Bynum should be on Team USA

[Mamba Venom]

I just read an article at SI.com.

It appears the favorite for back up center is Tyson Chandler. Bynum is a must for team USA. I know the center position is not as important in Olympic basketball, but let's face it - bigs are. Dirk and Gasol aren't playing for team USA. Team USA needs some size.

SI's team:
Rose/CP3/D-Wil
Kobe/Wade/Iggy
Durant/LeBron/Melo
Love
D12/Chandler

My team:
Rose/CP3/Rondo
Kobe/Wade/Westbrook
Durant/LeBron
Love/Griffen
D12/Bynum

[RamonSessions7]

I definitely keep Melo on for a Love/Melo PF rotation. Melo is a beast in Olympic ball

[MelosSoreWrist]

ugh, no.

increases chances of injury for a guy who is not known for being durable.

[Sedale Threatt]

I don't have any problem with Chandler. He's a tremendous defensive player who doesn't need the ball to be effective. And probably isn't going to get many minutes to begin with.

[bruddahmanmatt]

My team:
Rose/CP3/Rondo
Kobe/Wade/Westbrook
Durant/LeBron
Love/Griffen
D12/Bynum

I watch enough FIBA ball to tell you that barring injury to other players, those three should NOT be on the team. Deron in place of Rondo, Iguodala in place of Westbrook and Anthony in place of Biff makes MUCH more sense. Gay would make for a good 1st alternate if someone were forced to drop out.

As for Drew, as much as I think he's a more complete player than Dwight, Howard is a much better P&R defender. The fact that Dwight's offense sucks isn't that big of an issue given all of the firepower Team USA has at that end of the floor, and given that so many other teams lack a true 5 Team USA is often better off with a stretch 4 in the middle (witness Bosh being Team USA's best big man in 2008). Health is also an issue since you aren't allowed to replace a player who's injured once things are underway and for that reason, I think you have to go with Dwight. Team USA's lineup should be:

Paul/Deron/Rose
Bryant/Wade
James/Iguodala
Anthony Durant/Love
Howard/Bosh or Aldridge (although the latter is done for the year with hip surgery)

[Sedale Threatt]

I want one more true big man than we had last time. Bosh was really good, but it always felt like we were on the verge of a depth crisis, due to fouls or injuries, with just him and Howard. The third point guard, to me, is just overkill. You don't even necessarily need two on a team that has as many scorers/ballhandlers as this one.

[EArl]

I would love for him to be in team USA, but the guy needs rest!
Remember what happened to Gasol after playing for spain in the past/
A bunch of nagging injuries!

[Edrees]

Drew is a little too immature to help team USA. They need level headed players with a lot of poise. everyone on the team is already going to be more talented than the opposition so team USA isn't about picking the best talent. I thought we already learned this lesson the hard way 5 years ago??

[bruddahmanmatt]

FWIW he was actually on the camp roster in 2010 IIRC, but he declined the invitation as that was the summer he had surgery on his knee for his partially torn meniscus.

[bruddahmanmatt]

I want one more true big man than we had last time. Bosh was really good, but it always felt like we were on the verge of a depth crisis, due to fouls or injuries, with just him and Howard. The third point guard, to me, is just overkill. You don't even necessarily need two on a team that has as many scorers/ballhandlers as this one.

Boozer was our emergency big in 2008, and while he would have been undersized there were times when instead of Chandler, we ran with Love, Odom and one time Durant at the 5 in the 2010 FIBA Worlds. The idea is to take players who can cover multiple positions. The fewer number of positions a player can play, the less he has a chance to make the cut unless he's REALLY good. Better to have three lead guards capable of playing the 1 or the 2 in case one of them goes down or gets into foul trouble than two true 5s incapable of playing anywhere but in the middle when you can just shift 4s and big 3s over to play the pivot in a pinch.

[EArl]

Drew is a little too immature to help team USA. They need level headed players with a lot of poise. everyone on the team is already going to be more talented than the opposition so team USA isn't about picking the best talent. I thought we already learned this lesson the hard way 5 years ago??

Can anyone say Lebronze??

[The Skyhook]

I don't think a lot of teams would have an answer for Bynum. He would tower over almost everyone they would match up against him.

[That Nicka]

I'd rather see him stay healthy for consecutive seasons before he commits to Team USA

[That Nicka]

I thought LaMarcus Aldridge had a good chance to be the backup C but it looks like he will be having hip surgery

[Dr Aki]

bynum would be tremendous. he'll get to camp in the lane and destroy anything that gets inside

[DrewBynum77]

I don't think a lot of teams would have an answer for Bynum. He would tower over almost everyone they would match up against him.

they don't need to try to match up with him... they would probably put a 3pt shooter on him and force him out of the paint.

then zone up on D.

Odom (our reserve PF) as a center worked perfectly in the last worlds (USA hadn't won it for a long time), that's because Coach K made (from the available players) the best team possible instead of calling the best players available...He can't do that in the olympics, tho. He needs to call the "best nba players".

IMHO calling both d12 and bynum isn't smart. One of the two is enough.

griffin shouldn't be there either, but he'll because its the olympics.

The best team for FIBA IMHO:

cp3/deron/rose
kobe/wade
durant/melo/iggy
lebron/laldridge
Chandler/Love

(d12 was basically useless against smart teams and he can't shoot FTs, bynum's perimeter D isn't good so I wouldn't call him either)

[CIB24]

He might not be a good thing for team USA as he would average about 10 turnovers per game since they would call travelling on him almost every time he touched the ball and made a move in the post.

[Anklebreaker702]

Bynum said he doesn't want to play. He wants to get healthy & get all his injury's behind him.

[Gek]

I just read an article at SI.com.

It appears the favorite for back up center is Tyson Chandler. Bynum is a must for team USA. I know the center position is not as important in Olympic basketball, but let's face it - bigs are. Dirk and Gasol aren't playing for team USA. Team USA needs some size.

SI's team:
Rose/CP3/D-Wil
Kobe/Wade/Iggy
Durant/LeBron/Melo
Love
D12/Chandler

My team:
Rose/CP3/Rondo
Kobe/Wade/Westbrook
Durant/LeBron
Love/Griffen
D12/Bynum

You have to take into account international play style.

Rondo's not on the team because he can't shoot. Melo is on the team because he's destroyed international play in the past. Chandler is listed because he's been with the team for awhile, but I could see him getting replaced. I'd take Westbrook over Iggy for an All-Star team, but international experience is invaluable and part of this whole thing is also appearance/representing the country and I don't want Westbrook representing me.

[Stebo_SSK]

Bynum said he doesn't want to play. He wants to get healthy & get all his injury's behind him.

As he should. Its obvious he is still recovering. Last year he had 0 lift.