2023 WC Final

[Killer Bob]

Qualifying for the Games, plus getting Ricky back? I'm all for it.

Ricky is not coming back, at least not Ricky you need.

[Ridirkulous]

Is Usagre ok by the way?

[Killer Bob]

Is Usagre ok by the way?

He has full hands with building new dream team with LeBron and Curry, which will play even less D.

[Darrell Armstrong]

He has full hands with building new dream team with LeBron and Curry, which will play even less D.

I do really hope they bring the old guys to Paris, if only to see the end of that bullshit excuse "we sent a C team". They fielded a squad that was shooting over 50% from the field, 40% from three, and almost 80% at the line (while getting the most attempts). Offence wasn't a problem. Led the tournament in points scored by a huge margin. Scoring wasn't a problem. Efficient scoring was there in spades, actually. Being outrebounded and giving up 100+ points in each of the defeats was the problem.

Lillard, Curry, James, Harden, Durant... they are not going to improve their defence or crash the boards. Shotmaking in the crunch was also not a big concern. Reaves and Edwards were quite good getting points whenever they were needed. And there's only one ball to go around, so piling up on iso players is not going to help at all.

It's like they see a house on fire and all they seek are heroes that want to get into the flames and take the people out. Instead of, you know, putting out the fire.

[paspalj]

Lillard, Curry, James, Harden, Durant... they are not going to improve their defence or crash the boards.

I don't think that Lebron's name belongs in that list.

[Darrell Armstrong]

I don't think that Lebron's name belongs in that list.

LeBron has never been a good rebounder. Not his job, of course. But these past years has been playing inside and still grabs around one offensive rebound per game. Not exactly a game changer. His defence has also been on a decline, and he'll be close to 40 once the Games begin. Not questioning his will or motivation, but if you think James is going to be better than on-his-prime Mikal Bridges in those two areas, you're deluding yourself.

[paspalj]

LeBron has never been a good rebounder. Not his job, of course. But these past years has been playing inside and still grabs around one offensive rebound per game. Not exactly a game changer. His defence has also been on a decline, and he'll be close to 40 once the Games begin. Not questioning his will or motivation, but if you think James is going to be better than on-his-prime Mikal Bridges in those two areas, you're deluding yourself.

I didn't compare him to Bridges. I compared him to the rest of the people on your list.

[Darrell Armstrong]

I didn't compare him to Bridges. I compared him to the rest of the people on your list.

I get that, but what I said is true: LeBron isn't helping address Team USA's most glaring needs. Neither him, nor Durant, who at this point can only play PF or small-ball center. It would be really fun to see them man the middle together... particularly for the opposing team.

My hypothesis is Team USA lost their essence by failing to dominate the boards, which in past tournaments led to an enormous advantage on shot attempts and fastbreak opportunities. Those two factors helped them steamroll opponents and overcome dry spells. They sorely missed that this year, and in 2019 as well, and the results are showing.

Trying to turn this situation around by piling up on offence-first players who play below average D and don't crash the boards is completely misguided, in my opinion. Taking on one or two veteran leaders would be fine. Building the whole team around 35+ one-dimensional stars is not.

[Straight forward]

Bad times for my friend usagre

Congrats to Germany. Newly established super successful FIBA powerhouse. Not sure how they will survive Schroder's decline (probably not), but as longs as Schroder balling they will be super hard to beat because Franz is only getting better as one of the best FIBA ballers in upcoming 10 years.

[Killer Bob]

I don't think that Lebron's name belongs in that list.

KD is the only player in this group that still plays D. LeBron is not playing D at all last couple of years, which is understandable considering his age and how many games players play in Nba.

LeBron is a problem because everything will be about him on and off court. He will bring his old friends to dominate, which they can't anymore.

I would take only KD, Curry and AD, (maybe even Kyrie) add Tatum and Booker, all others should be 3&D players and defensive specialists. Problem is that nobody can say no to LeBron.

[Darrell Armstrong]

KD is the only player in this group that still plays D. LeBron is not playing D at all last couple of years, which is understandable considering his age and how many games players play in Nba.

LeBron is a problem because everything will be about him on and off court. He will bring his old friends to dominate, which they can't anymore.

I would take only KD, Curry and AD, (maybe even Kyrie) add Tatum and Booker, all others should be 3&D players and defensive specialists. Problem is that nobody can say no to LeBron.

The most important players on Tokio were, other than KD, Jrue Holiday (defense and rebounding from the PG position), Adebayo (defense and rebounding from the C position), and Tatum (above average defense and rebounding from SF position, plus go-to scorer when KD was on the bench). Lillard was meh. Booker was also meh, clearly outplayed by LaVine. Not saying that they should bring the same squad, but they should look for complementary players instead of focusing on iso players that need the ball on their hands to produce.

[DenverJokic]

I would take only KD, Curry and AD, (maybe even Kyrie) add Tatum and Booker, all others should be 3&D players and defensive specialists. Problem is that nobody can say no to LeBron.

All 6 of these players are iso scorers and there’s only 1 ball on the court. USA’s problem is they are forcing guys into roles that they can’t do. Brandon Ingram is the perfect example of this. USA should identify 3 core players and just surround them with complementary players.

[Ridirkulous]

To me the obvious player nobody is mentioning is Klay Thompson. You need scorers who do not need to dribble the ball to score and that play some defense. Klay is the perfect FIBA player, but of course too many injuries and already won gold, so it cannot be seriously considered.

[Darrell Armstrong]

To me the obvious player nobody is mentioning is Klay Thompson. You need scorers who do not need to dribble the ball to score and that play some defense. Klay is the perfect FIBA player, but of course too many injuries and already won gold, so it cannot be seriously considered.

They would be better off calling Desmond Bane in. Same skillset and much younger. But also unproven. And I doubt they are going to consider players for their "A" team without credentials like multiple All-star nominations, MVPs, DPOYs, etc. Otherwise they wouldn't be the "best of the best", and never mind fit or roster composition.

[Killer Bob]

To me the obvious player nobody is mentioning is Klay Thompson. You need scorers who do not need to dribble the ball to score and that play some defense. Klay is the perfect FIBA player, but of course too many injuries and already won gold, so it cannot be seriously considered.

Klay wants to play for Bahamas.