Could Collins be an USA BBall guy?

[kg01]

When you look at the 'bigs' on that 35-man:

https://www.usab.com/news-events/news/2018/04/mnt-roster-announcment.aspx

Here are the guys I'd say were 'bigs':

Quote

Named to the 2018-20 USA National Team are: Harrison Barnes (Dallas Mavericks); DeMarcus Cousins(New Orleans Pelicans); Anthony Davis(New Orleans Pelicans); Andre Drummond(Detroit Pistons); Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors); ; Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors); Blake Griffin (Detroit Pistons); Tobias Harris(Los Angeles Clippers); LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers); DeAndre Jordan (Los Angeles Clippers); Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers); Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers)

Why wouldn't Collins be on the short list?  Remember, most of them dudes are old and/or injured and are likely looking at their last run with the squad.  Cousins shouldn't be there this summer based on injury.

If Turner can be there, there's no reason Collins can't. Turner is vastly overrated IMHO.

Thoughts?

[Flight]

I definitely think he deserves a shot, especially with those listed. Skill wise he's not too far off.

[RedDawg#8]

Between Turner and Tobias Harris, Collins definitely has a case to be made. I think he showed a lot of people his potential with his dominace in SL. I really hope Collins has a monster season this year, I hope he joins/wins the dunk contest after last years boring showcase, I want everyone on the league to be on his jock by the All Star break. 

 

[AHF]

Count Harrison Barnes among those that I think Collins could surpass this year.

[EazyRoc]

Could ? Absolutely.

He is going to have to showcase that shooting stroke and face up game much more throughout the season. He will need to continue to improve defensively. Check those two boxes and I can see him earning a spot without a doubt.

[JayBirdHawk]

I would dump any one of  Cousins, Barnes, Harris and Griffin for Collins.

[kg01]

28 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

I would dump any one of  Cousins, Barnes, Harris and Griffin for Collins.

Barnes is overrated and folks are starting to see it.

An added factor that helps Collins is the fact that most of the talented, young bigs aren't 'Merican.

Towns, Embiid, Jokic, the UTA guy, etc.  All not eligible.  Well, Embiid may be.  I'm not 100% sure on him but I doubt it.  Kinda how Olajuwon became "Merican" somehow back in the day.  And, yes, I know how one becomes a 'Merican.  I'm saying I think some rules were bent for Akeem years ago from an eligibility standpoint which may not be available today.

[JayBirdHawk]

3 minutes ago, kg01 said:

Barnes is overrated and folks are starting to see it.

An added factor that helps Collins is the fact that most of the talented, young bigs aren't 'Merican.

Towns, Embiid, Jokic, the UTA guy, etc.  All not eligible.  Well, Embiid may be.  I'm not 100% sure on him but I doubt it.  Kinda how Olajuwon became "Merican" somehow back in the day.  And, yes, I know how one becomes a 'Merican.  I'm saying I think some rules were bent for Akeem years ago from an eligibility standpoint which may not be available today.

I think as long as Embiid hasn't represented his home country in any international play he is eligible to play for 'Merica if he's done the paperwork to become 'Murican 

[MaceCase]

He would have to show a marked improvement in his pick and roll defense and/or shooting to get a nod.  The majority of the bigs that have been selected as part of the successful run of Olympics and World Championships/Cups teams have been skilled tweener forwards and then very few or even just a single low minute behemoth like DeAndre, Dwight, and Chandler.

FIBA play doesn't really favor size as an advantage for the US bigs due to their true zone coverages so the US countered with skilled PFs at C instead and the aforementioned behemoths as an emergency against a few big opponents.  Collins' skillset currently is that of a C but he doesn't really have the size, his best bet would be as an energy big off the bench like Kenneth Faried who absolutely wrecked at the 2014 World Cup.

[kg01]

12 minutes ago, MaceCase said:

He would have to show a marked improvement in his pick and roll defense and/or shooting to get a nod.  The majority of the bigs that have been selected as part of the successful run of Olympics and World Championships/Cups teams have been skilled tweener forwards and then very few or even just a single low minute behemoth like DeAndre, Dwight, and Chandler.

FIBA play doesn't really favor size as an advantage for the US bigs due to their true zone coverages so the US countered with skilled PFs at C instead and the aforementioned behemoths as an emergency against a few big opponents.  Collins' skillset currently is that of a C but he doesn't really have the size, his best bet would be as an energy big off the bench like Kenneth Faried who absolutely wrecked at the 2014 World Cup.

You wrote all them words against it only to end up at the only conclusion that mattered.

Collins cain't be that right now?

That said, I came up with the premise after seeing his offensive game seemingly evolving based on SL play (which comes with a huge @Spud2nique sized disclaimer).  If he can shoot it enough, he should be on the short list going forward.

[MaceCase]

1 hour ago, kg01 said:

You wrote all them words against it only to end up at the only conclusion that mattered.

Collins cain't be that right now?

That said, I came up with the premise after seeing his offensive game seemingly evolving based on SL play (which comes with a huge @Spud2nique sized disclaimer).  If he can shoot it enough, he should be on the short list going forward.

You don't like words?  Well you're going to get words from this avid connoisseur (and yes I can spell that without spellcheck) of American international basketball!

It's not a good bet if his best chance of getting in is to emulate Farried.  If you understood the context of that first 2014 World Cup basically nobody established wanted to go and K and Colangelo had to construct the youngest roster the US has seen since they started letting the pros in with the Dream Team.  A Plumlee made that team FFS!

Farried of course didn't make it onto the 2016 Olympics roster once the big boys re-upped and no player of his particular size and skillset has been invited to the current camp.  The Farried archetype was essentially replaced by Draymond. 

Of the current invitees Collins is really looking at only beating out Turner but you can pretty much bet that Turner will be amongst the first cuts anyway.  The team only carries 3 "true bigs" on their roster and Draymond is considered one of them, the rest are SF/PFs and the last time in the last decade they carried a 4th big was a Plumlee FFS!

The current depth at C is Davis, Draymond, and either of Drummond or DeAndre just to have a plodder over Love.  Griffin won't ever make a summer roster due to his litany of injuries and Cousins is TBD, so that's 5 spots already for only 3 openings.  Next summer Turner is likely a shoe in because of continuity from the Select team and this camp so Collins will be considered amongst this draft's big man crop of likely invitees: Bagley, JJJ, Bamba and Carter plus previous Select Team members Aaron Gordon and Julius Randle. 

[Spud2nique]

2 hours ago, kg01 said:

You wrote all them words against it only to end up at the only conclusion that mattered.

Collins cain't be that right now?

That said, I came up with the premise after seeing his offensive game seemingly evolving based on SL play (which comes with a huge @Spud2nique sized disclaimer).  If he can shoot it enough, he should be on the short list going forward.

Insert: (thaaaaaaa F*****cckkk blonde mullet hick gif)....

 

 

[EazyRoc]

Any big that can space the floor, rebound, and play defense will get a long look by the people putting together the team. Can Collins be exceptional without having plays called for him ? That is the difference maker.

[kg01]

1 hour ago, MaceCase said:

You don't like words?  Well you're going to get words from this avid connoisseur (and yes I can spell that without spellcheck) of American international basketball!

It's not a good bet if his best chance of getting in is to emulate Farried.  If you understood the context of that first 2014 World Cup basically nobody established wanted to go and K and Colangelo had to construct the youngest roster the US has seen since they started letting the pros in with the Dream Team.  A Plumlee made that team FFS!

Farried of course didn't make it onto the 2016 Olympics roster once the big boys re-upped and no player of his particular size and skillset has been invited to the current camp.  The Farried archetype was essentially replaced by Draymond. 

Of the current invitees Collins is really looking at only beating out Turner but you can pretty much bet that Turner will be amongst the first cuts anyway.  The team only carries 3 "true bigs" on their roster and Draymond is considered one of them, the rest are SF/PFs and the last time in the last decade they carried a 4th big was a Plumlee FFS!

The current depth at C is Davis, Draymond, and either of Drummond or DeAndre just to have a plodder over Love.  Griffin won't ever make a summer roster due to his litany of injuries and Cousins is TBD, so that's 5 spots already for only 3 openings.  Next summer Turner is likely a shoe in because of continuity from the Select team and this camp so Collins will be considered amongst this draft's big man crop of likely invitees: Bagley, JJJ, Bamba and Carter plus previous Select Team members Aaron Gordon and Julius Randle. 

I ain't read none a this.

[MaceCase]

2 hours ago, kg01 said:

I ain't read none a this.

Yes, yes.  We all know how you are when it comes to book learnin'