this is a funny conspiracy idea about this photo
http://www.cnbc.com/id/25513177


pretty crazy if you ask me, but i like this photo, i shows you who is taller than who,
its amazing to see that Kobe is shorter that a lot of guys and teshawn price is taller than most PF
also, it doesnt look like they have a good center besides howard

7/3/2008 10:58:54 AM

Quote :

"it doesnt look like they have a good center besides howard"

yep...the only bigs on the team are Howard, Bosh and (6'9") Boozer...and to top it off, Howard is hurt...we need to get Tyson Chandler or Marcus Camby on the squad for depth...or hell even add an Erick Dampier or Chris Kaman to the mix

7/3/2008 11:01:18 AM

Dwayne Wade has the, fuck why am I out of order face.

7/3/2008 11:07:08 AM

*inserts racist joke about all of them looking handcuffed*

7/3/2008 11:13:13 AM

They need at least one white guy on the team...and no Kidd does not count. Have to have white guy on your squad to be legit. (Non coaching white guys).

Article was very interesting too...I believe it lol.


III

[Edited on July 3, 2008 at 11:16 AM. Reason : ha ha ha]

7/3/2008 11:14:21 AM

Tyson Chandler is traveling with the team as the first alternate...

7/3/2008 11:14:24 AM

^^^lol, i knew i forgot to mention something in my OP

but yeah they go by their stated height and its clear to see that Jason Kidd was lying...lol

[Edited on July 3, 2008 at 11:15 AM. Reason : .]

7/3/2008 11:15:03 AM

^^NICE...good to hear

Quote :

"Have to have white guy on your squad to be legit."

in basketball?

[Edited on July 3, 2008 at 11:29 AM. Reason : Chandler]

7/3/2008 11:15:25 AM

Quote :

"*inserts racist joke about all of them looking handcuffed*"

if you read the article you would get the impression they are handcuffed by nike except for howard who is with addidas

read the article though, its pretty good

7/3/2008 11:16:31 AM

Quote :

"They need at least one white guy on the team...and no Kidd does not count."

I'd say 1/2 white counts as white in a black dominated sport like basketball.

Apparently 1/4 black counts as black in the white dominated sport of golf.

7/3/2008 11:21:43 AM

ahaha, except that Howard has the only jersey where you can see the logo, except Paul. That is pretty funny with Coach Rat's foot placement.

7/3/2008 11:22:16 AM

Does anyone think K's system might actually bring home the gold this year? The international game is a lot different than ours b/c of how fucking wide the lane is. So the big men develop a face up game and jump shooters are valued more. Coach K has lived off of having great jump shooters everywhere on the court. The international game really pisses me off. I like big guys that can shoot, but I like to see awesome post moves as well. Why does the lane even look like that anyhow? The game was created and developed here in America, therefore they should play it the way we intended it to be played. Hockey is still played the way the Canadians intended it to be played. The blue line and goal lines haven't changed any. The only thing that's changed is the crease to make it where goals can't be disallowed b/c an opposing player who was out of the play was standing beside the goal. The bases in baseball are still 90ft apart.

7/3/2008 11:24:10 AM

Yeah you can see the swoosh on Howards chest lol

If they were really diligent, they would have had him making a 'beat chest' motion with his right hand, thus covering the logo

7/3/2008 11:24:21 AM

Quote :

"Does anyone think K's system might actually bring home the gold this year?"

i think so...for one thing, with the exception of a couple bigs like Duncan and Garnett, we pretty much have the best players in the NBA a la the first 2 dream teams...the last few international contests we sent a few superstars and a bunch of semistars...also the last few contests we basically put a team together and practiced for 2 months...this time the team is getting to know each other and the coaching staff for maybe 2 years...chemistry is big

7/3/2008 11:32:22 AM

Not so fast on the gold medal talk

Germany will be a force to reckon with

We all know about Dirk, but he's not the real issue here

Introducing the newest member of Team Germany...

Quote :

"FRANKFURT, Germany -- Los Angeles Clippers center Chris Kaman has received German citizenship and will team up with Dirk Nowitzki for Germany at an Olympic qualifying tournament later this month."

[Edited on July 3, 2008 at 12:54 PM. Reason : x]

7/3/2008 12:53:21 PM

Quote :

"we need to get Tyson Chandler or Marcus Camby on the squad for depth...or hell even add an Erick Dampier or Chris Kaman to the mix"

7/3/2008 12:54:58 PM

WHAT ABOUT WADES CONVERSES? Stupid ass theory.


Also, Washington and Prince almost look white so...

7/3/2008 12:58:31 PM

I didnt think Kaveman was healthy yet, I still think another big wouldve been smart, its gonna end up Prince at the 5, Melo at the 4 LeBron at the 3 after foul trouble.

7/3/2008 1:00:17 PM

yeah 5 fouls a piece in Olympic play

Any smart coach in gonna go right at Howard and Bosh to try to get 2 quick ones and make us go small

[Edited on July 3, 2008 at 1:02 PM. Reason : ^^ Nike owns converse]

[Edited on July 3, 2008 at 1:02 PM. Reason : and who the fuck is Washington ? I'm assuming you meant Deron Williams]

7/3/2008 1:01:32 PM

Did not know that, they also own Jumpman.

7/3/2008 1:03:06 PM

everyone knows they own Jumpman

7/3/2008 1:04:37 PM

Quote :

"Washington and Prince almost look white so..."

haha who the fuck is washington (i also assume you meant deron)

7/3/2008 2:01:18 PM

Yeah I took Washington to mean Deron, lol its all good...won't bully you over for that. I think we have a great squad that has been working together and have been with the coach for a good bit, that will come in big. I do wish he had another big man a la KG or Duncan, but I can see why they have the team they have.

And yes, a white guy on your team in bball has always been a good thing. Not saying they have to start. I will settle for Jkidd and almost white Tprine and Deron. Add that up we get close to a whole white guy without the risk of sunburn lol.


III

7/3/2008 2:17:53 PM

i think KG and Duncan both declined to be on the team if i remember correctly

7/3/2008 2:57:49 PM

KG and Duncan need time off lol.



Also I have been reading too many draft recaps to mixup last names

7/3/2008 3:02:32 PM

Quote :

"WHAT ABOUT WADES CONVERSES? Stupid ass theory. "

converse is owned by nike

[Edited on July 3, 2008 at 3:27 PM. Reason : i see someone else covered that in an edit]

7/3/2008 3:26:10 PM

id be all about that conspiracy theory if you couldn't see the Nike swoosh plain as day on howard's chest.

7/3/2008 5:13:03 PM

i believe the controversy, the swoosh on the jersey was just overlooked,
but i wonder how i'd look in the picture standing beside them
i wonder if my head would be higher than their knee caps

7/3/2008 8:40:10 PM

Chris Paul will be the catalyst for this team. Williams will be a good sub. I don't know why they brought Kidd though. Experience?

7/4/2008 9:16:45 AM

^his record in international play is impeccable and he's got good size for a PG (I think he's 6'4)

7/4/2008 10:47:32 AM

I know at least one of them doesn't have a grandpa.

7/4/2008 12:29:13 PM

CP III and Kidd are perfect selections because they can get the ball to our scorers. Deron shouldn't be on the squad. His game is fine but we don't need 3 PG's when Kobe/Wade could play the position if necessary. I guess they brought Deron in case we need a PG who can defend.

It scares me that once again we don't have enough outside shooting. Redd is a good shooter but he was horrible last time around. I'd like to carry at least one more guy who can really get hot from the outside like Mike Miller. With the short 3 pt line though Kobe, Wade, and Melo should be able to hit a fair amount of threes.

Melo absolutely dominated last tournament so hopefully he can build on that. Lebron hasn't adjusted that well to playing off the ball but he had a few big games last time too. He is probably the x-factor on if we can win the gold.

Love having Prince on the roster because he's such an elite defender but in a game dominated by jump shooting he can be a potential liability if they sag off of him on the other end.

I'm not sure how Boozer will play. He can step out a little but most of his game is post moves which don't work against collapsing zone defenses. His rebounding will be very valuable though.

Bosh really needs to play well for us. His game is tailored perfectly for international play because he has a sweet jump shot and can handle the ball. Unsure if he's got the right demeanor though or how he'll play when he's not the go to guy.

Howard was awful last time around and now he's dealing with an injury. He just doesn't seem to have what it takes in international play because he's a little uncoordinated and bad in traffic. Hopefully, he turns things around because we can really use his size on defense and his rebounding.


I think heading in we have to be labelled the favorites, but I'd say we're less than 50/50 to win it all.

7/5/2008 11:05:26 AM

If Paul can cut and slash through the defense and dish off to Howard that's like a 100% dunk. Paul is going to have like 15 assists/game.

7/5/2008 7:40:38 PM

I've been thinking about this lately and there are quite a few people I would put on the team instead of some of the players currently on the roster:

Kevin Garnett - I dont really need to say much about him, he's lethal from anywhere inside the 3-point line, is excellent at defense, and would be a constant sparkplug for the team - could replace Boozer or Bosh
Rashard Lewis - just as good of a 3 point shooter as Redd, but a better all around player
Paul Pierce - see Rashard Lewis
Tracy McGrady - He is a great all around player, can shoot from anywhere and has some size

there are more, but I really dont know how Bosh, Redd, Deron Williams and Prince beat out these guys

7/5/2008 9:04:36 PM

they didn't get beat out

they didn't wanna play

7/5/2008 9:14:10 PM

I think everyone is assuming that everyone wanted to play. Which was not the case, alot of the "stars" did not want to play thus the best of those that wanted to play are out there.


III

7/5/2008 11:30:19 PM

^^^ double-team Kevin Garnett and that's curtains on every effective asset of his game.

If you don't think he'd get double teamed on every touch inside 25 feet, you're kidding yourself

[Edited on July 6, 2008 at 5:24 AM. Reason : ds]

7/6/2008 5:23:42 AM

double post

[Edited on July 6, 2008 at 5:24 AM. Reason : double post]

7/6/2008 5:24:05 AM

^^^yeah, I understand that. I didnt know that Garnett, Pierce, McGrady, etc. all turned down the team. I remember hearing that Amare Stoudamire didnt want to participate, I didnt know about anyone else in particular

^^with a team full of stars, even if Garnett did get double-teamed he could just pass it out to another capable scorer. My point was that he has size, can score from anywhere on the court, and is better at defense than Prince and Bosh

7/6/2008 7:49:15 AM

Holy fukcing dogshit if you wanna take one of the best bets of your life.

You can bet against the US winning the gold medal at 3:1 odds.

Honestly, I can't even believe this is better than a 50/50 bet.

I'd say we're probably the third best team behind Spain and Argentina.

I wouldn't be shocked if we don't medal just because if we lose in the semis we won't play as hard in the bronze game.


Bet $1,000 to win $3,000 on us not to win??? Are you serious??

7/20/2008 1:44:21 PM

if i did actively bet on sports, i would take that bet.

7/20/2008 1:53:17 PM

You gotta look at the international game a lot differently.

Number one Jason Kidd can't shoot so they will just sag off him. Chris Paul isn't a terrific shooter (he has improved markedly though) and he won't be as effective penetrating against zone defenses as he is in man to man. The more I think about maybe Deron is a good option to run the offense but we don't need 3 PG's.

International refs tend to fuck us on no calls which makes guys like D Wade and Lebron much less effective because their whole game is based off getting to the line.

Howard looked absolutely lost two years ago. He sucked hardcore offensively not a threat at all.

Carmelo seems to be the only guy on the squad other than Kobe who can REALLY score in international play because he moves without the ball and has a good inside/outside game.

Even still you don't want to have a game where Kobe/Redd jack up perimeter shots all game against international players who are used to burying the shorter threes.

Chris Bosh is soft and coming off a pretty blah season, Boozer is a good player but the international post players get away with a bunch of dirty shit and he won't have as much room to operate on the block as he does in the NBA. Even Tim Duncan sucked offensively in international play.



If we make the championship game we deserve to be 3-4 point underdogs against Spain and probably 50/50 at best to beat Argentina esp. if Ginobili is able to go.

7/20/2008 2:16:11 PM

Howard looked lost 2 years ago in the NBA too...look how much better he's gotten...although I worry a little about his health since he got hurt during the Magic series

I like that bet but don't forget, the garbage teams we've put out the last few Olympics have had nowhere near the talent that this team has...we sent a bunch of semistars and a couple superstars last time (AI, Duncan)...this time half the team is superstars (Melo, Lebron, Kobe, Wade, Paul, Howard)...plus give us a couple years to get some chemistry instead of the 3 week bullshit in past years? Chemistry + superstars = gold medal

^how can you say Bosh is soft, and then say Spain should win over us? You tryin to tell me Bosh is softer than Gasol?

7/20/2008 2:22:12 PM

Tell me how the other teams will score? Nobody will score on kidd, kobe, prince, or howard and its not like lebron as your defensive liability is a weakness. These are the best players in the nba going up against teams that have 2 or 3 inferior nba players max, and you're telling me they won't walk away with this? This team has been together longer than recent teams and carefully selected with balance. I don't like carmello on the team but guys like paul lebron, kobe, deron THESE ARE WINNERS. The entire team will hit the open 3 with the exception of Kidd, Bosh, Howard, and boozer. All their life they have found a way to win. After the other teams miss shots then its off to the races and theres nothing you can do against guys like dwade in transition with big men like bosh, boozer and howard sprinting the floor against bigger, slower big men. If shit ever does hit the fan then never fear, kobe is here. We all saw what happens to Gasol against faster, more athletic big men, there is no player in the world that we can't shut down with this team. Howard vs any big, Prince vs any big swing, Kidd/Deron vs any pg and Kobe vs any 2 SHUTDOWN.

All this with coach k on the beat???????

This team will smoothly sail to a gold medal. I'd give 10:1 odds on that. I'm telling you, We're gonna make movies. This is USA basketball. We invented basketball and have the best athletes in the world by far.

wethebest man

7/20/2008 2:38:15 PM

Quote :

"These are the best players in the nba going up against teams that have 2 or 3 inferior nba players max, and you're telling me they won't walk away with this?"

Just like last time, huh?

7/20/2008 2:40:06 PM

better players and a lot more months and months of practicing together than last time

its not gonna be easy but its not the same type teams we've put out there the past few contests

i think theres reason to be optimistic this time

[Edited on July 20, 2008 at 2:50 PM. Reason : .]

7/20/2008 2:45:23 PM

Quote :

"its amazing to see that Kobe is shorter that a lot of guys"

i'm surprised nobody else has addressed the stupidity of this statement

7/20/2008 2:55:18 PM

I definitely think we have a better chance at taking the gold than we did in Sydney, but it's dumb to think we're gonna steamroll over everyone.

[Edited on July 20, 2008 at 3:01 PM. Reason : ]

7/20/2008 3:01:15 PM

apparently this wethebest character thinks that the NBA is actually a respectable league in terms of quality of basketball.

7/20/2008 3:22:51 PM

its probably a pure coincidence that the Argentinian team is so good and they only have 4 NBA players

7/20/2008 3:25:38 PM