US Olympic Team Announced

[AndyC0803]

Here is the story

Team looks pretty loaded. I especially like the idea of having both Bosh and Howard. No Euro should be able to out physical those guys.

[ssigman]

kobe, wade, lebron, dwight howard, carmelo, j-kidd...we better win every game

[BtownJay]

I didn't read the whole thing... cuz i really don't care enough.. but no KG, Pierce or Allen?

Didn't those three prove to be incredible team players?

[ssigman]

nope none of them..deron williams, chris paul, tayshaun prince, michael redd, chris bosh and carlos boozer

i woulda put k.g. over prince and duncan over boozer

[BtownBeers]

I agree ssigs, KG should be on that team.

[AndyC0803]

Originally Posted by ssigman

i woulda put k.g. over prince and duncan over boozer

And you'd be wrong on both counts.

Boozer just had a breakout year, his numbers are the same as Duncan's, and he is used to a more up tempo style of play which is key in the International game. Plus he is younger, which is a common thread on this team, Kidd aside.

As for KG/Prince besides for the fact that they don't even play the same position, Prince is more of a matchup problem due to his build and reach not to mention he has better outside range. Besides, KG has a pretty crappy series overall against the Lakers while Tayshaun has been resting for the past month. Finally, Boozer and Bosh are already filling the PF role.

If the 2004 Athens team showed anything, it showed that it can't just be an all-star team but it needs to be the best group that can adapt to the international style of play. Personally, I think we are stacked and will be awesome to watch.

[ssigman]

um

duncan >>>>>> boozer

k.g. = 7 foot tall...how is he an easier matchup than prince..don't care if they play different postions..i'd take k.g. in a wheelchair over prince

duncan comes in and takes boozer's place and he plays the 5 behind howard which leaves bosh and k.g. at 4

again k.g. can play up tempo and he's the reason you see you nimble 7 footers...noone was like him before he came into the league...

[AndyC0803]

So you take Duncan out of his normal position and have him play center? That's silly. Why play someone out of position just to get them on the team when you already have a suitable replacement? We're not talking about Jordan in his prime here, Duncan is starting to slip a little bit and Boozer is a much better fit for the team. Besides, Duncan doesn't like to bang around as much as Boozer does and with Howard and Bosh as the only other bigs on this team, you can't afford to get rid of Boozer.

It's not about whether Duncan and KG are great players, they obviously are, but they are really not necessary on this team. Honestly I don't think Kidd is either with Paul and Williams but that's beside the point.

To my point about Prince earlier, he is a very good defender who can guard both bigs and smalls. That's primarily why he was chosen.

[ssigman]

but the international game isn't about banging the boards and playing physical...it fits duncan's style better and his slipping is still better than boozer

you'll never convince me prince is a better option than k.g.

[AndyC0803]

Originally Posted by ssigman

but the international game isn't about banging the boards and playing physical...it fits duncan's style better and his slipping is still better than boozer

Tell that to the US team that lost to Greece in the semifinals of the 2006 World Championship. They got pushed around like a bunch of nuns.

Anyway, looks like we are sniping about nothing because Duncan didn't even want to be on the team:

After the tournament, Duncan commented, "I am about 95 percent sure my FIBA career is over. I'll try not to share my experiences with anyone."

Anyway, here is a blog post I read a while back that goes into detail about who should and shouldn't be selected for Team USA.

The author was almost perfect, his only mistake was picking Joe Johnson instead of Tayshaun. So KG wasn't even eligible to be picked as he is not on the USA basketball roster.

[ssigman]

if i was running the team, that's how i woulda picked it..k.g. over prince...duncan over booer

[AndyC0803]

Here is a good write up of the Olympic basketball team: The Daily Fix