USA Basketball finalizes 2012 London Olympics 12-man roster Guards Kobe Bryant -- age 33 -- Los Angeles Lakers: Back to defend his Gold Medal, Bryant stands as the leading veteran voice of the group. He's joked in recent weeks that he will let the younger guys do the heavy lifting while he focuses on closing games, but deferring has never been in his vocabulary. Krzyzewski said on Friday that Bryant enters Olympics play in excellent health and shape. James Harden -- age 22 -- Oklahoma City Thunder: The NBA's Sixth Man of the Year is getting his first real look for Team USA and he impressed Krzyzewski with his feel for the game and his basketball intelligence. With players like Dwyane Wade and, eventually, Bryant on their way out, he figures to be a national team mainstay going forward. Chris Paul -- age 27 -- Los Angeles Clippers: A minor thumb injury forced Paul from practice on Friday, although it's not expected to be anything serious. He was slowed by a naggging groin injury during the playoffs so it's been awhile since we've seen Paul play to the best of his abilities. He'll fill a play-making role for Team USA given the bevy of A-list scoring options that will surround him. Russell Westbrook -- age 23 -- Oklahoma City Thunder: The explosive, relentless Westbrook will bring his constantly attacking style off of Team USA's bench. Bryant said Friday he envisions Westbrook plugging the reserve scorer's role left by Dwyane Wade's absence due to a knee injury. Despite an often spectacular playoffs stretch and top-shelf play during the 2010 World Championships in Turkey, there's a decent chance the rest of the world isn't ready for him. Deron Williams -- age 28 -- Brooklyn Nets: Like Paul, Williams will play the facilitator's role. Team USA is emphasizing up-tempo play and pick-and-rolls, two areas where Williams can excel. He's sidelined from live play until his new 5-year, $98 million contract with the Nets goes final on July 11. Forwards Carmelo Anthony -- age 28 -- New York Knicks: Of the returning members of the 2008 squad, Anthony's role is the least clear. He's facing a logjam at his position thanks to James and Durant and he is coming off an up-and-down season with the Knicks, in which he drew criticism for his ball-stopping and which saw Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni, a Team USA assistant, resign. Still, Anthony's finishing ability was of paramount importance in Beijing and he should be able to find plenty of minutes when Team USA switches to smaller looks. Kevin Durant -- age 23 -- Oklahoma City Thunder: Arguably the world's second-best player, Durant comes to Team USA smarting from a loss to James' Heat in the 2012 Finals just weeks ago. Ever the professional, he spent the first day of practice explaining how Team USA functioned so well because egos are tossed aside and he sounded eager to win his first Gold Medal. Expect the NBA's leading scorer to be a focal point of the offense. Blake Griffin -- age 23 -- Los Angeles Clippers: Griffin missed out on the 2010 World Championships because of a knee injury and is poised to take his high-flying, gravity-defying game to the international stage. Not known as a premier defender and with limited range, he'll likely be used as a deep reserve, although Team USA can use his rebounding ability Andre Iguodala -- age 28 -- Philadelphia 76ers: One of the NBA's premier perimeter defenders, Iguodala fills a valuable niche as a lockdown guy who can complement some of the roster's score-first wings. LeBron James -- age 27 -- Miami Heat: The biggest star in the basketball galxy and the best player on the planet, James heads to London at the peak of his powers and fresh off his first title. He seems at ease with his Team USA teammates and is clearly the central personality off the court. He'll be asked to do it all for Team USA and could potentially play all five positions during the Olympics. He said on Friday that he is ready to embrace the challenge. Kevin Love -- age 23 -- Minnesota Timberwolves: Love's game has improved and expanded by leaps and bounds in recent years and his outside shooting prowess could be a deadly weapon and match-up nightmare for teams in the Olympics. Expect him to swing up to center at times to make full use of his elite rebounding and outlet-passing. Indeed, there's a 100 percent chance that one of his patented touchdown passes finds itself in a highlight loop next month. Center Tyson Chandler -- age 29 -- New York Knicks: This defense and rebounding specialist simply makes every team that he plays for better. He'll be key in matching up with Spain's length and his shot-blocking ability will dissuade opponents from attacking USA's interior. The knock on Chandler has been foul troubles and he'll need to play smart without any real positional depth behind him. Alternates Anthony Davis -- age 19 -- New Orleans Hornets: The 2012 NBA Draft's No. 1 pick sprained his ankle just before Team USA minicamp opened, putting his availability into question for the next few weeks. On Friday, Team USA chairman Jerry Colangelo questioned whether he had the "physicality" to compete at the moment. As the most promising young big man since Dwight Howard, Davis figures to be a Team USA regular for the next decade. Rudy Gay -- age 25 -- Memphis Grizzlies: He would have been a big, long, athletic wing on a team full of them, Gay would mostly be injury insurance. His range and height make him a tough cover for the international competition but he probably would have done most of his work waiving towels. Eric Gordon -- age 23 -- New Orleans Hornets (restricted free agent): Despite being in the middle of ongoing contract negotiations, Gordon impressed Krzyzewski by showing up on Friday and agreeing to compete in all 5-on-5 drills. A knockdown shooter with the abilty to create his own shot, Gordon hasn't seen much court time recently due to a knee injury that sidelined him for much of last season. http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/e...l-announces-2012-london-olympics-12man-roster
Here's Argentina's roster: Point Guards Pablo Prigioni (New York Knicks, USA) Facundo Campazzo (Peñarol, Argentina) Shooting Guards Emanuel Ginóbili (San Antonio Spurs, USA) Carlos Delfino (Milwaukee Bucks, USA) Small Forwards Andrés Nocioni (Caja Laboral, Spain) Hernán Jasen (Cajasol Sevilla, Spain) Marcos Daniel Mata (Peñarol, Argentina) Power Forwards Luis Scola (Phoenix Suns, USA) Guillermo Federico Kammerichs (Flamengo, Brazil) Leonardo Gutiérrez (Peñarol, Argentina) Centers Juan Gutiérrez (Obras, Argentina) Martín Leiva (Peñarol, Argentina)
I wonder if this team could beat the '92 Dream Team... And let the games begin Edited to say "probably not."
it's an excellent question. first of all, nobody on the Dream Team (DT) could guard LBJ. if you put Pippen on him, then you have Kevin Durant scoring 61 points. who covers Durant? Karl Malone? lol nobody on the DT has the speed to cover Russell Westbrook. no, buddy. in '92, Magic Johnson hardly played because of knee problems. John Stockton didn't play much. Tyson Chandler would probably be fairly effective defensively against Robinson LBJ is capable of guarding MJ, but not the other way around. Larry Bird was almost a non-factor in the '92 Olympics. a wild card would be Clyde Drexler.
Not nearly as clever. Its not just about the physical attributes. You dont think Jordan has dogged players bigger, faster and stronger than he was? Jordan was 41 dogging players much younger than him.
Lebron cannot even guard Carmelo [as has been proven whenever they play each other] and Jordan is far more clever, and just better than Carmelo offensively.
Thats just 4 or 5 games out of out of around 20. Thats also Carmelo in a dysfunctional team without any other player who could get his own shot [and dumb ass Amare busting his hands to miss a few game.s ] "all day"
I have to agree with you here. People also fail to consider that Jordan set the bar, and that I doubt LJ would be as good a player without Jordan trailblazing the possibilities of just ridiculously high scoring.
i think MJ is clearly better than Kobe, but not so much better that Kobe isn't in the discussion. the idea that Jordan did any kind of point-scoring trailblazing is urban myth nonsense. Chamberlain scored 100 points. in fact, Jordan only has one of the top 20 all-time single game scoring achievements, so don't go all crazy about MJ and his scoring. btw, Elgin Baylor has 3 of the top 20. you're probably a kid so i can cut you some slack, but i saw Baylor play. just sayin'
Fair enough, I wasn't around for Chamberlain or Baylor... And the LJ/MJ difference may well be the fact that I was 7 (and impressed by everything) in 1992, and 27 (and impressed by nothing) today. That being said,
Elgin Baylor in-freakin'-vented "hang time". he was about 6'5"/225, the prototypical small forward of his day. unfortunately there aren't a bunch of youtube clips of his best playing. today, he would be matched up against players bigger, stronger, quicker, but his numbers in the '60-'61 season are amazing: 34PPG/19RPG/5APG
I think that's worth noting, that the level of play was far different in the 1960's, but if it wasn't for guys like Baylor, then the level of play wouldn't be as high as it is now.
you have some odd notion about the effect of the past on the present. players are getting bigger and stronger and faster. when Michael Johnson ran 19.32 at the 1996 Olympics in ATL, he knocked off .34 seconds from his WR set about 5 weeks before. the idea that someone would crush that record by .13 seconds seems crazy to me, but there we have it. do you realize that the two starting guards for the Super Bowl winning Packers in 1968 (Kramer and Gillingham) weighed an average of 250#? the 2012 Super Bowl winning Giants averaged 310# at the OG position.
Ginobili: "We know their characteristics and we know that they base their game on their athleticism, on forcing turnovers, running, and attacking the basket. We have to avoid turnovers, get back on defense fast, block out the rebounds and be efficient on offense." Prigioni: "They are very dynamic. They play with an extra gear and get all over you physically. We cannot compete at their rhythm. The idea is to try to slow them down." Julio Lamas (coach): "It will be useful to take it into the type of game that favors us, cohesive ball movement, team work, taking advantage of a better understanding of the FIBA rules. If they get 20 points ahead, forget it." Man I get the feeling it's going to be a nightmare!
For the United States, yes. I have a feeling that it will come back to haunt the USA. There is a lack of consistent outside shooting on the USA team. The point guards like to dribble penetrate and shoot rather than pass the ball. Westbrook tends to turn the ball over quite a bit. The USA really needed a true point guard. We haven't even seen a motion offense from this team and I highly doubt we will.
Olympic Basketball Pool Play WOMEN Group A ANG CHN CRO CZE TUR USA WOMEN Group B AUS BRA CAN FRA GBR RUS MEN Group A ARG FRA TUN USA NGR LTU MEN Group B AUS BRA CHN ESP GBR RUS http://www.nbcolympics.com/basketball/index.html#A
Preliminary Round Olympic Park, Basketball Arena Sunday, July 29 9:00 a.m. Nigeria - Tunisia 11:15 a.m. Brazil - Australia 2:30 p.m. USA – France 4:45 p.m. Spain - China 8:00 p.m. Russia - Great Britain 10:15 p.m. Argentina – Lithuania Tuesday, July 31 9:00 a.m. China – Russia 11:15 a.m. Australia - Spain 2:30 p.m. Lithuania – Nigeria 4:45 p.m. Great Britain - Brazil 8:00 p.m. France - Argentina 10:15 p.m. Tunisia - USA Thursday, August 2 9:00 a.m. France – Lithuania 11:15 a.m. Australia - China 2:30 p.m. Argentina - Tunisia 4:45 p.m. Brazil – Russia 8:00 p.m. Spain – Great Britain 10:15 p.m. USA - Nigeria Saturday, August 4 9:00 a.m. Tunisia - France 11:15 a.m. Russia - Spain 2:30 p.m. Lithuania - USA 4:45 p.m. China - Brazil 8:00 p.m. Great Britain - Australia 10:15 p.m. Nigeria - Argentina Monday, August 6 9:00 a.m. Australia – Russia 11:15 a.m. Tunisia – Lithuania 2:30 p.m. France – Nigeria 4:45 p.m. Great Britain - China 8:00 p.m. Spain - Brazil 10:15 p.m Argentina - USA http://www.usabasketball.com/mens/national/12_moly_results.html