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

[SelfishPlayer]

Serbia needs Jamal Murray and MPJ.

[CodeBreaker]

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.

Booker playing that "Klay Thompson" role really well for Steve Kerr

[reload141]

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.

It’s called a team sport, and team building.

He seems pretty happy (as do the other players and they’ve stated it) about taking a backseat to win Championships, and not personal accolades.

[reload141]

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

Make your list then

[xb3at band1tx]

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

[Tor_Raps]

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.

It’s called a team sport, and team building.

He seems pretty happy (as do the other players and they’ve stated it) about taking a backseat to win Championships, and not personal accolades.

That's perfectly fine. No one's telling Tatum to want or expect anything less. It's just when Tatum fans try to use winning as the argument for why he's a top 6 player when most others can see through the argument.

Still a really damn good player, just not the guy who can carry you by himself through an entire season/playoffs. Not many guys fit that label anyways.

[Mephariel]

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.

So what rationale would you accept Embiid playing for the US? Obviously he wants to play for the most prestigious team and give himself the highest chance of winning the gold right? What other rationale is out there? So basically, you are criticizing him for playing for the US.

[NoDopeOnSundays]

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.

Siakam doesn't play for Cameroon either, how can he team up with a guy that has no interest in international play?

[durden_tyler]

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.

Booker playing that "Klay Thompson" role really well for Steve Kerr

This is a very good point. The players that can adjust at this level with this loaded a team will get the minutes and the major role. Embiid, Tatum should take notes.

[Bourne85]

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

Make your list then

Doncic
Jokic
Curry
Durant
Embiid
Lebron
Antetokoumpo
Ant

All clearly better. Then there’s guys I would flat out prefer over him too:

Wemby
Jimmy
Bam
Brunson
AD
Jaylen Brown
Fox
Mitchell
Booker

[reload141]

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.

It’s called a team sport, and team building.

He seems pretty happy (as do the other players and they’ve stated it) about taking a backseat to win Championships, and not personal accolades.

That's perfectly fine. No one's telling Tatum to want or expect anything less. It's just when Tatum fans try to use winning as the argument for why he's a top 6 player when most others can see through the argument.

Still a really damn good player, just not the guy who can carry you by himself through an entire season/playoffs. Not many guys fit that label anyways.

That’s all well and good, but he got voted 1st Team All-NBA.

So… what you’re saying is, essentially the voters were wrong?

Please note, I’m not saying he’s top 5 but we probably won’t actually get to see him as a 1st option with role players around him, so we can’t make the assumption that he isn’t that good without proof.

[reload141]

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

Make your list then

Doncic
Jokic
Curry
Durant
Embiid
Lebron
Antetokoumpo
Ant

All clearly better. Then there’s guys I would flat out prefer over him too:

Wemby
Jimmy
Bam
Brunson
AD
Jaylen Brown
Fox
Mitchell
Booker

Yeah…. Look, maybe go back to the drawing board champ.

I can see your top 8 and can agree on that, but after that with the players you’ve named, sorry but no.

[Bourne85]

To perfectly describe how Tatum isn’t a top 10 player I present you this question.

Put Doncic on Boston and Tatum on Dallas, what happens?

Case closed

[Hsker4Life]

Good luck to Team USA if you aren’t going to use Tatum in future Olympics, lol. And then our fans complain about lack of continuity. It is disrespect.

Calm down dude, he wasn't going to get mins with Durant, LBJ, and Curry. This is like a redshirt year for him and Hail. They are the future if they want it.

There are minutes to be had outside those 3. Booker playing over Tatum is silly. When has there been a situation where the second option from the previous gold medal team got no run at all on the very next team? It’s not a good look.

Such dramatics! It’s not a good look?

USA just routed one of the better team in the Olympics. They took them behind the woodshed.

Book finished with 12 points and 4-5 from 3. He kicked in 5 assists, 2 steals, and didn’t commit a single turnover.

And some of y’all are kicking and screaming about one player not getting minutes? Yikes!

JT’s number will be called before the tournament is over. Relax. This is a team of stars…enjoy the ride!

[John Murdoch]

Props to Jokic , he has gotten in better shape every off season . Luka needs to follow his lead

[reload141]

To perfectly describe how Tatum isn’t a top 10 player I present you this question.

Put Doncic on Boston and Tatum on Dallas, what happens?

Case closed

You just put a top 3 player as a replacement for Tatum.

Dude, you really need to rethink this.

[AI_Efficiency]

Once it is single elimination, I guess anything can happen, but overall I think the US is in good shape. Possibly start AD / just have embiid soak up a few minutes if needed, and it feels like we shouldn’t lose.

[eyeatoma]

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[BigDan245]

People have a really hard time understand that FIBA isn't the NBA. KD and Carmelo are arguably the best FIBA players of all time and neither are close to being in he GOAT conversation. It's just a different game.

I don't think Tatum is a great fit for the team around him either. He's not the best at anything which hurts his reasoning for playing. I can make the case for why Jrue Holiday and Derrick White play as much as they do because they have specific roles they are elite at. Tatum is so well rounded, but he fails to be at that elite tier at anything.

It's really not a knock on Tatum at all because in 4 years, he'll probably be starting for this team.

[AI_Efficiency]

Calm down dude, he wasn't going to get mins with Durant, LBJ, and Curry. This is like a redshirt year for him and Hail. They are the future if they want it.

There are minutes to be had outside those 3. Booker playing over Tatum is silly. When has there been a situation where the second option from the previous gold medal team got no run at all on the very next team? It’s not a good look.

Such dramatics! It’s not a good look?

USA just routed one of the better team in the Olympics. They took them behind the woodshed.

Book finished with 12 points and 4-5 from 3. He kicked in 5 assists, 2 steals, and didn’t commit a single turnover.

And some of y’all are kicking and screaming about one player not getting minutes? Yikes!

JT’s number will be called before the tournament is over. Relax. This is a team of stars…enjoy the ride!

Agreed. I assume there will be some blow outs and everyone will get an opportunity to get in on the action.