Training starts on July 12th, first scrimmage is against Puerto Rico on August 1, followed by more exhibitions against Puerto Rico, China, Brazil, Lithuania and Korea, WCs start on August 19. Who will make the final cut? Who would you start? Give big minutes to? Current Roster: Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets); Gilbert Arenas (Washington Wizards); Shane Battier (Memphis Grizzlies); Chauncey Billups (Detroit Pistons); Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors); Bruce Bowen (San Antonio Spurs); Elton Brand (Los Angeles Clippers); Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers); Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic); LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers); Antawn Jamison (Washington Wizards); Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks); Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns); Brad Miller (Sacramento Kings); Adam Morrison (Gonzaga University); Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers); Chris Paul (New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets); Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics); J.J. Redick (Duke University); Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks); Luke Ridnour (Seattle Supersonics); Amaré Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns); and Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat). Final 12 man plus an alternate team will probably be announced by the beginning of August. My team: F - James/Pierce/Battier F - Brand/Odom C - Bosh/Howard G - Bryant/Arenas/Redd G - Paul/Ridnour Adam Morrison as the alternate. No need for Wade IMO, but I think they'll take him along with Amare, either way it's tough to pick a team. How will we fare? We're in Group D with Puerto Rico (Arroyo and Ayusa; ranked #11), Slovenia (Rasho and Boki; ranked #22), Italy (Bargnani and who ever won silver at the Olympics; ranked #6), China (Yao who we will have no answer for; ranked #14), and Senegal (Saer Sene and Diop; ranked #30). We should be able to beat everyone but I expect a slip up against Italy. After that? Who knows? Argentina, Spain, Serbia & Montenegro, Italy, Lithuania, France, Greece are all tough teams that will keep the game close and can beat us in the end if we don't execute. As high as a gold medal as low as no medal. We are not the obvious favorites anymore. On the coaching front I'm happy for the most part except with Coach K as the head coach I love Mike D'Antoni, Nate McMillan, and Jim Boeheim.
Your team isn't bad, but I'd replace Redd with Wade and Odom with Amare (if he's healthy). I don't think Bosh would start over Howard and I wouldn't be suprised if Brad Miller beats out Bosh.
I understand Wade, he just came off an unbelievable performance in the playoffs, but why Amare? As of now all we know about his game is that he's an outstanding finisher the relies on his athleticism, that won't fly in international competition. I like Bosh's game a lot for international and Odom's, both of them have to go, Miller looks good too I wouldn't be opposed to leaving Howard at home for him. I like Howard because he too is a phyiscal phreak like no one else in the world and he's one of the best rebounders on the planet; at the Olympics we won Bronze mostly because we killed everyone on the boards. We need a sharp shooter too so Redd almost has to go, he's the only professional available unless you want to take Redick or Morrison.
I think with Chris Paul breaking down defenses, Amare can get a lot down low. And while he's no defensive monster, he does know how to play zone (1-and-box or whatever Phoenix runs). When the US dominated, it was because they had Magic setting up a bunch of athletes who could out-run and out-jump everyone else. Are you sure you're not thinking of the World Cup?
I think this is how it will end up. Billups/Paul Kobe/Wade/Redd James/Pierce Brand/Stoudemire/Jamison Bosh/Howard and then our alternate either Miller or Arenas, that line-up give us athleticism, leadership, and mental toughness. I think we can win. I was wondering.. what are we ranked?? I hope Yao dosent murder us. but I hope he dosent get hurt either.
The US is ranked #1 of course; Serbia & Montenegoro is second, Lithuania third, Spain fourth, Argentina fifth, Italy sixth... I forgot the rest. I think they're on the FIBA website.
yes i'm sure ... the french basketball team finished 2nd in the european championship last summer, and their main players (parker/diaw) improved strongly this season ... + they have other good players like pietrus, petro, turiaf, gelabale ... i'm not saying they will win, but i think they can be in the top 5
Yeah, I forgot the order too... 1. USA 2. Yugoslavia 3. Argentina 4. Lithuania 5. Spain 6. Italy 7. Russia 8. Greece 9. Austrailia 10. France
If it were my team, I think I'd take Redd over DWade. Oversimplifying, Wade's more of a slasher, Redd's more of a shooter. I think at the 2 guard, the US will need someone who will spread the floor, not drive to the basket. We have enough guys who can finish strong at the basket (Kobe, LeBron, plus all the bigs).
we have to take kobe, lebron, and wade b/c they are easily the best players. as much as people think we need a "team" we also need our individual firepower. plus we need all the guys we can get who aren't afraid of big moments, and those 3 aren't. for size (with some versatility) we probably have to take odom, howard, bosh, and brand (although miller could be a nice choice, he might not be as good by 2008). for shooting we need redd, billups, and arenas. for pg we need paul. and for extra talent either marion, pierce, or joe johnson. maybe johnson for his shooting.
F - James/Marion/Battier F - Brand/Amare C - Bosh/Howard G - Bryant/Arenas/Johnson G - Paul/Billups alt Morrison or Pierce marion can play 3 and have the vertical advantage, or play 4 and jump through the roof. billups or paul are the best ball distributors IMO, and im not sure whether cp3 has enough experience to lead a team like this. I also agree that dwyane wade is not a great fit. while he is certainly one of the top 3 1on1 forces (w/ kobe and lebron), he is the smallest of the aforementioned and his outside shooting would be valued more so than his penetrating abilities. In light, i would go with a joe johnson or a michael redd.
F - James/Marion/Battier F - Brand/Amare C - Bosh/Howard G - Bryant/Arenas/Johnson G - Paul/ Wade EDIT: billups will not be playing, oversight on my part. also, i know wade is not a true one, but i cant see anyone else id rather have running the point.
Nothing so far on NBA.com, but I'm thinking they will show the U.S. games at least. I doubt TNT is going to televise them like they did for the ones held in Indianapolis, for one thing the Championships will be held in Japan and the time difference will mean that if the games are shown live, they will run from 11:00 at night to 4:00 am in the morning. The official site is http://www.fiba2006.com But no TV listings.
