Battier deserving of USA selection

Battier deserving of USA selection
Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

By Don Wade
August 20, 2006

There are those who will say Shane Battier is on Team USA's 12-man roster for the World Championships because of Coach K.
It's an easy argument to make: Battier played for Mike Krzyzewski at Duke, so naturally Coach K is going to take the guy who helped him win an NCAA title over San Antonio's Bruce Bowen, who was the last player cut from the 12-man squad.

But this argument is too easy and ignores several facts. First, we're not just talking about assembling the best possible team to play in this summer's World Championships in Japan. Remember, this is a three-year commitment with the Olympics coming up in 2008.
Bruce Bowen is 35. Shane Battier turns 28 next month.

In general, they are the same player: Mr. Intangible, the guy who defends, dives on the floor, knocks down the occasional 3-pointer, does any and all dirty work and never complains.

But look at the numbers: Bowen owns a career scoring average of 6.5 points and a career rebounding mark of just 2.9.

Battier has averaged 10.5 points and 4.8 rebounds over his five years with the Grizzlies, and the Houston Rockets traded for him because they see him for what he is: Bowen-like, only with more game.

Which is the bottom-line reason Battier is on Team USA's active roster and Bowen is not. At this stage, Battier has more to offer.

No matter whom he played for in college.

 

It seems that everyone has forgotten about Battier. A hero goes unnoticed. He scored the first 5pts for Team USA.

 

Battier defense highlights USA win

By Chris Sheridan
ESPN Insider

SAPPORO, Japan -- Shane Battier was a proud man Sunday night after standing in the way of Yao Ming, taking a charge and living to tell about it.

It happened in the third quarter of Team USA's 121-90 rout of China when Yao got hold of a loose ball near midcourt and showed he can handle the rock a bit, dribbling straight for the basket where the only thing between himself and a sure two points was Battier.

The collision was a violent one, and Battier got the call. Yao protested vehemently to the referee, chasing him all the way out to midcourt, while Battier picked himself up, dusted himself off and played on.

"I don't know if there are too many people alive who can say they took a charge from Shaq and Yao and got the calls. I'm not very smart sometimes," joked Battier, who remembered taking a charge against O'Neal during the first home game of his rookie season with the Grizzlies. "It was the same situation like tonight. Once Yao got the ball at halfcourt I knew I was going to have to take a charge. That was the play, and it's a lot tougher when you have a few seconds to think about it."

Battier, who drew the charge against O'Neal during a 2-on-1 break, was unaware of the answer to my little taking-a-charge trivia question: Who is the only player believed to have taken a charge against Shaq when the Big Diesel was dribbling in alone on a breakaway? At the 2004 All-Star game, Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said the only player he had ever seen do it was Travis Best.

"Most charges you take, you fall down like that," Battier said, using his hand to make a motion of falling straight down. "With Shaq and with Yao, I went up and then down. I don't know if there's any physics teachers out there, but it's a good lesson."

Yao wasn't in a very chatty mood after the game, but he did pat Battier, his new teammate with the Houston Rockets, on the shoulder at he walked past him in the mixed zone. "You didn't know that about me?" Yao said when I complimented his breakaway ballhandling.

The game itself was hardly competitive, the Americans opening a 15-point lead after one quarter and putting the hammer down in the third quarter with their pressure defense, at one point forcing China to turn the ball over three straight times without even getting it past halfcourt. The third turnover ended with a 3-pointer by Joe Johnson for an 85-56 lead. At least that's what the scoreboard said, although the scorekeeper missed a basket and had the Americans with two fewer points than they should have had throughout the third quarter. Coach Mike Krzyzewski got on the guy in the fourth quarter, too, telling him he still had it wrong.