RealGM • Team USA in 2010.

Re: Team USA in 2010.

Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 12:17 am

by jt142

Chuck Diesel wrote:Let me first say that I'm pumped about team USA's chances at gold this summer and don

Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 1:03 am

by jt142

Mr. Savage wrote:Spain has a really good young group of players. And in 2010 guys like Gasol, Calderon, Trias, Navarro, Cabezas, Reyes, Berni will still be around and be in their prime. Spain is only getting better til 2010.

Those guys alone could feature the spanish starting 5 in 5 years.

Sergio
Rubio
Fernandez
Claver
M.Gasol
Vasquez

Once Pau Gasol, Calderon, and Navarro retire from international bball, Spain's going to have a tough time competing against the USA team. I don't see any younger player on the Spanish team picking up the slack. They might still be a good team, but they'll be missing that one "go to player" down the stretch. The players you listed aren't that good, at least not yet. Who knows if they will ever be that good. The current USA team would blow them away. There's a significant drop off in talent after Gasol.

Lebron, Melo, Howard, Deron William, and Chris Paul - to name a few - will all be 26-28 in 5 years and will have been together for a long time. They're already All-Stars in their early 20s. The USA team has unlimited resources at its disposal. If this USA team stays together for another 2 Olympics, I think it'll be extremely difficult for any team to beat them.

If the refs treat the USA players like they treated Duncan in '04, anything's possible. It's a fact that FIBA refs hate American players. They have a vendetta against them. Just look at the amount of free throws attempted by their opponents over the past 2 tourneys.

Sometimes I forget FIBA is much different than the NBA. Players who suck in the NBA can play well in FIBA. Jasikevicius is just one example of this.

Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 5:03 pm

by mr.ankle

That team would be the worst team since the 2002 . You need more veterans

Re: Team USA in 2010.

Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 5:47 pm

by Matiz

jt142 wrote:Argentina, USA, Spain, Greece - if they qualify, Lithuania, Russia, Germany, Serbia, and Italy all have a shot at gold this summer.

Serbia and Italy din't qualify, Germany has to get through qualification first...

Once Pau Gasol, Calderon, and Navarro retire from international bball, Spain's going to have a tough time competing against the USA team. I don't see any younger player on the Spanish team picking up the slack

I suggest you seriously re-think about this statement. If Spain doesn't have young players that could fit in those shoes, than noone does.

Re: Team USA in 2010.

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 7:12 am

by jt142

Matiz wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

I suggest you seriously re-think about this statement. If Spain doesn't have young players that could fit in those shoes, than noone does.

Of course there are younger players ready to step in, but none of them can fill Gasol's shoes. Argentina and Germany have a similar problem. When Gasol, Nowitzki, and Ginobili are gone, who's going to fill their shoes? I don't see anyone on Spain's horizon who could be as good as Pau.

The USA team doesn't have a problem with depth. If one All-Star can't play, you replace him with another one. Our bench could and should be as good as our starters.

Re: Team USA in 2010.

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 8:10 am

by Chuck Diesel

[quote="jt142"][/quote]

I

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 8:11 am

by Chuck Diesel

Danny Granger and Caron Butler are also good options.

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 8:16 am

by Mr. Savage

jt142 wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

Once Pau Gasol, Calderon, and Navarro retire from international bball, Spain's going to have a tough time competing against the USA team. I don't see any younger player on the Spanish team picking up the slack. They might still be a good team, but they'll be missing that one "go to player" down the stretch. The players you listed aren't that good, at least not yet. Who knows if they will ever be that good. The current USA team would blow them away. There's a significant drop off in talent after Gasol.

Lebron, Melo, Howard, Deron William, and Chris Paul - to name a few - will all be 26-28 in 5 years and will have been together for a long time. They're already All-Stars in their early 20s. The USA team has unlimited resources at its disposal. If this USA team stays together for another 2 Olympics, I think it'll be extremely difficult for any team to beat them.

If the refs treat the USA players like they treated Duncan in '04, anything's possible. It's a fact that FIBA refs hate American players. They have a vendetta against them. Just look at the amount of free throws attempted by their opponents over the past 2 tourneys.

Sometimes I forget FIBA is much different than the NBA. Players who suck in the NBA can play well in FIBA. Jasikevicius is just one example of this.

haha...

Talk about an unbiased post.

It is always easy to blame refs. They were probably the reason USA didn't win Gold since 2000, right :roll:

Basketball is not a game based purely on talent.

The greek team that beat the USA at the World Championships, did not feature a single NBA player. Go figure.

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 8:38 am

by Chuck Diesel

Yeah it

Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 10:41 am

by Matiz

as talented and fundamental 7footers as Gasol are a rare commodity for any country, let alone Spain. but the way it looks like Fernandez and Rubio might surpass both Calderon and Navarro, while some other guys as Llull, Suarez, Rey, Antelo, Claver should develope to a reasonable level as well. Meaning Spain is a sure thing eurobasket medal contender for the next decade, which also means they be able to compete vs. US, unless Stern comes back to senses with his marketing tools and starts promoting basketball again instead of individuals- in that case noone could comepte with US, but that's another issue.

sorry, but saying Spain won't have the talent to compete with US team after those players retire is a bit of a overstatement.

problem of US team isn't lack of shooters (->reading those articles after the 2006 World champ. made me utterly believe those ESPN guys have absolutely NO CLUE on what's bball all about), lack of talent, officiating or stuff I've read... it goes way deeper to individualism promoted by Stern in this grand quest for the new MJ, excesive specialisation of players from the end of 90ies, lack of tactical knowledge and fundamentals being overlooked by physical abilities all the way from HS basketball to NBA.

Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 7:39 pm

by jt142

Chuck Diesel wrote:Yeah it

Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 1:21 am

by BucketDawg

That teams not bad, maybe a little too much youth, but not bad. If they could add some players like Marcus Camby, Stephen Jackson, etc. just add more veteran experience to the team they would be really tough, but if you really forced that team you posted to truly study their opponents and scouting reports and really dedicate themselves to working as a team then they would be a contender.

Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 5:06 am

by jt142

BucketDawg wrote:That teams not bad, maybe a little too much youth, but not bad. If they could add some players like Marcus Camby, Stephen Jackson, etc. just add more veteran experience to the team they would be really tough, but if you really forced that team you posted to truly study their opponents and scouting reports and really dedicate themselves to working as a team then they would be a contender.

Stephen Jackson is a great player who plays with a lot of emotion, but he represents an image the NBA wants to dispel. However, I'd rather see him on the team over Melo, a one-dimensional player.

I'd rather have Dwight Howard, Greg Oden, Andrew Bynum, or Lamarcus Aldridge on the team over Camby. They're also our best young centers and need the FIBA experience. I'd like to see Duncan or Garnett playing for the USA team in August, but it won't happen.

I think Kobe and Kidd will provide some needed veteran leadership.

Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 6:42 pm

by BucketDawg

jt142 wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

Stephen Jackson is a great player who plays with a lot of emotion, but he represents an image the NBA wants to dispel. However, I'd rather see him on the team over Melo, a one-dimensional player.

I'd rather have Dwight Howard, Greg Oden, Andrew Bynum, or Lamarcus Aldridge on the team over Camby. They're also our best young centers and need the FIBA experience. I'd like to see Duncan or Garnett playing for the USA team in August, but it won't happen.

I think Kobe and Kidd will provide some needed veteran leadership.

I don't really see Melo as a one dimensional player in FIBA ball, he is really a matchup nightmare for other teams because of his ability to post up in the trapezoid lane and still hit the perimeter shot with more regularity than anyone on team USA. But Jackson could definitely help.

I would choose Howard over Camby, and maybe Aldridge, but not Oden or Bynum right now. I would still take them both for their defense but Camby is a perfect international center, he has a great outside shot, has length, and plays solid help and positional defense. Oden and Bynums' offense are both suspect, especially in international ball, they could be successful with great guard play, like Howard has been thus far, but we'll have to wait and see.

Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 5:31 am

by Chuck Diesel

If we want to go with a more veteran approach, there a couple more guys who are both FIBA and image friendly.

Udonis Haslem would be a great fit on team USA because of his ability to get out and stick perimeter oriented big men (remember what he did to dirk?) as well as knock down the mid range J. He can board, he

Re: Team USA in 2010.

Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2008 8:41 pm

by CzBoobie

jt142 wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

Of course there are younger players ready to step in, but none of them can fill Gasol's shoes. Argentina and Germany have a similar problem. When Gasol, Nowitzki, and Ginobili are gone, who's going to fill their shoes? I don't see anyone on Spain's horizon who could be as good as Pau.

Pay close attention to the guy named Ricky Rubio...

Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2008 8:35 pm

by Airness_ACB

Spain will still be a top team when Gasol decides to rest in summer. IMO, Ricky Rubio can be as good as him, specially if you consider that maybe PG is the most important spot at basketball.

People doesn't always remember that Pau Gasol wasn't even a starter when he was 18, and this kid, at just 17, has become the top PG in the ACB league. If there aren't many 7 footers as skilled as Pau is, there aren't also many 6'4'' pure PG with terrific defensive ability and superb basketball IQ who can run a top pro team at age 17. Ricky is going to be great, and I'm quite sure you will be able to see him this summer with the spanish NT.

And it's not just Rubio. Claver will also be there, and he can also be a very good player despite his lack of confidence. At 6'10'' and blessed with superb athletic ability, he has all the physical tools to be a top player in Europe and a first class PF. He can consistently hit the three and has both the first step and the dribbling to surpass any PF. He'll be good, not as good as Pau or even as Rubio, but quite a nice basketball player (maybe kind of Garbajosa, which is far more than one would think by just looking at the Garbajosa we've seen at Toronto).

But don't forget that Rudy Fernandez and Marc Gasol are just 22-23 and more young players will grow up till the generation of Pau, Navarro, Calderon and Reyes retires.

BTW, the team we can send to Beijing is just as scary as always (many choices will be difficult to do):

PG: Calderon/ Ricky/ Raul L

Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 3:02 am

by jt142

Airness_ACB wrote:Spain will still be a top team when Gasol decides to rest in summer. IMO, Ricky Rubio can be as good as him, specially if you consider that maybe PG is the most important spot at basketball.

People doesn't always remember that Pau Gasol wasn't even a starter when he was 18, and this kid, at just 17, has become the top PG in the ACB league. If there aren't many 7 footers as skilled as Pau is, there aren't also many 6'4'' pure PG with terrific defensive ability and superb basketball IQ who can run a top pro team at age 17. Ricky is going to be great, and I'm quite sure you will be able to see him this summer with the spanish NT.

And it's not just Rubio. Claver will also be there, and he can also be a very good player despite his lack of confidence. At 6'10'' and blessed with superb athletic ability, he has all the physical tools to be a top player in Europe and a first class PF. He can consistently hit the three and has both the first step and the dribbling to surpass any PF. He'll be good, not as good as Pau or even as Rubio, but quite a nice basketball player (maybe kind of Garbajosa, which is far more than one would think by just looking at the Garbajosa we've seen at Toronto).

But don't forget that Rudy Fernandez and Marc Gasol are just 22-23 and more young players will grow up till the generation of Pau, Navarro, Calderon and Reyes retires.

BTW, the team we can send to Beijing is just as scary as always (many choices will be difficult to do):

PG: Calderon/ Ricky/ Raul L