Team USA

[la bomba]

USA are going to win in the 2008 Olympics because the best player in the NBA will be playing in Beijing, and some of the current USA Members matured in the International Competitions, and they aren't no longer the 19 or 20 yrs.old, who represented Team USA in Athens.

Team USA are 23-1 in the International Competition since 2006, and the only country that defeated them are the Greek National Team in the 2006 Fiba World Championship.

The next lesson they need to learn is beware of the Europeans and South American floppers. I hate flopping, and FIBA need to suspend those players, who always flop on the court.

Argentina is one of the oldest team in the tournament, and the only legit threat to Team USA is the Spanish National Team because of their great performance in the 2006 FIBA World Championship.

and i think Coach K assemble one of the best USA Team in the history of the NBA, and their defense is much better compared to their last performance in the Olympics.

I agree that they are the favourites,I hope though that if they don't win it,no one comes up with the usual excuses that they didn't have their strongest team etc etc.You clearly believe this is a strong team.I will remember this post when I have to comeback to threads of how team USA always take mediocre teams.Oh by the way I remember the pistons when Laimbeer and Rodman,who apart from being thugs also did flop a lot,none of them FIBA players,but all american boys.

[dd24]

Flopping wasn't a problem in the NBA back then. I think we've also said this is the strongest team they've sent since 2000 but it's still lacking certain front court players. Nonetheless they will still be one of the favorites.

[Bonafide]

Wade needs to start! I have 2 suggestions as to how the starting line up can be changed to make that happen.

1. Lebron replace Melo at the 4 making room for Wade at the 3 (Or the 2 and have the Kobe at the 3 who's role on team USA is supposed to be more with the defensive side of things)

2. Have Wade play the 1. He has the pg skills (don't let his scoring abilities fool ya), he has the championship credentials, but most importantly he has the look in his eye that still gives Mark Cuban nightmares to this day. Plus everyone besides Howard on team USA has the ability to create their own shots and make good passes, the importance of having someone to spoon feed them their points is not as significant, plus Wade has proved he can feed the big man while playing with Shaq.

[Buffalobraves]

Wade needs to start! I have 2 suggestions as to how the starting line up can be changed to make that happen.

1. Lebron replace Melo at the 4 making room for Wade at the 3 (Or the 2 and have the Kobe at the 3 who's role on team USA is supposed to be more with the defensive side of things)

2. Have Wade play the 1. He has the pg skills (don't let his scoring abilities fool ya), he has the championship credentials, but most importantly he has the look in his eye that still gives Mark Cuban nightmares to this day. Plus everyone besides Howard on team USA has the ability to create their own shots and make good passes, the importance of having someone to spoon feed them their points is not as significant, plus Wade has proved he can feed the big man while playing with Shaq.

They can do this for every game except Spain. When they play Spain and China they need to have Bosh at the 4 to handle Gasol (Pau) and Yi.

[dd24]

Wade needs to be with the 2nd unit. First of all Lebron has been starting at PF and Melo has been playing SF. Kobe starts at SG, Kidd at PG. There is no sliding Lebron anywhere because he's already there. Wade works great with the 2nd unit. The depth of the team at the gaurd position is their strength. It's gives them a nice punch off the bench. It's kind of like when San Antonio uses Ginobli as a 6th man. Kidd has good size for a PG and of course good skills. He's a tough match up to begin with but imagine once he goes out and you're a bit tired then you have to face Dwayne Wade, Deron Williams, or CP3.

The only lineup decision I haven't liked so far is Lebron at C. When they slide him over there the team is too small.

And one more thing.... It wasn't Wade that gave Cuban nightmares it was the refs. If I went to the free throw line 30 times per game I would put up huge numbers too.

[Buffalobraves]

Wade needs to be with the 2nd unit. First of all Lebron has been starting at PF and Melo has been playing SF. Kobe starts at SG, Kidd at PG. There is no sliding Lebron anywhere because he's already there. Wade works great with the 2nd unit. The depth of the team at the gaurd position is their strength. It's gives them a nice punch off the bench. It's kind of like when San Antonio uses Ginobli as a 6th man. Kidd has good size for a PG and of course good skills. He's a tough match up to begin with but imagine once he goes out and you're a bit tired then you have to face Dwayne Wade, Deron Williams, or CP3.

The only lineup decision I haven't liked so far is Lebron at C. When they slide him over there the team is too small.

And one more thing.... It wasn't Wade that gave Cuban nightmares it was the refs. If I went to the free throw line 30 times per game I would put up huge numbers too.

Lebron can't play PF against Spain or China so that will have to change for those games.

[Bonafide]

Tim Duncan gets alot of favourable calls from refs, no one holds it against him and says he is not deserving of his props, so no one should hold it against Wade either if he is able to do the same.

On another note, does anyone else think Jason Kidd is overrated? Maybe not in his prime, but judging on what can do right now, I don't think he should start let alone play more than 15 minutes. It has been said before that he is there to keep the ship turned in the right direction, but with the fire and passion displayed by the likes of Lebron, Wade and Kobe, is that really necessary? Quite frankly I think any court time Kidd uses up is valuable time wasted on someone who's current level of ability is greatly inferior the the alternatives. No offense intended, I have all the respect in the world for what Jason Kidd used to be, but lets not live in the past but the present and look towards the future.

[la bomba]

Tim Duncan gets alot of favourable calls from refs, no one holds it against him and says he is not deserving of his props, so no one should hold it against Wade either if he is able to do the same.

On another note, does anyone else think Jason Kidd is overrated? Maybe not in his prime, but judging on what can do right now, I don't think he should start let alone play more than 15 minutes. It has been said before that he is there to keep the ship turned in the right direction, but with the fire and passion displayed by the likes of Lebron, Wade and Kobe, is that really necessary? Quite frankly I think any court time Kidd uses up is valuable time wasted on someone who's current level of ability is greatly inferior the the alternatives. No offense intended, I have all the respect in the world for what Jason Kidd used to be, but lets not live in the past but the present and look towards the future.

I think he is a valuable asset to have in the team,but like you i don't think he should play many minutes.

[dd24]

Tim Duncan gets alot of favourable calls from refs, no one holds it against him and says he is not deserving of his props, so no one should hold it against Wade either if he is able to do the same.

On another note, does anyone else think Jason Kidd is overrated? Maybe not in his prime, but judging on what can do right now, I don't think he should start let alone play more than 15 minutes. It has been said before that he is there to keep the ship turned in the right direction, but with the fire and passion displayed by the likes of Lebron, Wade and Kobe, is that really necessary? Quite frankly I think any court time Kidd uses up is valuable time wasted on someone who's current level of ability is greatly inferior the the alternatives. No offense intended, I have all the respect in the world for what Jason Kidd used to be, but lets not live in the past but the present and look towards the future.

Kidd's game is perfect for international play. He's easily the most unselfish player on the team, not that anybody has been selfish. He's the biggest PG we have and that makes for him to be tough to defend and also helps us on defense. He deserves to play. I think 15 - 20 minutes is fair.

Deron Williams is the best PG on the team. He's got enough size so he's like Kidd but younger. He's our best guy to break down the zone defenses that get thrown at us. I don't like seeing him play SG. He should get the majority of the minutes at PG.

[b.jerk]

I'm sick of these nba experts saying the international game is about fundamentals or passing, the international game is about handling contact and following through. NBA players are great jumpers and good runners but playing with contact is just something they are not good at and we see it at every world competition. I'm above using the term a lot of people use but most nba players are too much of a wuss to succeed on the elite euroleague teams and maccabi isn't an elite euroleague team, management got lucky that their idiocy took them as far as they did last year.

[dd24]

So you're saying Lebron James or Kobe Bryant aren't good enough to play on an elite Euroleague team???? Why is it there are all these rumors about paying them $50 million dollars per year? If they sucked that bad there wouldn't be rumors.

[b.jerk]

So you're saying Lebron James or Kobe Bryant aren't good enough to play on an elite Euroleague team???? Why is it there are all these rumors about paying them $50 million dollars per year? If they sucked that bad there wouldn't be rumors.

I'm saying that the nba athlete is a different kind of athlete and they wouldn't be as effective. Of course Kobe Bryant and Lebron James could play in the euroleague but the Marcus Camby's or the Deron Williams or the Brandon Roys would be more okay than great. It's not that they aren't great basketball players but they're only for one style of league.

[dd24]

Williams can play anytime & anywhere. He can shoot the lights out, has great size, plays good D, passes and sees the court well, and is not a selfish player. He is as pure of a PG as they get.

[b.jerk]

Williams can play anytime & anywhere. He can shoot the lights out, has great size, plays good D, passes and sees the court well, and is not a selfish player. He is as pure of a PG as they get.

If I were against him, I would just kick him in the knee or the ankle as hard as I could and he would be done for. Not saying it's right or good sportmanship but it's the smart thing to do.

[Unimane]

If I were against him, I would just kick him in the knee or the ankle as hard as I could and he would be done for. Not saying it's right or good sportmanship but it's the smart thing to do.

So, is this what happens in international basketball? You aren't as talented, so you try ot hurt someone? I kind of doubt it.

I don't believe that the NBA players are wusses at all. If the Euroleagues are more physical, they would just adjust. Nearly all of the players in the NBA grew up playing ball in the inner city, playgrounds and old gyms, and, I can definitely tell you, tat environment is definitely not for wusses.

However, it is interesting to see someone try and turn the tables as Americans have generally thought of European players as soft, historically.