Quit bullshitting. You know its a bad bet thats why you aren't betting now you're using some pussy excuse to back out.

7/25/2008 12:33:15 AM

exhibition game against Canada right now. Lebron's out.

7/25/2008 8:39:17 PM

chris paul is nasty


I feel sorry for the guys who hate him unconditionally because he is very entertaining to watch

[Edited on July 25, 2008 at 9:33 PM. Reason : .]

7/25/2008 9:22:13 PM

chris paul and deron williams just made the canadians look stupid

7/25/2008 9:32:47 PM

good thing ESPN showed replays of those two plays

7/25/2008 9:36:40 PM

god damn

7/25/2008 9:39:39 PM

nevermind

[Edited on July 25, 2008 at 10:20 PM. Reason : .]

7/25/2008 10:18:46 PM

Let's see what happens when we play a real team before getting excited.

7/25/2008 11:30:34 PM

If the officiating in this game is anything near the officiating in the Olympics, I think our players are going to be able get away with plenty of palming and travelling

7/26/2008 12:03:11 AM

lol ^^

wethebest man

[Edited on July 26, 2008 at 1:10 AM. Reason : listenn]

7/26/2008 1:10:27 AM

Quote :

"chris paul is nasty"

yep. his highlights continue to make me say, omg.

7/26/2008 11:42:37 AM

THE ONE THING THAT SETS THIS TEAM APART FROM THE PAST OLYMPIC BUSTS:

7/28/2008 8:44:26 AM

7/28/2008 8:45:24 AM

wussup BIG T? glad you could join bro!

FLORIDA STAND UP!

You make the perfect point. Exactly what I've been saying. Kobe is the secret weapon the black mamba the ace in the hole the athlete to end all competition. I'd be willing to give 10:1 odds that we win it all. Nobody will even beat us.

7/28/2008 2:02:30 PM

I'm just tired of people syaing there isn't a 'shooter' on this team.

Kobe is a great 3pt shooter, Redd is obviously, Carmelo is good at the international distance. Deron Williams, what people mean when they say that is "we don't have a white guy"

7/28/2008 2:05:53 PM

even Wade, who pretty much sucks at the NBA 3, hit a 3 for the first bucket of the game in Vegas the other day...international 3 point line is a joke...Kobe swished that one early in the game with the shot clock expiring from EASILY 7-8 feet behind the line

7/28/2008 4:39:51 PM

Give me Kobe on my team!!!!!!

DUDE IS LEGENDARY GOOD!!!

7/28/2008 5:25:27 PM

HETHEBEST!!

7/28/2008 5:32:06 PM

Coach K IS A BEAST

7/29/2008 10:44:51 AM

I feel sorry for Team USA, they're gonna have to go through the little Engin that could!

http://www.gopack.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9200&ATCLID=1524639

Hope he does well, although I have a hard time seeing him shooting over Kobe or Wade...

7/29/2008 1:45:38 PM

he's played against kobe once before, right?

7/29/2008 6:05:57 PM

^that was paul

7/29/2008 6:38:42 PM

^^he played on the '06 Turkey national team

7/29/2008 6:49:10 PM

yeah that's what i was referring to.

7/29/2008 7:05:47 PM

i don't think kobe played that year...he was hurt or something IIRC

7/29/2008 7:13:27 PM

Rank the players in order of how good they are

1) Kobe
2) Lebron
3) Dwight Howard
4) CP3
5) D-Wade
6) Melo
7) D-Will
8) J-Kidd
9) Boozer
10) Tayshaun
11) Bosh
12) Redd

7/30/2008 12:14:46 PM

I don't think you can necessarily rank their "goodness." How do you compare a PG like Paul to a C like Howard?

If you were to say, rank them in order of their value, then I'd probably agree that Kobe is no. 1/

7/30/2008 12:20:41 PM

In order of importance to the team

1) Kobe
2) Dwight Howard
3) Lebron
4) Kidd
5) Melo
6) CP3
7) Redd
8) D-Wade
9) Boozer
10) D-Will
11) Prince
12) Bosh

7/30/2008 1:25:25 PM

at least Atsur can throw back door passes and play princeton offense.

7/30/2008 4:41:46 PM

I've gotta say I love the three guard attack they employed with CP III, Deron, and Redd. That looks like a deadly offensive force.

I'd rank in order of importance

1) Lebron
2) Howard
3) CP III
4) Melo
5) Wade
6) Kobe
7) Redd
8) Bosh
9) Williams
10) Boozer
11) Kidd
12) Prince





[Edited on July 30, 2008 at 7:21 PM. Reason : a]

7/30/2008 7:20:11 PM

Kobe 6? really? i figure he'd be consensus top 3

[Edited on July 30, 2008 at 7:35 PM. Reason : .]

7/30/2008 7:35:27 PM

In order of importance

1) Kobe
2) Howard
3) Lebron
4) Melo
5) CP III
6) Williams
7) Wade
8) Redd
9) Bosh
10) Kidd
11) Boozer
12) Prince

Kobe has got to be in the top 3 because he's gonna guard the other teams' best player and has to be able to control that player.

7/30/2008 9:29:59 PM

Talentwise Kobe is probably #1.

In order of importance though?

I made the list based on the assumption of who I'd least like to see go down with injury.

In all honesty #1 should probably be C.Paul. He's the key to this team winning gold. He is EXACTLY what this team has been missing the past few years.

We can't afford to lose D.Howard only because Tyson Chandler looks like he won't be available and we really don't have a defensive big man who can hold down the fort if Howard is absent. We are playing small ball this year which looked brilliant in Game #1. You can only do this though if you have a goalie like Howard, Chandler, Camby, or Okafor. A shot blocking big man who can move laterally...

I just have to put Lebron #1 because he can essentially play four positions which makes him an unreal talent on a team comprised of all-stars. There isn't one lineup, scenario, or gimmick defense any other team can employ that makes Lebron bench material.

Melo comes in at four because he's perfect for international play. He can shoot, score with or without the ball, and is surprisingly effective at getting garbage buckets.

Wade at five because with the international line he can shoot from the perimeter and his quickness honestly gives him the kind of video game advantage that you have when you press turbo. International play is physical which tends to throw off conventional guards. Wade can flat out blow by people and draw hard fouls that get called or easy baskets.

Kobe at six only because he can be such a great defender. His jump shot is great but let's face it he's more of a one on one back you down shoot a turnaround jumper at this point in his career. He's clearly the best post player in the NBA right now but that's not what I'm looking for in international play. He can still blow by and grab some easy buckets but with his back, knees, and age he's not better suited offensively for international play than Wade.

Redd at 7 because he can stroke threes and there are going to be at least two games where the game is won/lost based on 3pt percentage.

Bosh at 8 because we are so thin down low. He doesn't seem to add a lot because his intensity is off, his defense is lacking, and his strengths (scoring and creating mismatches) isnt necessary on this team

Williams has potential to be an asset but he won't be the key to winning the gold. We have numerous guys who can handle the ball between the PG's, Wade, lebron, and kobe

Boozer at 10 because he's a good rebounder but offensively and defensively doesnt bring that much to the table in the int'l game

Kidd at 11 because he cant shoot, isnt quick defensively... he's got size and experience and thats about it. His leadership is very valuable but he can give that in the locker room and from the bench without being on the floor.

12 is Tayshaun because i love his game but he's not someone we cant live without

7/30/2008 9:56:06 PM

1) Kobe
2) Dwight Howard
3) Lebron
4)cp3
5) redd
6) dwade
7) boozer
8) bosh
9) prince ^only one other than kobe that can defend most stars
10) dwill
11) kidd
12) melo

[Edited on July 30, 2008 at 10:32 PM. Reason : melo sure couldn't guard a safe]

7/30/2008 10:31:39 PM

melo being the least important?

7/30/2008 11:32:13 PM

^^^i agree with most of that but i'd still put kobe higher...if its a close game, he's gonna be the one taking the shot at the end

7/31/2008 12:10:10 AM

USA vs Turkey on right now

7/31/2008 8:07:39 AM

^ anywhere i can catch a gamecast of this? I can't get ESPN 360 at work.

7/31/2008 8:36:29 AM

Engin Atsur is playing for Turkey

7/31/2008 8:45:00 AM

54-37 USA at the half

it was 31-30 after the 1st quarter...had some bad defensive lapses, turnovers, and didn't really get into a good rhythm on the offensive end, but they are now starting to pull away a bit

7/31/2008 8:49:35 AM

^^^ http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=15745&part=sports

7/31/2008 9:18:35 AM

wethebest just lost every last shred of credibility for putting Melo as the least important.

7/31/2008 9:22:17 AM

his name and post history up to this point didn't do it for you?

7/31/2008 9:32:00 AM

.

[Edited on July 31, 2008 at 9:43 AM. Reason : or maybe not]

7/31/2008 9:40:17 AM

Commentator 1: I'm surprised we haven't seen Engin Atsur. He played against Chris Paul at NC State.

Commentator 2: ... And got torched by CP3

Now I don't know the stats off the top of my head, but I do remember a lot of close games between Wake Forest and the Wolfpack. More than that, I'm sure that asshole didn't watch those games, and even if he did, he doesn't remember how Engin's stats matched up with Chris Paul's.

Correction: According to ESPN's stats: In 03-04 Engin Atsur had more points, assists, and rebounds that Chris Paul in both games, minus the two more assists Chris Paul had in the first contest of the season. Both games were NC State wins. In 04-05 NC State lost both regular season games to Wake Forest, but beat Wake Forest (who was without Chris Paul who bitch punched Julius Hodge in the nuts) in the ACC tournament. In the first matchup of the season, Paul outscored Atsur by 7. In the second contest of the season, Paul and Atsur both scored 9 points. Paul had 4 more assists and 1 more rebound.


[Edited on July 31, 2008 at 10:10 AM. Reason : FUCK YOU MISTER ANNOUNCER MAN.]

7/31/2008 9:59:48 AM

yeah that fucking pissed me off

that guy was obviously talking out of his ass and had never seen him play before

7/31/2008 10:09:52 AM

email him and bitch!!!!!!

7/31/2008 11:06:41 AM

Quote :

"Kobe at six only because he can be such a great defender. His jump shot is great but let's face it he's more of a one on one back you down shoot a turnaround jumper at this point in his career. He's clearly the best post player in the NBA right now but that's not what I'm looking for in international play. He can still blow by and grab some easy buckets but with his back, knees, and age he's not better suited offensively for international play than Wade."

HE IS 29 years old, What are you talking about???

He's the best player on the planet, he is not a 36 year old mj

back, knees and age.......... what a bunch of bullshit

7/31/2008 11:26:35 AM

Quote :

"wethebest just lost every last shred of credibility for putting Melo as the least important."

Melo is the one player we could lose who doesn't have an irreplaceable skillset. Sure he's a great scorer, one of the best but I, unlike you guys are basing my rankings on 100% of the game instead of 50%. Last time I checked it didn't say "offensive player rankings". Melo is by far the worst defender on the team and one of the worst defenders in the nba. We will have to hide him the entire time in Beijing matching him up with the weakest offensive player on the other team. This is the olympics so against some teams he will still get exposed. Take him off this team we lose a great scorer. So what? The entire team can score pretty well but theres only 1 guy that doesn't play great d. Therefore, I think we would get better. You guys are what piss me off about basketball fans. You only see the game on an offensive level and it distorts your entire view of everything. 4 guys can play great d but if one guy fucks up the entire play can turn into an easy score. This is why Denver, a team with 3 superstars and great role players all around, has n't done anything. They have the defensive poty but it means nothing they still have one of the worst defenses because they also have the weakest defender in the league. Defensive is for that reason, arguably more important than offense. One guy not being able to score is safer than 1 guy not being able to defend.

If you think Melo is so much a better scorer than kobe, lebron, wade that it makes up for his inability to play defense you are crazy. On a team full of great scorers I would much rather have Prince, a great defender and, better 3shooter and decent offender on the floor over Melo, another great scorer who can't defend. 3s and defense is the key. We have penetrating scorers thats given.

You casual fans are the problem with american basketball dying. You demand all offense and this is what players grow up practicing. Nobody values defense anymore. As a kid, you would much rather grow up being compared to a jr smith as opposed to a Bruce Bowen. Thats our problem.

7/31/2008 1:10:02 PM

you people

7/31/2008 1:11:58 PM