2014 USA National Team Pre-Tournament Thread

[Billy Dat]

Nice little interview with K on the USA Basketball site
http://www.usab.com/news-events/news...the-world.aspx

It is amazing how far he's come from the 2006 "we seek to dominate" talk. I guess a semi-final loss to Greece can humble a man's expectations. That one game aside, dominate is pretty much what has happened, but the Olympic Gold Medal games have all been epic.

I am actually pretty bummed out that we're not in the "group of death". I'd like to see us play all the best teams in pool play.

[awhom111]

Nice little interview with K on the USA Basketball site
http://www.usab.com/news-events/news...the-world.aspx

It is amazing how far he's come from the 2006 "we seek to dominate" talk. I guess a semi-final loss to Greece can humble a man's expectations. That one game aside, dominate is pretty much what has happened, but the Olympic Gold Medal games have all been epic.

I am actually pretty bummed out that we're not in the "group of death". I'd like to see us play all the best teams in pool play.

That is something I mentioned after the draw and re-iterated after our exhibition schedule. Given the negative consequences of losing a game in the knockout round, it is preferable to be tested in the group round and have easier games later in the tournament. Given that certain European styles have given us trouble in the past, we have minimal preparation for that before the games count. Our last exhibition against Slovenia will be helpful in seeing where we are against the European teams. Our first exhibition against Brazil will also be interesting after the result against them in 2010. Slovenia is also a probable knockout round opponent, possibly in the quarterfinals with perimeter defense the key to containing the brothers Dragic. The most likely semifinal opponent is Lithuania, a team that always seems to give us a good game. A final would either be Spain on their home floor or some team that has done enough in the tournament to make it past Spain. I trust our guys, but the margins are thin.

[Billy Dat]

News of a Select Team for training in Las Vegas via Woj:

Adrian Wojnarowski @WojYahooNBA · 32m
Among USA Basketball Select Team invitees to Las Vegas, sources tell Yahoo. Marcus Smart, Doug McDermott, Victor Oladipo, Tobias Harris.

Sources: More invitees to USA Basketball training camp to work against national team: Brooklyn's Mason Plumlee and Phoenix's Miles Plumlee.

If true, and Woj usually has his facts straight, this is a great feather in the cap for MP1 and MP2.

[CDu]

News of a Select Team for training in Las Vegas via Woj:

Adrian Wojnarowski @WojYahooNBA · 32m
Among USA Basketball Select Team invitees to Las Vegas, sources tell Yahoo. Marcus Smart, Doug McDermott, Victor Oladipo, Tobias Harris.

Sources: More invitees to USA Basketball training camp to work against national team: Brooklyn's Mason Plumlee and Phoenix's Miles Plumlee.

If true, and Woj usually has his facts straight, this is a great feather in the cap for MP1 and MP2.

Certainly helps to know the boss.

[-jk]

Certainly helps to know the boss.

And the boss's program!

-jk

[huey]

http://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments...vitees_to_usa/

Love some of the comments. Mods feel free to move to Team USA thread, I can't seem to find it

[Billy Dat]

Full Select Team Announced:


Trey Burke (Utah Jazz)
Jimmy Butler (Chicago Bulls)
Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors)
Tim Hardaway Jr. (New York Knicks)
Tobias Harris (Orlando Magic)
Doug McDermott (Chicago Bulls)
Victor Oladipo (Orlando Magic)
Mason Plumlee (Brooklyn Nets)
Miles Plumlee (Phoenix Suns)
Marcus Smart (Boston Celtics)
Dion Waiters (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Cody Zeller (Charlotte Hornets)
The Pidg (Golden State Warriors)

[awhom111]

Full Select Team Announced:


Trey Burke (Utah Jazz)
Jimmy Butler (Chicago Bulls)
Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors)
Tim Hardaway Jr. (New York Knicks)
Tobias Harris (Orlando Magic)
Doug McDermott (Chicago Bulls)
Victor Oladipo (Orlando Magic)
Mason Plumlee (Brooklyn Nets)
Miles Plumlee (Phoenix Suns)
Marcus Smart (Boston Celtics)
Dion Waiters (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Cody Zeller (Charlotte Hornets)
The Pidg (Golden State Warriors)

Here is the article and the roster with measurements:
http://www.usab.com/news-events/news...lect-team.aspx
http://www.usab.com/news-events/news...am-roster.aspx

[JasonEvans]

Full Select Team Announced:


Trey Burke (Utah Jazz)
Jimmy Butler (Chicago Bulls)
Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors)
Tim Hardaway Jr. (New York Knicks)
Tobias Harris (Orlando Magic)
Doug McDermott (Chicago Bulls)
Victor Oladipo (Orlando Magic)
Mason Plumlee (Brooklyn Nets)
Miles Plumlee (Phoenix Suns)
Marcus Smart (Boston Celtics)
Dion Waiters (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Cody Zeller (Charlotte Hornets)
The Pidg (Golden State Warriors)

Interesting list. Is there some kind of age requirement for this? I can't figure how Marcus Smart and Dougie McBuckets (NBA rookies) would make it but Jabari would not. Wiggins is going to play for Team Canada, I suppose. Michael Carter-Williams isn't on this team either, though that is because he is recovering from knee surgery.

I sorta wonder if any of these guys will ever make the Olympic team -- maybe a couple of them develop nicely and end up being on an off-year senior team that plays in the Basketball World Cup, but this does not feel like a future Olympic team roster. I could be wrong...

-Jason "the best NBA youngster, Lillard, is going for the senior team, not messing around with the select team" Evans

-Jason "agreed that it is a nice feather for the MP Bros to be here

[CDu]

Interesting list. Is there some kind of age requirement for this? I can't figure how Marcus Smart and Dougie McBuckets (NBA rookies) would make it but Jabari would not. Wiggins is going to play for Team Canada, I suppose. Michael Carter-Williams isn't on this team either, though that is because he is recovering from knee surgery.

I sorta wonder if any of these guys will ever make the Olympic team -- maybe a couple of them develop nicely and end up being on an off-year senior team that plays in the Basketball World Cup, but this does not feel like a future Olympic team roster. I could be wrong...

-Jason "the best NBA youngster, Lillard, is going for the senior team, not messing around with the select team" Evans

-Jason "agreed that it is a nice feather for the MP Bros to be here

McDermott is there because he has a specific skill (elite shooting) that translates nicely to the FIBA game. He is a far superior shooter to Parker. Also, he and Smart were on the Select team last summer. That continuity is valued highly by Team USA. Parker's hurdle may just be that, for what he does, there are more established options.

And remember, it is not a complete meritocracy. The Plumlees, for example, aren't really the best young bigs available. But they are good young bigs who are VERY familiar with Coach K's approach and fit what Coach K wants.

[awhom111]

Interesting list. Is there some kind of age requirement for this? I can't figure how Marcus Smart and Dougie McBuckets (NBA rookies) would make it but Jabari would not. Wiggins is going to play for Team Canada, I suppose. Michael Carter-Williams isn't on this team either, though that is because he is recovering from knee surgery.

I sorta wonder if any of these guys will ever make the Olympic team -- maybe a couple of them develop nicely and end up being on an off-year senior team that plays in the Basketball World Cup, but this does not feel like a future Olympic team roster. I could be wrong...

-Jason "the best NBA youngster, Lillard, is going for the senior team, not messing around with the select team" Evans

-Jason "agreed that it is a nice feather for the MP Bros to be here

It is some combination of rewarding players who have contributed to USA Basketball in the past (which is why Lance Thomas was on one once), players who would be good to practice against, and a way of telling a few players that they might be in the plans for the future.

I do like all they complaining when Duke players make it. We have already managed to get 5 players from our last championship team on one of these. The hand-wringing that would ensue when Zoubek, Scheyer, Jordan Davidson, Johnson, and Peters get put on one to be joined by Kelly and Dawkins would be great. Once we sneak Zafirovski on despite the fact that he has already suited up for Macedonia, the internet may implode. Sheesh, there were a lot of walk-ons on that team.

[Billy Dat]

RE: Quality of the Select Team

I think a couple of things happened to reduce the quality of the Select Team.

-In January, USA Basketball originally announced 28 players in contention for the World Cup and Olympic team. Of that 28, 11 are not participating in the World Cup including Lamarcus Aldridge, Iggy, Lebron, David Lee, Kawhi, CP3, Westbrook, DWill, Carmelo, Dwight Howard and Tyson Chandler. That knocked the pool down to 17.

-To increase the pool under consideration for the World Cup, guys who would have probably been Select Team guys have been pulled up to the main pool including Chandler Parsons, Demar Derozen,

To Jason's original point about guys on the Select Team likely to make a future Olympic team, there is a notable absence of that next tier of guys who are sniffing All Star and All NBA status such as Al Jefferson, John Wall, Kyle Lowry, DeAndre Jordan, Mike Conley, ZBo, Joe Johnson, Lance Stephenson, Ty Lawson, Paul Milsap, Monta Ellis, et al. Many of these guys used to be in the overall pool as part of the Select Team. Perhaps they either said no, or, once a guy reaches a certain veteran status they aren't asked out of respect. Joe Johnson was on a World Cup team (2006), etc. Maybe they decided, too late, that they needed a Select Team and this was the best they could throw together.

They usually convene a week long training camp in off years - next summer for example - and it will be interesting to see which new blood gets a shot at participating.

[awhom111]

News is now breaking that Blake Griffin is out and John Wall is in for training camp.

Griffin is pretty much easy to replace for this roster, but this would have been a good chance for him to show what he could do in the international game. With the prevalance of the stretch four, this may make it hard for Blake to break into the picture in the future unless he and Chris Paul master telepathy and telekinesis in the next two seasons.

The Wall saga has been confusing the entire time. I wonder if there is any chance of four point guards on the final roster even though that seems like overkill.

[Reilly]

usatoday article on griffin and wall ...

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...pics/13138109/

[Billy Dat]

usatoday article on griffin and wall ...

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...pics/13138109/

Thanks for that link. Colangelo certainly demonstrated some contempt for Griffin and Aldridge. Now that the "new" Team USA program is 10 years old, there are bound to be guys who just don't think its worth it.

I think the writer's reporting was a little incomplete as he didn't mention Boogie or Drummond as big with a chance to step up in the absence of Griffin and Aldridge. This could be a really big opportunity for Cousins, I hope he makes the most of it.

[JasonEvans]

Kevin Love has pulled out of the team due to the uncertainty over his trade situation. with Lamarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin also missing, it leaves Team USA very thin on big men. There is rampant speculation that K could pull Mason or Miles up from the Select team to play on Team USA for the World Cup.

-Jason "cool opportunity for the MP Bros" Evans

[kAzE]

Kevin Love has pulled out of the team due to the uncertainty over his trade situation. with Lamarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin also missing, it leaves Team USA very thin on big men. There is rampant speculation that K could pull Mason or Miles up from the Select team to play on Team USA for the World Cup.

-Jason "cool opportunity for the MP Bros" Evans

Crap, losing Love is a huge hit. But even still, there are 4 quality bigs left in Davis, Drummond, Faried, and Cousins. Also , KD and Parsons can play some power forward if we want go with a more mobile lineup. I don't see a huge need to call up a Plumlee unless another big pulls out. It would certainly be awesome to see a Kyrie/Mason reunion on the national team though. We were robbed of a ton of alley oops back in 2011.

[Duvall]

I blame Dan Gilbert.

[CDu]

Kevin Love has pulled out of the team due to the uncertainty over his trade situation. with Lamarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin also missing, it leaves Team USA very thin on big men. There is rampant speculation that K could pull Mason or Miles up from the Select team to play on Team USA for the World Cup.

-Jason "cool opportunity for the MP Bros" Evans

This seems unlikely. There are still four guys on the 19-man roster that are better options than either Plumlee: Davis, Cousins, Drummond, Faried. I suspect at least three of those guys will make it now. Perhaps all four.

Remember: the Plumlees are, from a talent/performance standpoint, even questionable to be on the Select team. To suddenly bump them up the the main roster despite them not having come remotely close to earning such an honor would be a huge slap in the face to a couple of the guys who HAVE earned the opportunity.

[JasonEvans]

There are 4 quality bigs left in Davis, Drummond, Faried, and Cousins. Also , KD and Parsons can play some power forward if we want go with a more mobile lineup.

It really depends on how much they want to play KD or Parsons at the 4. There is no way you would dare to go into a tournament with only 4 PF/C players. You must have 5 guys in case of foul trouble or especially injury. I suspect they will decided that KD or Parsons can fill in at the 4 if necessary -- heck, our best lineup may be KD at the 4, allowing us to put more of our phenomenally quick, athletic wings on the floor -- but if K wants to keep KD and Parsons at their more natural position, then he will likely have to look to a Plumlee.

-Jason "are Miles and (to a lesser extent) Mason really that far behind Faried?" Evans