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USA Basketball: Bibby is the latest to say he will not participate

Discussion in 'NBA Dish' started by ron413, Jun 6, 2004.

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  1. ron413

    ron413 Member

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    ...any other Point Guards out there that can step in???

    Sunday, June 6, 2004

    By Marc Stein
    ESPN.com

    Sacramento's Mike Bibby is the latest original member of Team USA to surrender his Olympic spot, ESPN.com has learned.


    Sources also told ESPN.com that the need for a point guard to replace Bibby makes Miami rookie Dwyane Wade a more likely addition to the roster than Denver's Carmelo Anthony.


    Bibby had been considered on the fence by USA Basketball for weeks, but sources say the selection committee has formally moved on in hopes of securing commitments from four players to fill out the roster.


    Six replacements have already been chosen to join Duncan and Iverson: Cleveland's LeBron James, New York's Stephon Marbury, New Jersey's Richard Jefferson, Detroit's Ben Wallace and the Phoenix duo of Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire.


    Marbury is the only recognized point guard in that group. Although James and Iverson are also capable of handling the ball, Wade's odds of earning an 11th-hour invitation have thus increased, especially with USAB's emphasis on youth in the wake of losing so many veterans.


    Wade isn't a lock, though, because he's more of a combo guard than a pure point. Minnesota's Sam Cassell would have been a more obvious choice to replace Bibby, after his first All-Star season, but Cassell is expected to undergo hip surgery after hip and back ailments severely limited his participation in the Western Conference finals. New Orleans' Baron Davis and Denver's Andre Miller have yet to be mentioned as possibilities after both struggled on the American squad that finished an embarrassing sixth at the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis.


    Milwaukee's Michael Redd and Detroit's Rip Hamilton -- both excellent perimeter shooters -- are stronger contenders than Wade for a roster berth, sources said, after Team USA coach Larry Brown announced that he hopes to have a proven "zone buster" or two at his disposal.


    In Anthony's case, sources added, the selection committee is interested but isn't sure how much playing time would be left for him with James, Jefferson and Marion essentially playing the same position.


    Bibby, Orlando's Tracy McGrady, Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal and the L.A. Lakers' Karl Malone are "core" members of the original roster who have formally pulled out in recent days for various reasons, be it injury or security fears or simply a desire for offseason rest.


    The Lakers' Kobe Bryant, New Jersey's Jason Kidd and Seattle's Ray Allen were earlier withdrawals from the core group, which was assembled during the 2002-03 season in hopes of the group establishing some continuity before heading to Athens.


    The Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal, Minnesota's Kevin Garnett, Toronto's Vince Carter, New Jersey's Kenyon Martin and the L.A. Clippers' Elton Brand have also declined invitations, with reasons for pullouts or unavailability ranging from injuries (Kidd and Brand) to forthcoming weddings (Garnett and Carter) to childbirth (Allen) to the likelihood that Bryant will have court commitments in Colorado this summer.


    Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. To e-mail him, click here. Also, click here to send a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.

    http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&id=1817096
     
    #1 ron413, Jun 6, 2004
  2. KeepKenny

    KeepKenny Member

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    I'll laugh when all the guards drop out, and Stu jackson comes crawling on his knees begging francis to play. then steve should shoot him down.
     
    #2 KeepKenny, Jun 6, 2004
  3. Rockets34Legend

    Rockets34Legend Member

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    SF's chance to the Olympics.....NO CHANCE IN HELL!

    With a list of subs (Cassell, B. Davis, A. Miller), they will never consider him. Just the way the rest of the NBA sees Houston...no respect at all.
     
    #3 Rockets34Legend, Jun 6, 2004
  4. ron413

    ron413 Member

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    Cassell and B. Davis are both battling injuries and offseason surgery if I remember correctly.
     
    #4 ron413, Jun 6, 2004
  5. Hmm

    Hmm Member

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    Don't you mean SHUT him down? And not "shoot" him down? Don't want Steve commiting murder now do we? :p
     
    #5 Hmm, Jun 7, 2004
  6. wizkid83

    wizkid83 Member

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    Yeah but they're going after Dwayne Wade now. Trust me, after Wade, it's gonna be Jamal Tinsley, Chauncey Billups, Moochie Norris before they select Francis. Stu hates Steve that much.,
     
    #6 wizkid83, Jun 7, 2004
  7. Deuce

    Deuce Context & Nuance

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    It's funny, but yet probably true. It is getting embarrising how they arent even considering Francis. I mean Dwayne Wade? Sure his a solid player but is he ANYMORE of a PG than Francis? NO! He is pretty much the same player but younger, which is a 2 guard playing the PG position. To put Wade on there over Francis is pretty much as BLANTANT a slap in the face to Francis that they can get. It is one thing to put on Bibby or Marbury (guys that either are PURE PG or are pure PG/shooters). But to put on a YOUNGER clone of Francis is laughable!

    I think it is becomming more and more obvious the hatred he has towards Francis OR how much the committee feels like Francis is a TOTAL NON team player. Either way it is bad!
     
    #7 Deuce, Jun 7, 2004
  8. JPM0016

    JPM0016 Member

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    pathetic... no surprise Stu Jackson is now reaching out to a rookie point guard who came into his own in the playoffs, over a 3 time allstar who has come out and said he wants to play for his country. What an *******.
     
    #8 JPM0016, Jun 7, 2004
  9. Preston27

    Preston27 Member

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    I just got an invite, but I had to decline. You see, I'm spending this summer negotiating a deal with an NBDL team.
     
    #9 Preston27, Jun 7, 2004
  10. Baqui99

    Baqui99 Member

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    That team is a joke. Richard Jefferson? And now Dwayne Wade. Don't be surprised to see this team finish with the silver medal. They struggled last time around in Sydney.
     
    #10 Baqui99, Jun 7, 2004
  11. SamFisher

    SamFisher Member

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    I don't know if this team will even medal. It is shaping up to be terrible.
     
    #11 SamFisher, Jun 7, 2004
  12. JuanValdez

    JuanValdez Member

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    Francis not getting an invite had annoyed me. Now, I'm glad. This team is destined for disaster. I don't want Francis playing on a team that's going to go down in flames. And, even if he gets an invite and turns it down (though I don't think he would), then he'd be partly responsible for their terrible showing by not contributing. At this point, getting an invitation is a lose-lose proposition.
     
    #12 JuanValdez, Jun 7, 2004
  13. DaDakota

    DaDakota Balance wins
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    Francis not being even considered has got to be the most telling thing about what insiders think of him as a player.

    Sad...just sad.

    DD
     
    #13 DaDakota, Jun 7, 2004
  14. SamFisher

    SamFisher Member

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    :rolleyes:

    Right. Insiders hate him, he sucks, blah blah blah.
     
    #14 SamFisher, Jun 7, 2004
  15. JPM0016

    JPM0016 Member

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    no, just what Stu Jackson thinks of him
     
    #15 JPM0016, Jun 7, 2004
  16. Rockets34Legend

    Rockets34Legend Member

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    But they are still considered and mentioned by the NBA. SF isn't.
     
    #16 Rockets34Legend, Jun 7, 2004
  17. DaDakota

    DaDakota Balance wins
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    Glad you finally get it...didn't think you would ever come around.
     
    #17 DaDakota, Jun 7, 2004
  18. arno_ed

    arno_ed Member

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    ok DaDakota. we know you do not like francis, we even accept it. But even you have to agree that it is ridiculous that francis is not even considert for this team, why in the world would wade be selected over francis??
     
    #18 arno_ed, Jun 7, 2004
  19. emjohn

    emjohn Member

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    So let's tally up.

    IN

    • Iverson
      Duncan
      Lebron
      Marbury
      Jefferson
      Ben Wallace
      Amare Stoudamire
      Shawn Marion
    8 of 12 roster spots

    OUT/Declined/Injured

    • McGrady
      Kidd
      Shaq
      KG
      Jermaine O'Neal
      Kenyon Martin
      Elton Brand
      Ray Allen
      Mike Bibby
      Kobe
      Malone
      Sam Cassell
      Vince Carter

    On Deck

    • Carmelo Anthony
      Dwayne Wade
      Rip Hamilton
      Michael Redd
      Eddie Jones

    NBA leaders in assists (omitting players mentioned above and foreign):

    • Baron Davis, NO
      Eric Snow, Phi
      Jason Williams, Mem
      Kirk Hinrich, Chi
      Steve Francis, Hou

    Remaining NBA leaders in points:

    • Paul Pierce, Bos
      Baron Davis, NO
      Michael Redd, Mil

    Remaining NBA leaders in rebounds:

    • Eric Dampier, GSW
      Carlos Boozer, Cle
      Zach Randolph, Por
      Jamaal Magloire, NO
      Brad Miller, Sac

    I say put Snow, Redd, and Miller on the team. Snow's the best pure PG in the league after Kidd, as far as I'm concerned.

    Evan
     
    #19 emjohn, Jun 7, 2004
  20. bnb

    bnb Member

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    New respect for Iverson and Duncan for staying in (so far) when most of the other top tier players have declined.
     
    #20 bnb, Jun 7, 2004
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