Is it really that hard to field a dominant Olympic BBall team?

[Paul George 24]

They would beat the Dream Team under the Current FIBA Rules.

LOL.....LECHOKE STAN MAKING EXCUSE

[Swaggin916]

Basically Chris Paul on the team would do it. True point guard and makes life a living hell for oppositions pg. No cousins or Draymond Green would do wonders too. Sub them out for anyone of quality.

[deja vu]

They probably wouldn't lose but it's not beyond the realm of possibility. The original Dream Team was less practiced and less familiar with the international game than the Redeem Team. While they were even more talented we've realized that the USA's problem has never been talent related. People seem to have a hard time wrapping their heads around this.

If the US never participated in Olympic Basketball, we'd all be laughing at the prospect of team USA not winning every game by 50. Heck peak Tim Duncan struggled in the Olympics. Anything is possible.

If the USA sends their best players they will never lose a game. It doesn't matter how long they practice together or how familiar they are to international play. Sheer talent and athleticism trump all that. Heck, the best international player (except Dirk, but he has poor teammates) would be like the 11th or 12th man on the US team.

It's only close because the US has basically their B team and is not as well balanced as the previous editions.

[scm5]

I wanted to see an all SF olympic team....

Something along the lines of:

Lebron at PG
PG at SG
KD at SF
Kawhi at PF
Draymond at C

Backups would be Melo, Parsons, Hayward, Barnes

[BigKAT]

I wanted to see an all SF olympic team....

Something along the lines of:

Lebron at PG
PG at SG
KD at SF
Kawhi at PF
Draymond at C

Backups would be Melo, Parsons, Hayward, Barnes

That's actually a really interesting concept.
I'd put KD at PF and Kawahi at SF though, there's like 4 inches between them I think, and Kawhi is better suited to guard fast wings.

[SamuraiSWISH]

You're a racist piece of shit. Reddick has always been a very good defensive player. Just assuming every white player is a liability of defense.

Eat a dick.

First of all, I'm white. All the brothers think I'm racist on here when I merely speak the truth in regards to both races. So, stop.

Second of all, a lot of white guys are liabilities defensively. Stop pretending otherwise. Most of them just can't match up quickness wise. Not all. Most.

Third of all, one of my favorite defenders ever is white. Kirk Hinrich. Only guy in person I've seen lock up PRIME Kobe or Wade.

Fourth of all, I'm giving Reddick respect for not being a pushover defensively. I'm complimenting him. He'd be perfect for the international game.

We all know you're the true racist POS here. Look at your damn username.

[Euroleague]

From the US it's not hard. Just pick an NBA team. ANY good team really where most of the members are Americans and are willing to go to the Olympics. Get the coach too.

They have played and practiced together for a long time. Both offensively and defensively. Sure some teams might match their talent or even outtalent them (Spain maybe?), but they would still wreck these teams due to on court chemistry. Not just win, but they would flat out kill all the other teams.

No NBA team could beat elite European national teams. You are delusional as ****.

NBA teams have terrible coaching, terrible team play, and they play with almost no defense and practically zero physicality.

NBA teams would be annihilated against well organized big European national teams in a FIBA tournament.

Even with the refs always helping Team USA in every single game they play....they would lose if it was just an NBA team.

[Euroleague]

I believe a well coached round 1 playoff exit NBA team would wreck Team USA, any version of them. Say, Detroit Pistons or Boston Celtics.

Basketball is a team game. Team USA is cruising on their talent, thus they can look really good against inferior competition who also doesn't have much chemistry. But if they meet a team who can match them in athleticism and can execute much more complex offensive and defensive scheme they'd lose pretty badly.

This NBA team would be WAY better than any other teams.

This goes beyond basketball too. Soccer is the same way, whether it's olympics or the world cup. Olympics is pretty much a 2nd rate competition.

Olympics is 3rd rate competition, not 2nd.

1. EuroBasket
2. FIBA World Cup
3. Olympics


That's universally accepted as fact everywhere except USA (which is delusional about most things).

As for NBA teams beating Team USA.....

[Euroleague]

Peak Spain was the best international teams of all time.

Late 90s to early 2000s Serbia was better.

[Euroleague]

Basically Chris Paul on the team would do it. True point guard and makes life a living hell for oppositions pg. No cousins or Draymond Green would do wonders too. Sub them out for anyone of quality.

Chris Paul wasn't much help in 2006, when he let Theo Papaloukas and Vassilis Spanoulis destroy him.

He was relied on to actually produce on that 2006 US team and he was a dud.

He's way too small and weak for the much more physical FIBA basketball.

Bigger guards are a better fit in FIBA. NBA guards are basically tiny for international basketball, and Paul is tiny for the NBA.

[fourkicks44]

Pay the players to play based on performance indicators.

Watch them torch everyone. Simple. Cash rules.

[TAZORAC]

Olympics is 3rd rate competition, not 2nd.

1. EuroBasket
2. FIBA World Cup
3. Olympics


That's universally accepted as fact everywhere except USA (which is delusional about most things).

As for NBA teams beating Team USA.....

EuroLeague you say the same thing every year.

[GimmeThat]

might as well ask the committee how hard it is to decide on its next location

[SamuraiSWISH]

Lol at Euroleague acting like that fluke Greece win over USA in 2006 was Paul's fault.

[CarlosBoozer]

I don't think we'll see a dominant team until the young talent start developing, superstars need rest and most of the superstars now are getting old