Hoops legends agree to help pick Olympic team

[Mazzocchi]

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Larry Brown are among the who's-who of basketball who agreed Thursday to help choose the men's U.S. Olympic team.

USA Basketball, the sport's national governing body, wants to avoid the trouble that came in selecting the 2004 Olympic team, which finished third at the Athens Games. That was the first U.S. team comprised of NBA players not to win a gold medal.

"I've got a lot of things to make up for after this summer, so I'd like to help," Brown, who coached the U.S. team at the 2004 Games, said Thursday before his Detroit Pistons played Miami in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.

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Sounds good, hopefully it will help out the USA's chances of getting another "Dream Team" and not another "Nightmare Team"

A Non-Useless News Post By Mazz!

[iG®]

Sounds good, hopefully it will help out the USA's chances of getting another "Dream Team" and not another "Nightmare Team"

Hopefully not .

[-BHZMAFIA-]

Sounds good, hopefully it will help out the USA's chances of getting another "Dream Team" and not another "Nightmare Team"

Hopefully not .

Hopefully yes.

Maybe if Jordan tells a superstar that he should play for the US team, they would play

[j.23]

the 2002 olympic team was horrendous.. paul pierce and michael finley were just jacking up shots left right and center

[NNpF]

What I would like to see is these "Hoops Legends" putting together a team of stars and still lose in the Olympics.

I would love to see another International team win it all because I am getting tired of hearing that the American team is the best in the world.

[iKe7in]

the 2002 olympic team was horrendous.. paul pierce and michael finley were just jacking up shots left right and center

2002 was the winter olympics, were you thinking of the Sydney games in 2000?

[GloveGuy]

He's thinking World Championships.

There's still a lot of holes in this. I'm all for these guys helping select the team, but what's stopping some of these guys from playing.

Also, let's bring Larry Brown back. Or at least establish a permanent coach for this team. That would be nice. I'm pretty sure that that's what the other international teams do, so how about we stop separating ourselves from the world, and try doing what they do.

[maes]

I'm all for these guys helping select the team, but what's stopping some of these guys from playing.

I'm not sure if Larry Brown's jumper is strong enough. He'd be a good PG tho.

[j.23]

world championships, yes - thanks for correcting me.
that team was athletic as hell but they were horrible as a unit.. if i remember correctly their starting lineup kept changing and the only true starter was paul pierce

[GloveGuy]

I'm all for these guys helping select the team, but what's stopping some of these guys from playing.

I'm not sure if Larry Brown's jumper is strong enough. He'd be a good PG tho.

Oops -- got my pronouns mixed up.

First "these guys" = selection committee
Second "these guys" = players selected

Though it still doesn't make sense. It should be:
I'm all for the legends helping select the team, but is this forcing the players to play now?

There. And I'm in AP English Language.

[Andrew]

It's cool and all, but if the players don't feel like participating it doesn't really matter who's on the committee. Perhaps the honour of being selected by former NBA greats and the sting of failing to win the gold medal for the first time since NBA players were first able to compete in Olympic play will serve as motivation but it really seems a lot of players view it as a chore.

[_marsal]

I don't think Team USA needs all of their players to be superstars. I'm thinking 3-4 true superstars, 2 solid all-stars and rest of the team just to be role players. Because it's almost unposibble to control 12 giant egos in one team. Problem is, all these stars are used to be the no. 1 player on his team..Besides, they need their players to get along with each other..there must be some kind of chemistry between players. That is why the USA don't have much success against the rest of the world - because everyone except USA have players, that are used to playing with each other.

I'm thinking they should get Shaq/Duncan, KG/Amare, Iverson/Wade and James/Carter as their superstars...then Shawn Marion and Arenas..and rest of the team should contain players like Haslem, Prince, Camby, Ridnour, Damon Jones or Kenny Thomas..that's my opinion..

[Andrew]

I disagree there. Previous Dream Teams have been very successful, though perhaps today's players don't have the right attitude or the same dedication. As long as those 12 players all have the right mindset, they can be successful. But whatever you consider to be the right combination, those players have to want to play.

[Mazzocchi]

we NEED Shaq on Team USA, nobody else in the world can stand up to him (maybe Yao but... shh!)

who would be the equivilant of the 92' Dream Team?
Charles Barkley=Stoudemire
Larry Bird=??
Clyde Drexler=??
Patrick Ewing=Shaq
Earvin Johnson=Carmello Anthony
Michael Jordan=LeBron James
Christian Laettner=??
Karl Malone=??
Chris Mullin=??
Scottie Pippen=Dwayne Wade
David Robinson=??
John Stockton=Iverson?

[The GOAT]

Charles Barkley=Stoudemire
Larry Bird= Ray Allen
Clyde Drexler=T-mac
Patrick Ewing=Shaq
Earvin Johnson=AI?
Michael Jordan=LeBron James
Christian Laettner= Carmelo Anthony?
Karl Malone= Garnett
Chris Mullin= Redd? Marion?
Scottie Pippen=Dwayne Wade
David Robinson=Tim Duncan
John Stockton=Uh...Nash? IDK

Point Guards are hard because you're not going to find the same style PG as back then, closest you can get is Nash. I can't really think of anyone for Laettner or Mullin. Other than that I think I did pretty good.

[GloveGuy]

who would be the equivilant of the 92' Dream Team?

Don't even try. There isn't one. Our best twelve Americans couldn't come close.

[Riot]

Team USA needs a guy like Fred Hoiberg out there, a guy who can shoot, play defense and cares about the team and winning!

INVITE THE MAYOR!


OMFG, INVITE MAD DOG!

[Mikki]

John Stockton=Uh...Nash? IDK

He's Canadian. :dance:

[The GOAT]

Oh yeah

[kinokong]

the reasons that international teams are succeeding are because they
1. have a permanent head coach
2. have guys that don't have supersized egos
3. the guys have played with each other
4. the players know their roles
what we need to do is follow this blueprint and
1. get a permanent head coach(a decent young coach like calipari or bzdelik)
2. build a team with former college stars that are not playing in the nba(ill explain why down low)
3. make them practice on fundamentals(shooting, passing, breaking down the zone and press, playing defense)
4. make sure they have plenty of time to know each other
5. make sure they are conditioned

the reason why i have former college stars is because american nba players just don't seem motivated to play for their country and the nba or the government shouldn't have to shell out millions of dollars to get them motivated so why not go for former college stars. they would gladly represent their country, it gives them a chance to get more exposed so they could make it back into the nba, and most of them would play for $20000 as compared to millions for the shaqs and kobes of the nba. seems like a nice way to make a international team. also the college game is more similar to the international game than the nba is

[Andrew]

It could work, but it's not as though the Dream Team blueprint hasn't been successful in the past. In the spirit of sending the country's best, each country should consider sending at least some of their professionals from the top league in the nation.

[beau_boy04]

If they choose the following players or at least 80% of the ones listed below they should do just fine and regain the gold.

C: Shaquille O'Neal (if he's still around, if not then Ben Wallace)
PF:Tim Duncan
SF: Kevin Garnett
SG: Kobe Bryant
PG: Steve Nash

Bench:
Lebron SG/SF
Peja SG/SF
Tracy McGrady SG/SF
Vince Carter SG/SF
Ray Allen - SG/SF
Jermaine O'Neal - PF/C
Amare Stoudemire - PF/C
Jason Kidd - PG
Wade - PG/SG

[Fresh8]

Nash is from Canada!!!!! And he plays for Canada!

[Andrew]

Furthermore, Peja Stojakovic is not eligible to compete for the USA.

[Fresh8]

I think the main problem is that the NBA is so American-dominated ppl forget the roots of some of its better players!