BTH Beijing '08

[charlie32]

I realize that it can't possibly happen, but if Tyson Chandler's injured toe keeps him from being the alternate on the Olympic team, I think the Wiz's own Brendan Todd Haywood would be an excellent choice to replace him. He's an excellent post defender, will have no beef if all he ever does on offense is set picks and grab offensive rebounds and is a very intelligent player who could pick up the nuances of the international game with no problem. The team lacks size and with Howard already banged up the US squad is primed to be be exposed by the bigs of Greece and Spain just as they were in the last Olympics and World Championships. Other Olympic teams are full of players like Haywood who have specific roles and are totally committed to the team. Filling Chandler's spot with Durant -- which is the current talk -- makes no sense. I think the US will probably win no matter who they bring, but having BTH wouldn't hurt.

[LyricalRico]

I really hope they don't go with another perimeter guy (Durant) or an old guy like Camby just for name recognitoin. I don't know about Haywood, but it would be sweet. Here are some names I thought about:

Kendrick Perkins - starting C on world champions
Nick Collison - blue collar inside presence
Al Jefferson - not sure if they want to go that small but he could play some C
LeMarcus Aldridge - already on the Select Team

If the goal is to get a guy who will do the dirty work and won't demand the ball, I'd pick Collison.

[Wiz99]

The reason people go with name brand players is if they crap out, no one second guesses you - "Guy was supposed to be good, I don't know what happened!"

But you pick some no name (which BTH essentially is for 99.5% of the sports world), then there's a lot of pressure to prove it was a good choice. You look like the idiot if he doesn't perform.

So I highly doubt Brendan will get the call for Beijing.

[BigA]

Gilbert called it. If they need a replacement the first requirement will be that they're signed with Nike, not any basketball considerations. What's Haywood's shoe situation?

[closg00]

BTH would be a bad choice for team-USA because he's too slow , unathletic, and has poor handles.
A nice PF like Brand would fit in nicley.