Amare Stoudemire will be added to US Olympic Roster

I'm not knocking Artest's ability one bit, but if Team USA wants to continue shunning guys simply based on character, they can't turn around and include Artest. It's why Webber is never mentioned as a candidate. I'm just saying their standards are very clearly changing.

I also backed up the notion that Steve doesn't fit the team, since they need floor generals, not a 10th 20-point scorer.

Evan

 

The Rockets (except Yao) aren't going to get the respect they deserve. Even though Francis was voted in by the fans as an All-Star, as an overall perspective from the NBA (other than Francis and Yao) no one knows a damn thing about this team.

 

It has been said that Bibby most likely will drop out.

 

I think a possible reason why Marbury, Marion, and Amare were all picked to be on the squad is because all three have experience playing together and they won’t have to learn how to adjust to each other.

I don’t have a problem with Amare going. I can’t wait to see some of the spectacular dunks he going to make. I’ve got a feeling he’s really going to “Wow” the international players the same way Vince Carter did the time he went. Maybe not jump over a 7’4 player, but something similar.

 

i see that a lot of the people they are picking and choosing are the ones that didnt make the playoffs, as in well rested but not talented enough to win. all the playoff guys, with the exception of timmy and jermaine seem to be skipping out like its the draft.

 

what's funny is that the guys that are getting married were the ones that were so gung ho about representing the US and bringing back the gold (KG and others). like wouldn't you actually plan these things in advance? i mean...if you know you're gonna play in the olympics in summer of 2004...wouldn't you plan your wedding some other time IF you were that adamant about representing your country? guys with injury issues are excuseable...but wedding? that is something that can be foreseen.

 

I've posted this in other spots, but check out this article about the 02 team; it gives insight as to who does well against int'l players:

http://espn.go.com/magazine/bucher_20020906.html

 

How can they totally trash SF3 like that?

Not even at the bottom of the waiting list. This is embarassing.

 

How can Francis trash USA Basketball by thinking he's worthy to play for them?

 

IMHO, the selection committee is still too fixated on assembling teams in the original Dream Team mode, and are looking to much at All-Stars than the necessary ingredients for a great team.

1. There simply are not (12) players today equal to the original roster, when you consider basketball smarts, skills, (individual) versatility, determination, and overall dominance:

• Jordan, Bird, Magic, Ewing, Pippen
  Drexler, Stockton, Malone, Barkley, Admiral
  Mullin, Laettner

2. To have a team, you have to fill roles. 12 guys that are big time scorers does not work, especially in regards to the PGs. Rebounding is one key, but defense and off-the-ball movement is critical. Can the player set a pick or screen? Or are they stuck in a shoot-first mentality? Would they be okay with not getting any more than 5 shots in a game?

3. In this day and age, you need shooting from all positions, and you need big men able to come out and guard the perimeter. The foreign squads live and breathe zone, and their bigs are notoriously for their outside shooting.

4. The coaches need to have a hand in the selection process.

Anyway, my choices (excluding players that have already pulled out):

• 5 - Tim Duncan
  4 - Jermaine O'Neal
  3 - Richard Jefferson
  2 - Ron Artest
  1 - Stephon Marbury (browse 03-04 A/TO ratio stats for players with over 8 APG)
  
  Ben Wallace
  LeBron James
  Eric Snow
  Michael Redd
  Lamar Odom
  Brad Miller
  Elton Brand

Pierce and Baron Davis are the embodiment of the poor choices made by the committee, and I'm not convinced Iverson won't join the list. He's sure as hell not going to run the offense.

Evan

 

I would be comfortable with Shaq, Duncan, Garnett, Kobe & Kidd with McGrady, maybe Webber or Wallace, Vince Carter, and Sam Cassell and Ray Allen/Michael Finley as my reserves and think these guys could beat them in a seven game series. (Oh yeah, I'd toss in Okafor to balance out Laettner, who defiles the Dream Team by his very presence

Reason being is that, while 92 team outshines them on the perimeter, Shaq, Duncan & Garnett would simply own the front court of Ewing/Robinson, Barkley/Malone & Pippen/Bird physically.

No way that Ewing or Admiral can stop shaq, Barkley and Malone are outmatched by Duncan, and Garnett is way too strong for Pippen and an elderly Bird.

While Jordan outmatches Kobe, Kobe is about the closest thing to Jordan you can get...and Kidd is one of the top passers of all time though no magic/stockton.

That being said it would be a toss up.

 

You are saying Ewing/Robinson, Barkley/Malone can't nicely contain the frontline of Shaq, Duncan and Garnett, assuming they were all in their prime??

I don't think so.

 

you have not seen Malone and Barkeley at their primes. They would both break Duncan and Garnett in half.

 

Dude, I have seen all of those guys in their primes, live in person as well as on TV, and I can tell you that there is no way that is true.

Tim Duncan vs. Barkley/Malone

Tim Duncan has already accomplished the one thing 6 years that Barkley and Malone did not accomplish in 35+ combined seasons, lead his team to an NBA championship not once, but twice. When all is said and done, Duncan, and not Barkley or Malone, will likely be remembered as the greatest Power Forward of all time, and has a legitimate claim to it now. (sorry Bob Petit, your era was too early!)

However, my point wasn't to compare their resumes, It was that Shaq, Duncan, & Garnett present profound physical mismatches because of their size & strength & athleticism.

Duncan at about 6-11 or 7 feet tall, presents a serious problem for the 6-6 inch mailmain and the 6-4 inch barkley (I'm using their real heights, not the listed heights.

Duncan on offense: Barkley was always an average at best man defender, and he was usually below average. A tenacious rebounder, but not much else. Malone, though he developed into a better defender as time went on and made a few All D teams from 96-98, is/was a decent ball stripper, but otherwise wasn't a shot blocker or a lockdown defender. Offensively, neither ever did or could stop Tim Duncan, he is just too big and strong for either of them, he can face, he can back them down....I take Duncan over either of them.

Duncan on defense: Again, the physical Mismatch comes into play. Duncan at 7 feet has been one of the league's better shot blockers, and he doesn't get pushed around underneath. Barkley and Malone may have slightly more tenacity and are better in transition than Duncan, but we're talking about a guy who has made the all defensive team 6 times in 6 seasons here...He is simply in another plane than those two.


Garnett vs. Pippen/Bird

This is another mismatch physically. Scottie was at his peak here, but Garnett is simply one of the most freakish athletes to play the game. Garnett is 7 feet tall, Scottie was 6-7. They can both run and jump pretty well, but Garnett is both taller and stronger. Pippen gets the edge in Ballhandling, and was a fantastic defender, but he would have a tough, tough time vs. Garnett, another mainstay of the all defensive team

Even if you want to slide over Barkley or Malone to Garnett, they still have a tough time; Like Duncan, he is a long, long player who can move and will give them serious trouble on both sides of the ball, and he is a much better defender than Barkley or Malone were or willl be.

Bird, by the 92 Olympics, was just days away from retirement and was a shell of his former self....age and back injuries had robbed him of his former quickness...him vs. today's Garnett ? Put the kids to bed because it would be ugly.

Shaq vs. Robinson/Ewing

Another one that doesn't require much explanation. Shaq has established himself on the echelon of top-5 ever big men along with Russell, Chamberlain, Hakeem, & Kareem. Robinson & Ewing? THey are down on the next tier along with Nate Thurmonds, Willis Reeds, & Bob McAdoos of the world.

Love him or hate him, Shaq, even in his fat, waning years, is pretty much unstoppable near the basket still. Nobody can stop him when he gets the ball in close, not even now. It's not pretty, it might not even be legal, but it's effective. Ewing & Robinson have the same chance as everybody else: hope he doesn't get good position & pray. They were both good defenderrs, better than Shaq, but he doesn't have a legitimate claim to "MDE" for nothing.

On Defense, Shaq is a decent shotblocker and rebounder, but he's pretty lazy these days, a motivated Robinson could probably get past him (though the 92 robinson wasn't quite at his peak of 94-95, and was not a real face up player, which shaq would have more trouble with. Ewing would do allright vs. Shaq if his jumper was fallling, but he should not be option 1 on offense for that team.


They are all great players, but in the end, you have to go with the old adage: A good big man beats a good little man every time.

 

Duncan today vs Barkeley/Malone in 1992 draw
(you know it's much harder to win a ring in the Jordan era)

Shaq today has no advantage over a 1992 Ewing or Robinson.
Don't forget the 1994 championship series reached 7 games.
One basket could change the result.

 

One basket?

Who cares?

Shaq now is still better than Ewing or Robinson ever were. Turn on your tv to see why.

Duncan's defense alone puts him head and shoulders above Barkley and Malone. Barkley was average, Malone was good (though not in 92), Duncan is great.

But this isn't about that, it's about matchups, can an average undersized defender take on 7 foot Tim Duncan? Hell no; can a great defender like Duncan take on Malone & Barkley --- I like my chances better than yours.

 

yes Shaq is better than Ewing and Robinson then and now and I also agree that Duncan has a huge advantage on Barkley and Malone but I also think they can hold their own

 

I'd hate to see Amare go. Steve deserves it way more than Amare.

Amare's FG% for his position is also a few percentage points shy of what it should be, his game is not suited to international play, and he is immature.

Steve is not so great himself, but better than Amare. Besides, O'Neal, Duncan and Garnett are all going - if they want someone to sit on the bench, it doesn't matter if it's a PF or a Guard, so why not Steve?