FIBA Americas Championship (Olympic Basketball Qualifier)

Am I the only who thinks we won't win gold next year in Beijing?

Jerry Colangelo and Coach K keep insisting that you can't win with an All-Star team, yet every time I watch them ... sure seems like an All-Star team.

We need shooters. Adding Redd and Miller will help, but I'm pretty sure Dwyane Wade will take Miller's place next season. Carmelo Anthony is really good, but I'm not sure he fits with this concept. I was actually one of the few people who liked JJ Redick's involvement, because I knew the only thing that guy would do is knock down threes (cut), kind of like how the only thing Bruce Bowen would do is defend (cut), kind of how the only thing Shane Battier would do is screen and chase loose balls (cut.)

We need role players, not scorers. All I see -- with the exception of Kidd -- is a bunch of scorers. Why do we keep comitting the same mistakes over and over and over and over again?

 

The difference here is this. They have scorers who are willing to dish the ball. Yes LeBron and Kobe are great scores, but they're extremely good passers as well. Usually when players come on these teams, they come to prove that they're one of the best. No one on team USA needs to prove anything. We already know that Kobe,Bron,Melo etc are great players.

 

I agree with Chuck on this one. There are brainless, me-first scorers, and then there are scorers who are complete players. The U.S. has the latter in LeBron and Kobe.

 

Have the divots in his face aged gracefully?

 

Argentina hasn't qualified for the Olympics yet. Spain is in as the most recent world champion. China is in as the host, Angola is in as the Africa champion. There are a couple of other continental qualifiers that are over but I don't know who the winners were. Argentina isn't in yet.

 

I stand corrected. I thought I heard that as the explanation as to why Ginobili, Nocioni and Oberto aren't playing. Does anyone know why they're all skipping this tournament?

 

No, but if you're going to root for your country, or team, or whatever, you want them to win. The world's not going to end if the U.S. doesn't win or qualify for the Olympics (hell, we lost by what, 24 to Puerto Rico in 2004, and the scientific community didn't make us a dwarf planet with Pluto). But if you care about the shit, you get frustrated when they lose, particularly if because of bad decisions. Hell, I'm a Yankees fan and they choke so much in the playoffs they should come out to Chris Benoit's theme song, but my life is going to suck for far better reasons than blowing a three-game lead to the BotardSox.

 

Isn't Argentina automatically in as the defending Olympic gold medalist?

 

They aren't among the countries listed as already qualified so no. But even without their top guys they still look like one of the top two teams in this tournament, which is all they need to be.

 

The U.S. is kicking the ever-loving shit out of Brazil right now. Up 33 about mid-way thru the third.

 

The refs fucking the hell out of the U.S. as usual (as always in international competition.)

A good lesson for the players to learn.

Getting fucked by the refs doesn't matter when you're up 40-50.

 

They must be getting fucked royally to only be leading 38