Team USA, roster for Japan

[Jonathan]

Coach: Mike Krzyzewski (Duke head coach)

Assistants:

Mike D'Antoni (Phoenix Suns head coach)
Nate McMillan (Portland Trail Blazers coach)
Jim Boeheim (Syracuse University coach)

Rudy Tomjanovich (Director of Scouting)

Architect: Jerry Colangelo (former GM of the Phoenix Suns)

20 players will be invited to a tryout training camp on July 18th in Las Vegas to prepare for the world championships in Japan.

Players already accepted invites:

Officially:

Kobe Bryant
Lebron James
Gilbert Arenas
Bruce Bowen

Unofficially:

Chauncey Billups
Shawn Marion
Chris Bosh

Players invited to tryout for squad:

Joe Johnson
Paul Pierce
Antawn Jamison
Greg Oden
Adam Morrison
JJ Redick

Players Interested in playing or speculated to be serious candidates:

Michael Redd (met with Colangelo a few weeks ago (http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/sports/articles/0122nbainsider0122.html))
Lamar Odom (met with Colangelo, see article above)

Shaq
Dwyane Wade
Brad Miller
Rashard Lewis
Carmelo Anthony
Amaré Stoudemire
Dwight Howard
Shane Battier
Elton Brand
Wally Szczerbiak
Chris Paul
Channing Frye
Shaun Livingston
Marvin Williams

Not interested or indecisive:

Ray Allen
Marcus Camby (Colangelo: he's "in limbo")
Jermaine O'Neal
Vince Carter
Tim Duncan
Kevin Garnett
Tracy McGrady
Jason Kidd
Tayshaun Prince
Rip Hamilton
Ben Wallace
Carlos Boozer

Will not be invited according to media sources:

Mike Bibby (ESPN says Colangelo is not interested)

Ben Gordon (could play for Britian)
Kirk Hinrich (supposedly a long shot)
Emeka Okafor (supposedly not being considered)
Jason Richardson (supposedly not being considered)
Rasheed Wallace (supposedly not being considered)

Baron Davis (received letter saying he was not invited)
Allen Iverson (not invited)

[wardjdim]

Kirk Hinrich (supposedly a long shot)
This is the reason that the U.S. will fail miserably again!!! :)
There is no PG in the NBA better than Kirk for the International basketball.

[Profanity]

Here comes the "we could have won if *put your excuse* team"!!

Sorry to be so sarcastic in my first post, but I couldn't avoid it.

[Jonathan]

USA Basketball selection czar Jerry Colangelo all but confirmed Thursday the Detroit Pistons point guard and Denver native is the third player with a bid secured for the national team being picked to play in this year's World Championships and the 2008 Olympics.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/sports_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_83_4456082,00.html

[JoeT]

I think they should really target Mike Miller for the team. He's a perfect glue guy that is used to playing a smaller role and his game fits well in the European style of play. Good point forward abilities and an excellent spot-up three pointer. Moves great without the ball and plays adequate defense, too. The team needs to focus on not adding too many egos and being sure to add some players who are used to having smaller role a la Mike Miller, Kirk Hinrich, Tayshaun Prince, etc.

I'd like to see something like:

Billups
Kobe
Lebron
Marion
DHoward

Paul
Wade
MMiller
Brand
Bosh

Hinrich
Battier

Not really many "me" players, some guys accustomed to having complementary roles, but enough guys who can take over at will. I think Billups, Kobe, Lebron, and Marion are great core pieces to start around. I'd add Brand to that core next, as I think his skillset is really unique to the players who are interested in playing (though Howard could be at his level by 2008).

[wardjdim]

USA Basketball selection czar Jerry Colangelo all but confirmed Thursday the Detroit Pistons point guard and Denver native is the third player with a bid secured for the national team being picked to play in this year's World Championships and the 2008 Olympics.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/sports_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_83_4456082,00.html
This is excellent news...

[clippersdaily]

I think Elton Brand will be perfect for this team. Hes not the greatest player in the world, but possibly the toughest cover. Almost no one in the league can figure out how to guard him since hes short (for a PF), stocky (even after loosing so much weight), and ridiculously quick for a PF, not to mention a great mid range game.

[Jonathan]

I agree. The more Coach K players the better I think, especially if they are a good fit like Brand, Duhon and Redick.

[Jonathan]

quote from a Detroit newspaper:

I swear this is true. Ron Artest is upset he wasn't considered for the U.S. national team.

"How do you say his name, Collangelina?" said Artest, referring to national team director Jerry Colangelo . "I think (he thinks) I am too hood for the Olympics. I'm too ghetto for the Olympics."

Where would he get that idea, Ron? Oh, that's right, it's the media's fault.

"The media do what they do," Artest said. "I am who I am. All I know is, all the stars in the NBA want to play with me. The Kobe Bryants , the Kevin Garnetts , the Carmelo Anthonys , they all want to play with me. So why can't I play in the Olympics?"

Fear of some kind of international incident might have something to do with it.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060214/SPORTS0102/602140393/1127

[Jonathan]

Nice article from one of the best papers in the country, the San Francisco Chronicle:

Snippets:

Role players may get a chance to go for gold

The Olympics are under way, and so naturally is the chatter on which NBA players will represent the U.S. in Beijing two years from now.

Superstars Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are the only players to be publicly named to the team so far. Selection czar Jerry Colangelo plans to wait until after next Sunday's All-Star Game to reveal the other 18 members.

But here's a hint: They won't be a repeat of the All-Star parade through Houston.

Aside from the loss of Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Yao Ming and Pau Gasol to their respective national teams, Colangelo has been adamant about creating a real basketball lineup.

He has no interest in compiling a stat-heavy, ego-driven, who's-who collection of All-Stars. He wants a starting five and willing bench players to match up against less-talented international teams that have managed to close the gap -- if not surpass -- the U.S. in global competition over the last decade...

The lengthy requirement has former Olympians Ray Allen and Shaquille O'Neal hedging on whether or not they want in. Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Ben Wallace have already said no.

On the yes side, Shawn Marion and Chauncey Billups have been all but guaranteed spots, and Baron Davis, Carmelo Anthony, Paul Pierce, Michael Redd are among the bigger-name hopefuls. Role players like Lamar Odom, Shane Battier and Bruce Bowen also have a shot given Colangelo's preference for a no-hassle team.

"It's more than just winning. It's how you win and how you conduct yourself," Colangelo recently said. "We want to do it with class and we're going to do everything right. We're going to expect a lot. So when players hear something like no entourages when we get on a plane, it's that we're on a mission."

So focused is the mission that no family members will be allowed in Beijing until the medal rounds, assuming the U.S. makes it that far. Colangelo is also leaving little room for exceptions to his three-year window, though he is expected to make one for Billups this summer because the Detroit guard's wife, Piper, is expecting their third child in August.

In addition to naming 20 players to the national team, Colangelo plans to choose another dozen or so players to be part of the "select group" of youngsters to scrimmage against the varsity team and serve as a pipeline into his system...

The second group will consist of first and second-year NBA stars as well as college players. It shouldn't be a tough sell, although Ohio State-bound center Greg Oden, widely considered to be the top high school player in the country, declined to participate.

"The best way to explain it is that you need athletes, you need length," Colangelo said. "You want some experience. You want shooters and you need some role players ... so the selection process will be along those lines, if you know what I mean."

"There's only one ball," he added.

entire article: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2006/02/12/SPG44H7A7D1.DTL

[Jonathan]

Another point guard:

Washington Post:

Gilbert Arenas has been invited to try out for the men's national team that will compete in the world championships next summer in Japan and the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Arenas has made it known from the beginning of the selection process, which is headed by Phoenix Suns Chief Executive Jerry Colangelo, that he is willing to make the three-year commitment to play for the team.

[wardjdim]

Another point guard:

Gilbert Arenas .
Another PG, but not a good one. He is first shoot and more of a scorer..
He isnt an International PG.
Plus, Billups should play for this year too... The plans are not so good.

[Jonathan]

I would play Arenas at the 2 and just let him take advantage of his unbelievable athleticism slashing to the basket as well as his terrific outside shooting ability, especially from mid-range. He can also play good defense and is one of those guys who really have a good attitude with their teammates and just want to prove themselves. Just a nice guy to bring off the bench IMO.

[Borisdiaw]

I would play Arenas at the 2 and just let him take advantage of his unbelievable athleticism slashing to the basket as well as his terrific outside shooting ability, especially from mid-range. He can also play good defense and is one of those guys who really have a good attitude with their teammates and just want to prove themselves. Just a nice guy to bring off the bench IMO.
Playing him at the 2 is a good idea especially if the Pg spot is solid ( which begins well with Billups ) but i'm not sure about the defensive end, i would say he's average at best in the international system (like in the NBA, for other reasons) even though his size and athletism enable his to guard both backcourt spots. I'm optistist about his willingness and that's great.

[Hype]

Even though they want the young guys on the select team, I think you need to have Chris Paul and Dwight Howard on the team.

[Manumismo]

Even though they want the young guys on the select team, I think you need to have Chris Paul and Dwight Howard on the team.

I agree, especially with putting Chris Paul on the team. He is probably one of the top 5 point guards in the league right now. Having him leading in tandem with Chauncey would give America a really solid situation at point guard. Also Chris Paul is a player that is likely to come back 4 years after and still be effective.

[Qman]

Role players that fit the bill. Battier is perfect. He can guard 2's,3's and 4's. He has got a jumper.

[Jonathan]

Bruce Bowen also added to the team. Great fit and its nice to see its not all superstars they are going after.

[Jonathan]

A lot of info has come out in the past few days. The official announcement for the 22 players will come on Sunday.

Coach: Mike Krzyzewski (Duke head coach)

Assistants:

Mike D'Antoni (Phoenix Suns head coach)
Nate McMillan (Portland Trail Blazers coach)
Jim Boeheim (Syracuse University coach)

Rudy Tomjanovich (Director of Scouting)

Architect: Jerry Colangelo (former GM of the Phoenix Suns)

20 players will be invited to a tryout training camp on July 18th in Las Vegas to prepare for the world championships in Japan.

Players already accepted invites:

Officially:

Kobe Bryant
Lebron James
Gilbert Arenas
Bruce Bowen

Unofficially:

Chauncey Billups
Shawn Marion
Chris Bosh

Players invited to tryout for squad:

Joe Johnson
Paul Pierce
Antawn Jamison
Greg Oden
Adam Morrison
JJ Redick

Players Interested in playing or speculated to be serious candidates:

Michael Redd (met with Colangelo a few weeks ago (http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/sports/articles/0122nbainsider0122.html))
Lamar Odom (met with Colangelo, see article above)

Shaq
Dwyane Wade
Brad Miller
Rashard Lewis
Carmelo Anthony
Amaré Stoudemire
Dwight Howard
Shane Battier
Elton Brand
Wally Szczerbiak
Chris Paul
Channing Frye
Shaun Livingston
Marvin Williams

Not interested or indecisive:

Ray Allen
Marcus Camby (Colangelo: he's "in limbo")
Jermaine O'Neal
Vince Carter
Tim Duncan
Kevin Garnett
Tracy McGrady
Jason Kidd
Tayshaun Prince
Rip Hamilton
Ben Wallace
Carlos Boozer

Will not be invited according to media sources:

Mike Bibby (ESPN says Colangelo is not interested)

Ben Gordon (could play for Britian)
Kirk Hinrich (supposedly a long shot)
Emeka Okafor (supposedly not being considered)
Jason Richardson (supposedly not being considered)
Rasheed Wallace (supposedly not being considered)

Baron Davis (received letter saying he was not invited)
Allen Iverson (not invited)

[Hype]

I thought Billups was official?

[Jonathan]

ESPN got the entire list it looks like:

ESPN.com has learned the identities of the 22 NBA players on the preliminary roster for the U.S. national team, whose director, Jerry Colangelo, will make the news public Sunday.

NBA players on Team USA's training camp roster
Carmelo Anthony
Gilbert Arenas
Shane Battier
Chauncey Billups
Chris Bosh
Bruce Bowen
Elton Brand
Kobe Bryant
Dwight Howard
Josh Howard
LeBron James
Antawn Jamison
Joe Johnson
Rashard Lewis
Shawn Marion
Brad Miller
Chris Paul
Paul Pierce
Michael Redd
Luke Ridnour
Amare Stoudemire
Dwyane Wade


The list includes All-Stars Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Gilbert Arenas, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Chauncey Billups and Paul Pierce, but it does not include two players -- Iverson and Odom -- who were members of the 2004 U.S. Olympic team and had expressed strong interest in playing again for USA Basketball.

Billups will attend training camp but is not expected to compete at the 2006 World Championship in Japan because his wife, Piper, is due to give birth to their third child in late July or early August. Also, Redd is not expected to play in Japan, either, because of his wedding plans.

Great scoop by Chris Sheridan:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2349009

[wardjdim]

This roster disappoints me.
No Marcus Camby, no Tashaun Prince, no Kirk Hinrich, no PG experience with Billups out this summer and Ridnour and Paul be the only clear-cut PGs, many superstars, among whom the only trustworthy ones are Pierce and Marion, problematic frontline (Amare is injured, Howard is too young), questionable team play. Michael Redd, the best shooter there not playing in Japan either. Plus, Joe Johnson in a Dream Team? What is Colangelo smoking??

Btw, even though Prince will be out (I dont know why!!!), this is a hell of a SF lineup!

I'd go with:

G- Ridnour/Paul (very young line; they will suffer big time)
G- Wade/Pierce
F- Josh Howard/Bowen/Battier
F- Marion/Brand/Bosh
C- Miller/Howard

[KristianH]

I already see one big weakness - point guard. This is really important, because point guard is a key part in team full of stars like this and they didn`t invite right man to get everybody involved. Paul is great, but is young. Ridnour is overrated and will never be among Top 5 PG in the League, while Arenas is SG. USA will suffer with either Kobe or Wade as main ballhandlers.

[Genjuro]

I'd go with:

G- Ridnour/Paul (very young line; they will suffer big time)
G- Wade/Pierce
F- Josh Howard/Bowen/Battier
F- Marion/Brand/Bosh
C- Miller/Howard
PG: I agree this is a weak spot and it's probably the most important position. You have an inconsistent guy with little defense in Ridnour and a rookie in Paul. In international basketball, I find important that the PG is a floor leader if there isn't any clear leader in the team (which is the case here).

SG: I would go with Kobe Bryant. Although he's not my favourite player, he's a nice shooter. Wade is a great player, but I'm not sure he fits that well with international basketball, as he's too slashing-oriented. I think Pierce had troubles with the coach/teammates back in the 2002 World Championships.

SF: Although this season he's shooting better, I would be concerned about Josh Howard. He might be a nice team-oriented player in the team, but I think the roster would need more consistent perimeter shooting considering that guys like Redd, Billups or Allen aren't in the team. Rashard Lewis comes to mind. Also, I guess James should make the cut; he's too good.

PF: Tough call. Marion and Brand have a history of awful international showings. Bosh might be a nice player. Perhaps Stoudemire, but how would he fare against closed zone defenses without Nash? I think Jamison might be an interesting player here.

C: Brad Miller yes. He's tough, he can pass the ball and he can hit a mid-ranger. Howard would be valuable defensively (although, except Argentina and Spain, teams will basically play in the perimeter), but I don't think he will be too effective in the offensive end.

So it could be something like:

PG: Luke Ridnour, Chris Paul
SG: Kobe Bryant, Bruce Bowen
SF: Lebron James, Rashard Lewis, Josh Howard
PF: Antawn Jamison, Chris Bosh, Elton Brand
C: Brad Miller, Dwight Howard

However, I don't particularly like any combination. I think the US Team will suffer a lot if they get the gold.

By the way guys, Ben Gordon has already played for US, so there's no way he can play for Great Britain.