Team usa 2010

[Panathinaikos Athens]

I believe that team USA was better in 2005-2008.

I can't understand why USA don't create a team with its best NBA players.
Is it because they don't care any more to be first in miscellaneous tournaments such as Olympic games and WC?
I can't believe that is true. Who doesn't want to be first? No one.

Here in Greece, and in the rest of the National teams, if one player don't want to play with his NT we conceder him as a traitor.

It is the ultimate honor for a player to play with his NT. So the same goes with Americans i think.

But most of times we see that American Players prefer not tο play with their NT.
The true is that most of times their NBA teams don't allow them because they are afraid of injuries.

How does the Americans see all this? How can you accept it? Would you prefer to have team USA with its best players?
You are the only NT which brings not their best. (Am not saying that those you have now are not good players. Of course they are.)

Dream team 1 & 2 only did it. Play with the best American players from NBA.
What happened since then?

I think you should keep the 2005 team play together for a few years as the rest NT do.
It is the best way to make a solid team.

[greenarcher]

The best players are either not interested, injured, or want to rest this summer.

I would have wanted to see:

Derrick Rose
Russell Westbrook
Deron Williams
Dwayne Wade
Kobe Bryant
Carmelo Anthony
Lebron James
Kevin Durant
Chris Bosh
Amare Stoudemire
David Lee
Dwight Howard

[Panathinaikos Athens]

The best players are either not interested, injured, or want to rest this summer.

wow!
I think that sucks.

Here in Greece Papaloukas wanted to rest in 2009 and we all were crazy about it. If i was a professional player and well in my health i would never reject my NT.
I can't see why some Americans do that.

I think the best example how a professional player should act is D.nowitzki.
With out his NT be one of the continents for medals, he was always there for Germany. Even when he was coming from a very hard league as NBA is.
I think it is the first time he wont play for Germany.

I really love players like him.

And i don't think that American players suffers from lack of love & devotion for their NT.
Americans are to much patriots as far as i know.

If am not mistaken, this is must happening only in basketball. In all the other sports USA play with their best players they can get.

[Alvertis4]

Lebron, Wade, Kobe, Melo, Howard, Boozer etc all said they didn't want to join Team USA for this one for various reasons. I think only Kobe had overgone some surgery in the summer

Deron Williams and Chris Paul then said they wouldn't come either.

Amare Stoudemire was the only star player(besides Durant) that accepted to join the team, but his new team that gave him a $100m contract didn't want him to go, because he has had issues with his knees in the past.

You could argue that Rondo, Durant, Rose and maybe a few other of the current members could have reached the top level USA team but with not many chances(besides Durant)

[Alvertis4]

I think the best example how a professional player should act is D.nowitzki.
With out his NT be one of the continents for medals, he was always there for Germany. Even when he was coming from a very hard league as NBA is.
I think it is the first time he wont play for Germany.

I really love players like him.

Nowitzki is not going either

[Panathinaikos Athens]

Nowitzki is not going either

Yeah but who can complaints after what he has done for his NT

[wardjdim]

http://blogs.hoopshype.com/blogs/barrigon/2010/08/22/if-knowledge-is-power-us-in-trouble/

Even if they do bring their best players and they really manage to build a good 12-player group, even if a recent loss has made them realize that others are not trash, they still are miles behind the rest of the competition in terms of scouting, respect of other teams, lack of arrogance and understanding of the international game. After all, they were the best team in 2008, but they managed to finish fist only because of scandalous referee calls and extreme luck (Calderon, Ginobili, Nocioni, all injured in the Final and Semi, Rubio and Raul having 5 fouls early in 4th qtr)

Nobody is blaming the players for not being professional enough to know the players of the other teams during an NBA season, but the scouting team, the coaching staff and the organization should (and doesn't) realize how silly it is for the players to not get even a damn video of the 2008 Olympics finals, or a report of the names of the coaches and the best players of each other team. Plus, the players who are playing in the NBA

The years that the uneducated Americans still thought of Europe as one country are not gone yet. Unfortunately, these guys have surprisingly many chances of even winning the damn thing after FIBA's organized "crime" ready to happen (against Greece and Serbia) and Calderon's injury

[Mouse]

Paul Gasol, Dirk Notwitzki, Yao Ming, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, are not participating

a lot of the other countries best players are not participating

The USA sent the best players in the World in 08 and won gold

[Panathinaikos Athens]

Paul Gasol, Dirk Notwitzki, Yao Ming, Tony Parker,

a lot of the other countries best players are not participating, Lithuania hasn't sent it's best players either?

Yes but all these players they have play for many years with their NT.
Americans just play once and then they disappear from the US squad.

[Panathinaikos Athens]

The USA sent the best players in the World in 08 and won gold

Yes but the same team of US lost from Greece in 2006. And they were so ironic that they denied to wait to take their bronze medals after the final game of WC, as it happens all these years in any sports.
They wouldn't like the idea of a photograph with them in 3d place next to Spain & Greece. I think that's why they did it.
So they took their medals after the 3d-4th place game and they left.
That has never happen before.

They should stay to take their bronze medals after the final game. That's how it works in all sports.
But FIBA made an exception for USA cause their ego was already hurt.

Any way.

And i remind you that US won SPAIN very difficult in 2008. They are not a dream team.
And after so many losses i can't understand why are they so arrogant and they don't bring their best.

[Alvertis4]

The stars that will not make the Championship are NBA players that didn't get the permission of their teams to attend (or they are injured)

The NBA is killing the progress of basketball worldwide and they don't even realise it

[Dtown]

The stars that will not make the Championship are NBA players that didn't get the permission of their teams to attend (or they are injured)

The NBA is killing the progress of basketball worldwide and they don't even realise it

The NBA can't be blamed for people legitimately hurt. (Yao, Kobe, etc)

And there are still guys like Pau Gasol, and Tony Parker that just felt like resting and didn't need to be encouraged by their teams to miss the summer.

[Justin in AZ]

The Director of USA Basketball, Colangelo, actually told everyone from 2008 NOT to come back for this team. The free agency issues this summer with Bosh, Wade, and James, etc, put a cloud of confusion over the process, so rather than waiting and confusion, Colangelo just declared that they would take a whole new team.

I don't know why he did that. There are a number of players who were not free agents who could have played this year, but for whatever reason, that is what he declared. If anyone is to be blamed for arogance, it is him.

[Alvertis4]

The NBA can't be blamed for people legitimately hurt. (Yao, Kobe, etc)

And there are still guys like Pau Gasol, and Tony Parker that just felt like resting and didn't need to be encouraged by their teams to miss the summer.

I never inclined that NBA is to blame for injuries!

But when Pau and Parker see the likes of Nowitzki, Kirilenko and others not going to their respective national teams, it seems okay for them not to go either and take this as a moment to rest.

NBA can be blamed for a long & tiring season, full of huge travels.
NBA owners can be blamed for not allowing their players to represent their teams.
FIBA is to blame for not discussing this with the NBA, so that they can compensate any potential injuries.


On topic, team USA will lose in the quarters to Serbia
EDIT: Just realised that USA can't face Serbia in quarters. Okay then, they'll lose to France or Lithuania

[Justin in AZ]

NBA can be blamed for a long & tiring season, full of huge travels.
NBA owners can be blamed for not allowing their players to represent their teams.
FIBA is to blame for not discussing this with the NBA, so that they can compensate any potential injuries.

Owners like Mark Cuban think that NBA is foolish for letting any players play for national teams.

When you are a millionaire, I guess the world looks different from up there....