Jayson Tatum with another DNP vs Serbia

[DrCoach]

My god, the controversy surrounding Brown and Tatum is getting insufferable.

I actually hope both of them are left off the squad next time around. They’re not nearly good enough for all the whining surrounding Brown not being selected and Tatum getting DNPs.

They’re not owed anything. There’s a lot of really good players on this team, and the last thing the coaches need to worry about is feeding Tatum’s ego. Sometimes you’re going to ride the bench, and that’s perfectly ok. Cheer your teammates on, and be ready for when your number is called.

U mean the NBA Champs all stars and 1st all NBA?

[Wingy]

My god, the controversy surrounding Brown and Tatum is getting insufferable.

I actually hope both of them are left off the squad next time around. They’re not nearly good enough for all the whining surrounding Brown not being selected and Tatum getting DNPs.

They’re not owed anything. There’s a lot of really good players on this team, and the last thing the coaches need to worry about is feeding Tatum’s ego. Sometimes you’re going to ride the bench, and that’s perfectly ok. Cheer your teammates on, and be ready for when your number is called.

Has he not done that?

It’s also unprecedented for a player at his level. Of course people are going to talk at length about it.

[reload141]

He doesn’t have to play many minutes so he can rest up the wrist for the upcoming season - Win.

Still wins a gold medal - Win

Pretty happy as a Celtics fan to be honest.

Everyone knows it’s KD, LeBron and Curry’s last run.

[tsherkin]

They aren’t though- Tatum was the best player on the team that won the nba title this season while LeBron and KD lost in the first round

Put KD or LBJ in Tatum's spot and they win the championship as well as the FMVP.

unlikely- both are over 35 (LeBron is nearly 40)- they would wear out or perhaps even get injured. Also, it's not like the Lakers and Suns don't have talented players- AD is a top 10 NBA player and the Suns have Booker and Beal.

Tatum did not play particularly well this postseason, and especially not in the Finals. KD and Lebron both would have won with that Boston roster...

[celtxman]

The greatest shooter in the history of basketball is allowed to be in a shooting slump and shoot himself out of it.

The entire bench struggled yesterday. What does a player with Tatum accolades deserve? He cant get a go with multiple players minimized in their role especially when KD started to play with the starters

He deserves to be a DNP seeing as though it's working so far.

Worked? This team has been heavy favorites from the beginning. You hate Tatum. We get it.

[cdubbz]

Read on Twitter

[TheHartBreakKid]

You know what, I'm not the biggest fan of Tatum, but you have to agree that to see him get DNPs is a little ridiculous.

Yes, he isn't going to get too many minutes over KD and Lebron, and he's not the best at the guard spots and too small for the 5. I think it's very debatable how you rank these three guys as NBA players, though Tatum certainly has a case for being the best player of the bunch, in the NBA. In Olympic basketball, with this much pressure on the line, I'm taking Lebron and KD's experience, poise, and leadership 10/10.

THAT said, he should not be getting DNPs. He should be atleast getting 10-12 minutes a game, with potential to play more if he starts off hot. Not playing him at all is bad for the program, and must very frustrating for him, and rightfully so.

Coach K managed to give Michael Redd, Tayshaun Prince, and Carlos freaking boozer a total of 26 minutes per game in 08.

It's not like Kerr was hired to coach this team last second and didn't have a say in the team selection process. It's part of his responsibility to make sure he selects a roster that he can realistically play. If you didn't think you have minutes for Tatum, select a Chet Holmgren or something and let him ride the bench.

Now, Thaaaaat said, while Tatum has a right to be frustrated, I hope he's doing everything he can to not cause a distraction a day before the freaking gold medal game, and I hope he had a nice serious talk about with his mother about how stupid her tweet was. It's ok to be frustrated, but causing a distraction when representing your country a day right before a gold medal game is unacceptable. As far as I know Tatum hasn't made a statement or anything, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

[itrsteve]

:lol:

Read on Twitter

huh?

At nearly any given minute of any game you have either Holiday or White playing, believe it or not they both play for Boston.

[MoMan24]

USA basketball does not need Tatum or even Brown in 2028. It would be nice but not a necessity. If they want to cry foul internally then kick rocks. He is not MJ/Kobe/LeBron/Durant where you really want them and they are guaranteed to start with major minutes. In 4 years there is a long list of American players to choose from and I would bet Tatum will not be the best American player alive. I don't think he is right now cause if he was he would be playing. The amount of talent to choose from for USA is so great that I personally would not want to deal with Tatum or Brown minutes watch. They are not nearly good enough for the toxic coverage which will 100% be a story line in 2028 if they are on the team. If I'm Grant Hill I'm out.

[celtxman]

:lol:

Read on Twitter

You love it because your guy is playing. Imagine Kuminga becomes 1st team All NBA, wins a championship and Joe Mazzulla is the Olympics coach in 2028 and benches him.

[Lalouie]

in the now, it must surely disturb him

but he can go home and polish that ring with a big sh***eatin' grin on his face, and help HIS TEAM, which is the celts not teamUSA, win another ring next year

[ShootersShoot]

You know what, I'm not the biggest fan of Tatum, but you have to agree that to see him get DNPs is a little ridiculous.

Yes, he isn't going to get too many minutes over KD and Lebron, and he's not the best at the guard spots and too small for the 5. I think it's very debatable how you rank these three guys as NBA players, though Tatum certainly has a case for being the best player of the bunch, in the NBA. In Olympic basketball, with this much pressure on the line, I'm taking Lebron and KD's experience, poise, and leadership 10/10.

THAT said, he should not be getting DNPs. He should be atleast getting 10-12 minutes a game, with potential to play more if he starts off hot. Not playing him at all is bad for the program, and must very frustrating for him, and rightfully so.

Coach K managed to give Michael Redd, Tayshaun Prince, and Carlos freaking boozer a total of 26 minutes per game in 08.

It's not like Kerr was hired to coach this team last second and didn't have a say in the team selection process. It's part of his responsibility to make sure he selects a roster that he can realistically play. If you didn't think you have minutes for Tatum, select a Chet Holmgren or something and let him ride the bench.

Now, Thaaaaat said, while Tatum has a right to be frustrated, I hope he's doing everything he can to not cause a distraction a day before the freaking gold medal game, and I hope he had a nice serious talk about with his mother about how stupid her tweet was. It's ok to be frustrated, but causing a distraction when representing your country a day right before a gold medal game is unacceptable. As far as I know Tatum hasn't made a statement or anything, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

It is super ridiculous if you ask me. Going small on the wings with an inferior player just doesnt make sense in high level basketball. Love jrue but he isnt near tatums level as a player ESPECIALLY as small forward. Also, they have enough ball handling in the SL with steph, bron, and book. Its just nonsensical and a stain on kerr as a coach imo

[hugepatsfan]

USA basketball does not need Tatum or even Brown in 2028. It would be nice but not a necessity. If they want to cry foul internally then kick rocks. He is not MJ/Kobe/LeBron/Durant where you really want them and they are guaranteed to start with major minutes. In 4 years there is a long list of American players to choose from and I would bet Tatum will not be the best American player alive. I don't think he is right now cause if he was he would be playing. The amount of talent to choose from for USA is so great that I personally would not want to deal with Tatum or Brown minutes watch. They are not nearly good enough for the toxic coverage which will 100% be a story line in 2028 if they are on the team. If I'm Grant Hill I'm out.

If you want to call Brown toxic for his complaining, that's justified. But what has Tatum done? He hasn't said anything other than the right things about being a good teammate. The media and fans are questioning why he isn't playing. How does that make him toxic?

[CodeBreaker]

I just don’t think he was going to play with Durant, Lebron, and Steph already out there. Just like them he needs the ball in his hands to be successful. He was just an insurance policy this year but in 2028 they will definitely need him. It will pretty much be his team.

Imagine Kerr still benching Tatum in 2028

[TheHartBreakKid]

USA basketball does not need Tatum or even Brown in 2028. It would be nice but not a necessity. If they want to cry foul internally then kick rocks. He is not MJ/Kobe/LeBron/Durant where you really want them and they are guaranteed to start with major minutes. In 4 years there is a long list of American players to choose from and I would bet Tatum will not be the best American player alive. I don't think he is right now cause if he was he would be playing. The amount of talent to choose from for USA is so great that I personally would not want to deal with Tatum or Brown minutes watch. They are not nearly good enough for the toxic coverage which will 100% be a story line in 2028 if they are on the team. If I'm Grant Hill I'm out.

I 100% agree that team NBA doesn't need him or Brown. I just think they shouldn't have selected him, but he's too good of a player and playing in b2b olympics so it's hard not select him, so more reasonably, they should have been open about how Kerr plans to use him and he would have dropped out.

Regarding Brown, the outrage is ridiculous. There was no room for him on this team, and unlike Tatum he isn't nearly good enough to be someone that's hard to reject, nor does he earn any loyalty points for being a member of the 2020(1) squad.

[Kawaii Leonard]

Now he got his mommy crying on social media and ‘demanding answers’. He too soft for fiba play.

[TheHartBreakKid]

Simple answer - Kerr is not just a self-proclaimed idiot, but an absolute moron who is so blinded by his Western conference bias that he almost cost the US the game. Of the 12 players on this team, there are 6 from each conference. The 5 players with the lowest amount of play time are all Eastern conference players. A good coach would have seen team USA winning by double digits all the way, using players not just for the conference they are in.
Hopefully we'll never have to see such a pathetic, baised head coach for team USA again.
I'm also looking forward to the regular season when Tatum goes full earth-scorching mode all over this idiot's butt.

While I'm in agreement that Kerr is in the wrong for giving him (and even Haliburton) DNPs, I think it's insane to think that he has anti Boston bias considering they have 2 players within the rotation, playing important but short minutes, which is exactly what they signed up for.
And cmon anti conference bias? The Western players are significantly more talented as a group, better basketball fits, and contain 3 all time greats that absolutely deserve the minutes they've been getting.

The DNPs is foolish to me, but realistically, even if he managed the minutes better and had everyone in the rotation like he's supposed to do as team USA's coach, 5/6 players getting the most minutes would still be from the western conference, and I see absolutely nothing wrong with that.

[TheHartBreakKid]

Now he got his mommy crying on social media and ‘demanding answers’. He too soft for fiba play.

Going to give him the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise, and assume that his mom did that on her own accord. It's a very stupid thing of her to do though, and she should have known that this ends up looking bad on her son.

[celtxman]

USA basketball does not need Tatum or even Brown in 2028. It would be nice but not a necessity. If they want to cry foul internally then kick rocks. He is not MJ/Kobe/LeBron/Durant where you really want them and they are guaranteed to start with major minutes. In 4 years there is a long list of American players to choose from and I would bet Tatum will not be the best American player alive. I don't think he is right now cause if he was he would be playing. The amount of talent to choose from for USA is so great that I personally would not want to deal with Tatum or Brown minutes watch. They are not nearly good enough for the toxic coverage which will 100% be a story line in 2028 if they are on the team. If I'm Grant Hill I'm out.

You have it backwards. If you are 1st Team All NBA 3 years running and a champion and you are NBA Finals MVP a recent 2nd Team All NBA player that can't be ignored and disregarded. It's up to any good coach to script this. What everybody is forgetting is that Kawhi was selected for this team. Can you imagine what that would have looked like Is? Is it a bad job by Grant Hill, a bad job by Kerr or both. You mean to say Tatum couldn't have played when Curry was 1/9 and was being scored on at will?

[PistolPeteJR]

Tatum should be starting over lebron. These games have been close bc of lebron. Dude is no different than when he's w/ the lakers during regular season padding his own stats at the detriment of his team. Dude is an absolute liability on defense and kills ball movement trying to be a floor general. Team usa has been very fortunage ever since kd came back he's been the juice for team usa to initiate momentum shifts.

Seriously?