Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Kobe Byant's Defense Leads Team USA Basketball
Kobe Bryant is best known for scoring tons of points in basketball games. He's taken the role as Team USA basketball's best defensive player and relishes his role of stopper. He's usually assigned to the opponents best offensive player by Coach K and his job is to shut him down. Kobe is inly averaging about 11 points per game for Team USA and that's okay with him. He knows what his job is and he is being unselfish,
I've never been to much of a Kobe fan the last few years. I used to love the Lakers with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe as teammates. Kobe's image took a big hit with the rape allegations against him too. I've got to give him credit though, he has stuck with the Lakers and brought them to the NBA finals. He won his first MVP award. Kobe Bryant did not get into a war of words in the press when he learned of Shaq's stupid rap song that "dissed" Kobe. Now Kobe is playing for his country and not scoring all the points and letting other players like Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Carmello Anthony handle the scoring load. I'd say Kobe has come a long way in my book and I give him credit here for that. I hope that he continues to play the great defense he is as in the Team USA warm up game victory over Russia.
I've never been to much of a Kobe fan the last few years. I used to love the Lakers with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe as teammates. Kobe's image took a big hit with the rape allegations against him too. I've got to give him credit though, he has stuck with the Lakers and brought them to the NBA finals. He won his first MVP award. Kobe Bryant did not get into a war of words in the press when he learned of Shaq's stupid rap song that "dissed" Kobe. Now Kobe is playing for his country and not scoring all the points and letting other players like Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Carmello Anthony handle the scoring load. I'd say Kobe has come a long way in my book and I give him credit here for that. I hope that he continues to play the great defense he is as in the Team USA warm up game victory over Russia.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Team USA Basketball Crushes Canada
Lebron James did not play against Canada Friday night in Las Vegas but Team USA basketball did just fine without him. Team USA basketball easily defeated Canada in a warm up game before they head to China for the Beijing Olympics. It was an impressive showing for the group of players lead by Duke head Coach K.
Team USA was led by three players all scoring 20 points. They were Dwayne Wade, Michael Redd, and Carmello Anthony. It was an encouraging showing for Wade who stepped into the starting lineup for Lebron James. Wade has been struggling with knee injuries but showed signs that he may be the player we saw lead the Miami Heat to the NBA championship a couple of seasons ago. Kobe Bryant also added 15 points as the crowd in Las Vegas saw a lot of slam dunks and easy baskets by Team USA. The final score was something like 120-65 so that’s a convincing win to say the least.
That will be the final game on U.S. soil for this team as they prepare to head to China. It looks like this group of players could have a great shot to bring home the gold medal. A healthy Lebron James will only add to the this talented group of men. The competition will no doubt get a lot tougher than what Canada had to offer so Coach K better have Team USA basketball ready to go for Bejing.
Team USA was led by three players all scoring 20 points. They were Dwayne Wade, Michael Redd, and Carmello Anthony. It was an encouraging showing for Wade who stepped into the starting lineup for Lebron James. Wade has been struggling with knee injuries but showed signs that he may be the player we saw lead the Miami Heat to the NBA championship a couple of seasons ago. Kobe Bryant also added 15 points as the crowd in Las Vegas saw a lot of slam dunks and easy baskets by Team USA. The final score was something like 120-65 so that’s a convincing win to say the least.
That will be the final game on U.S. soil for this team as they prepare to head to China. It looks like this group of players could have a great shot to bring home the gold medal. A healthy Lebron James will only add to the this talented group of men. The competition will no doubt get a lot tougher than what Canada had to offer so Coach K better have Team USA basketball ready to go for Bejing.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Lebron James Guarantees Gold Medal
As Team USA Basketball gets ready for an exhibition game tonight against Canada in a tune up for the upcoming summer Olympics in Beijing, he has caused somewhat of an uproar as he has guaranteed that the United States will win the gold medal. Now, as a leader of the team I think that's okay and the kind of attitude that you need from a leader of the team. Lebron James is nursing an ankle sprain suffered in practice recent and will not play in the game against Canada. It's important that he's ready for the games in Beijing so sitting out now is the right thing to do.
Now let's get back to James' comments. Coach K when told what he said that it was okay for him to say that because he was a player and could go out on the court to back it up. Coach K said that he couldn't say that as he was only the coach. Other players were supportive of Lebron James remarks including Carlos Boozer of Team USA Basketball. Boozer agreed that was the goal and the mindset of the team to win the gold. For whatever reason, fellow co-captain of Team USA Carmello Anthony was not ready to go along with a guarantee. Perhaps, after previous failures, Anthony knows that the task at hand will be a tall order. I hope that he does believe that Team USA Basketball can indeed win the gold.
Regardless of all the talk, the time is nearing that this team will be out on display for the world to see and judge. Can Team USA basketball reclaim our country's rightful spot as kings of the basketball world. A healthy Lebron James and a confident group of American born players can certainly get their chance to prove themselves very soon.
Now let's get back to James' comments. Coach K when told what he said that it was okay for him to say that because he was a player and could go out on the court to back it up. Coach K said that he couldn't say that as he was only the coach. Other players were supportive of Lebron James remarks including Carlos Boozer of Team USA Basketball. Boozer agreed that was the goal and the mindset of the team to win the gold. For whatever reason, fellow co-captain of Team USA Carmello Anthony was not ready to go along with a guarantee. Perhaps, after previous failures, Anthony knows that the task at hand will be a tall order. I hope that he does believe that Team USA Basketball can indeed win the gold.
Regardless of all the talk, the time is nearing that this team will be out on display for the world to see and judge. Can Team USA basketball reclaim our country's rightful spot as kings of the basketball world. A healthy Lebron James and a confident group of American born players can certainly get their chance to prove themselves very soon.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Team USA Basketball must win Gold Medal
The anticipation is building for Team USA Basketball 2008 and the summer Olympics in Beijing, China. It's all up to this carefully picked group of NBA players with it's star power like Lebron James and Kobe Bryant and carefully chosen role players like Tayshaun Prince and Carlos Boozer.
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski or "Coach K" is the proven leader of this talented group of basketball players. It will be up to him to bring this group of individuals into a team to be the best international basketball players in the world. Coach K has the track record and the respect of the basketball world and seems to be the perfect fit for leading Team USA Basketball to the gold medal.
It looks like the experience of Jason Kidd will be counted on as a leader. He's the old man of the team and probably a step slower than the younger point guards on the squad in Chris Paul and Derron Williams. Paul is coming off and MVP runner up season with the New Orleans Hornets. He's super quick and he'll be hard for Coach K to keep him off the court. Kidd will be looked to as the leader and apparently has never lost a game as a member of Team USA Basketball.
Questions remain about the lack of enough big men on Team USA Basketball 2008. Dwight Howard, Carlos Boozer and Chris Bosh are the only real big men on the team. It's feared that if one of these players got hurt that Team USA Basketball could be in trouble. That is why after some second guessing, Tyson Chandler, Chris Paul's teammate fro m the New Orleans Hornets was asked to accompany the team to the Summer Olympics. If someone gets hurt Chandler would be able to step right in and play and also be already familiar with what is going on. This would be a lot better than him flying over from the United States at the last minute. Dwight Howard is coming off and injury but he's supposed to be okay. Time will tell if these big men will be able to man up against the best the world has to offer.
Scoring should be left up to Carmello Anthony, Lebron James, and maybe Kobe Bryant. Bryant will also be needed as the defensive stopper. This is admirable that Kobe is willing to do this because he's of course a great scorer. This guy scored 80 points in an NBA game once!
The pain from the failures of Team USA Basketball of the past decade are still ringing strong for many basketball fans across the country. No longer are we the clear dominate force in the sport. The dominance of the 1992 Dream Team will probably never be equaled but winning the gold is a real chance with this group ready to go for the summer Olympic games in China. Here's hoping that Coach K and his men can reclaim America's place as the best in basketball.
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski or "Coach K" is the proven leader of this talented group of basketball players. It will be up to him to bring this group of individuals into a team to be the best international basketball players in the world. Coach K has the track record and the respect of the basketball world and seems to be the perfect fit for leading Team USA Basketball to the gold medal.
It looks like the experience of Jason Kidd will be counted on as a leader. He's the old man of the team and probably a step slower than the younger point guards on the squad in Chris Paul and Derron Williams. Paul is coming off and MVP runner up season with the New Orleans Hornets. He's super quick and he'll be hard for Coach K to keep him off the court. Kidd will be looked to as the leader and apparently has never lost a game as a member of Team USA Basketball.
Questions remain about the lack of enough big men on Team USA Basketball 2008. Dwight Howard, Carlos Boozer and Chris Bosh are the only real big men on the team. It's feared that if one of these players got hurt that Team USA Basketball could be in trouble. That is why after some second guessing, Tyson Chandler, Chris Paul's teammate fro m the New Orleans Hornets was asked to accompany the team to the Summer Olympics. If someone gets hurt Chandler would be able to step right in and play and also be already familiar with what is going on. This would be a lot better than him flying over from the United States at the last minute. Dwight Howard is coming off and injury but he's supposed to be okay. Time will tell if these big men will be able to man up against the best the world has to offer.
Scoring should be left up to Carmello Anthony, Lebron James, and maybe Kobe Bryant. Bryant will also be needed as the defensive stopper. This is admirable that Kobe is willing to do this because he's of course a great scorer. This guy scored 80 points in an NBA game once!
The pain from the failures of Team USA Basketball of the past decade are still ringing strong for many basketball fans across the country. No longer are we the clear dominate force in the sport. The dominance of the 1992 Dream Team will probably never be equaled but winning the gold is a real chance with this group ready to go for the summer Olympic games in China. Here's hoping that Coach K and his men can reclaim America's place as the best in basketball.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Kidd's the Man for Team USA Basketball
Apparently after some more reading and research, the starting point guard for Team USA will be Jason Kidd. He is the veteran of the group and will provide good leadership. Is he the best of the three on the roster? Chris Paul is coming off and near MVP season and Derron Williams is a top point guard too. Perhaps, Coach K will start Jason Kidd for Team USA Basketball. Now, does this mean he'll get more minutes? Maybe, maybe not. We'll see when the early games are played how things begin to unfold. Kidd may well be the best choice but with Chris Paul on the bench, he better be on his "A" game or he will be watching the youngsters from the bench.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
USA Basketball Team
The USA Basketball team coached by “Coach K” of Duke is going to the summer Olympic games in Beijing , China to try to bring home the gold medal in the sport we invented. It’s hard to believe that the USA is not as dominate as we thought we were in the sport. The rest of the world has made great strides in basketball over the past decades. We see the influx of great foreign players in the NBA as evidence of this.
Look at Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs. He’s from France of all places and he’s got to be rated as one of the top point guards in the NBA. Of course others players like Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Manu Ginobili and Fabricio Oberto from Argentina. The list goes on and on of great players from other countries throughout the league. The consensus seems to be that these “back to the basics” foreign players are here to stay in the NBA.
This shows that the talent level of other countries in basketball has gotten much better. We also have not seen the US dominate the international basketball seen as it did so easily with the original dream team. Do you remember those guys? Wow! What a team! Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and other greats. It seemed after this that the USA could just pick any NBA players and throw them together and win. Uh, NO. We learned a lesson a few years back as our USA team that had no great shooters on it was whipped buy the sharp shooting basketball competitors.
To win you have to have a team with the right pieces as well as talent. You have to have guys willing to put NBA egos aside and do whatever it takes for the team to win. Coach K feels he has the group to do that in Beijing. There are no doubt superstars on this team, Kobe, Lebron, D-Wade but it’s not a one man show. It’ll take a total team effort to bring home the gold and stake America’s rightful place as the best in the world in the great sport of basketball.
Look at Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs. He’s from France of all places and he’s got to be rated as one of the top point guards in the NBA. Of course others players like Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Manu Ginobili and Fabricio Oberto from Argentina. The list goes on and on of great players from other countries throughout the league. The consensus seems to be that these “back to the basics” foreign players are here to stay in the NBA.
This shows that the talent level of other countries in basketball has gotten much better. We also have not seen the US dominate the international basketball seen as it did so easily with the original dream team. Do you remember those guys? Wow! What a team! Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and other greats. It seemed after this that the USA could just pick any NBA players and throw them together and win. Uh, NO. We learned a lesson a few years back as our USA team that had no great shooters on it was whipped buy the sharp shooting basketball competitors.
To win you have to have a team with the right pieces as well as talent. You have to have guys willing to put NBA egos aside and do whatever it takes for the team to win. Coach K feels he has the group to do that in Beijing. There are no doubt superstars on this team, Kobe, Lebron, D-Wade but it’s not a one man show. It’ll take a total team effort to bring home the gold and stake America’s rightful place as the best in the world in the great sport of basketball.
Team USA Basketball - Too many point guards?
Team USA Basketball- Who’s your starting point guard?
Posted in July 4th, 2008 | Edit
by webmaster in Men's Team
Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Derron Williams… These men are no doubt top flight NBA point guards and well compensated for their ability to play the pivotal point guard position for their respective NBA teams. If you are Coach K though you’ve got to figure out which one of these guys will end up being the main man for Team USA to lead the team to a gold medal. You’ve got to figure on two of these guys playing the most with one guy the odd man out.
It would seem that Chris Paul coming off a stellar NBA season in which he was the runner up for league MVP would be the favorite to be the main point guard for this team. Paul possesses a dizzying array a skills and quickness that is generally unmatched when he is in the floor. He is young and perhaps not even gotten as good as could eventually become. “CP3″ as he’s sometimes referred to is the hottest point guard around right now.
Though I’m not as familiar with Derron Williams of the Utah Jazz, I do know that he’s bigger and stronger and considered to be very good. He’s not as quick as Paul but his strength could be an issue against bigger guards. He may be considered a better shooter than Chris Paul by some. Williams is sold and will play his part for the team.
Jason Kidd is the “old man” of this group of point guards. He about 12 years older than his counterparts and about 35 years old. His best days are clearly behind him. He is still good and he is a big point guard at 6′4″. He can help on the boards more so than the other two guards with his size and should be able to post up smaller point guards down low. Kidd has never been considered a great outside shooter. His strength has been pushing the ball up the court and finding the open man.
I’d have to think that the two younger guards should have the edge in minutes over Kidd. His leadership and experience will be good for the team no doubt. It would seem that it will be difficult for all three guards to get considerable playing time. I think one, Jason Kidd, will be the odd man out. Who do you think it will be?
Posted in July 4th, 2008 | Edit
by webmaster in Men's Team
Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Derron Williams… These men are no doubt top flight NBA point guards and well compensated for their ability to play the pivotal point guard position for their respective NBA teams. If you are Coach K though you’ve got to figure out which one of these guys will end up being the main man for Team USA to lead the team to a gold medal. You’ve got to figure on two of these guys playing the most with one guy the odd man out.
It would seem that Chris Paul coming off a stellar NBA season in which he was the runner up for league MVP would be the favorite to be the main point guard for this team. Paul possesses a dizzying array a skills and quickness that is generally unmatched when he is in the floor. He is young and perhaps not even gotten as good as could eventually become. “CP3″ as he’s sometimes referred to is the hottest point guard around right now.
Though I’m not as familiar with Derron Williams of the Utah Jazz, I do know that he’s bigger and stronger and considered to be very good. He’s not as quick as Paul but his strength could be an issue against bigger guards. He may be considered a better shooter than Chris Paul by some. Williams is sold and will play his part for the team.
Jason Kidd is the “old man” of this group of point guards. He about 12 years older than his counterparts and about 35 years old. His best days are clearly behind him. He is still good and he is a big point guard at 6′4″. He can help on the boards more so than the other two guards with his size and should be able to post up smaller point guards down low. Kidd has never been considered a great outside shooter. His strength has been pushing the ball up the court and finding the open man.
I’d have to think that the two younger guards should have the edge in minutes over Kidd. His leadership and experience will be good for the team no doubt. It would seem that it will be difficult for all three guards to get considerable playing time. I think one, Jason Kidd, will be the odd man out. Who do you think it will be?
Team USA Basketball- Too small to win?
Carrying three point guards on Team USA could be brilliant or a big mistake. The problem is that it leaves the team with only three real big men in Dwight Howard, Chirs Bosh, and Carlos Boozer. Howard has been battling an injury but he is supposed to be okay. If one of these big guys get hurt or in foul trouble then Lebron James, or Tayshaun Prince even may have to play low. James is strong enough but Prince is very slender and could struggle against a stronger opponent.
The feeling is that both Chris Paul and Derron Williams needed to be a part of the program as they are young and have some more years ahead of them. Somehow, it makes you wonder if this decision best serving the needs of this team right now for the fierce competition they are about to face in China. I hope so. Your thoughts?
The feeling is that both Chris Paul and Derron Williams needed to be a part of the program as they are young and have some more years ahead of them. Somehow, it makes you wonder if this decision best serving the needs of this team right now for the fierce competition they are about to face in China. I hope so. Your thoughts?
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