Team USA (Official Thread)

[LitlBuck]

Originally Posted by exhawg

All I kept thinking is the Blazers are going to be really good this year.

Maybe the Cavs should try and grab 17-year-old Spain PG. Hard to believe that he was only 17 years old. I would not mind him running my high school, not even to mention college, basketball team.

[akronbuck]

Originally Posted by LitlBuck

Maybe the Cavs should try and grab 17-year-old Spain PG. Hard to believe that he was only 17 years old. I would not mind him running my high school, not even to mention college, basketball team.

that kid would start for half the NBA teams now. He played like a pistol pete. Team USA needs a big tough man down low. Its sad Lebron had to be the tough guy down low

[Bucky Katt]

Originally Posted by akronbuck

that kid would start for half the NBA teams now. He played like a pistol pete. Team USA needs a big tough man down low. Its sad Lebron had to be the tough guy down low

They sure do. Howard and Bosh were decent, but there just wasn't enough depth (or brute muscle) down low. Hopefully, Greg Oden can become a player who contribute the defense and muscle to the team by the next Olympics.

['BusNative]

Originally Posted by Bucky Katt

They sure do. Howard and Bosh were decent, but there just wasn't enough depth (or brute muscle) down low. Hopefully, Greg Oden can become a player who contribute the defense and muscle to the team by the next Olympics.

I actually thought Howard was a little disappointing - he got lost on D and was just not skilled enough to make a difference in a zone. I'm saying this and I LOVE Howard in the NBA. Amare might have been a little better suited for the international game. That being said, I do hope they keep Howard - he's 22, and should definitely be able to improve his all-around game. Bosh was a huge asset.

[akronbuck]

Originally Posted by LitlBuck

Maybe the Cavs should try and grab 17-year-old Spain PG. Hard to believe that he was only 17 years old. I would not mind him running my high school, not even to mention college, basketball team.

we witnessed that talent ok. A top 5 pick

[OHSportsFan9]

Nice to see this bumped, as I was just thinking about Team USA the other day when looking at the remaining playoff teams.

Each team is headlined by a player that participated in the Summer Olympics.

Cavs- LBJ
Magic- Howard
Nuggets- 'Melo (okay, maybe Billups is the key guy)
Lakers- Kobe

Doesn't seem like the extra playing time hurt anybody. Also, Dwayne Wade had one of his best seasons yet, after looking good in his time with Team USA.

[naptownbuck]

Utah Jazz notes: Williams to play for USA - Salt Lake Tribune

Even if the Jazz fail to advance past the first round of the playoffs again this season, Deron Williams already knows he is looking ahead to a shorter summer in 2010.

Williams said Sunday that he has committed to play for USA Basketball at next summer's FIBA world championships in Turkey and already has received a preliminary schedule leading up to the event.

Having played on the gold-medal winning "Redeem Team" at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Williams wasn't sure of how many of his teammates were similarly committed to return next summer.

But Williams said the world championships were anything but an afterthought following the Olympics.

"Not at all," Williams said. "We want to keep it going.

You don't just get to be in the Olympics just because you're the U.S.A. You've got to go out there and earn your spot. So we have to qualify first, and hopefully we can do that next summer."

It will be the third time in four years that Williams will have played for USA Basketball, including a 2007 qualifying tournament in Las Vegas. Among the rest of the Jazz, Andrei Kirilenko , Mehmet Okur and Kosta Koufos all could play for their respective countries.

"We'll beat up on those guys a little bit," Williams said. "It'll be fun."