[bobbybParticipant]

Am I the only one nervous that they will struggle? Brazil wont even wont even compete for a medal.  They struggled to beat Brazil, at home, at the nations capital, in front of the president!. They shot a low percentage and they got out-rebounded. Any other concerns?

[TyroberParticipant]

They need a bit more size, but they are going to be fine. I don’t expect them to destroy every opponent because like I said they could use a little more size so they might struggle at times, but I expect them to win.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

On a one-and-done format anything can happen. We just have to make shots and rebound.
We are sending out a pretty great team, so injuries shouldn’t be that much of an excuse. I even think that Anthony Davis could be a better fit for this team than Blake Griffin, since we need help at center and another rim protector. Sure, we miss Dwight Howard and D-Wade, but Derrick Rose would be nice but would he give us more than Westbrook would? RW is explosive as anyone and can score and gives us an option at shooting guard.

I wouldn’t really be concerned if we sent our B team or our C team out there. But this team is about an A- (an A+ with Howard, Wade, and Rose), even with all the injuries. Our 2012 team has LeBron, Durant, Kobe, Carmelo, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, and Deron Williams who are some of the top guys in the league with Carmelo being even better in international play. Harden is as good as anyone, and his game should translate well to FIBA rules. He is crafty with good size and fundamentals. Iggy can play. He’s a great glue guy and played well for us in 2010. Tyson Chandler and Anthony Davis are serviceable big men and great team players. Not might be as good as Cousins or Bynum inside but they can protect the rim and play solid team basketball.

This is pretty much our best team, so if we don’t win then I think the rest of the world is catching up, and it also says something perhaps about the current level of superstar talent in the league. Ok, Rose would be nice, but D-Will might be a better player for this team. Wade would be great but RW is just as talented scoring the basketball, and is even more explosive and athletic. Dwight Howard would be nice but he didn’t really dominate in 2008. He doesn’t have the offensive game to be truly great in the international game. Blake is a showman, but I think we need Davis’ defensive range and shot blocking more.

If we don’t win gold then I am not sure what the answer is. I wouldn’t count on Kobe, LeBron, Carmelo, Tyson Chandler, and even Chris Paul and Deron Williams being back in 2016. Maybe not Iggy either. So even if Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose, and Blake Griffin play, I don’t think the 2016 team will be better than this team.

Our 2016 could look like this:

Starters:

PG: Derrick Rose
SG: James Harden
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Kevin Love
C: Andrew Bynum

Bench:

PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Russell Westbrook
SF: Rudy Gay
PF: Blake Griffin
C: Anthony Davis

Reserves:

SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

That’s a pretty good team, but it is a little bit unproven. It also lacks some veteran leadership, even though I think it is pretty solid. It does look more athletic and a little younger so that should help.
This team might be better shooting the ball with Durant being the main go-to guy and with Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson off the bench. Probably better inside too with Dwight Howard and Anthony Davis coming back. Not as many stretch four’s this time, but Rudy Gay could play that role off the bench. I like MKG as the Iggy replacement. We might have more balance at guard with D Rose and Harden starting with Irving, Westbrook, and Klay Thompson off the bench. I also think that Blake Griffin will have refined his game by then. He could be a real beast who steals the show in 2016.

But, whatever happens this year, it looks like the last hurrah for a lot of these guys. It’s time for the young guns to get a run.

[Meditated StatesParticipant]

This is the last time we send Pro’s

[QuickPostCParticipant]

I’m concerned that some of the veteran players will haze rookie Anthony Davis and trim/pluck his eyebrows into two perfect half-ovals.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

^^^

I saw that we might not send pro’s again, but if we lose that might be a good excuse to keep using some pro talent.

I think Kobe said the new proposed rule is a bad idea. We wouldn’t get to see the star’s and even great role players like Iggy and Tyson Chandler wouldn’t get to play either. I love it for those two guys. Those guys are great professionals and team players. Plus, they are veterans who understand the game.

If we do send pro’s, then I made an error in our starting lineup. I will start Dwight Howard at center in 2016 with Anthony Davis off the bench. I think having prior TEAM USA experience is a bonus. But, of course, if we send pro’s and Dwight can’t go then we will give Bynum a call.

My proposal for Team USA if we want to have younger guys is to make it where you can only play in two Olympics. That means no Carmelo or LeBron but the other guys would be there. Then do four collegiate players.

That would give us this team this year:

Starters:

PG: Chris Paul
SG: Kobe Bryant
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Kevin Love
C: Tyson Chandler

Bench:

PG: Deron Williams
SG: Russell Westbrook
SF: Andre Iguodala
PF: Anthony Davis
C: Tyler Zeller

Reserves:

SF: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
SF: Harrison Barnes

We would really miss LeBron and Kobe so Kevin Durant would have to be our main option at forward. MKG would give us another glue guy/defender at the wing with Iggy (Iggy can also play the 2 or 4) with Zeller and Davis giving us some more size up front. Harrison Barnes gives us some scoring off the bench and another legit small forward.

I think limiting players to only 2 Olympic team and then having a minimum of four college guys every year is more than fair.

[BasterdInABasketParticipant]

Anthony davis needs to play more

[Tongue-Out-Like-23Participant]

 It’s been two games…

They need to get used to playing with eachother, they’ll be fine.

[Ghost01Participant]

 Tyler Zeller on the Olympic team…lmao. I don’t care how many players are "inelgible" under your regulations, thats comedy. 

[goldie92689Participant]

 Brazil is so big…and they have so many other young bigs like Fab in the que. They will be in the hunt for a medal. The RWB will struggle though. They may have too many scorers. 

[draft2017Participant]

remember brazil beat argentina by like 16 brazil is actually a pretty good team

[TallmanNYCParticipant]

Yes, I could sort of see the US struggle from time to time. Anyone who has watched Kobe this year knows he can go cold and he won’t stop shooting. Throw Melo onto the court at the same time and the offense can fall apart as the two of them launch 20 foot jumpers if they have a bad shooting night. 

Can Lebron and KD save the day? Yes. But what if Kobe and Melo dig us a hole on one of their bad days and then, while the rest of the team keeps it close, Kobe decides that he is finishing the game and taking most of the shots? That is the possible scenario where the U.S. loses.

No chance of losing if Kobe and Melo aren’t put on the court though. Though Westbrook is comfortable with ignoring KD for long stretches of a game, so probably no reason why he couldn’t also do that with the rest of the US team. He can also shoot you out of a game. The difference is that is speed against the Euro teams is such a weapon I can’t see him settling for a bunch of long jumpers in a row and he won’t miss too may layups.

But with the egos at play, you have to play Kobe, Melo and Westbrook. Better to have Kobe and Melo on the court to start where if the game gets out of hand you can bench them and say, well you had your chance I guess it isn’t your night. Then you go with an offense built around Harden, KD, Love and Lebron. No chance of losing if those guys are getting touches and taking shots.

[RotelaParticipant]

 Be really scared about Nigeria, they bring a lot of size and have nothing to lose

[European BallerParticipant]

Oh please…………

 

they get favored 80-20 by the refs in every game thay play.

 

They won’t lose for another 50 years as long as Stern controls FIBA, which he has since 2007.

[ENOGSIWONdede]

 France can beat USA, Chandler gets in fould trouble Seraphin will own those pussies Love and Griffin   inside and Batum can shut down Lebron

[LerinErinParticipant]

 Griffin not even on team now.

Go back to sleep and continue your dream.

[Author]

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