U.S.A. Olympic Basketball Team

Originally posted by NimzovichLarsen
Prince is a role play which the team needs. They don't need another "scorer". Prince is a great role player and a better defender than Pierce.

You must have missed the last month of games to say that Prince is a "better defender" than Pierce. Paul is a lot more than a scorer, though he is certainly that. He is a big time clutch player and he'll be missed by the team IF they have games that come down to the wire.

Originally posted by no1marauder
Your ignorance of basketball has been on continuous display here for months, so I suppose this is nothing surprising. Pierce's .432 in the finals was a bit better than the supposed greatest player's in the NBA, who could barely crack .400. To give Pierce NO CREDIT AT ALL for his stellar defensive job against LeBron shows your massive (not petty) bias.
...[text shortened]... n of his game has compared to a player of Prince's lesser, and lesser used, talents.

Pierce's .432 FG% is possibly the worst shooting percentage of a Finals MVP in the history of the game, it is at least the worst shooting percentage of a Finals MVP in the past two decades. Ray Allen was more deserving of the Finals MVP IMO, and according to your logic, Ray Allen is more deserving of a spot on the National team than Kobe because he "out performed" him in the Finals; hell, Ray Allen is more deserving of a spot than Michael Redd who didn't even make the playoffs.

I already gave credit to Paul Pierce for helping stop LeBron, I said the Celtics team defense stopped LeBron and Paul Pierce is part of that team isn't he? I am pretty confident that LeBron James would have no problem scoring against Paul Pierce under different circumstances.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/fc/h2h_finder.cgi?request=1&p1=jamesle01&p2=piercpa01

Prince averaged 17.8 mins per game compared to Kobe's 19.9. Prince also was the third leading rebounder on the team and was tied with having the most defense rebounds. Finally, Prince had the least amount of fouls than any other player on the team, thats a mark of a good defensive player.

There have been no "pity" selections for the USA National Team:

”There are other players on the roster that fall into the category of being role players,“ Colangelo said. ”Tayshaun Prince is a classic example of that. He can guard three or four positions. His length makes him a real factor. ... (He) had great support from our whole staff all through this process because of all the intangibles that he brings to the floor, everyone recognized. So he was right in the mix from the get-go.“

Originally posted by MoneyManMike
Pierce's .432 FG% is possibly the worst shooting percentage of a Finals MVP in the history of the game, it is at least the worst shooting percentage of a Finals MVP in the past two decades. Ray Allen was more deserving of the Finals MVP IMO, and according to your logic, Ray Allen is more deserving of a spot on the National team than Kobe because he "ou ...[text shortened]... e brings to the floor, everyone recognized. So he was right in the mix from the get-go.“

Yep, LeBron averaged 32.3 a game in the regular season this year against the Celtics and Pierce. But in the playoffs, it was a different story, wasn't it? That's called clutch, something Laker and Kobe fans wouldn't know anything about.

My logic is that Pierce is a better player than Prince, which he undoubtedly is. What's your "logic" other than being pissed that your team got humiliated and wanting to denigrate one of the main players responsible? In crunch time Pierce made the plays like his drive to get fouled and his block on Sasha which preserved the Game 2 win. I missed all the big defensive plays Prince made which led his team to the NBA title.

Michael Redd is a fine pick and whether his team made the playoffs isn't relevant. But it kinda is relevant when your team does make the playoffs what you do with that opportunity. Prince did very little to help his team in the playoffs this year.

Prince played mostly in garbage time last summer and will do so again. If Colangelo wants guys on the team because he likes them, so be it, but any argument that Prince is a better fit for the team than Paul Pierce is laughable.

Originally posted by no1marauder
Yep, LeBron averaged 32.3 a game in the regular season this year against the Celtics and Pierce. But in the playoffs, it was a different story, wasn't it? That's called clutch, something Laker and Kobe fans wouldn't know anything about.

My logic is that Pierce is a better player than Prince, which he undoubtedly is. What's your "logic" oth ...[text shortened]... but any argument that Prince is a better fit for the team than Paul Pierce is laughable.

Kobe has 26 career game winning shots, and there have been many other clutch Lakers like Magic Johnson and Mr. Clutch himself, Jerry West; so yes us Laker fans know what clutch is.

About Prince, he has reached the Eastern Conference Finals in every year since he has entered the league. Thats six times in a row. Saying he hasn't helped his team in the playoffs is just ridiculous. And yes he is a better fit for the National Team than Pierce. Like me and a few others have been saying all along, Team USA doesn't need another explosive scorer, they need a defender to come off the bench. This doesn't mean that Prince is a better all around player than Pierce, it means that he fits the role better. Here is what Prince has over Pierce in this instance: length, quickness, durability, and a long term commitment made with Jerry Colangelo and the Team USA organization. Pierce and/or KG didn't make this commitment. Kobe did, he is probably going to miss some of next season because of his pinkie surgery. Wade did, he missed the end of this years season to try and get healthy, and he also sat on the bench during FIBAs Americas, as did Marion but he didn't make the cut. So it isn't about who is better, Prince or Pierce. Its about who made the commitment, and who out of those in that pool of players best fits that role. Apparently, Prince is a better fit for that role than other defensive forwards like Marion, Bowen, and Battier.

The real question is why have an extra guard on the team? IMO, Chris Paul is an unnecessary addition to a team that already has two true point guards and capable players like Wade, LeBron, and Kobe. They could have easily added Tyson Chandler for insurance in tightly called games.

Originally posted by MoneyManMike
Kobe has 26 career game winning shots, and there have been many other clutch Lakers like Magic Johnson and Mr. Clutch himself, Jerry West; so yes us Laker fans know what clutch is.

About Prince, he has reached the Eastern Conference Finals in every year since he has entered the league. Thats six times in a row. Saying he hasn't helped his team in t ...[text shortened]... Kobe. They could have easily added Tyson Chandler for insurance in tightly called games.

Your posts are laughable. Now Chris Paul, who led the NBA in assists and steals and had a better than 4:1 assist to turnover ratio should be left off the team? Why; because he should have really won the MVP? We've seen Kobe try to run the show for a team in the big games; last time it resulted in a 39 point loss. The best point guard in the league seems to be a pretty good addition to the Olympic team IMO.

Prince is a lightweight on this team and his defense is overrated. He's a good defender, but so is Pierce and many others. The idea that the NBA Finals MVP isn't good enough to be on our Olympic team is bizarre.

Originally posted by no1marauder
You still apparently don't understand the concept of a TEAM. A TEAM is greater than the sum of its parts.

The US has never sent just a single NBA team; that would be kinda unfair to the team itself. Besides, the networks want a star-studded line up to help the ratings.

BTW, I'm not sure after the playoffs, LeBron James deserves an advantage over Finals MVP Paul Pierce.

Lebron is a better OFFENSIVE player than Pierce and that is why he is getting it instead of Pierce. The NBA season I feel has very little to do with who gets selected for the USA Men's basketball team.

There is some things I dont agree in the way they are building this national team. First, it's not about bringing "role players" to stay on the bench, it's about having your best players that can be a role play in this different situation that is international competition, star players that put team needs ahead of their own, and in this case, I would pick Celtics big three.
Honestly, I think that despite of loosing several international competitions, USA still under estimate it believing that players who have role plays in their teams can do the same in the olympics. You must have your best players, but according to the team needs. KG, Pierce and Allen could be excelent "role plays."
On the other hand, I think it's right to call players that have been playing with the team before, so I think this "role play" thing is a mistake USA is making since the beggining.
The second thing I don't agree is to play without a true power forward, USA is not going to succeed pushing fast breaks in every game, at least not in the most decisive games. It's not going to happen. You must play half court offence and you need a true power forward for that against teams like Spain, Argentina, Greece and Russia. And I think Chris Paul is a better point guard for this kind of game instead of Kidd.

The team won the FIBA championships this year, I don't see the problem. Just keep the team as it is, it's loaded with talent.

Although I think Chris Paul should play a bigger role, no offense to Jason Kidd.

Jason Kidd is 44-0 in international play, and he has a 100 career triple doubles; thats getting it done fellas, no disrespect to Chris Paul. You know I don't mind Chris Paul being a part of the National team because he is a phenomenal player and he is going to be able to break apart the toughest defenses with his size and quickness, but honestly I would be more comfortable with another big man in case he encounter a ref with a big ego. Thats my two cents, spin it any way you want.

Originally posted by NimzovichLarsen
Yes i agree. THe avg age of the 2004 team was 24 yrs old. This team is older and hopefully wiser. They know that they can't be over confident, but if they take it seriously the games should not be close.

Age and maturity levels can't be overlooked when it comes to Olympic basketball. Countries other than the USA have veteran teams that have played together for years.
Of course, with the 1992 team (the one and only Dream Team), it didn't matter HOW long any of their opponents had played together. But this isn't 1992.

For the record, here are some numbers on the 2008 team:


Carmello Anthony - age 24, 1 year college, 5 years NBA

Carlos Boozer - age 26, 3 years college, 6 years NBA

Chris Bosh - age 24, 1 year college, 5 years NBA

Kobe Bryant - age 29 (will be 30 in August), no college, 12 years NBA

Dwight Howard - age 22, no college, 4 years NBA

Lebron James - age 23, no college, 5 years NBA

Jason Kidd - age 35, 2 years college, 14 years NBA

Chris Paul - age 23, 2 years college, 3 years NBA

Tayshaun Prince - age 28, 4 years college, 6 years NBA

Michael Redd - age 28 (will be 29 in August), 3 years college, 8 years NBA

Dwayne Wade - age 26, 2 years college, 5 years NBA

Deron Williams - age 24, 3 years college, 3 years NBA

average age: 26
average college exp: 1.75 years
average NBA exp: 6 years

Total NBA championships: 5 (Kobe 3, Prince 1, Wade 1)


_______________________________

In 1992:


Patrick Ewing (30 years old, 4 years college, 7 years NBA experience)

David Robinson (27 years old, 4 years college, 2 years navy, 3 years NBA)



Forwards:

Larry Bird (35 years old, 3 years+ college, 13 years NBA) - Bird was originally enrolled at Indiana to play for Bobby Knight, but never suited up for the Hoosiers. He played 3 years at Indiana State after that.

Scottie Pippen (age 27, 4 years college, 5 years NBA).

Charles Barkley (age 29, 3 years college, 8 years NBA)

Chris Mullin (age 29, 4 years college, 7 years NBA)

Karl Malone (age 29, 3 years college, 7 years NBA)


Guards:

Magic Johnson (age 33, 2 years college, 12 years NBA)

Michael Jordan, (age 29, 3 years college, 8 years NBA)

John Stockton (age 30, 4 years college, 8 years NBA)

Clyde Drexler (age 30, 3 years college, 9 years NBA)



Average age is 29 years 10 months

At 27, Scottie Pippen was the youngest real player on the team (I'm omitting Laettner from this discussion, as he had absolutely no business being on this team in the first place.

Average NBA experioence is 8 years.

Average college experience is 3.36 years (Magic played 2 years in college, everyone else played at least 3)

Total NBA Championships (at the time): 12 (Magic 5, Bird 3, Jordan and Pippen 2 each)
(Jordan and Pippen teamed up to win 4 more titles later on)





The 2004 team was Duncan & Iverson... with a bunch of their little brothers who tagged along. Bronze medal... embarrassing.

This would be a better team:

starters:
Chris Paul
Kobe Bryant
L. James
K. Garnett
D. Howard

bench:
J.Kidd
D.Wade
P.Pierce
A.Stoudemire
T.Duncan

R.Allen
S. Marion

Originally posted by monteirof
This would be a better team:

starters:
Chris Paul
Kobe Bryant
L. James
K. Garnett
D. Howard

bench:
J.Kidd
D.Wade
P.Pierce
A.Stoudemire
T.Duncan

R.Allen
S. Marion

Shouldn't you be worried about your team actually qualifying for the Olympics?

Originally posted by MoneyManMike
Shouldn't you be worried about your team actually qualifying for the Olympics?

Who said I'm not?