[SDEParticipant]

Got This off USAbasketball.com

Named as finalists for the USA World Championship Team were Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets); Tyson Chandler (Dallas Mavericks); Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors); Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder); Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies); Eric Gordon (Los Angeles Clippers); Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers); Jeff Green (Oklahoma City Thunder); Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers); Brook Lopez (New Jersey Nets); Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves); Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers); Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics); Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls); and Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder).

I think everyone seen this coming with all the updates but i expect the final 12 to be a hard choice to make.

What lineup do you think Coach K will end up with?

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Starters:

PG Derrick Rose
SG Kevin Durant
SF Rudy Gay
PF Lamar Odom
C Tyson Chandler

Bench (remember, sometimes better players come off the bench in these things. Think Shaq in 1994 and Dwyane Wade in 2008:

C Brook Lopez
F Kevin Love
F Jeff Green
F Andre Iguodala
G Stephen Curry
G Rajon Rondo
G Chauncey Billups

Cuts (Those who I think will be cut)

Eric Gordon, Russell Westbrook and Danny Granger

Those I would likely cut:
Jeff Green, Rajon Rondo (I gave my reasons, and again, I still think you can not go wrong at PG with the 4/5 guys they have), Eric Gordon

[SDEParticipant]

My lineup

Billups,Rondo,Rose
Gordon,Curry
Durant,Gay,Iguodala
Odom,Love
Chandler,Lopez

I took Iggy over Green

[Stojakovicfor3Participant]

Jeff Green should have been cut instead of JaVale McGee.

[JNixonParticipant]

I think Gordon will make the team over Jeff Green mikeyvthedon.

I also think Chauncey Billups will start over Rose, and Iguodala could start. I think it’ll go like this:

PG: Chauncey Billups
SG: Andre Iguodala
SF: Rudy Gay
PF: Kevin Durant
C: Lamar Odom/Tyson Chandler

Bench:

Stephen Curry
Derrick Rose
Eric Gordon
Kevin Love
Tyson Chandler/Lamar Odom
Rajon Rondo
Brook Lopez

[ZeroParticipant]

Why OJ Mayo get cut ?? :'(

[aarondsonixfanParticipant]

I think the roster will end up like this

PG-Rondo, Rose, Westbrook, Billups
SG-Gordon, Curry
SF-Durant, Granger, Gay
PF-Love, Odom
C-Chandler

It’s really tough. I love brook lopez and think he’s a stud, but i don’t think that the European game is for him. He is more of a back to the basket scorer which doesn’t really help since the European key is larger/longer than the nba one. They already were talking about having Odom play a 5 as well for the team

Iggy is another one that I think just doesn’t fit the European game. He’s definitely a great slasher and scorer, but I think that Gay can score in more ways, as well as Granger

With Green, it was a pretty easy decision. I think that he is a great intangible player and can do everything well, but he can’t play better than Odom or Love, or beat out any of the SFs.

[jerb2011Participant]

I’m suprised he made the 15. According to Coach K he is probably as versatile as Lamar Odom and Jeff was even playing C in practice and did it well. It didn’t translate to the game because Green was apparently battling injuries that week.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Why start Durant/Gay at 4? I just do not think that is a good idea. I mean, I would just go for the most versatile line-up without losing toughness. I think people are starting to believe Jeff Green is a legit 4 man (a belief i do not share) and his versatility allows him to make the team over Eric Gordon, who is a small 2 guard. Plus, leaving something to the imagination off the bench is probably a good call. True, they could go with Billups over Rose, though I did not like the Kidd over Chris Paul thing in 2006 or 2008. I guess Danny Granger to me is an even more versatile version of Jeff Green, but maybe I am missing something on Green. It is obvious that people seem to like him as a player, I mean, if they did not I could see little reason for the Thunder being rated as highly as they are by most peoples projections into next year. I think he is kind of a tweener, but numbers wise I guess he has done alright. Remember that Phoenix workout in the 2008 draft, Green vs Corey Brewer and Noah? Well, I am guessing he won that, though it looks like Noah may indeed be the better player in the long run. But why make Gay/Durant guard 4’s? I just think it makes as little sense as Lamar Odom guarding Centers. It is true, the European and foreign game is very different, but have you seen the size of some of those guys? Kevin Durant is not going to like being pushed around by that. Durant will be a nightmare for any team he goes up against on offense, but if he can box these guys out on the boards, I would be surprised. That is why I took Odom, who is a lot sturdier than Durant yet still very versatile, as the starting 4, as he actually guards 4’s in the NBA. True Centers are still very important when hitting up teams such as Spain, Slovenia, Brazil, Argentina, Lithuania, Serbia and Greece. Remember, in 2006, we lost not only because of Greece’s shooting and guard play due to the lackluster perimeter defense of our team, but Sofoklis Schortsianitis, for whatever lack of future he has on the NBA level, was an unmovable force inside and had I am guessing the game of his life as far as what it meant. That is why they lost Silver and we won Bronze (funny, huh, lol, but they still were 2nd and we were 3rd). But I do not want a repeat of 2006, I still am kind of shocked people were so cool with that happening, I guess they just felt like the Olympics mattered more (well, I still feel that way, but I think the US should never lose basketball, though I know it is incredibly competitive now). So, learn from history, and make sure to not only use your versatility and shooting to your advantage with bigger more agile players, but still remember that these teams have players that provide a lot of pressure on the glass that you need to counter.

[the I in winParticipant]

PG – Chauncey Billups
SG – Andre Iguodala
SF – Kevin Durant
PF – Lamar Odom
C – Tyson Chandler

I think coach K will start Billups and Odom because of their experience (along with Chandler). With guys that can spread the floor like Billups and Durant I thought Iguodala could get to the rim pretty easy.

[JNixonParticipant]

It would cause a mismatch and if it doesn’t work, you can make the lineup adjustments on the fly. I think Durant can be the starting PF and then move the lineup accordingly depending on the matchup. Durant started at PF in the scrimmage and ended at SF by the end of the game. Starting at a spot doesn’t mean he HAS to stay at that spot for the duration of the ballgame

[dolla130Participant]

i think the roster will be
PG, Rose the 2nd best player on the team and the best pg on the team
SG,A.I versatile can slide to the three
SF,Durant its a lock he is the best player on the team
PF, Odom exp
C,Chandler athletic big

Bench
curry
billups
rondo i think he will be cut ,on defense he will be a good fit but other then that this game does not fit him
gordon
gay
granger
love
lopez

[Author]

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