So Exactly Who Should Be On The '08 Olympic Team?

[PdiddyPop]

Re: So Exactly Who Should Be On The '08 Olympic Team?

I don't know basketball like most guys here, but how about Bruce Bowen? Solid from downtown and a good defender.

We had someone that did that better. His name was Shane Battier.

[motorcrossman1]

Re: So Exactly Who Should Be On The '08 Olympic Team?

PG: Billups
SG: Kobe
SF: Melo
PF: Brand - feed the post in the Olympics
C: Howard- read above
bench:
James, Wade, Johnson, hopefully Redd doubt it...., Hinrich, Johnson, maybe Bosh depends, and Battier... the rest I don't know

[mj-airness23]

Re: So Exactly Who Should Be On The '08 Olympic Team?

PG: Jason Kidd/ Chauncey Billups/ Hinrich
SG: Kobe Bryant/ Ray Allen/ Raja Bell
SF: Shawn Marion/ Bruce Bowen/ LeBron James
PF: Tim Duncan/ Dwight Howard
C: Ben Wallace/ Amare

[WilliamWilliamson]

Re: So Exactly Who Should Be On The '08 Olympic Team?

PG: Jason Kidd/ Chauncey Billups/ Hinrich
SG: Kobe Bryant/ Ray Allen/ Raja Bell
SF: Shawn Marion/ Bruce Bowen/ LeBron James
PF: Tim Duncan/ Dwight Howard
C: Ben Wallace/ Amare

Some of those guys aren't that well suited for the international game and I'd say Joe Johnson still deserves to be on it.

[boston_sports_rule]

Re: So Exactly Who Should Be On The '08 Olympic Team?

Center: Amare, Oden
PF: Howard, Brand
SF: Melo, Pierce, Marion
SG: Bryant, Allen, James
PG: Wade, Hinrich, (Sleeper Pick: Telfair)

Hear me out on Telfair. Him playing in West Coast he was never motivated to perform. Coming to play close to home will only improve his game. If he would have came out in the draft this year he would have been a top five pick. We need a point guard who can pass the ball to our stars. Hinrich is obvious first choice to do that. I like Telfair to backup Hinrich and Wade.

[bigeastbumrush]

Re: So Exactly Who Should Be On The '08 Olympic Team?

PG- Chris Paul/Kirk Hinrich/Brevin Knight
SG- Chauncey Billups/Rip Hamilton
SF- Michael Redd/Ron Artest/Bruce Bowen
PF- Kevin Garnett/Channing Frye
C- Ben Wallace/Josh Howard

GOLD

[slimm44]

Re: So Exactly Who Should Be On The '08 Olympic Team?

The US doesn't need the best athletes in the league, just the best basketball players. The original Dream Team (Circa 1992) was so dominant because they played GREAT team basketball and virtually every player on the floor made every one else (who were sure bet hall of famer's) even better.

[Sarah]

Re: So Exactly Who Should Be On The '08 Olympic Team?

The US doesn't need the best athletes in the league, just the best basketball players. The original Dream Team (Circa 1992) was so dominant because they played GREAT team basketball and virtually every player on the floor made every one else (who were sure bet hall of famer's) even better.

One of the reason why the dream team 1 to 3 was very good together is because they have been playing against and with each other since thier college days. They have watch and study each others moves even before they became superstars and legend and until they became one, and they pretty much know each others weakness and strength. They also played in the all-star weekend in a consistent basis that it just adds up the chemistry. The young guys of Dream Team 2 is probably the best team I could compare to the Dream Teams of 2000s but with defense, more complete and fundamentally sound players even as rising superstars but they adapted the philisophy of the first dream team.

[TooMuchBollyWan]

Re: So Exactly Who Should Be On The '08 Olympic Team?

They should hold a general open nationwide tryout. Maybe include some criteria like prior college experience and choose from that. I get tired of seeing league guys anyway. I dont know how many of you live in Houston, but if you go to the summer pro-am out here you see that just because you are in the league doesnt mean your the best.

[MassNole]

Re: So Exactly Who Should Be On The '08 Olympic Team?

PG- Chris Paul/Kirk Hinrich/Brevin Knight
SG- Chauncey Billups/Rip Hamilton
SF- Michael Redd/Ron Artest/Bruce Bowen
PF- Kevin Garnett/Channing Frye
C- Ben Wallace/Josh Howard

GOLD

Might as well just send the Detroit Pistons.

[Cj112]

Re: So Exactly Who Should Be On The '08 Olympic Team?

my team 13 man team
PG-Chauncey Billups/Chris Paul/
SG-Michael Redd/Dwayne Wade/kyle korver
SF-Lebron James/Carmelo Anthony/Bruce Bowen/Shane Battier
PF-Chris Bosh/Channing Frye(decent jump shooting big man)
C-Josh Howard/Brad Miller

its the same team but with a some add ons of add ons

[mutumbo888]

Re: So Exactly Who Should Be On The '08 Olympic Team?

to be fair, this team did way better than the group in Athens. I mean we got whooped by the friggin puerto ricans for f's sake in the Olympics. I think USA is going in the right direction for the most part.

I still would like to see more veterans mixed in. This team was still too young.
and i know kobe and billups had their issues, I think they would've made a huge difference. The 92 team didn't have a bunch of young and new superstars. They had battle tested players like Magic, Bird, AirJordan, many guys in their 30's representing the USA.

I also want want the purest of the pure shooters - im talking ray allen, michael redd, jj reddick, and/or kyle korver. this 2006 team still didn't have pure shooters, joe johnson was as close to that as they got.



My team

PG Chauncey Billups / Lebron James
SG Michael Redd / Dwayne Wade / JJ Reddick
SF Kobe Bryant / Carmello Anthony / Shane Battier
PF Elton Brand / Dwight Howard
C Amare Stoudamire / Brad Miller








still some of the NBA's best players are not available to choose from - no KG, Ray Allen, Tim Duncan, Ben Wallace, Artest, J O'Neal or Kidd to choose from (unless they're added to the team later)

[Sarah]

Re: So Exactly Who Should Be On The '08 Olympic Team?

to be fair, this team did way better than the group in Athens. I mean we got whooped by the friggin puerto ricans for f's sake in the Olympics. I think USA is going in the right direction for the most part.

I still would like to see more veterans mixed in. This team was still too young.
and i know kobe and billups had their issues, I think they would've made a huge difference. The 92 team didn't have a bunch of young and new superstars. They had battle tested players like Magic, Bird, AirJordan, many guys in their 30's representing the USA.

I also want want the purest of the pure shooters - im talking ray allen, michael redd, jj reddick, and/or kyle korver. this 2006 team still didn't have pure shooters, joe johnson was as close to that as they got.



My team

PG Chauncey Billups / Lebron James
SG Michael Redd / Dwayne Wade / JJ Reddick
SF Kobe Bryant / Carmello Anthony / Shane Battier
PF Elton Brand / Dwight Howard
C Amare Stoudamire / Brad Miller








still some of the NBA's best players are not available to choose from - no KG, Ray Allen, Tim Duncan, Ben Wallace, Artest, J O'Neal or Kidd to choose from (unless they're added to the team later)

The Dream Team 2 was a collection of a bunch of young guys of the early 90's too and they turn out fine playing together. They don't have the any legends on that team aside from the retiring Isaiah of that year.
In other words, the international team still can't defeat the rising superstars of the NBA during that era let alone those who were superstars already. So saying that we don't have our best players of todays NBA playing is one of the primary reason why we lost is kind of not that good of a reason. The truth is, the current NBA is missing the main ingredient that made the first 3 Dream Teams great. And that is being able to play both sides of the coin regardless of the rules or where they are playing.