Team USA looks bad

[andycard69]

Why is this team getting outplayed by scrubs. They need to lay off the NBA players and just create a full time national team.

[cyman3]

"Why is this team getting outplayed by scrubs."

- cuz, we sent a SCRUB team... it balances out.

i think the talent level is even (honestly). USA has more athleticism but lacks fundamentals like the midrange jumper and freethrows.

i think the US team has too many players who play alike. I wish Ray Allen or Michael Redd was on the team... as well as a TRUE PG.

[AHF]

Quote:

---

"Why is this team getting outplayed by scrubs."

- cuz, we sent a SCRUB team... it balances out.

i think the talent level is even (honestly). USA has more athleticism but lacks fundamentals like the midrange jumper and freethrows.

i think the US team has too many players who play alike. I wish Ray Allen or Michael Redd was on the team... as well as a TRUE PG.

---

I agree with a lot of this but we didn't send scrubs and the talent level is not remotely even. If you really think it is even, I challenge you to list out the Puerto Rico roster and match it up against the US roster and see which players are even. I'll get you started:

Carlos Arroyo = Tim Duncan

[cyman3]

Well, TIM DUNCAN is clearly the best player in the olympics. no argument there.

however, it is possible that guys like Carlos Arroyo is more valuable on his team than Stephon Marbury is on our team. in the NBA, Marbury is the better player. in the olympics or international play, Arroyo is the better player. its just 2 different games.

the strength of our players is evident. we watch the NBA, and we have 82 chances to watch a player play. However, the media tends to get in the hype and cover the strength of the players and not the WEAKNESSES of those players.

We are one of the worst olympic teams when it comes to shooting 3's, midrange jumpers, and freethrows.

i said our team is a SCRUB TEAM, simply b/c its not the best team sent. A team consisting of Shaq, Duncan, Garnett, Kobe, Kidd with McGrady as our 6th man would not lose a single game. of the 6 best players in the NBA, we sent 1.

if it wasnt for DUNCAN, our team would be in LOTS of trouble. i wouldnt even predict the BRONZE medal if Duncan wasnt playing.

[Wretch]

The least of which is the talent level of these squads we're sending. True, Shaq, Kidd, Kobe, McGrady, and Garnett would steamroll right into the Olympics, but it wasn't too long ago that we sent, pretty much, a top flight squad that barely eeked through.

The problem is that these guys have no roles. The NBA game is centered around stars, and getting "the man" the ball. The Lakers are so-and-so's team. The Celtics are so-and-so's team. That kind of thing. This squad is composed of a bunch of "So and so's" who each think that they can beat 12 guys all by themself. They are missing shots and the next time down, another "so and so" is trying to cover up. If these guys establish 2 or 3 guys that will be the focus of the offense - *guys that can actually make shots and make a difference* - they'd steamroll through the competition.

In my opinion, those guys need to be Iverson, Duncan, and LeBron. Nobody can hold AI in this tournament. It'll take a team to defend him. If he and Duncan play the inside/outside, with LeBron penetrating, running plays, and playing off of those two...they'd walk to the gold. All they would need is guys like Booz, RJ, and Melo to pick up the slack as role players.

Problem is, these guys feel like a Dream Team...and they are not. The first couple of teams that we put together were the absolute best, and they epitomized the concept of team - as a group and as individuals. They were motivated and they were dominant.

I don't think the gap has been closed that significantly. Looking at the premiere talent on each team (Arroyo/Nowitski/etc.) the dropoff in talent from 2 to 3 is BEYOND significant. Many of these guys would be lucky to make an NBDL squad. But they are fundamentally sound and as Team USA approaches this thing casually, plays sloppily and selfishly, these guys just go out and play. It's almost like each team is playing in a separate game and the scores are just compared at the end.

Team USA is not a Dream Team and it's time they stopped trying to play that way. They need to establish go to guys, role players, and put the best fits on the court. For me, that would start with Marbury going to the bench and LeBron coming in.

[Gray Mule]

"We" meaning the U.S.A. representives, are the best players.

"They" meaning our opponents, are the best TEAMS.

"They" play team basketball. "We" play individual, look

at me, I'm a star, type basketball.

Teams win because they ARE teams, and all work for the

good of the team. "We" win when one or two of our

stars are able to explode and score a bunch of points.

If our N.B.A. players could embrace this idea of, This

is about the team and winning, instead of, This is

about me and making me look good, them U.S.A. can

go for the gold.

[Eeeee]

Yes true, no-one can check Kobe, McGrady, Iverson etc. But guess what, people have stopped trying to! The international teams play better zone than the US teams could hope to. The international teams move the ball better than the USA, and they also shoot much better from the perimeter.

The US players basic lack of fundamental team basketball is being exposed. What is also being exposed is the gross individualism of the NBA. This is the only league in the world where individual is emphasised ahead of team. Its not basketball, its basically bullshit.

[Bulldog]

it seems to me that the us team has one game plan - get it down low to Duncan as the only way that the team is getting points is through him or Allen Iverson throwing up a range of jumpers.

The team would be far better if there was a specialist shooter or two to mix up the offense. Imagine the team with Brent Barry in the offense for spells or Ray Allen or even Jim Jackson - a player who consistently knocked them down last year from downtown. That would give the team a better inside outside offense.

It seems to me that the selectors of USA basketball are to blame too. I know that lots of the top stars turned the team down, but that doesnt mean you take the most marketable guy left available. This is a competition. It would have been better to send a team with a better mix of players with defined roles.

Its a zone game - so take some shooters like Barry and Jackson and a guy who can stand in the middle all day and block shots next to Duncan - I would have taken Theo Ratliff. Maybe Okafor could do this job, but as he hasnt played it is hard know.

[Wretch]

They don't even represent the stars of the NBA. They are just a poorly constructed team that can't shoot and hasn't played together. These guys can't shoot and don't pass, but there are MUCH BETTER shooters and passers in the NBA (both stars and non-stars). MUCH MUCH BETTER. As a matter of fact, not too long ago, we sent a squad of rookies and 1st and 2nd year players that included Jason Terry and they kicked the competition around like a futbol.

The NBA isn't as bad as everyone is suggesting, it's just a differnt game. It's that and the fact that we are actually losing and the world is actually competing; so people are taking the opportunity to bash USA basketball. It's ridiculous. It's like judging the championship Bulls without Jordan and Pippen, playing against the And 1 team in a Streetball tournament.

This team isn't dominating, but they're still winnning. BUT...Put Kobe, Allen, Andre Miller, Kidd, Redd, TMac...sh#t, even a Jason Williams, Stephen Jackson, or Jason Terry out there, basically a couple better shooters and/or passers... Do that, and this thing is a route. Put the REAL NBA stars out there, tier 1 guys, and they might as well just mail us the medal before it even starts. It wouldn't matter how well the international teams pass the ball and play zone.

[Plainview1981]

They don't even represent the stars of the NBA. They are just a poorly constructed team that can't shoot and hasn't played together. These guys can't shoot and don't pass, but there are MUCH BETTER shooters and passers in the NBA (both stars and non-stars). MUCH MUCH BETTER. As a matter of fact, not too long ago, we sent a squad of rookies and 1st and 2nd year players that included Jason Terry and they kicked the competition around like a futbol."

There are? Like who? There is Redd and he still only

shot 44% which isn't anything that great. These guys

DO represent the NBA.... Lacking fundamentals. Free

Throw shooting seems to even be tough for so many

players. Much better passers? It has been like years

now since anyone other than Jason Kidd has averaged

double figures in assist.

"The NBA isn't as bad as everyone is suggesting, it's just a differnt game."

Yeah

1)Extremely boring

2)Too much hip hopish and street thug attitude. The funny

thing is that while NBA players try and act tough they

fight like little sissy boys.

3)The NBA defenses are overrated because teams have simple

offenses that is easy to defend againest.

4)Too many 3's taken and so few of them made.

5)Lack of PG's has led to poor and simple offenses because

guys like Terry, Francis can't seem to run good offenses.

"

This team isn't dominating, but they're still winnning. BUT...Put Kobe, Allen, Andre Miller, Kidd, Redd, TMac...sh#t, even a Jason Williams, Stephen Jackson, or Jason Terry out there,"

Right. Terry can't even run a simple gameplan in the

NBA. How is he going to be effective over there? Not

to mention he can't shoot either. His decline in FG%

basically every year in his career is proof of that.

When did Andre Miller learn to shoot? He didn't look

very good two years ago....Kidd can pass, but he can't

shoot either. Shooting 39% is a struggle for him.

[Weez]

you also have to factor in the decreased ability of NBA players to conceptualize a zone defense, and how to beat it (even with their currents skills and "lack of outside shooting" as you call it).

TMac got killed by it this year. in hs and AAU, they're simply far too superior to be beaten by it (due to skill disparities of the opposing players). thus, they never had to "figure it out." most don't play long in college, thus again, they fail to acquire the knowledge

there's a reason that so many nba players, even the more mediocre ones, suddenly explode in the nba whereas they were simply "good" in college.

[Wretch]

Regardless of what kind of useless bullsh#t dribbles from your mouth, Jason Terry and a bunch of "scrubs" (including a few that are on this team) went to international competition and mopped up the floor with them. It wasn't even close. They didn't lose a single game.

Here's your roster:

Shane Battier, Calvin Booth, Baron Davis, Marcus Fizer, Rashard Lewis, Mark Madsen, Shawn Marion, Kenyon Martin, Andre Miller, Mike Miller, Jermaine O'Neal, Wally Szczerbiak, and Jason Terry

And here's your scores:

USA 132 Mexico 58

USA 97 Argentina 67

USA 111 Cuba 70

USA 106 Brazil 98 (OT)

USA 91 Argentina 63

You are a f#cking fool if you believe even half of what you're saying.

[Plainview1981]

What was JT's numbers? If I remember correctly he done

hardly nothing and looked totally lost.

"You are a f#cking fool if you believe even half of what you're saying."

No, more like you are stupid @ss hardcore fan that fails

to realize the NBA is in the crapper and isn't really

basketball anymore. THe decline real to most people besides

lame @ss hardcore fans.

http://usabasketball.com/history/moly_2000.html

In 2000 the team was:

Shareef Abdur-Rahim F 6-9 230 12/11/76 Vancouver Grizzlies / California '96

Ray Allen G 6-5 205 07/20/75 Milwaukee Bucks / Connecticut '96

Vin Baker F 6-11 240 11/23/71 Seattle SuperSonics / Hartford '93

Vince Carter G/F 6-6 225 01/26/77 Toronto Raptors / North Carolina '98

Kevin Garnett F 6-11 220 05/19/75 Minnesota Timberwolves / Farragut Academy H.S. (IL)

Tim Hardaway G 6-0 195 09/01/66 Miami Heat / Texas El-Paso '89

Allan Houston G 6-6 200 04/20/71 New York Knicks / Tennessee '93

Jason Kidd G 6-4 212 03/23/73 Phoenix Suns / California '94

Antonio McDyess F 6-9 220 09/07/74 Denver Nuggets / Alabama '95

Alonzo Mourning C 6-10 261 02/08/70 Miami Heat / Georgetown '92

Gary Payton G 6-4 190 07/23/68 Seattle SuperSonics / Oregon State '90

Steve Smith

USA 119 China 72

USA 93 Italy 61

USA 85 Lithuania 76

USA 102 New Zealand 56

USA 106 France 94

USA 85 Russia 70

USA 85 Lithuania 83

USA 85 France 75

Notice how the USA team struggled some the last 4

games? And that team had Ray Allen/Houston/Smith

and Vince Carter that could shoot. That was 4 years

ago.... For the most part he has got worse. That

Pierce/O'Neal/Miller/Marion/Finley team looked really

bad now and you have what we have seen so far this

year. And honestly, PP,Maron, Finley were all shooting

pretty good back then. By today's standards anyway.

[Wretch]

"I am a moron." Do it. You'll feel better. Admitting that you are a simpleton is the first step in recovery from being stupid.

It doesn't matter what JT's numbers were! It doesn't matter what anyone's stats on the team were. They were a better "team" they played "team" ball where individual stats don't matter remember? They kicked the world's teeth in. They had go to guys and they had role players...and they won.

...and what will you say if this ragtag group of guys win? What can you say except that they were good enough, with all their flaws, to beat the world and all of thier "better fundamentals."

...and I'm stupid? *lol* That's a good one! What the hell are you even doing here? Since you don't like the NBA and it's just a bunch of n!gger, ghetto, thug street punks that can't play ball?

Moron.

[Wretch]

But they still won every single game. Even with all their "lack of fundamentals." So shut the f#ck up!

[Plainview1981]

t doesn't matter what JT's numbers were! It doesn't matter what anyone's stats on the team were. They were a better "team" they played "team" ball where individual stats don't matter remember? They kicked the world's teeth in."

Perhaps not. But he looked like crap and was lost during

those games. They surely didn't win because of what he

did.

LaBron James/Carmello/Amare Stoudamire are the so called

future of the NBA. Funny how they look so bad. Doesn't say

much for the NBA's future does it?

"...and I'm stupid? *lol* That's a good one!"

Yes... Yes you are.

"What the hell are you even doing here? Since you don't like the NBA and it's just a bunch of n!gger, ghetto, thug street punks that can't play ball?"

Believe me, I don't watch the games as much I used to. They

bore me by half way through usally. I post more here than

I do watch the games. Not to mention it's free. If I had

to pay to watch the games I'd never see one.

[Wretch]

If I remember correctly, that team just started to lose focus down the stretch. They were overconfident, just like this group, and they started to goof around. The other teams started to knuckle down and they had to pull themselves together to win.

We are losing these games moreso than the competition is winning them.

[Plainview1981]

But they still won every single game. Even with all their "lack of fundamentals." So shut the f#ck up!"

Not very impressive though. Nobody needs these games to

see how poor the NBA game is. All you got to do is watch

the D@mn things. The clanker fests.... THe fact that no

PG averages more than like 8APG. The players are rather

boring. It's a struggle for players to make free throws..

I complain because I'd like to see the league actually

count again and be entertaining again.

[Wretch]

Because you are good at that.

What will you say when we win the gold?

What do you have to say about a team full of "scrubs" , including Jason Terry, that stomped the international competition?

Why do you even bother to post in here or even watch the NBA at all if it's so bad?

..and quit calling me stupid because it hurts my feelings.

Racist, bigoted, moron.

[Wretch]

They won! They beat the world. Doesn't matter chipmunk.