On Monday the US men's Olympic Bball team will be announced and with this I share my thoughts. For those of you like myself, the team isn't hard to figure out, the usual suspects will be there (Kobe, Lebron, Carmelo to name a few), but like so many past years, deciding on the final roster spots has led to much talk and controversies, and this years seems certain to follow suit. It seems with many leaks being available that the men's team will add Dwayne Wade and his surgically non tested knee and Tayshaun "I play defence but have a tough time scoring" Prince, over a few players who might be better choices. Okay so I'm not that against either of these picks, Wade is a stud and former Finals MVP and well Prince is very versatile and long with exceptional defence, and a player of whom if I were the Lakers GM Mitch Kupchack would certainly be going for so as to help rid your small forward dead weight Lamar Odom, but hey that another story all together, so I'll just leave it...for now. Anyways, there's really no purpose to this article except that I'm jonesing for some hoops, it's Friday night and I'm at home alone, my girl is in Europe having fun without me and well basically I'm bored. Anyways, here I go, the following are my thoughts on who is going to make the team and who shouldn't, plus each players roles and such.
Point Guard:
Jason Kidd - Still had got it, may be a step slower vs previous years, but has the necessary experience and smarts to quarterback this team. Plus his deficiencies will be hidden by his younger teammates.
Chris Paul - The future king of US point guard play, the man can do it all...effortlessly. He's a born leader and should learn a lot from this, plus playing with J Kidd can't hurt
Deron Williams - The other future US king, Williams can play fast and slow and runs the pick and roll to perfection. Will give size and strength to an already deep position. Let's just say the US team is in good hands.
Shooting Guard:
Kobe Bryant - The unquestionable leader of the team, Kobe will lead by playing ferocious defense and excellent shooting. His relentless competitive nature will feed the team, plus he's their closer. Having him truly solidifies their chances for gold, without him they'd lose a tonne. This should also give him a chance to quiet his critics after being swallowed alive by the Celtics amazing defense.
Dwayne Wade - If he's healthy he'll be the best sixth man ever. He's fast, evasive, a good penetrator, excellent finisher and probably the second best closer next to Kobe. Should thrive in his role, this Olympics will help him regain is status as one of the games best, something he needs after his brutal past season.
Michael Redd - The zone defense breaker, Redd should have a tonne of open shots coming his way. If he can play the way he did last summer, the US should kill everyone. Sweet stroke should be ready to fly.
Small Forward:
LeBron James - The King will be a force to be reckoned with, his size and sheer strength will dominate, plus he's the best open court player ever. Him playing well will undoubtedly give the US the gold. He and Kobe should be a brutal duo for any defense.
Tayshaun Prince - This 12th man will be used sparingly, but his defense and long arms will certainly come in handy. He has a lot of experience to bring, something he can rub off on the Bosh's and Howard's of the team.
Power Forward:
Carmelo Anthony - Even though he's totally playing out of position, Anthony for some reason thrives in International competition. In my opinion he's the second best pure scorer on the planet next to Kobe, has a fierce post up game and can bang with the best of em. Should get his points easily, will be used along with LeBron as the no 1 option. Look for him to thrive.
Carlos Boozer - Boozer's strength and low post game will be his best highlights for the team, might play limited minutes, but his rebounding will certainly come in handy. A good choice as backup
Center:
Dwight Howard - The man child will be used primarily for defense and rebounding, his size is his biggest asset. Will get many lob passes to thrive on, but will have to settle with that and a few put backs, don't look for him to dominate scoring wise.
Chris Bosh - Playing out of position will not diminish his effectiveness, has a fierce shooting game for his size, his mid range game will certainly come in handy. Might be used in late game situations to maximize free throw situations. Should play better than past international years where he struggled to get going.
As for the team, I'm happy with it, I might question the selection of Prince seeing as I hardly see him playing, picking Chandler might bite them in the butt in later rounds, his size and rebounding might be missed, but hey I might be over thinking this a bit. Other than that the US should roll to the gold, with Kobe, LeBron, Paul, Carmelo and Wade they hardly seem poised to lose at all. Should be fun to watch.
However, here's a thought, if you could put any 12 man US team together who would you put on it? Here are my choice (active players only):
PG - Kidd, Paul, Williams
SG - Kobe, Wade, Allen
SF - LeBron, Pierce, Carmelo
PF - Garnett, Duncan
C - Howard, Shaq
How do you beat that team, having Garnett and Duncan really solidifies that defense, and yes Shaq is old, but hey he's still better than most and his experience and size always matter.
later
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