranked
4. Tunisia #43 ranked
5. Slovenia # 20 ranked
6. USA # 2 ranked

OK what exactly do we have to be scared of again in terms of group play. This is going to be a walk in the park. we are going to be sending the same style of team as last time.

We have players to fill in the same roles as the 08' gold team.

our pgs

Rajon Rondo = Chris Paul
Derrick Rose = Deron Williams
Chauncey Billups = Jason Kidd

3 point specialist

Stephen Curry = Michael Redd

our sgs

Tyreke Evans = Dwyane Wade
OJ Mayo = Kobe Bryant

our F's

Kevin Durant= LeBron James
Rudy Gay= Carmelo Anthony
Gerald Wallace= Tayshaun Prince

C's
Brook Lopez= Dwight Howard
Amare Stoudamire= Chris Bosh
Lamar Odom= Carlos Boozer


Lakers Fan Yo and others who doubt us. Although we may not the star power names as in 08', our outside shooting is much much improved Curry, Mayo, Durant, Billups would have been the best outside shooters if they were on the 08' team. At the same time we still have guys who can take it to the rim in Evans ( who lead all guards in points in the paint), Rose, Durant.

I wouldn't be surprised if this team has a higher points per win then the last team, since they are much suited for international play.

I honestly think that Kevin Durant is our best international player we have sent out since 92' Michael Jordan and it's not even close.

[beermonsteroo]

No way this team can win a medal!

[2LeTTeRS]

Billups / Curry / Rose / Rondo
Mayo / Evans
Durant / Wallace
Stoudamire / Odom
B Lopez / R Lopez / Chandler

Thats the team I'd take. I'd try to take players who excel on defense (with the exception of Amare) and can score in a variety of ways. I feel all 3 centers should come because they all can protect the rim and have enough quickness to defend perimeter bigs. and plus they ensure that at no time will Amare need to play center.

[godofgods]

LOL Amare doesn't belong there, he got pwned badly in 2004.

[Miller Time]

I hope Granger makes the team. He is a terrific shooter which is something this USA team may lack. I would rather see Granger on the team than Gerald Wallace or Odom just because he is that much better of a shooter. Granger's defense is not bad either.

[2LeTTeRS]

LOL Amare doesn't belong there, he got pwned badly in 2004.

Are you serious? In 2004 Amare was a 2nd year player, he's a much different player now.

[ThemBombs]

anyone wanna explain to me why the hell Argentina is officially ranked higher than the U.S?

[Younggrease]

The thing that is gonna be weird this year is that Team USA doesnt have the same level of athletic dominance with the group they are bringing. That combined with the lack of international experience is gonna make winning hard. Plus the team just isnt full of the best defenders either, guys like OJ Mayo and Step Curry arent guys Id feel comfortable about on the defensive end. And Amare has had trouble in FIFA his whole career.

[AirJordan23]

The thing that is gonna be weird this year is that Team USA doesnt have the same level of athletic dominance with the group they are bringing. That combined with the lack of international experience is gonna make winning hard. Plus the team just isnt full of the best defenders either, guys like OJ Mayo and Step Curry arent guys Id feel comfortable about on the defensive end. And Amare has had trouble in FIFA his whole career.

Amar'e hardly got minutes in '04 cause Brown was too stubborn to play the young guys or change his system. He was pretty solid in the '07 Americas. I know he shot a high percent, something in the high 60s iirc and scored in the paint with ease. I don't think defense is going to be much of a problem. Iggy, Wallace and Billups are pretty good perimeter defenders. The problem is going to be lack of experience combined with team chemistry. The core of the Redeem team spent 3 years playing together on the international level. These guys are young and might not take things seriously. I think the team's well built for FIBA play. And they're still more talented than other roster out there. Talent has never been much of a problem, anyway. I see deadly shooters, finishers, slashers, good defense, size, versatility and smart veteran players in the line up. So, it comes down to how well they'll play together. Isolations don't really work in FIBA as evident in the '06 semi-final. With zone, they'll have to move the ball, make crisp passes and pick their spots effectively. Also, is Krzyzewski coaching? I like his defensive schemes. And some of these bigs listed are athletic and smart enough to not be a liability on pick and roll defense which killed USA in the past.

[Younggrease]

Amar'e hardly got minutes in '04 cause Brown was too stubborn to play the young guys or change his system. He was pretty solid in the '07 Americas. I know he shot a high percent, something in the high 60s iirc and scored in the paint with ease. I don't think defense is going to be much of a problem. Iggy, Wallace and Billups are pretty good perimeter defenders. The problem is going to be lack of experience combined with team chemistry. The core of the Redeem team spent 3 years playing together on the international level. These guys are young and might not take things seriously. I think the team's well built for FIBA play. And they're still more talented than other roster out there. Talent has never been much of a problem, anyway. I see deadly shooters, finishers, slashers, good defense, size, versatility and smart veteran players in the line up. So, it comes down to how well they'll play together. Isolations don't really work in FIBA as evident in the '06 semi-final. With zone, they'll have to move the ball, make crisp passes and pick their spots effectively. Also, is Krzyzewski coaching? I like his defensive schemes. And some of these bigs listed are athletic and smart enough to not be a liability on pick and roll defense which killed USA in the past.

amare played pretty bad in '07. He routinely got beat on defense and couldnt hit his jumper with the FIBA ball. His post moves looked horrible and he had trouble keeping up with the cutting of the international players.

When you take a group of guys who never played together talent does matter to a point. This team is never gonna have the cohesiveness of Spain or Argentina so they are gonna need a big talent advantage. With the current squad that talent advantage doesnt seem to be ennough judging by years past. The only elite player on this squad is a lanky 21 year old who has no FIBA experience and is mainly a jumpshooter...

Unless Brook Lopez is a lot better than I think he is this team is in trouble.

[KIRA]

OK guys here is our group play bracket

1. Brazil #14 ranked
2. Croatia #15 ranked
3. Iran unranked
4. Tunisia #43 ranked
5. Slovenia # 20 ranked
6. USA # 2 ranked



:roll: what a joke USA a #2 seed

OMG the best players we go against are Goran Dragic and Tiago Splitter.

Tiago Splitter has shown the ability to be considered a softer Brook Lopez-no big deal.

Goran Dragic has shown the ability to take over games and is probably better in FIBA ball but the rest of his team is week.

We should win every game by 10+

[AirJordan23]

amare played pretty bad in '07. He routinely got beat on defense and couldnt hit his jumper with the FIBA ball. His post moves looked horrible and he had trouble keeping up with the cutting of the international players.

When you take a group of guys who never played together talent does matter to a point. This team is never gonna have the cohesiveness of Spain or Argentina so they are gonna need a big talent advantage. With the current squad that talent advantage doesnt seem to be ennough judging by years past. The only elite player on this squad is a lanky 21 year old who has no FIBA experience and is mainly a jumpshooter...

Unless Brook Lopez is a lot better than I think he is this team is in trouble.

I thought you were speaking strictly from an offensive point of view. I don't remember him struggling much on offense. I knew his defense has been pretty bad throughout his career. But, I think having guys to protect the rim like Lopez or Chandler will help cover up his defense. Remember he was playing out of position in the previous years. He's not really a center. A bit undersized, not dominant on the boards, not a great post defender and combined with a lack of effort, he gets routinely exposed on defense. Playing him as the only big with guys like Melo, Bron at the 4 was never a great idea. I don't think talent from an individual perspective is going to be a problem. You have to remember Gasol and Ginobili aren't playing for their respective countries so it makes the competition a bit easier. They obviously have the edge in experience, team play etc but our edge in athleticism and talent is still pretty significant. Guys like Durant, Mayo, Rose, Billups etc do have a significant edge in talent over anyone on those teams. I don't see how Durant being a jumpshooter would be much of a problem. Melo was like the best player on the '06 team and he was primarily taking jumpshots too. Melo did have a great skillset for FIBA, though. Not sure how Durant will do but Melo effectively knew how to play against a zone and be a dominant scoring threat in the post and from the perimeter. Brook Lopez is pretty good on the block. Decent defender, good rebounder and I've seen him get Duncan comparisons for whatever reason. Haven't seen much of him to get a proper view of him as a player.

[KIRA]

We only lost in 2002-2006 because those international teams had guys like Bodiroga, Jaskiwhatever from Lithuania, Pau Gasol and Manu Ginobili in their primes-in other words these guys were all the Michael Jordans of their country.

Now those guys are all retired or not even playing in the tournament. We aren't going to have trouble against anyone in this tournament. Durant's game is built for FIBA even more than Carmelo's, no team will have anyone that can guard him. All their perimeter guys are too short so Durant shoots over them all day, if they send a big at him, Durant will drive by the slow 6'9 eurocenter with ease.

[O.J A 6'4Mamba]

No way this team can win a medal!

Because LeBron and Wade lost 3 times in a row, they have made our ppl doubt just how much better we are then the world. Their games aren't built for international play I remember in 04' olympics Bron and Wade got called for so many travels ,carrying,palming the ball.

Our
U-16
U-17
U-18
U-19

all just won the gold medal for their world championships. We have better basketball players than any other country in the world. Ricky Rubio started for Spain at what 16 years old. He ain't **** compared to John Wall. We will win this easily.

[Lakas Fan Yo]

We only lost in 2002-2006 because those international teams had guys like Bodiroga, Jaskiwhatever from Lithuania, Pau Gasol and Manu Ginobili in their primes-in other words these guys were all the Michael Jordans of their country.

Now those guys are all retired or not even playing in the tournament. We aren't going to have trouble against anyone in this tournament. Durant's game is built for FIBA even more than Carmelo's, no team will have anyone that can guard him. All their perimeter guys are too short so Durant shoots over them all day, if they send a big at him, Durant will drive by the slow 6'9 eurocenter with ease.


Another racist.

[TAZORAC]

LOL Amare doesn't belong there, he got pwned badly in 2004.


stoudermire didn't even get in the game in 04 loser.

[rfoster24]

No, Pau Gasol and Manu Ginobili aren't playing either. Even one of our weaker players like Tyreke Evans is more talented than anyone on any other team in the tournament.

Durant is just going to destroy everyone in his path, his game was built for FIBA ball.

Just hope David Lee doesn't make the team, he doesn't even try on defense he's so useless. Get Noah in there!

Noah's on France.

[ThemBombs]

Another racist.
holy shit, how stupid are you? the only racist is YOU for hating on American sports so ****ing much!

[Lakas Fan Yo]

holy shit, how stupid are you? the only racist is YOU for hating on American sports so ****ing much!


That guy has posted numerous times in numerous threads that all centers in Europe are "Euros, white, slow, non athletic, stiffs and 6-7 to at most 6-9."

The guy is a PURE 100% RACIST.

[Snoop_Cat]

Chauncey Billups
Tyson Chandler
Stephen Curry
Kevin Durant
Tyreke Evans
Rudy Gay
Eric Gordon
Danny Granger
Jeff Green
Andre Igoudala
David Lee
Brook Lopez
Robin Lopez
Kevin Love
OJ Mayo
Lamar Odom
Rajon Rondo
Derrick Rose
Amare Stoudemire
Gerald Wallace
Russell Westbrook

PG: Rose, Billups
SG: Mayo, Curry, Gordon
SF: Durant, Granger, Wallace
PF: Stoudemire, Love
CT: Lopez, Lopez

Shooting, penetration, defense, teamwork. All needed to win internationally. I don't know about defense but Rose with Durant and Stoudemire will be incredible. Don't need or want Rondo as he is just a horrendous shooter. Don't like Gay's game, esp. on a stacked international team. Lee is horrendous as a defender, don't want him either.

[MasterDurant24]

Another racist.
Just shut up.

[MasterDurant24]

That guy has posted numerous times in numerous threads that all centers in Europe are "Euros, white, slow, non athletic, stiffs and 6-7 to at most 6-9."

The guy is a PURE 100% RACIST.
Stereotyping is not the same thing as racism.