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@ Bruce telling Amare to calm down.
Fifteen revealing minutes with USA Basketball
July 25, 2006
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn...c.php?t=111421
They allow us about 15 minutes. If it were entirely up to Mike Krzyzewski, we might not get to see that much. USA Basketball is at the start of something different here, and there is no particular rush to show it off. Is 15 minutes enough?
Is it worth leaving the summer tournaments and driving over to UNLV's Cox Pavilion for a mere glimpse at what the U.S. men's national team will look like in next month's World Championships? Another reporter who hadn't stopped over to the practices asked me that question. And this is what I told him: It would be worth it if you had to drive 500 miles across the scorching Nevada desert without air conditioning in your car.
What do you see when the doors finally open and you can walk through to the baseline on the near side of the court? LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul. On the same team.
Physically, they are ridiculously imposing. How much can you see of that in 15 minutes? NBA strength training has thickened the muscles of Howard and Bosh. I'd not seen James in person since his senior year of high school. It's comical how immense he has become. He was standing next to power forward Elton Brand, one of the best low-post players in the world, and it occurred to me that there was virtually no difference in height and strength between Brand and James.
The collection of talent is staggering. How much can you see of that in 15 minutes? I only needed one play, really. Late in Sunday's session, reigning NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade got past the man defending him and tried to go up for a layup over the right block. But the interior defender -- I believe it was Brand -- did a great job of timing Wade's leap and cut off his vision to the basket. As he reached the apex of his jump, Wade realized he'd probably eat his shot if he let it loose. So as he fell toward the Earth, he pondered the possibilities. The far corner was shielded as well as the basket by the defender's long reach. The near corner was completely blind. Wade was falling rapidly, nearly touching the ground when he found a jolt of inspiration. He reached with the ball in his right arm, wrapped it around the defender's waist and rifled a pass up the lane to a 3-point shooter on the left wing. It almost was beyond human.
The level of intensity in practice was surprising. So many bodies were hitting the ground, you'd think the workout involved the Italian national soccer team. "They've been unbelievably professional," said Mike Krzyzewski, the Duke coach who is in charge of the national team. "It's too bad more people don't see how hard they work and how professional they are. We haven't had one at ude thing." He says nobody even has given him a dirty look.
How much of that can you see in 15 minutes? You can see forward Bruce Bowen calmly but firmly telling center Amare Stoudemire not to gripe about an iffy foul call that went against him.
But it is vastly better than nothing.
LeBron is amazingly explosive and light-footed for 250 lbs.
CIA coach K?
Wow sounds like they're really committed to putting a "team" on the court instead of just stacking up the roster with superstars. I feel really good about this team, and confident that that they'll mesh well.
It seems to me that tomorrow's superstars are here today. Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Paul will do a great job of carrying the league for the next couple of years.
The Dream Team was stacked.
But the players were much more well rounded. *Commen sense comment of the day*
We still have the world's greatest athletes.
I don't think that's the problem, I think the problem is they can't pass/pivot/shoot.
Good article, thanks for posting.
Marion, Morrison, Ridnour Dropped From U.S. Roster
By Greg Beacham
Associated Press
Tuesday, July 25, 2006; 1:59 PM
LAS VEGAS -- Shawn Marion, Adam Morrison and Luke Ridnour were left off the U.S. national team's roster Tuesday before its trip to Asia for the world championships next month.
Amare Stoudemire and Kirk Hinrich were the only moderately surprising inclusions on the 15-man roster, which will play five warmup games in Las Vegas, China and Korea before opening the world championships in Japan on Aug. 19.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff must trim the roster to 12 players before the world championships.
Marion, the Phoenix Suns' three-time NBA All-Star, apparently was left off the roster because of a minor knee injury. He was just one of five candidates remaining from the 2004 U.S. Olympic team, which won disappointing bronze medals.
Hinrich, the Chicago Bulls point guard, beat out Ridnour for the ostensible third-string spot behind Chris Paul and Gilbert Arenas. Hinrich was slowed by a hamstring injury during the team's weeklong training camp in Las Vegas, but apparently did enough to impress Krzyzewski.
Stoudemire earned a spot on the traveling team with a remarkable comeback from surgery on both knees during last season with the Suns, when he played in three NBA games. The 6-foot-10 forward looked strong and mobile during training camp despite struggling during summer-league play a few weeks ago.
The rest of the 15-man roster includes LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Shane Battier, Chris Bosh, Bruce Bowen, Elton Brand, Dwight Howard, Antawn Jamison, Joe Johnson, Brad Miller, Arenas and Paul.
In all, 25 players have committed to be members of the U.S. national team for the next three years, through the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
© 2006 The Associated Press
Amare must be recovering well.
Reports are that the last 3 cuts will be among Battier, Jamison, Miller, and Amare (if he's not healthy).
Lebron...DWade...Carmello...Finley...Kobe...
How many players like that are there in the world? The gap is still pretty huge in my opinion. The problem isn't our skills, it's that they are better teams. If you sent a very average NBA team over to Europe (like...the Hornets) they would probably beat up on the Euro's.
We try to just stick 15 players together and hope they become a team and win.
No in way man. For example Argentina or Lithuania of 2004 would easily advance a few rounds of the playoffs.
I hope you're joking.
I would imagine that Battier is gone for sure. They don't need him with Bowen on the team.
I wonder what the starting lineup will be...
Arenas
LeBron
Carmelo
Brand
Howard
???
Supposedly they are leaning toward Chris Paul starting and Wade will probably start at SG.
Damn thats a sick lineup.....
Paul running with Lebron and Howard?
Good lord.
No doubt. I hope they have enough time to develop some chemistry.
No point in arguing cuz we'll never be able to prove it, but I just don't Argentina or Lithuania being able to win even a 1st round playoff series.
I'm thinking:
Chris Paul
Lebron
Wade
Brand
Howard
No way are they going to have Wade coming off the bench...
By everything I'm hearing, they are super impressed with Wade, Melo, and Paul so far.
Who knows what will happen though. The team is stacked; it's hard to pick the starters.
That depends... are they still using NBA refs? IF so, the refs will job the Euros and cost them a chance at winning. C R O O K E D
Now, if only Bruce could teach Tim that.How much of that can you see in 15 minutes? You can see forward Bruce Bowen calmly but firmly telling center Amare Stoudemire not to gripe about an iffy foul call that went against him.
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