Well, read that Bibby and Karl Malone will be added to team USA for the North American qualifiers/American qualifiers? http://www.msnbc.com/news/874510.asp?0dm=s14Js Bibby? Malone? I know the selection isn't complete but c'mon! Malone's pushin' 40! Bibby over Iverson, Francis... yikes! The kid is good but... that good? No way would I take him over Francis. Anyway, who would you put on a team, assuming you could put together the best players - all would be willing to play (talk about a pipe dream). I will post mine later today.
Taking Bibby over Iverson is smart. You need team players you got enough scorers already you don't need ballhogs you need guys that are willing to pass the ball. Team chemistry is important in these international events. You need players that fill roles not 12 scorers. You will win with Bibby controlling the team. Francis another ballhog who won't pass Yao the ball. Iverson and Francis stay home!
I have no idea what USA Basketball is thinking in selecting this team. They are only going to have 8 or 9 NBA players, and the rest will be college players or yanks abroad. WTF? Uh, do they not realize, that we, like, got our asses kicked at the World Championships with all NBA players? Its insulting to the competition and basketball fans that they wouldn't bring their best players. Furthermore, it's insulting that certain NBA players have no interest in playing for the National team. Being selected should be considered an honor, not a burden. Personally, I would love to see a team of badass American ballers. We need guys with fire and heart. I would love to see Rasheed Wallace, Ron Artest, and Iverson on the team, for no other reason than their attitudes. We need to play mean.
guys with fire and heart or guys_with criminal records ? A team loaded with those guys isn't gonna win. s**t. Give me guys like Duncan.T-Mack,Karl Malone and Bibby any day great players with class.
Watch the NBA All-star game when Allen Iverson looked like the best point-gaurd in the NBA. When he as teamates who can score he has no problem playing Team basketball. The offens in Philly is predicated on him jacking up the ball and then crashign the rim for rebounds. I'd love to have him as Team USA pg. There isnt another guard in the world that can handle his unique talents. That said I wouldn't mind Bibby either becuase he has shown he rises to the occasion. in the NCAA tournament as a freshman and in last years playoffs
The reason the 76ers got to the NBA Finals 2 years ago was because the entire team, including Iverson played as a team. There were a half-dozen teams in the league with more talent than we had, but we still finished ahead of all but one of them--why?? Because our players all worked together, and unlike many superstars, ours put the front of the jersey ahead of the back of the jersey. There's no reason Iverson wouldn't do the same for the US. This is an embarassingly, titanically, stupendously moronic decision. Alex
Re: Re: Team USA (FIBA) hijinks, Selection goes creepy... fun for all! Very very true. Iverson is really a point guard - I always wished he could jsut go to that position - he'd be nearly un-touchable then. But unfortuantely he's in a situation where he is called on to light up the scoreboard and pump in 30-40 shots a night. Francis on the other hand - I remember when he used to be called the Poor Man's Iverson. In a way, I still think it could be true IF Iverson played the same position. This is shaping up the same way as the boring team for 2000 with Gugliotta and Vin Baker in there. My team would be: O'Neal (if he would play) Duncan Garnett Webber Ben Wallace (alternate) McGrady Bryant Carter Houston Kidd Iverson Francis (alternate) Payton It is actually a bit of a tough call in some spots. I put in two alternates - just because I know I'm forgetting someone. The Houston inclusion is purely a fundamental inclusion. Reggie Miller's too old! . You need a pure shooter and quite frankly I rate Houston higher than Ray Allen. He can do more + is more of a threat. Also - look at their percentages this season. Ben Wallace also is a interesting alternate - his rebounding cannot be denied. Tops. Imagine - Wallace the board, strong outlet to Iverson on the break - forwarding to a streaking McGrady or trailing Duncan. Otherwise you have three real swing-men in there, guys that can float between the 2 and 3 - possibly the 4 too in the international game in Bryant, McGrady and Carter. Hell, you know, you could even throw Houston into that mix. ***FYI*** I like the "All thug" team. That would be hilarious.
Wrong. What does class have to do with it? Class is boring. Our team at the Worlds had class, and they got spanked. We need a mean streak. We need to kick ass and take names. We need some trash talking, elbow throwing, dunk-meisters. I'm only half-serious about this, by the way. But c'mon, admit it, you loved it when Barkely layed the smack down on Angola. In all seriousness, though, Iverson needs to be on the team. The problem during the Worlds was complacency. Iverson is never, ever, ever lazy or complacent. That guy just loves to play basketball. He is constantly fighting nagging injuries that would keep other players on the bench. He is fearless. He plays as hard as humanly possible every second he is on the floor.
I heard somewhere that Kobe's still in some kind of negotiations with USA Basketball, and that's why he hasn't been named yet. Apparently, unlike Shaq, he's interested though.
Team USA has as much to do with super-stars as is to does to with role-players. Just take a look at the Western Conference Finals the last 2 seasons. If you were to add the talent all up on the Kings and Lakers, then the Kings would have waaaay more talent. But the fact is, is that the Lakers have the 2 stars and role-players who know their roles to perfection. That said this would be my team PG-Allen Iverson-the offense will never stagnate with him running it, and he can take ANYONE in he world off the dribble SG-Kobe Bryant - He's the best basketball player in the world and if you surround him with talent then he'll average a triple double. SF-Kevin Garnett - Probably the most unselfish star-player in the NBA. There isn't a thing he can't do PF-Ben Wallace - see role player. All he needs to do is rebound and play defense. The things he does better than just about anybody. Plus catch the ball and dunk when wide open C-Tim Duncan - You other Post Prescence. Obviously you'd like Shaq down here but thats not gonna happen. He is also excels in passing out of the double team The Reserves: SG-Allan Houston - A Team player, and when he gets hot he can outsocre Kobe PG-Jason Kidd - probably a better pure point than AI, but can't take people off the dribble as well as Iverson. Shooting is about the same though SF/SG-Tracy McGrady - this guy would be your mister versatility. If you really wanna shut a team down you'd let KG play Center, let T-Mac play SF, and no one would score agsinst USA. SF/SG-Doug Christie: Another defensive stopper who can play either the 2 or the 3 C-Brad Miller an able back-up center who can also score PF-Elton Brand - Mr. 20/10....he'll pick up the garbage for ya C-Jermaine O'Neal - If only for the energy and rebounding and the fouls SG- Mr Clutch. Reggie Miller. You Never know
don't make me laugh with the Iverson ************. he's a ballhog, plain and simple - one of the worst shooters in the history of the league too. Stackhouse, Larry Hughes and Tony Kukoc have all ripped him for it. Iverson is a great talent but has a terrible basketball IQ. never should he play for USA. Never. It's funny how he has been on the trading block several times but no one wants him. also, if AI is so great, how come his team has been mediocre since he got there? the only good season the sixers had was when the east was dreadful and he had the 6th man of the year and defensive player of the year on his team. give me Bibby over AI anyday.
Malone is pushing 40, but he still manages to put up about 20 points and 8 boards a game in the best basketball league in the world. He is not your typical 40 year old player. On the Olympic team, he will not only be a veteran presence, he will also kick the team in its ass if they slack off. Frankly, we don't need a team full of ballhogs and scorers. Role players actually matter in basketball...
Are you talking about the NBA all star game? The game where nobody plays defense? Iverson is a ballhog who shoots like crap, and we have enough scorers on this team.
Are you telling me Karl Malone doesn't bring a mean streak to this team? He's one of the dirtiest players of all time....and I'm a Jazz fan.
my team: pg Jason Kidd sg Ray Allen sf Kobe - playing out of position but so what pf Tim Duncan aka the greatest player in the world c Garnett bench Reggie Miller (still proving he's the best clutch shooter in the game) , Mike Bibby, Desmond Mason, Wally Szcebiak (for added outside shooting), Tracy Mcgrady, Amare Stoudimire, Ben Wallace.
Yeah, but how do you think he'll hold up in the compressed schedule of an international event? Especially qualifying--10 games in 12 days. Only if they put in enough preparation time to actually become a team. Otherwise they might as well pick the best individuals.
True dat. He and Stockton are both very dirty. I loved the Malone/Briant Grant battles when the Blazers played the Jazz in the playoffs.
Deja-vu! I get to school Ted Cikowski with bball just like the old days! AI over Bibby? Don't be silly... Miller of Houston? We have a problem... Enter Alex_1, basketball guru to solve them... Stackhouse, Kukoc and Hughes? Man, what in the world have they accomplished withough a "ballhog" on their team? Kukoc? No Jordan, nothing. Stackhouse? Nothing. Hughes? Still nothing. The Sixers pre-Iverson had Stackhouse... and they were a hell of a lot worse without AI than with him. Bibby is a good player, but I'd rather have Francis if you're looking at point guards. He can do much much more. Hell, even he knows he's better. Remember when Francis was drafted? Also - consider if Iverson was on a team with players that could actually shoot or break down a defense. SOrry, but I never udnerstood the Eric Snow infatuation. Give him a second legitimate threat on his team, I bet you his percentages go up. Easy. I don't really mind Malone bein' on the team though. Although he's almost 100 years old, he can still do some things. The Reggie Miller though, I don't know. He might actually be the best shooter. But not all-around. The first dream team had a lot of great individual players and they were fine - thrown in with a couple of role players (Pippen/Stockton). Role players here are Wallace and... someone else. I forgot who I said. Maybe Houston.
Malone plays an NBA schedule and holds up just fine. This isn't some 40 year old guy in a walker. This is probably one of the best conditioned players on the planet. He'll hold up just fine. And regardless of the preparation time, role players still matter. This isn't some pickup game in Rucker park. Not everyone needs to score with the basketball. Some players need to (gasp), set picks, rebound, run the floor, etc.
why does everybody dislike Allen Iverson so much? He has been only convicted of one thing in his life, getting into a fight while he was in high school and winning. Nothing else. If he is a Thug then I don't know what a thug is. On the basketball court he is a player is a team player. He takes all sorts of physical punishment when he drives and gets the foul. He doesn't have to do that you know, he could just dish it off so a teamate can miss or just jack it up from outside. Instead he gets on the line the hard way. At GTown he was never called a ball hog. He had Jerome Williams and Victor Page to pass it to. And for those you who think he didn't then realize in Iverson's last season Victor Page as a frosh won the Big East Tournament MVP. How could he do that if Iverson was such a ballhog? Then consider the fact that was pretty much the highlite of Page's career at Georgetown. He is a proven point gaurd, and when he has teamates who can score, will give up the ball. And has also proven that he makes his teamates much better (slow ass, ugly shooting Eric Snow being the prime example) If you were to pair him with Kobe in the back court then I would say that Iver son would score about 20, and get about 10 assists for Kobe's 40 points
Putting Malone on that team is an interesting choice. If it goes well, he'll help bring some focus to the team and remind them how important representing their country is. If it goes poorly, it'll be because he's not known as a "people person" and is pushing people away. RS
NBA teams don't play 10 games in 12 days, and NBA games are loaded with timeouts. When's the last time Karl Malone was a "role player"? Third grade? Last summer's team had guys who were handpicked to be roleplayers, and they were useless.
Re: Re: Team USA (FIBA) hijinks, Selection goes creepy... fun for all! NBA teams DO play 10 games in 12 days, it's called playoffs. Also, you don't really expect Karl Malone to play 40 minutes a game at the Olympics, do you?
But Malone won't be playing 40 minutes a game here, like he does on an NBA team, where frankly, 40 minutes is worth about 80 international minutes. And like I said, saying Malone is 40 like that means he can't keep up is just flat out wrong. Malone is one of the best conditioned players in the league, if not the best. There's a reason he puts up 20 points and 8 boards a game in the best basketball league in the world. In fact, only 7 other players in the NBA do that today.... He will be on this team, and I think he'll accept it, provided the players playing his position are doing well. He will be the veteran presence on this team, something that Reggie Miller didn't do well on the last team (the fact that Reggie didn't have Duncan, Garnett, and Kobe on his team didn't help either). Last year's team didn't have anyone who would kick them in the ass if they played like crap. They also had guys who couldn't shoot, and guys who acted like they'd rather be somewhere else.