Olympic Roster/NBA news

I will begin here by doing an analysis of how I thought the Olympic team was picked by dividing it into different categories:

Unquestionables (Players that under no circumstances were being left off the team):

·         Lebron James

·         Kevin Durant

·         Kobe Bryant

·         Chris Paul

Durant and Lebron are the two best players in the world and I don’t think anyone would consider a scenario where they weren’t on the team out of choice.  The respect that Kobe has around the league combined with the level of play he is still achieving would make it impossible to leave him off the team if he wanted to play on it.  Personally I think there is a case for Kobe being left off the team in that he is probably an overrated player who I am not sure helps the team substantially, but I think the effect of cutting him from the team would be quite dramatic.  Chris Paul is the best point guard in the league along with one of its most respected players; he wasn’t being left of the team, and shouldn’t be. 

Should be unquestionables (Players who should have been unquestionable based on their game and style but don’t have the best reputation to carry them):

·         Kevin Love

·         Tyson Chandler

Kevin Love to me is a top 5 player in the game and someone you can build your franchise around as a superstar.  He is a great outside/inside scorer, arguably the best rebounder in basketball, one of the best passing big men, and an improving defender.  His gameplay is perfect for international ball with his ability to shoot 3 pointers and crash the boards.  Tyson Chandler again should be a no brainer for the team mainly because of his ability to defend the rim.  He won defensive player of the year last year, an award he deserved completely.  Really looking at this team he is the only traditional rim protector on it, which to me could prove dangerous when facing a team like Spain with multiple talented big men and guards who can attack the basket.

Questionable, but should be there (Players who should be on the team, but there is a strong case to take them off)

·         Andre Igoudala

·         Russell Westbrook

·         Deron Williams

Igoudala to me is an interesting case of a player who not being a superstar is an attribute when it comes to being on this team is actually a good thing.  He is a talented player who will know his role, be a shutdown defender, run the offense sometimes and get some points in transition.  Westbrook on the other hand should be on this team because he is one of the league’s best players who fulfills a position of need for the team.  He is a dominant athlete and one of a kind player, that despite questionable decision making at time should be on the team for his ability to get into the paint offensively and pester opposing teams guards defensively.  Now I am not the biggest Deron Williams fan, but this man is one of the best point guards in the NBA who is a both consistent distributor and big time scorer.

Questionable, shouldn’t be on team (Players who are on the team, but I don’t believe should be)

·         James Harden

·         Blake Griffin

·         Carmelo Anthony

James Harden is a player that before the NBA Finals I loved, and seriously believed he could be a big-time NBA player, but after watching the Finals, I don’t believe he was Olympic team worthy.  He disappeared in big moments, and while I can understand thinking he should be part of the team, especially including his willingness to come off the bench, I have to say no to him.  Griffin, while a great talent and great player, is someone whose game just doesn’t mesh well with international basketball.  He doesn’t have any post game, can’t make a mid-range shot, and is an average defender.  The strengths of his game are hurt and his weaknesses accentuated in international basketball.  Now on to Carmelo, who should not be an Olympic team member.  In his time in New York, and right before the trade to New York what has Carmelo done to make you think he should be on the Olympic team.  He has pouted for a trade, quit on his team, gotten a coach fired, and been proven to be extremely difficult to play with.  Considering this team has the better version of Carmelo, Kevin Durant, on the team I don’t see the need for him.  He won’t be playing in crunch time, and personally I would rather have a great shooter or another inside defender than a player who will pout if he doesn't believe he is getting the playing time he thinks he deserves.  

Injury worries (Guys who if not for injuries would be on the team, or would be fighting for roster spots)

·         Dwight Howard

·         Andrew Bynum

·         Derrick Rose

·         Dwayne Wade

·         Chris Bosh

Howard, Rose and Wade were getting on this team because of their pedigrees on the court and their proven international basketball experience.  I think Bosh should be on the team based on his performance in this postseason and the way his game fits for international basketball.  Bynum is a bit trickier.  This season he has been called immature countless time and seems like he is extremely difficult to play with and not a great teammate.  Yet I would want this guy on the team because he is the 2^nd best center in basketball and the team would need an additional defensive presence inside.

Should be on the team (Players who I would want to replace the questionables)

·         Eric Gordon

·         Anthony Davis

·         Kevin Garnett/Tim Duncan (If either agree to be on)

·         Roy Hibbert (if not)

I want Gordon on the team because to me his is a better shooter than James Harden, an argument that I’ll have a hard time defending considering they have a career 3 point shooting percentage of an identical .370.  Gordon though has taken more shots from 3, and probably less open shots as the only star type player he has played with has been Blake Griffin's rookie season, while Harden has played with Durant and Westbrook his entire career.  Davis probably missed the team because he couldn’t scrimmage with the team, and to me that is a huge mistake.  Look I think one season of being the best player in college basketball should be more evidence than a week of scrimmages to suggest he should be on the team.  Even if it just it to give the team more than the one rim protector it currently has.  He is going to enter basketball as one of the best defensive players in the league, and with a team lacking with that skill I want that guy there.  The final piece for the team is the addition of one last big man who can score and change shots at the hoop.  That player would ideally be Kevin Garnett or Tim Duncan, a veteran who theoretically could be talked into playing for a gold medal.  If they couldn’t be talked into playing then I want Roy Hibbert on the team.  He is a defensive force who has proven he can disrupt Lebron’s game if even slightly, enough for me to put him on the team.

Actual team:

Lebron James: Lebron James (Yes he get his own section, he occupies every position and he is so good he deserves it) (1)

Ball Handlers: Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Deron Williams (3)

Wings: Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Andre Iguodola, James Harden, Carmelo Anthony (5)

Bigs: Tyson Chandler, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin

My Team:

Lebron James: Lebron James (1)

Ball Handlers: Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Deron Williams (3)

Wings: Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Andre Iguodola, Eric Gordon (4)

Bigs: Tyson Chandler, Kevin Love, Anthony Davis, Roy Hibbert (4)

As you can see the focus of the team shifted from a small ball based team to a more balanced attack that can play both small and big.  You wonder why the attention on getting bigs right? Well I’m worried about protecting the rim because we are going to be playing Spain for the gold medal, and do you want to know what Spain’s strength is? They have the Gasol brothers and Serge Ibaka, and they could potentially be playing all 3 of them at the same time.  Look I do believe that the US’s basketball team will win anyway because of their superior talent; I just believe they made it harder on themselves and set themselves up for potential failure.

Alright now on to my thoughts on the recent NBA news

·         Steve Nash is a Laker

Obviously this is the biggest recent bit of NBA news since I last wrote is that the Los Angeles Lakers are now a title contender with the addition of Steve Nash.  This shocking move, as they Lakers weren’t thought of as contenders for his services puts them right behind OKC and right next to the Spurs as title contenders in the west.  They still have to figure out how Nash and Kobe will play together, and figure out its front court situation of having two guys who do the same things, Bynum and Gasol, play together.  Overall though it is a great move for the Lakers who now have the talent to win another NBA Championship.  For the Suns though this is a strong move, as while the 2 2^nd round picks and the first round pick in next year’s draft probably won’t be extremely valuable, the pick in 2015 could prove to be quite valuable as state of the ever aging Lakers will be in doubt.

·         Ray Allen to the Heat

The defending champions just made themselves a whole lot better.  Really if you were going to say what exactly the Heat needed to improve their team it would be a lights-out 3 point shooter who can’t be left open.  Does any player in the NBA fit that description better than Ray Allen?  The Heat just cemented their status as title favorites with this move as they were able to get one of the NBA’s best sharpshooters, when others were willing to pay more, including his former team the Celtics.  Also I highly recommend reading this piece on Allen’s decision by Adrian Wojnarowski.

·         Ryan Anderson to the Hornets

The sign and trade of Anderson to the Hornets signifies more than anything that a Dwight Howard trade is eminent for Orlando as the team goes into full-fledged rebuilding mode.  Now on the Hornets side, the price of 4 years $36 million for Anderson may seem a bit expensive, but I think he will be worth it.  The Hornets are clearly moving in the opposite direction of the Magic and believe they can compete possibly sooner than most people believe.  I think Anderson is the perfect type of player to match with Anthony Davis while Davis works on the inside, Anderson can work on the out, as their strength complement one another.  The Hornets now have a base of Anderson, Davis, Eric Gordon, and Austin Rivers to build around to me that is a team that I would be scared to play.
Stay Hungry My Friends