2008 Olympic Basketball Team

[SilkyJ]

On the 2007 USA team, LeBron shot 76% FG and 62.2% 3-pt, while Carmelo Anthony was "only" 61.3% FG and 57.8% 3-pt.

The team shot 47% 3-pt. My favorite stat was the USA team 58.7% FG, while opponents shot 27.9% FG.

something about blind squirrels. i dont think he'll repeat it, though if he limits his jumpers, which he is likely to do and focuses on fastbreak and driving opportunities, then i guess its possible.

Definitely impressed by all those numbers tho.

[BlueintheFace]

Here is my treatise on this team and the upcoming olympics based on watching every international game on tv since K took over.

Jason Kidd- This is obvious. Jason Kidd's role on this team will be distributor. There will be games in which he doesn't shoot once or maybe just once or twice. You don't see a lot of outlet/run and gun teams against the USA since that is our pace, so (no need to drop back deep after offensive possessions) Kidd will be best when he is able to rebound the ball (as he does so well) or get the quick pass off the defensive rebound in order to push tempo. Nobody makes better decisions in the fast break than Kidd.

Deron Williams/Chris Paul- Deron will get a good deal more playing time than Chris Paul for one reason, he is stronger and therefore more capable of defending bigger guards. Also, he is a better three point shooter than Paul. In the international game there is no such thing as hand check fouls and defenders are allowed to be extremely physical on pick and roll plays. Paul is just a bit small and if there were more guards like him in the olympics then he would have more playing time to work his magic, but all of the heavy contenders have guards that will toss him around when he gets anywhere near the lane. Look for him to play much more in the round robin play than the elimination play.

Quick Note- Teams mostly play us by running zones or running beneath all high screens. One of Williams' favorite things to do is step back for a three when defenders run under screens (see- most recently the series vs the Rockets)

Lebron James- The International Game seems to suit Lebron very well. Defenders have been giving him the baseline fadeaway which he is decently consistent at and most are afraid to crowd him since he can run right by/through them to the rim. This leaves him lots of open jumpers which he feasted on last summer. I think he shot 76% from the field last summer and almost every shot was a dunk or 15-20 footer.

Carmelo Anthony- The truth is that Anthony was meant for the International game. He will be the star of the team unless Lebron is on and Kidd just keeps feeding him. Anthony was far and away the best scorer last summer. He will be hitting tons of baseline jumpers and when he is not doing that he will be knocking down the shorter threes and pump faking from the elbows to open up drives into the lane. He will most likely be our best scorer (and at the 4 slot for the most part).

Kobe Bryant- Kobe will not be scoring all that much. First off, he is still dealing with torn ligaments in his finger and says his release is still off and that he still doesn't feel that comfortable with his shot. Look for Kobe to be the leader on the team as he was last summer. Each game he asked K if he could guard the best guard on the opposing team and most of the time he absolutely shut them down. Many of us forget that Kobe has been on the All-NBA defensive teams many times. The world's best player will probably be the team's best defender. He also might take over a game or two if it gets tight at the end. After all, he is the best scorer and closer in the world. (Gosh- I just said "best" a lot... but its all true).

Dwayne Wade- the extent to which he plays will obviously depend on his health, but when he plays look for him to fall down way more than "six times" and hopefully get up more than "7 times" as well. Wade will take his acrobatics in the paint to the olympics and based on 2 years ago things will go fairly well. Wade just needs to play better defense than last time around when he comes in for Kobe this summer. He also needs to understand that the calls won't be coming his way as much as in the NBA. Quite a few times in 2006 Wade jumped into players in the lane looking for foul calls and threw the ball up as a prayer... only, the whistles didn't come.

Dwight Howard- Stay out of Foul Trouble... Stay Out of Foul Trouble... STAY OUT OF FOUL TROUBLE. Dwight Howard will often times be looking at a very crowded paint with multiple seven footers on the floor (China, Germany, Spain). He needs to take his penchant for Goal Tending in the NBA and use it in the olympics while gobbling up every rebound or alley oop that comes his way. Most of all, he needs to not force it on the offensive end. Last summer most of his fouls came from trying to post up flopping defenders. He needs to get his points from cutters and good ball movement... not postups. and most of all- No foul trouble... no more over-the-back fouls.

Quick Note- Howard has a fractured Sternum and is not playing right now... We really really need him to be healthy.

Carlos Boozer- I think we will all be surprised by how effective and well suited boozer is to the international game. He is a power forward, but a very large one and is certainly a space filler. He is also very quick. I think lots of defenders will leave him open 8-10 footers and he will knock them down. The key for Boozer is good rebounding (especially when Howard isn't around).

Chris Bosh- It is hard to make out exactly what Bosh's role will be. I have a hard time seeing him playing as the only big man on the floor during any of the games unless fouls make it necessary. Most likely he will be setting lots of high screens for guards and popping out while boozer/Howard clear space in the lane, but to be honest I am not sure.

Michael Redd- A zone breaker... plain and simple. Make Threes. Redd did not shoot that great last summer and needs to be on his game this summer... especially if others are struggling.

Tayshaun Prince- This will sound odd, but I see Prince's roll ending up similar to Michael Redd. Prince can really knock down the NBA three and shoots a great deal of shots from the Olympic three area. He will also be asked to rebound a lot and defend. Really, he will be this year's Battier. Corner threes... defensive stopper... energy player on the boards.

Final thoughts- 1) sorry this was so long, but I am sure there is plenty you all can disagree with me on now, 2) remember the lanes are wider and the US has had trouble with violations 3) goal tending is allowed in international play, 4) there WILL be games in which the USA gets screwed by officials for simply being the USA... we can't dwell on it, just overcome it, 5) things are a lot more physical in International play and European teams run much more complex offenses with essentially audibles off of sophisticated pick and roll plays, 6) The Europeans are kings of the jump shot and will have plenty of Dirk Nowitzki type/sized players coming out of the woodwork (see- Greece and Spain), 7) GO USA!!!!

[Edouble]

Kobe Bryant- Kobe will not be scoring all that much. First off, he is still dealing with torn ligaments in his finger and says his release is still off and that he still doesn't feel that comfortable with his shot. Look for Kobe to be the leader on the team as he was last summer. Each game he asked K if he could guard the best guard on the opposing team and most of the time he absolutely shut them down. Many of us forget that Kobe has been on the All-NBA defensive teams many times. The world's best player will probably be the team's best defender. He also might take over a game or two if it gets tight at the end. After all, he is the best scorer and closer in the world. (Gosh- I just said "best" a lot... but its all true).

Chris Bosh- It is hard to make out exactly what Bosh's role will be. I have a hard time seeing him playing as the only big man on the floor during any of the games unless fouls make it necessary. Most likely he will be setting lots of high screens for guards and popping out while boozer/Howard clear space in the lane, but to be honest I am not sure.

An excellent all-around assessment of this summer's squad sir. I'd disagree on just a few things. As has been mentioned elsewhere, this is Kobe's chance to redeem himself a bit for his sub-par performance in the NBA Finals, and I definitely see the guy showing up heavily on the stat sheet. I said in another post that Carmello will lead the offense, as Kobe leads the defense, but I also think that the reigning NBA MVP will have plenty to say with the ball in his hands. While Kidd is the king of fastbreaks, Kobe has plenty of point guard in him, and with so many outstanding potential targets, I can see him driving and dishing in spades. He's also strong enough to finish at the rim, even if his pinky slows him some with the stop-and-pop.

I'm also looking forward to seeing Bosh on the court. I really believe that he could be the X-factor in the frontcourt. Everyone on this site knows that Boozer is a beast with sufficient strength to compete with most big men, however I truly believe that Bosh's ability in this department is overlooked. He's wiry, but powerful, especially on the defensive end, and I can see him spelling Howard and Boozer as the only big on the floor. A frontline of 'Melo and Bosh could indeed be most formitable. Don't sleep on the Bosher; he was selelcted among many for a reason.

[JimBD]

Tyson Chandler has been selected as an alternate on the Olympic team. Apparently insurance in case Howard can't play. Chandler was awesome on defense this year and very effective on the pick and roll with Chris Paul.

[moonpie23]

i had a second to muse today.... Do the international refs hate our guts?

[BD80]

i had a second to muse today.... Do the international refs hate our guts?

Yep. But they won't hate us as much without Larry Brown, Vince Carter, Allen Iverson, and Stephon Marbury.

[BD80]

How were we supposed to win in 2004 with Iverson and Starbury at the point, and comprising 2 of the five veterans? Two of the other veterans were Jefferson and Marion. Not much in the way of leadership. Then there were seven YOUNG kids. Add a coach (Brown) who relies on his veterans. We didn't really stand a chance.

The best four of those "kids" are back with much more experience. We add the best player in the world (Kobe), a true point guard undefeated in international play (Kidd), two more very talented point guards (Williams and CP3), the most dominant big man in the NBA (Howard), one of the best shooters in the NBA (Redd), one of the best all-around big men in the NBA (Bosh) and one of the most versatile players in the NBA (Prince).

And one coach to unite them.

Other than the four we bring back, who would you want from the 2004 team?

Boozer and Bosh are going to do well, because they can catch Kidd's passes and shoot from the creases in the zones we will face. Good shooting doesn't just mean from 3-point range. Prince can shoot well and operate in the creases of a zone if needed, but I don't see him getting much PT unless the match-up demands. The key is that we will have to attack the zone quickly rather than have an Iverson pound the ball while watching his teammates cut for the chance to set him a pick. Kidd will make all the difference, and Williams and CP will take their cues from him.

Our guys also have some experience with the International Goaltending rules, which don't apply once the ball hits the rim (interfering with the downward flight of a shot is still goaltending). Howard should be an animal on the rim.

I think we will absolutely dominate the competition, with only the officiating to keep it close.

[BlueintheFace]

i had a second to muse today.... Do the international refs hate our guts?

More than anything, the international refs hated Tim Duncan. Duncan is a great player, but he is widely regarded as one of the, if not THE, biggest crier in the NBA and his "eyes wide, hands out, shoulders scrunched up, following the ref to the scorers table in disbelief" routine seriously pissed them off... and they were just looking for an excuse to hate us. This time around I have a feeling K has told his team that they will screw us over and we just have to move on and get enough of a lead that it doesn't matter.