Official FIBA World Championship Thread (and long preview)

sdeezy · Post #161 » by **sdeezy** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:36 pm

RipCityLives wrote:I read something like Rondo-Rose-Durant-Gay-Odom as the starting line up. Team USA is gonna be outrebounded all day long...

I'm sure Billups is going to be starting. Coach K likes his veterans. My guess is Billups/Rondo start and he he brings one of Rose/Westbrook/Evans off the bench to play the DWade 6th man role.

96 Til Infiniti · Post #162 » by **96 Til Infiniti** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 7:24 pm

RipCityLives wrote:I read something like Rondo-Rose-Durant-Gay-Odom as the starting line up. Team USA is gonna be outrebounded all day long...

LO starting at Center? I know it's international ball and most countries play small ball, but I wouldn't feel confident playing Lamar at the 5.

Theo Papaloukas · Post #163 » by **Theo Papaloukas** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 7:55 pm

Argentina's team is looking much better than most thought it would:

Prigioni / Fernandez
Delfino / Quinteros
Nocioni / Kammerichs
Scola / Gutierrez
Oberto / Gonzalez

Despite not having Manu, this is still a very tough squad. This is the best bench they've had in a while. Scola might be the best power forward in the tournament. Delfino can play with anyone, Nocioni is proven internationally, Oberto does the dirty work, Quinteros is an amazing shooter, Fernandez is a stud and future NBA player, and Prigioni is reliable. Roman Gonzalez is even a decent back up 5 and takes up a ton of space. Australia, Serbia, and Germany are the other relevant teams in their group - Argentina's got a good shot at finishing 1st.

Brazil could finish 2nd in the US's group and could even give them a tough game. I like Brazil to beat Slovenia. Huertas, Barbosa, Vinicius (or Machado), Varejao, Nene, Splitter, and Alex is deep enough to beat most good teams.

Sedale Threatt · Post #164 » by **Sedale Threatt** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 7:59 pm

That team sucks. Only two or three legit NBA starters on it.

Theo Papaloukas · Post #165 » by **Theo Papaloukas** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 9:48 pm

Sedale Threatt wrote:That team sucks. Only two or three legit NBA starters on it.

Since the number of NBA starters has really determined how well a team doe sinternationally...

Sedale Threatt · Post #166 » by **Sedale Threatt** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 9:55 pm

Green equals sarcasm. (Which, interestingly, has a Greek root word.) I'm in before somebody tried to say that legitimately, because I know it's coming. I learned a long time ago that raw talent doesn't necessarily equate to wins in FIBA competition.

ahonui06 · Post #167 » by **ahonui06** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 10:29 pm

Theo Papaloukas wrote:Argentina's team is looking much better than most thought it would:

Prigioni / Fernandez
Delfino / Quinteros
Nocioni / Kammerichs
Scola / Gutierrez
Oberto / Gonzalez

Despite not having Manu, this is still a very tough squad. This is the best bench they've had in a while. Scola might be the best power forward in the tournament. Delfino can play with anyone, Nocioni is proven internationally, Oberto does the dirty work, Quinteros is an amazing shooter, Fernandez is a stud and future NBA player, and Prigioni is reliable. Roman Gonzalez is even a decent back up 5 and takes up a ton of space. Australia, Serbia, and Germany are the other relevant teams in their group - Argentina's got a good shot at finishing 1st.

Brazil could finish 2nd in the US's group and could even give them a tough game. I like Brazil to beat Slovenia. Huertas, Barbosa, Vinicius (or Machado), Varejao, Nene, Splitter, and Alex is deep enough to beat most good teams.

Germany was no longer relevant as soon as DIRK said he wasn't playing in the tournament.

asdfgh · Post #168 » by **asdfgh** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 10:43 pm

RipCityLives wrote:I read something like Rondo-Rose-Durant-Gay-Odom as the starting line up. Team USA is gonna be outrebounded all day long...

I'm glad the coaches agree with me. I said 2 or 3 pages ago that Rondo should be the leader of the team and that Odom should play a lot of minutes at the 5.

Theo Papaloukas · Post #169 » by **Theo Papaloukas** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 10:45 pm

Sedale Threatt wrote:Green equals sarcasm. (Which, interestingly, has a Greek root word.) I'm in before somebody tried to say that legitimately, because I know it's coming. I learned a long time ago that raw talent doesn't necessarily equate to wins in FIBA competition.

Alright, good to know. It's hard to tell since a lot of posters do think that NBA talent = automatic wins. :lol:

By relevant, I mean not some team with obscure players like Tunisia, Ivory Coast, etc.

ahonui06 · Post #170 » by **ahonui06** » Fri Jul 23, 2010 11:25 pm

Theo Papaloukas wrote:
Sedale Threatt wrote:Green equals sarcasm. (Which, interestingly, has a Greek root word.) I'm in before somebody tried to say that legitimately, because I know it's coming. I learned a long time ago that raw talent doesn't necessarily equate to wins in FIBA competition.

Alright, good to know. It's hard to tell since a lot of posters do think that NBA talent = automatic wins.

By relevant, I mean not some team with obscure players like Tunisia, Ivory Coast, etc.

What's wrong with Cote D' Ivoire?

Theo Papaloukas · Post #171 » by **Theo Papaloukas** » Sat Jul 24, 2010 1:08 am

ahonui06 wrote:
Theo Papaloukas wrote:
Sedale Threatt wrote:Green equals sarcasm. (Which, interestingly, has a Greek root word.) I'm in before somebody tried to say that legitimately, because I know it's coming. I learned a long time ago that raw talent doesn't necessarily equate to wins in FIBA competition.

Alright, good to know. It's hard to tell since a lot of posters do think that NBA talent = automatic wins.

By relevant, I mean not some team with obscure players like Tunisia, Ivory Coast, etc.

What's wrong with Cote D' Ivoire?

When's the last time they've made a WC? 1986. Which players have you seen play for them?

sabi · Post #172 » by **sabi** » Sat Jul 24, 2010 4:41 am

I'm very pumped for these games and be rooting for France and Puerto Rico lol didn't know Balkman was a Puerto Rican citizen/

Run_Forest · Post #173 » by **Run_Forest** » Sat Jul 24, 2010 3:24 pm

USA has no centers and their perimeter shooters are 2-3.Curry Durant and Billups are the ones that i can think of right now(although Rose said that he has expanded his range).They have been pretty unlucky with all the injuries and Amare's insurance policies or whatever...

IMO Spain,Greece,USA and Serbia(best coach in the tournament and some great young players like Teodosic and Velickovic) are the favorites.Maybe Argentina too and i would say France but in every tournament they start with great expectatios and they get beaten early...

Mecca · Post #174 » by **Mecca** » Sat Jul 24, 2010 4:59 pm

Our best roster:

PG - Rose - Billups - Rondo
SG - Durant - Mayo - Gordon
SF - Granger - Gay
PF - Wallace - Love
C - Odom - Brook

IMHO, Brook isn't really good for us, because we run too much, and he's a strict half-court center, but he'll probably make the team. Also, we play a lot of small ball, so Love/Odom can start at the 5.

Theo Papaloukas · Post #175 » by **Theo Papaloukas** » Sat Jul 24, 2010 6:31 pm

xKLNx Phenom wrote:Our best roster:

PG - Rose - Billups - Rondo
SG - Durant - Mayo - Gordon
SF - Granger - Gay
PF - Wallace - Love
C - Odom - Brook

IMHO, Brook isn't really good for us, because we run too much, and he's a strict half-court center, but he'll probably make the team. Also, we play a lot of small ball, so Love/Odom can start at the 5.

I really don't Odom starting at C. Sure he could play it for small stretches when they want to run, but I'd rather start Tyson Chandler at the 5 and Odom at the 4. I wouldn't like to see Odom defending Marc Gasol, Tiago Splitter, Nene, Schortsanitis, and Bourousis.

illastrate · Post #176 » by **illastrate** » Sat Jul 24, 2010 7:03 pm

You want a zone buster? Then Eric Gordon should be on the team.

Gek · Post #177 » by **Gek** » Sat Jul 24, 2010 7:17 pm

Props to Billups for busting his ass still for Team USA.

Tim_Hardawayy · Post #178 » by **Tim_Hardawayy** » Sat Jul 24, 2010 7:39 pm

G=K wrote:Props to Billups for busting his ass still for Team USA.

+1, Lamar Odom too, he's getting up there in age and he's coming off a long playoff run.

I think this will be a fun team to root for, lots of youth bursting with potential. I think after the Worlds, people are going to look at Derrick Rose as 1b to Durant's 1a as far as young stars on the rise.

Sedale Threatt · Post #179 » by **Sedale Threatt** » Sat Jul 24, 2010 7:49 pm

While I'm still disappointed that so many of our best players are skipping out -- which I totally understand by the way -- I'm also looking forward to this tournament in a bid way. Not only to have good, competitive basketball to watch in September, but to see how these guys come together.

Tim_Hardawayy · Post #180 » by **Tim_Hardawayy** » Sat Jul 24, 2010 8:02 pm

Sedale Threatt wrote:While I'm still disappointed that so many of our best players are skipping out -- which I totally understand by the way -- I'm also looking forward to this tournament in a bid way. Not only to have good, competitive basketball to watch in September, but to see how these guys come together.

In a way, it should help us for the 2012 Olympics, because some of the veterans from that squad probably weren't going to return anyways. This will give us a good look at a solid group of young players to pick from to replace guys who don't return in 2012.

I personally think Kobe, Wade and Dwight Howard probably won't play again. Kobe/Wade due to age and wear and tear, and Dwight because the international game is not kind to him at all.