You didn't read the exchange. Nobody's more excited than me about Scola. And I think he could be a top caliber player. Who knows? He hasn't been pushed by NBA competition yet. He might be better than we think now. I was only responding to the idea that he was currently a "top caliber player in any league." You can't say that about anyone until they've played in the top league in the world against the top players and top teams in the world and the only place to do that today is in the NBA.
I'm not going to argue the relative merits of individual players and I'm certainly not going to suggest that all NBA stars are good at playing team ball. I'm only saying that every basketball player in the world knows that the real championship game is played every summer in the United States and that if any one of them is serious about competing at the top level of their sport they'll do whatever they can to play here. Winning in the Olympics, against a random group of star NBA players who get together every once in a while to throw down dunks, is not the same. And they all know that even if you don't.
I will concede this year. Last year I would have said Tau ceramica could have beaten the NBA champions. The heat, specially by international rules. But that team is not quite the same, and also the Spurs are very international. Also another team very international, the Chicago bulls with Deng and Nocioni. The Toronto Raptors, also the Utah Jazz. There is a huge number of international players on the NBA. It would be fun to have a US vs. the Wolrd. Instead of having East vs. West.
team usa with it's A list players could beat any national team in the world. absolutely no question about it. however, international basketball is 10 times what it was when the original dream team came together. a world team vs. team usa as mentioned before, could just about be a pick 'em game.
It would be pick them by NBA rules. I think the internationals would win handily by international rules. To make it competitive on international rules make it US vs. Argentina/Spain combination. But who would you chose on the international team if you were picking it instead of the East vs. West. This is with NBA rules.
PG - Nash SG - Ginobili SF - Deng PF - Nowitzki C - Yao That would be my starting 5 for an all-international team.
International team: Starters: Steve Nash Manu Ginobli Luol Deng Dirk Nowitzki Yao Ming Bench Tony Parker Leandro Barbosa Andres Nocioni Pau Gasol Mehmet Okur
If the USA let their egos get in the way like did last night, then their's a chance it could be a close match or victory for the opponent. And with Wade coming back next year, that's another ego type player. If the USA can put their egos aside and play team basketball, every game will be a blow out no matter who we play.
Scola seems to have had an easier time scoring against Team USA's series of allstar big men than he did against Brazil....(and he had 23 against Brazil). It's really brutal to watch Argentine when Scola's out....he's their main go to guy. Too bad he got into foul trouble.....but 2 of his fouls were on help defense trying to cover for a teammate....dam that Kobe. It just seemed like Scola can score pretty easily against Dwight Howard and Amare. Howard and Amare might be great dunkers, but they seem to be less well-rounded skill wise than Scola. Scola's got an array of post moves, shooting, and ways to score and pass around the basket. Walton was right....the foreign big men work on their skill set more. If Scola had played more than his 19 minutes, maybe he'd have gone for 30 or more.
They chose the right players in 2004, the team that dominated at tournament of the Americas in 2003, but they just became selfish bastards who decided not to go to the Olympics citing "fear of terrorism" when they really just wanted a vacation- so A-list guys like McGrady Kidd etc dropped out, Ray Allen dropped out, Kobe wouldn't play, and even B-list guys like Michael Redd decided not to play - the us then gets stuck with Allen Iverson and Marbury playing PG and Emeka Okafor and Lamar Odom as the depth.
i read a couple of spurs fan forums, they are even impressed with scola's play and pissed that he was traded to the rockets.
