Kobe said sometime in the last year he wants to be the "closer". There is zero reason for KD or LeBron to defer to him this time around. It's possible they won't need a closer for the team. Despite the injuries, this squad is deeper and better than 2008.
i don't know. dwade was a monster in the last olympics. adding durant at best is a small upgrade, if not just a breakeven. and in terms of guys who can only dunk and can't make free throws, turning howard into griffin is a downgrade. and bosh had a surprisingly good olympics. chandler will bring more D but less ability to spread the floor. and kobe is now 4 years older and worse for the wear. westbrook is an upgrade to kidd but how much can all the point guards even realistically play? the scrubbier guys from 2008 didn't play much anyway so even if they've been upgraded i'm not sure of the impact. if kevin love brings his shot that could be very nice, though. also, if things go according to plan i won't ever have to see iguodala shoot a 3 in this tournament. it seemed like he shot about 8% on 3's in the world championships.
I remember some bozo here saying Team USA wouldn't even need Wade in 2008. How wrong can someone be. It's not just KD substituting for Wade. LeBron is much improved, CP3 and D-Will are more familiar with international ball. WB is MUCH better than Kidd. Everyone in the rotation except for Harden has more FIBA seasoning as compared to Team USA in 2008. The rules (lane, 3-point shot, no-charge circle, etc) are more like the NBA. All of those things together should make it much easier for this squad to find it's comfort zone in London. Protecting the paint is my primary concern.
While Blake can't shoot, defend, and his post game is really bad, Blake is actually a very good passer and underated ball handler (Blake has guard skills that are almost as good as Lamar Odom). This is coming from a Blake Hater who has made a million Blake for Howard trade proposals...
<object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/nxfv7BmDxnA?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/nxfv7BmDxnA?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>
I love Parsons as much as the next guy, but seriously? This board overrates Parsons so much. Guys like Danny Granger, Wade, Bosh, and other sure fire superstars that are injured are not on the squad. Seriously...this board
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/69bc_OOLIMM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Wow, Kyrie Irving had some sick moves. Olympics '16 for sure. Was Hibbert invited to the select team or to try out for the Olympic squad? If the USA team needed height, so that Tyson Chandler could have a backup, why not Hibbert?
I like this team, it isn't stuffed full of a bunch of 3rd Tier stars like in 2004, and they didn't waste a roster spot on a mediocre NBA player or college star. I compared this to the 2012 All-Stars, and aside from a few big injuries (Rose, Dwight, Bosh, Wade), some guys who are uninterested (Bynum), and some who aren't even that great anymore (Pierce) almost every top American is accounted for. We have the top PG (CP3) and the two best players in the game (LeBron, Durant). We have multiple 3pt shooters, and strong rebounders. The only position that's thin is "center," but I'm totally fine with Griffin and Love sliding up there, while someone like LeBron plays PF.
