Game Thread: OT: 2016 Summer Olympics

[WiggyRuss]

i think if you gave Team USA 2 extra weeks of practices and a half dozen more games to get ready it wouldnt be really close.

All of these national teams play together all the time- and maybe only have to assimilate a couple guys from the NBA- and many of those guys do a lot more time wise with their national teams than the US does.

You throw a bunch of guys together and play under a totally different set of rules shit is gonna happen- especially when the King is not there- and Steph is not there- who are without a doubt the 2 best in the world right now.

Is this Klay's first Olympics? It has to be right...I can see how him and Irving- coming are 2 of the most talented guys- but might not feel like its their team yet with guys like Melo, Durant etc. on the team.

And the Kyrie stuff is just ridiculous- in the FIBA's 2 summers ago Kyrie was the TOURNAMENT MVP- not the team USA MVP, the Tournament MVP- and the rosters there are practically identical to the rosters you see at the Olympics.

I think you just have a lot of young guys- with some poor leaders in Melo and Durant, missing the worlds 2 best, the roster was thrown together on the fly with little time to practice

- and at times you see the future of the team- the Klays and Kyries really do some special things- but it just hasnt looked great.


plus- you cant discount the fact that the rest of the world just continues to get better at basketball and we are playing under their rules for the game.

 

[bksballer89]

i think if you gave Team USA 2 extra weeks of practices and a half dozen more games to get ready it wouldnt be really close.

All of these national teams play together all the time- and maybe only have to assimilate a couple guys from the NBA- and many of those guys do a lot more time wise with their national teams than the US does.

You throw a bunch of guys together and play under a totally different set of rules shit is gonna happen- especially when the King is not there- and Steph is not there- who are without a doubt the 2 best in the world right now.

Is this Klay's first Olympics? It has to be right...I can see how him and Irving- coming are 2 of the most talented guys- but might not feel like its their team yet with guys like Melo, Durant etc. on the team.

And the Kyrie stuff is just ridiculous- in the FIBA's 2 summers ago Kyrie was the TOURNAMENT MVP- not the team USA MVP, the Tournament MVP- and the rosters there are practically identical to the rosters you see at the Olympics.

I think you just have a lot of young guys- with some poor leaders in Melo and Durant, missing the worlds 2 best, the roster was thrown together on the fly with little time to practice

- and at times you see the future of the team- the Klays and Kyries really do some special things- but it just hasnt looked great.


plus- you cant discount the fact that the rest of the world just continues to get better at basketball and we are playing under their rules for the game.

When do these other national teams play together? Just curious

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

Can you not read English?

I guess not.

 

[CitySushi]

When do these other national teams play together? Just curious

A lot of them have to play more qualifiers than the US Team has had to in the past 12 years. They generally have a set number of guys without a huge rotation of players at the US did this past Olympics.

 

[bksballer89]

A lot of them have to play more qualifiers than the US Team has had to in the past 12 years. They generally have a set number of guys without a huge rotation of players at the US did this past Olympics.

I understand the part about having the same group but I'm really not sure when they play. Especially the teams in South America. Its the World Championships, Olympics, and maybe they play 1 more tournament than we do

 

[bksballer89]

The issue with us is the rotating of players every 2 years. This team is even much different than the 2014 World Championship team. I

 

[CitySushi]

i think if you gave Team USA 2 extra weeks of practices and a half dozen more games to get ready it wouldnt be really close.

All of these national teams play together all the time- and maybe only have to assimilate a couple guys from the NBA- and many of those guys do a lot more time wise with their national teams than the US does.

You throw a bunch of guys together and play under a totally different set of rules shit is gonna happen- especially when the King is not there- and Steph is not there- who are without a doubt the 2 best in the world right now.

Is this Klay's first Olympics? It has to be right...I can see how him and Irving- coming are 2 of the most talented guys- but might not feel like its their team yet with guys like Melo, Durant etc. on the team.

And the Kyrie stuff is just ridiculous- in the FIBA's 2 summers ago Kyrie was the TOURNAMENT MVP- not the team USA MVP, the Tournament MVP- and the rosters there are practically identical to the rosters you see at the Olympics.

I think you just have a lot of young guys- with some poor leaders in Melo and Durant, missing the worlds 2 best, the roster was thrown together on the fly with little time to practice

- and at times you see the future of the team- the Klays and Kyries really do some special things- but it just hasnt looked great.


plus- you cant discount the fact that the rest of the world just continues to get better at basketball and we are playing under their rules for the game.

I think its much more style of play than anything. They do have too many ball dominated players who don't really make others around them better (in terms of passing).

The last Olympic team had Lebron, CP3, Deron Williams, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Love, and James Harden, who are all guys who are willing passers (Harden included because he wasn't FULL Harden at that time). If you really look at this roster, there is only one pass first guy and it's their PF/C combo guy in Draymond. Irving is good at setting up teammates and passing when available, but he's a scorer first. Lowry is decent too, but he's no CP3.

 

[CitySushi]

I understand the part about having the same group but I'm really not sure when they play. Especially the teams in South America. Its the World Championships, Olympics, and maybe they play 1 more tournament than we do

Yeah, but with their pre-season games and whatnot, that's at least 10-12 additional games every two years versus every 4. I realize in the scheme of things it doesn't make a huge difference, but it's more important to teams with lesser talent to develop that chemistry. And at times it does hurt the US.

BUT

The US has no excuses because their talent level surpasses everyone else's by miles.

 

[CitySushi]

Durant...bro.

 

[bksballer89]

I think its much more style of play than anything. They do have too many ball dominated players who don't really make others around them better (in terms of passing).

The last Olympic team had Lebron, CP3, Deron Williams, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Love, and James Harden, who are all guys who are willing passers (Harden included because he wasn't FULL Harden at that time). If you really look at this roster, there is only one pass first guy and it's their PF/C combo guy in Draymond. Irving is good at setting up teammates and passing when available, but he's a scorer first. Lowry is decent too, but he's no CP3.

2008 Olympics roster was really well balanced as well. It was Kidd, Boozer, Lebron, Deron Williams, Michael Redd, D-Wade, CP, Dwight, Kobe, Tayshaun Prince, and Melo

 

[tlance]

dude at times it looks like him and carmelo - and more often lately- Thompson- are the only ones that are even interested.

I disagree completely, but if the other players are not interested, it is because they can't get the ball.

 

[CitySushi]

2008 Olympics roster was really well balanced as well. It was Kidd, Boozer, Lebron, Deron Williams, Michael Redd, D-Wade, CP, Dwight, Kobe, Tayshaun Prince, and Melo

Kidd and CP3 are making sure that ball gets around. Redd was really underrated for that team too with his shooting.

 

[The Derski]

The announcers really think Ginobili is a hall of famer?

 

[Hornsstampede2.0]

GINOBILI is a mortal lock Hall of Famer.

 

[gohusk]

The issue with us is the rotating of players every 2 years. This team is even much different than the 2014 World Championship team. I

I don't know much about how things work over there but I'd bet that a lot of these teams have players that have been playing together at the junior levels as well. And the coaches have probably been looking at them in try outs at an early age so they have a better feel for these guys games. Here our guys just dominate high school, play college for one season, and then end up in the NBA. If they become a super-stud they go to the Olympics.

 

[gohusk]

And if you look at this roster it really isn't that eye-popping. They're clearly the best but there's some big names that chose not to play.

 

[RobBase]

Michael Phelps ain't shit. Dude swims 6mph. A penguin swims somewhere around 20mph. A turtles swims like 18mph. If Phelps raced a penguin and a turtle, he'd get destroyed.

Not so impressive when you look at it from a different perspective.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

Michael Phelps ain't shit. Dude swims 6mph. A penguin swims somewhere around 20mph. A turtles swims like 18mph. If Phelps raced a penguin and a turtle, he'd get destroyed.

Not so impressive when you look at it from a different perspective.

Thats crazy talk.

What would several animals do to Bolt in a race?

Theres a reason humans compete against other humans.

 

[bksballer89]

Gatlin failed to qualify for 200 M finals.

 

[Mecca]

Michael Phelps ain't shit. Dude swims 6mph. A penguin swims somewhere around 20mph. A turtles swims like 18mph. If Phelps raced a penguin and a turtle, he'd get destroyed.

Not so impressive when you look at it from a different perspective.