Our focus shifts to team USA

This may sound crazy but after watching the Dreamteam I honestly wish I could watch a Kobe lead All-star team vs a Lebron lead All-star team in a practice like session for the olympics. Shit would be so intense, Kobe not wanting to give up his seat on the throne, Lebron at the door knocking. Shit would be so cash. Sadly, I doubt the intensity may even get to that point because of how much the players have begun to recently care about the Olympics..

 I see Kevin Love being the PF/C off the bench. Best rebounder in the world (yes) and can spread the floor.

Does anyone else think Anthony Davis could make the final roster? Most of the PFs/Cs that are being considered aren’t really great shot blockers and Davis could be nice insurance if Tyson Chandler gets injured.

Zach,

I advocated Anthony Davis on the Olympic team before Bill Simmons and everyone else did. So he is in the running bit I have him just missing the cut or at least being on the fringe.

My locks are LeBron, Durant, Chris Paul, Kobe (if he wants it), D Wade (if he wants it), Carmelo who is great in international play and can play the 3 and 4, and I have Bosh as a versatile scoring big who can play the 4 as well as the 5.

I think Kevin Love gets in as a great rebounder as well as a good scorer with range. Tyson Chandler as the team’s only real legit center. Next, I know these guys are enigmatic but I am adding Rajon Rondo and Russell Westbrook to the team. Rondo can’t shoot but he can run the team, pass, defend, and rebound. Westbrook can score, drive, play above the rim, handle the ball, and also play some 2. Since those guys are great players but not great shooters, I am adding another point guard to this team in Deron Williams, a bigger point guard with great range who also has the ability to play some shooting guard.

So this is my team:

Starters:

PG: Chris Paul
SG: Dwyane Wade
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: LeBron James
C: Tyson Chandler

Bench:

PG: Rajon Rondo
SG: Kobe Bryant
SF: Carmelo Anthony
PF: Kevin Love
C: Chris Bosh

Reserves:

PG/SG: Deron Williams
PG/SG: Russell Westbrook

My starters were fairly easy to pick. I want to start D Wade at 2 since he plays well with LeBron, then bring Kobe off the bench as the veteran scorer. I wasn’t sure who my backup point guard and point man of the second unit would be, but I went with Rondo because he is a pass-first guy and a great defender. I think that the second unit is similar to how the Celtics play, ao that helps. More of a half court, grind it out game with great shooters who can also get out on the break at times. Then at 11 and 12 I have my high-octane combo guards who can light it up and mix it up.

The best lineup here might actually be an all Finals team of a Westbrook/Wade backcourt, Durant and LeBron at forward with Bosh inside as basically a stretch center. That would be a fun team to watch.

If one of those bigs couldn’t make it I would go with Anthony Davis due to his length, shot blocking, rebounding, and ability to run the floor. He also doesn’t need the ball to be effective. If one of the guards can’t go I would go with Iggy who can play both wing spots as well as inside and also has the ability to guard the 2, 3, and 4. He can also finish. My third guy who missed the cut is Blake Griffin who can score, board, run the floor,and play above the rim. But he not very refined on offense and defense. If attitude wasn’t a problem then Bynum, Josh Smith, and Cousins would be the next guy on my list followed by the versatile James Harden, the ultimate true young point guard in Kyrie Irving, 3 point sharp shooter JJ Reddick, easy going bigs Roy Hibbert and Greg Monroe, and the ultimate gluy guy/leader/defender/corner 3 guy Shane Battier.

kobe will never come off the bench

NYCrealdeal beat me to it.

Kobe would start, remember ’08?  Dwyane killed it off the bench.  Kobe is better off starting.

 I really hope that Cousins will be in squad. It would be tooo much to put Davis in tim and he wasnt play any game in Nba,and Cousins is probbably one of the best young big man in nba,amazing footwork and good rebrounder,can score points,on other hand  usa need defensive player,they dont need a fuc*in scorer,they got: Kobe,Kevin,Lebron,Wade

 seems the front court is kinda small? compared to Spain, They got the Gasols,ibaka and Reyes, bad luck that rubio got injured, the team would have lived in his PR with bigs, or pass to the wings, they got Juan Carlos Navarro at SG and Rudy fernandez at SF, both are good in there range,

is it safe to say that there biggest rival for London is Spain?

yea spain  Who has even qualified for the olympics?

who are some other players on these teams?

argentina- ginobili, scola

Brazil Nene

france- parker, diaw, pietris, batum, Ajinca? im missin some guys

Germany- Dirk. Kamen?

England- Freeland? lol Deng, I really wanted Ryan Richards to play so i can see if he’s legit but he doesnt want to play for them…

 French National Team will look something like this:

PG: Tony Parker/Andrew Albicy 
SG Nicolas Batum/Nando De Colo
SF: Mickael Gelabale
PF: Boris Diaw/Florent Pietrus
C: Joakim Noah/Kevin Seraphin/Rudy Gobert 

Turiaf, Traoire, and Mickael Pietrus could all possibly join the team but it’s unsure at this point. 

I think an overlooked team if they qualify is Puerto rico. They aren’t winning gold but they have such a tough and experienced gritty team who have an history of upsets including vs team USA. They have size and can win those grind it out games. I know Napier withdrew from the team because of an injury but there was no way he was going to get playing time over Carlos Arroyo, JJ Barrea, or Guillermo Diaz. 

My guess is Puerto Rico roster looks something like this:

PG: Carlos Arroyo/JJ Barea

SG: Guillermo Diaz/Filberto Rivera

SF: Carmelo Lee/AD Vassalo 

PF: Daniel Santiago/Renaldo Balkman/Ricky Sanchez 

C: Peter John Ramos

There is a lot to like about this roster. Solid guard play with Arroyo/Barrea/and Diaz. Arroyo is the team Captain and has a ton of international experience. Carmelo Lee is a veteran international player who is very versatile. AD Vassalo was a streaky but good 3 point shooter at Virginia tech. Their front line will give some teams fits. Two seven footers, Santiago who is tough and skilled and PJR who is actually very much improved and not the complete joke he was in Washington when he was younger. The bench is solid. 

Taking a look at those international rosters, this is gonna be a great olympics for international basketball

Just imagine if Howard, Rose, and Rubio weren’t injured. Could’ve have been even more exciting.

Germany- Dirk. Kamen?

No. Germany did not qualify.