2024 Olympic BASKETBALL Thread (Pt. 2: Let the Games Begin!)

[eyeatoma]

Well yeah, we all know he is US citizen. He is also citizen of Cameroon, and his decision is still incredibly disappointing...

Why because he didn't want to carry a team like he has his whole career? Because he didn't want to have to go all out, and risk injury, for one of the most injury prone players in the league. It's pretty logical why he decided to go with the US. Not to mention, when he wanted to play for France Wemby wasn't a thing. How is it going to work when the teams 3 best players are centers?

He just did not expect that he’s also the 3rd best bigman in this US lineup. Hahhahahahha


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I admit that is amusing, but if you look at it, the type of player they want him to be is not his usual role. AD is an elite pick and roll player. AD and Bam are both also extremely mobile, and vertical players. Kerr does not play Embiid anything like how he is played in the NBA, which is why he looks out of place. It's pretty easy to see.

[eyeatoma]

Well yeah, we all know he is US citizen. He is also citizen of Cameroon, and his decision is still incredibly disappointing...

Why because he didn't want to carry a team like he has his whole career? Because he didn't want to have to go all out, and risk injury, for one of the most injury prone players in the league. It's pretty logical why he decided to go with the US. Not to mention, when he wanted to play for France Wemby wasn't a thing. How is it going to work when the teams 3 best players are centers?

Man wantd to glom onto team USA for an easy gold. Its his right, but the criticism is absolutely valid. even moreso when the team plays better without him in their first game that matters.

I like how you didn't answer any of my questions.

That being said I can call a spade a spade. If Kerr keeps playing him like this, it's not worth it for him to be on team USA. His role is significantly different than how he plays in the NBA, and I don't mean foul hunting and being a free throw merchant.

[SelfishPlayer]

Well yeah, we all know he is US citizen. He is also citizen of Cameroon, and his decision is still incredibly disappointing...

Why because he didn't want to carry a team like he has his whole career? Because he didn't want to have to go all out, and risk injury, for one of the most injury prone players in the league. It's pretty logical why he decided to go with the US. Not to mention, when he wanted to play for France Wemby wasn't a thing. How is it going to work when the teams 3 best players are centers?

Man wantd to glom onto team USA for an easy gold. Its his right, but the criticism is absolutely valid. even moreso when the team plays better without him in their first game that matters.

Embiid has one job, make sure Jokic plays no better here than he does against you in the US. Goal accomplished!

[mademan]

Stop reposting that garbage. Durant came off of the bench.

What does Durant have to do with how Jokic played?

Jokic was a starter and his on/off was zero. Durant was a reserve and the game's leading scorer with a +20 on/off.

Dude, the team was able to score 3 points in the 9 minutes Jokic sat. Tf is Jokic supposed to do with this? Its a team game at the end of the day, and its hard to dominate when maybe 1 other guy on the roster deserves any kind of defensive attention and youre up against the best players in the world

[mademan]

Why because he didn't want to carry a team like he has his whole career? Because he didn't want to have to go all out, and risk injury, for one of the most injury prone players in the league. It's pretty logical why he decided to go with the US. Not to mention, when he wanted to play for France Wemby wasn't a thing. How is it going to work when the teams 3 best players are centers?

Man wantd to glom onto team USA for an easy gold. Its his right, but the criticism is absolutely valid. even moreso when the team plays better without him in their first game that matters.

Embiid has one job, make sure Jokic plays no better here than he does against you in the US. Goal accomplished!

lol. If you wanna characterize it like that, go for it. But he didnt do that. Jokic having shite teammates accomplished that

[dantas]

Kevin Durant is a difference maker for the USA to get easy baskets. With him, the USA shouldn't have too many problems confirming the gold medal.

But the other teams don't look as strong as a unit

Spain in 2008 and Argentina in 2004 looked much better than these USA opponents.

[MoMan24]

Guys what if told you, getting one DNP, on a team with KD, Bron, AD, Bam, Stepth and several others... is OK.

What is not that ok, is starting a game and finising with -8 where you the only guy on a team with minutes in a game your team won by 26, and you so bitc*y, you commit flagrant just do you wouldn't play anymore. Thats not that ok.

It just has never happened before whereas a tier 1 player has gotten a dnp in a recent Olympic game. It’s been since like 1988

Tatum is not a tier 1 player if that's who you are talking about. Tier 1 players never get a DNP.

[UcanUwill]

He’s a US citizen. Why is there any question about him playing for team USA? It’s a ridiculous narrative to criticize the guy for.

Well yeah, we all know he is US citizen. He is also citizen of Cameroon, and his decision is still incredibly disappointing...

For who? People that want to hold him to a different standard? I don’t remember anyone **** on Hakeem for playing on team usa.

For FIBA fans like me, for Cameroon? That team was very close to qualifying, they could have made history, but the guy decided to trophy chace, in freaking FIBA for gods sake. Yes, its terribly dissapointing. I cant express how dissapointed i am.

Eyetoma posting threads how this guy thinks he would have been goat, and he agrees with Embiid. but he tells me to my face pretty much, that him not wanting to carry a team is not dissapoiting. No wonder he is a fan, they have same mindset it seems.

This guy could have been a hero if he qualified with Cameroon, instead he double downed on being who he already is...

[Hsker4Life]

I really don’t understand starting Booker

Why? He was very efficient today, and he’s hustling on both ends of the court. Also got USA out of their slump in the 1st quarter.

[bisme37]

Guys what if told you, getting one DNP, on a team with KD, Bron, AD, Bam, Stepth and several others... is OK.

What is not that ok, is starting a game and finising with -8 where you the only guy on a team with minutes in a game your team won by 26, and you so bitc*y, you commit flagrant just do you wouldn't play anymore. Thats not that ok.

It just has never happened before whereas a tier 1 player has gotten a dnp in a recent Olympic game. It’s been since like 1988

Tatum is not a tier 1 player if that's who you are talking about. Tier 1 players never get a DNP.

What is going on here lol. He's the only current 1st team All NBA player on Team USA and was the 2nd leading scorer for USA's Gold Medal team 4 years ago.

[bisme37]

I just want to give myself a shoutout for updating this stupid ass thread even when I hate both basketball and the thread lol.

[durden_tyler]

Well yeah, we all know he is US citizen. He is also citizen of Cameroon, and his decision is still incredibly disappointing...

For who? People that want to hold him to a different standard? I don’t remember anyone **** on Hakeem for playing on team usa.

For FIBA fans like me, for Cameroon? That team was very close to qualifying, they could have made history, but the guy decided to trophy chace, in freaking FIBA for gods sake. Yes, its terribly dissapointing. I cant express how dissapointed i am.

Eyetoma posting threads how this guy thinks he would have been goat, and he agrees with Embiid. but he tells me to my face pretty much, that him not wanting to carry a team is not dissapoiting. No wonder he is a fan, they have same mindset it seems.

This guy could have been a hero if he qualified with Cameroon, instead he double downed on being who he already is...

He would have been a hero for that country already just by suiting up for them.


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[Jay 20]

I really don’t understand starting Booker

Why? He was very efficient today, and he’s hustling on both ends of the court. Also got USA out of their slump in the 1st quarter.

Yeah I thought he made some good plays defensively and he got us going early in the first after Serbia went on their early run. Drilled a few threes that seemed to get the team going.

[Tor_Raps]

Tatum is a top 6 player in the league and he's relegated to waterboy/cheerleading? That's messed up man.

Tatum is not a top 6 player... he's just been lucky to have stacked squads his whole career. Put him into situations players around him are in and he'd be a consensus top 15 player instead... still really good but not elite.

This narrative is so funny to me. Tatum and Brown are pretty much the only continuity on all of their deep playoff teams, yet Tatum is always on a stacked team despite his advanced stats and raw stats saying otherwise.

Yes, this Celtics’ team had a lot of talent, but the Celtics aren’t a great team without Tatum. I’m not sure they are even a top 4 seed without Tatum.

Half this forum barely thought Brown was an all star, Porzingis was trash before the Celtics, Horford is old, Holiday/White are role players. Now they are super stacked all of a sudden, lmao.

You don’t make 3 straight first team all NBA teams by accident or because your team is stacked.

That's the difference... you take the best player off most of their teams and most are barely even playoff worthy. You're talking about still being top 4ish.

And even if Tatum/Brown are the constants, they've had an elite supporting cast for almost every year of their careers. People need to see how Tatum looks for a long stretch with a typical supporting cast but not sure if we ever will.

[azcatz11]

It just has never happened before whereas a tier 1 player has gotten a dnp in a recent Olympic game. It’s been since like 1988

Tatum is not a tier 1 player if that's who you are talking about. Tier 1 players never get a DNP.

What is going on here lol. He's the only current 1st team All NBA player on Team USA and was the 2nd leading scorer for USA's Gold Medal team 4 years ago.

I do think Kerr is trying to play mind games here. First with the JB situation and Brown tweeting today about grant hill…there appears to be a coordinated effort to mess with the Celtics.

[ForeverTFC]

Embiid was lucky he was traded by Cameroon to France and by France to USA.

I can’t imagine if SGA went on the record and said “I’d rather play for Canada but the US has a better chance of winning and I want to win”.

Embiid could have talked Siakam into playing and they would have made the Olympics. He had a great chance of changing his narrative, but here we are.

He’s a US citizen. Why is there any question about him playing for team USA? It’s a ridiculous narrative to criticize the guy for.

I’m not criticizing him for playing for the US. I’m criticizing his rationale. He came out and said he’d rather play for Cameroon but Cameroon doesn’t have a good chance to make the Olympics and he wants to win.

If he’s as great as Eyetoma wants us to believe, you’re telling me he couldn’t have teamed up with Siakam and gotten them into the Olympics?

He’s a front runner who always blames others and never takes responsibility. This was yet another example of who he’s been his whole career; weak.

[Tor_Raps]

So what i took from the game is that if Jokic played all 40 minutes and Team USA played Embiid more then Serbia would have won

[reload141]

Well yeah, we all know he is US citizen. He is also citizen of Cameroon, and his decision is still incredibly disappointing...

For who? People that want to hold him to a different standard? I don’t remember anyone **** on Hakeem for playing on team usa.

For FIBA fans like me, for Cameroon? That team was very close to qualifying, they could have made history, but the guy decided to trophy chace, in freaking FIBA for gods sake. Yes, its terribly dissapointing. I cant express how dissapointed i am.

Eyetoma posting threads how this guy thinks he would have been goat, and he agrees with Embiid. but he tells me to my face pretty much, that him not wanting to carry a team is not dissapoiting. No wonder he is a fan, they have same mindset it seems.

This guy could have been a hero if he qualified with Cameroon, instead he double downed on being who he already is...

This. So much this.

Dude just wants an easy win, which is what everyone in the league knows what he wants.

He’s not prepared to go the extra mile.

[ForeverTFC]

It just has never happened before whereas a tier 1 player has gotten a dnp in a recent Olympic game. It’s been since like 1988

Tatum is not a tier 1 player if that's who you are talking about. Tier 1 players never get a DNP.

What is going on here lol. He's the only current 1st team All NBA player on Team USA and was the 2nd leading scorer for USA's Gold Medal team 4 years ago.

Meh. Even Simmons and Russillo say he’s not in the same tier as the top guys in the league. I don’t think this is a controversial take.

[Bourne85]

Guys what if told you, getting one DNP, on a team with KD, Bron, AD, Bam, Stepth and several others... is OK.

What is not that ok, is starting a game and finising with -8 where you the only guy on a team with minutes in a game your team won by 26, and you so bitc*y, you commit flagrant just do you wouldn't play anymore. Thats not that ok.

It just has never happened before whereas a tier 1 player has gotten a dnp in a recent Olympic game. It’s been since like 1988

KD was on a roll, you play him when he is THAT hot. Next game someone else might sit up, its fine.

Also, let’s be real, he isn’t really “tier 1” player. If we made a list of best players in the league, case can be made he’s outside the top 10