2006-08 USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team
2006 USA Basketball Men’s World Championship Team Finalists Roster
Carmelo Anthony
Gilbert Arenas
Shane Battier
Chris Bosh
Bruce Bowen
Elton Brand
Kirk Hinrich
Dwight Howard
LeBron James
Antawn Jamison
Joe Johnson
Brad Miller
Chris Paul
Amare Stoudemire
Dwyane Wade
Cuts: Morrison, Ridenour and Marion (injury)
Intial reactions: Dwight Howard A little surprised as he still seems to be finding his way, even if he is about ready to take the league by storm. I love his energy and his nose for rebounding. He is by all accounts a character guy and easily coachable, and that probably was a factor.
Amare Stoudemire This selection should end a lot of discussion about his health.
Brad Miller Isn’t this guy already playing a little long in the tooth? Wonder how his employers feel about this. But he fits the international game well with his passing ability and outside shot.
Special K: Larry Brown is a respected coach, but we can see how he may not have been a good fit for the Olympic job. Coach K is treated reverentially throughout basketball. And as Laker fans know, a coach with credentials has a head start when it comes to dealing with NBA players.
Krzyzewski also revealed a few nuggets of strategy for the tournament: He doesn’t plan to have a regular starting lineup, and nobody will play all 40 minutes in any game.
FB and G’s resident prognosticator: Excerpts from Kurt’s take on Colangelo taking over for USA basketball from a year ago:
They need a full time coach.
The days the USA can just roll the ball out and win on talent alone are gone, this needs to be a team now.
This needs to be a more perimeter based and versatile team, with bigs who can play inside and out and not just a plethora of slasher guards.
Meet the new ball…: There have been some complaints coming out of summer league about the new ball that will be used this year. It has an international look, is a composite (not all leather) and is meant to be game ready out of the box (like a new pair of Jordan’s, I guess). Seems a uniform feel for all game balls was the desired end. No more advantage for home teams playing with their ball.
A long walk ruined: Chris Mihm has greatly improved his game this off-season, just maybe not the right game.
George still looking for a new jungle: Dallas has offered him a one year deal for $2 million dollars…
…He’s still exploring other options, including Phoenix, New Jersey and Cleveland.
In case you missed it: It looks as if the Lakers will spend Christmas in Miami again.
-Gatinho
ian says
Why didn’t the alternate so that the game would be at Staples this year? It only seems fair.
And how long will these X-mas matchups go on? Will Shaq have to retire?
Jason says
1 – Maybe because Miami, uhm, won a championship?
ian says
Ok then why was it in Miami last year?
Gatinho says
I’ve also read that they will play New Year’s Day.
And the first game is against PHO… there is an 8 game road trip! and 15 out of their first 20 are at home…
I think it was on the Daily News Laker blog. I’ll look for the link.
Gatinho says
http://www.insidesocal.com/nbaplayoffs/
Daily News blog
kwame a. says
when kobe comes back and billups plays im lovin the roster
billups
kobe
lebron
howard
amare
wade
melo
brand
josh howard
bruce bowen
arenas
adam morrison
hinrich
well kill a lot of teams, my sleeper team though is france, theyve got ronny, tony parker, diaw, pieturs, petro and french air jordan, soon to be sonic, mikeal geleabe
Gatinho says
I imagine Odom will return to the team at some point as well and he was a bright spot in the last Olympics…
kwame a. says
i think if post all-strar break odom returns this season and puts up 18 9 6 all year hell be an all-star and an olympian, i really think with the spacing we’ll have this season and a year and half of triangle experience, lamar should have a career year
John (Vancouver) says
Seriously this USA team is crazy. I think if they don’t win, and handily, it will be a disappointment honestly. Even without Kobe, Odom, and Billups that this team has more depth, talent, and ability top to bottom than any other team, and has the pieces to fit into the rotation that we didn’t last year.
Yes I don’t like Jamison. Yes I really don’t like Arenas really being on this team. But Wade, LeBron, and Melo now have no more excuses. I’m really looking to Melo to step up his game here – he has the ability with the shortened 3PT line to really take over some of these games off the bench.
But really there are no excuses this year. We’ve got the shooters, we have the team players, we have the coach and the execs that we wanted and needed.
k_swagger8 says
do they have the complete schedule at the lakers site? wow, 15 of the first 20 at home? the team has to get off the blocks fast and make a statement early. Do you think the schedule is better or worse than last year?
ian says
Well, we don’t really have any pure shooters. Redd would have made me feel a lot better about stretching the zone.
Gatinho says
No, the schedule is not out , yet. Most of this info is from one source except for the Christmas game which was reported in the Times.
Remember last year the schedule was heavy with home games at the end of the year which really helped the team get a head of steam going into the playoffs, so, if that info is true, that would make this year’s sched more difficult.
That 8 game road trip is going to be pivotal…
John (Vancouver) says
Ian, that’s sort of true. I’d like to have someone of Redd’s pedigree on the team, but we still do have Hinrich and Johnson, who aren’t that bad. On top of that neither Lebron or Melo have detrimental jump shots, so I think if they get open looks they’ll knock them down. Kobe would have filled that role easily though in the starting five, but since Coach K doesn’t really plan to play anyone for a full game I don’t think we have much to worry about in getting our shooters out there.
ewoks says
i think this roster can’t take away the gold. some of the players are great and althletic but there are some player whom i think has a lot of capabilities to deliver the good