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US Olympic basketball team announced


artmonkforHOF

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I think the NBA needs a major overhaul!

International rules require you to have fundamentals, something the NBA began to lose in the 90's. John Stockton was the last player to dribble the ball without breaking the rules. Iversons famed crossover is so egregiously illegal it isn't even humorous. Lebron travels and carries every time he drives. Wade palms the ball. Kobe carries just about everytime he dribbles.

The mid range jumber will kill the US team. Every int'l team can hit the 15-18' jumper, the US has maybe 2 guys who can cinsistantly knock it down.

The best player in the Olympics for the US will most likely be Boozer. He has to be fundamentally sound in order to play his position in the NBA.

Yeah, to Jthor's point Garnett's mid range jumper would be a big asset to the Olympic team.

I would have loved to see Ray Allen play as well.

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I think the NBA needs a major overhaul!

International rules require you to have fundamentals, something the NBA began to lose in the 90's. John Stockton was the last player to dribble the ball without breaking the rules. Iversons famed crossover is so egregiously illegal it isn't even humorous. Lebron travels and carries every time he drives. Wade palms the ball. Kobe carries just about everytime he dribbles.

The mid range jumber will kill the US team. Every int'l team can hit the 15-18' jumper, the US has maybe 2 guys who can cinsistantly knock it down.

The best player in the Olympics for the US will most likely be Boozer. He has to be fundamentally sound in order to play his position in the NBA.

I definitely agree with most of this. It's the NBA's AND 1 mentality that needs an overhaul. It's not real basketball anymore.

I don't like the roster of this team and think they'll have a tough time. Too many ballhogs, too many guys who don't play D, not enough big men and not enough mid range shooters. And Jason Kidd is a joke, that guy is done. He's going to get abused.

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I think the NBA needs a major overhaul!

International rules require you to have fundamentals, something the NBA began to lose in the 90's. John Stockton was the last player to dribble the ball without breaking the rules. Iversons famed crossover is so egregiously illegal it isn't even humorous. Lebron travels and carries every time he drives. Wade palms the ball. Kobe carries just about everytime he dribbles.

The mid range jumber will kill the US team. Every int'l team can hit the 15-18' jumper, the US has maybe 2 guys who can cinsistantly knock it down.

The best player in the Olympics for the US will most likely be Boozer. He has to be fundamentally sound in order to play his position in the NBA.

I agree. I stopped watching the NBA a few years ago for exactly the reasons you mention. I still love the college game.

The NBA now is basically 'our superstar versus your superstar with intermident defense.' Its not nearly as entertaining as the game was in the mid 90's.

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No clue what Carmelo is doing on this team. No defense and no ability to make teammates better. They have plenty of scorers on the team and they should have filled his spot with someone who actually attempts to play defense.

Yeah I was scratching my head at that too....I don't like the idea of Carmelo Anthony representing my country in the Olympics.

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The NBA could definitely use an overhaul of the rules - or better yet enforcing the rules that exist to a point that the players stop trying to bend them.

However, once the playoffs hit it's usually very apparent that the teams that play basketball the way it was intended make up the best teams in the league.

The Final Four of this year is an excellent example.

Celtics, Spurs, Detroit, and I hate to say it - even Kobe started playing as a team player so include the Lakers - all play the game with good scoring, passing, and defense (minus the Lakers lol).

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I agree. I stopped watching the NBA a few years ago for exactly the reasons you mention. I still love the college game.

The NBA now is basically 'our superstar versus your superstar with intermident defense.' Its not nearly as entertaining as the game was in the mid 90's.

I don't really understand how you can say the 90's were more entertaining but dis' the superstars. The "Our superstar versus your superstar" game was invented in the mid-90's with Jordan. Every player today is trying to emulate that style.

Maybe we were all just younger then and less critical back then (or maybe Jordan was just that good), but I think that if anything, the NBA has gotten better recently with dynamic point guards like Chris Paul, athletic big men like Dwight Howard, and good mid-range shooters like Dwayne Wade or Carmelo. The biggest superstars, like Kobe, commit to playing defense. All those guys are on this Olympic team.

If anything, the NBA has suffered from a dilution of talent, because it's hard to have multiple superstars on the same team anymore, but I think that has encouraged more team play. Kobe could only win when he got his teammates involved. Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo had to step up for the Celtics. It really isn't just a superstars' game anymore.

I don't know, I love college basketball, but when you watch the NBA Playoffs after watching the NCAA tournament, it becomes blatantly obvious where the superior basketball is played. College kids miss jumpers all over the place, play gimmicky defense, and many teams simply live and die by the three-pointer. A superstar like Derrick Rose can tear through any college team, which just doesn't happen in the NBA. And although the single elimination of the Tourney is incredibly exciting, the adjustments that can occur in a seven-game series make for more interesting basketball.

In any case, this team will be good, but there will be other good teams, and anything can happen in single elimination ... we'll have tourney drama with world-class players, which should be a lot of fun to watch.

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Entire post

:applause:

Very well put, DjTj. I agree 1000%.

For those complaining about Carmelo's inclusion, perhaps you haven't been paying attention to anything other than the final scores of the previous Team USA games, as Carmelo, for whatever reason, is a PHENOMENAL international basketball player and probably the best player on the team.

I don't understand the cynicsm in this thread.

I agree with the initial assessment that they need more size, and I thought they should've brought along Tyson Chandler in case D-Howard gets in foul trouble and they need a defensive stopper. (He should be there if for no other reason than I'd like to see an international basketball team try to stop the pick and roll with him and Chris Paul.)

But how can you argue with the fact that the 3 of the top 4 vote-getters for the 2008 NBA MVP are on this team? Even if Carmelo was getting abused on the defensive end, do you realize that one of the best defensive SF's in the world is also on this roster in Tayshaun Prince? Did anyone see Jason Kidd in the tournament of the americas in Vegas? He ran Coach K's offense and the team in general as smoothly as imaginable. Yeah, he's a little older, but he's not going to get dominated in international competition like you saw in the NBA playoffs.

Oh yeah, add a healthy Dwayne Wade to that mix.

Pick and roll basketball, anyone? Have some Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer. Fast break? Kidd to Lebron 30 foot alley-oops. Got a particularly talented perimeter player? Ladies and gentlmen, I give you 1st team all-nba defender Kobe Bryant, who seems to like the challenge of guarding international talent.

I'm a USA basketball fan, but I realized that the previous attempts at a national team were flawed All-Star pickup game philosophies, unlike the feeder system we have now. Do I wish there was more size or that Garnett or Tim Duncan were there? Of course I do.

Does that diminish the fact that you're going to see a team of...

PG- Chris Paul

SG- Kobe Bryant

SF- Lebron James

PF- Carmelo Anthony

C- Dwight Howard

...on the floor at the same time?

I don't think so.

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Bunch of haters when it comes to Melo. The guy can play. His defense is lacking, but he's a good offensive threat.

Oh and rooting against your own country is stupid.

I think he's a chump and I think he's overrated.

Just my :2cents:

http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=carmelo%20slap&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=N&tab=wv#

The fight could have ended and then he goes and SLAPS a guy and then runs away.

If you're gonna get in a fight on the court--I have little respect for you.

But if you're gonna fight, don't slap the guy and back away.

And the DUI...etc.

I'm just not a fan.

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People sleep on the NBA hard. Best it's ever been. More talent than ever. I love it.

As far as this team, I think one too many PG's. As has already been stated. I mean you already have D Wade, Kobe, Lebron, who can all run the point, easily. I'd definitely like to have another big man. Al Jefferson comes to mind. Or even Al Horford. Tyson Chandler. Marcus Camby. Chris Kaman. There's a number of people.

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I like the team. In case you guys don't remember, Carmelo was the best player we had at the last Olympics and the most recent World Basketball Championships.

Jason Kidd concerns me, he is old, slow, and can't shoot. But he can run the offense and pass. Plus Williams and Paul are going to get the majority of playing time, and we know how good they are. I really hope Wade is at 100%. I love Redd, he's the best shooter we got. I am kinda concerned about the lack of depth and height at the front, but I am confident in Bosh and Howard. Boozer isn't all that tall but he bangs and goes all out.

If we lose again I will be more than disappointed.

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Keep in mind, I have no idea who is starting, I am listing positions by the best player IMO.

PG-Chris Paul

PG-Jason Kidd

PG-Deron Williams

.

Seriously? You've got Kidd above Williams? Wow, not getting that one. Kidd is done. Cuban's trade to get him in Dallas was the height of stupidity. He can still run a team decently well, but can't score like he used to (never was a great jump shooter) and certainly can't defend. Williams is the new wave (along with Paul).

I agree. I stopped watching the NBA a few years ago for exactly the reasons you mention. I still love the college game.

The NBA now is basically 'our superstar versus your superstar with intermident defense.' Its not nearly as entertaining as the game was in the mid 90's.

As DJ said, couldn't disagree more with this post. MJ dominated in the 90's, which is when the NBA started selling MJ against Magic, Drexler, Barkley, Kemp and Malone, depending on their championship year. The 90's are when the slide started.

It is getting a lot better now. The playoffs this year were a lot of fun to watch; not as much teamwork as the 80's, but a lot better than 2-5 years ago, which was dreadful.

To be fair, a lot of is has to do with coaching too.

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