Today's blog is about the NBA. Yes, Joe Brackets fans, it's true. Well, sort of. It's actually more of an Olympic blog (what a surprise!). The other day, USA Basketball announced the 20 players that were still in the running for the 12 spots on the Olympic men's basketball roster. Amazingly, all of the guys who couldn't be bothered to play in the World Championships two years ago suddenly can't wait to put on a USA jersey.
Some of these guys are absolute locks, while others stand virtually no chance of actually going to London. Before I reveal my 12 choices, here's a look at all 20 who made the cut:
Guards-Chauncey Billups (Clippers), Kobe Bryant (Lakers), Eric Gordon (Hornets), Andre Igoudala (76ers), Chris Paul (Clippers), Derrick Rose (Bulls), Dwayne Wade (Heat), Russell Westbrook (Thunder), Deron Williams (Nets)
Forwards-LaMarcus Aldridge (Blazers), Carmelo Anthony (Knicks), Chris Bosh (Heat), Kevin Durant (Thunder), Rudy Gay (Grizzlies), Blake Griffin (Clippers), LeBron James (Heat), Kevin Love (Timberwolves), Lamar Odom (Mavericks)
Centers-Tyson Chandler (Knicks), Dwight Howard (Magic)
The way I see it, there are nine players who will definitely be in London. Kevin Durant single-handedly won the World Championship two years ago, making it so these guys wouldn't have to qualify last summer. That alone puts him on the team. Kobe Bryant is Kobe Bryant. If he wants to play in London, he gets to. Ditto with Dwight Howard. He's the best center in the NBA. Likewise LeBron's got to be on the team. And if he's there, you've got to take his cronies Wade and Bosh. Like LeBron (and Dwayne Wade), Carmelo Anthony was on that team that settled for the bronze in 2004 before playing for the 2008 "Redeem Team." Another guy who was a member of the Beijing team is Chris Paul. They need a point guard, so his trip to London should be secure. If Paul isn't the starting point guard, Derrick Rose will be. Either way, they'll both be on the team.
Five guys have absolutely no shot. If they hadn't said it in the press release from USA Basketball, I wouldn't even know that Andre Igoudala plays for the 76ers. He'd be my 20th choice out of these 20 guys. Likewise, I have no idea who Eric Gordon is. Both of them apparently played in the 2010 World Championships. I guess that's why they're on this list. But there's no way they make the team with the NBA's A-listers back in the mix. LaMarcus Aldridge and Rudy Gay have no chance, either. How many forwards can one team have? Chauncey Billups is a nice guy who's had a nice career, but that's not enough to make the cut. The Olympic team doesn't need a token old guy to sit on the bench next to the coaches.
So, that leaves six players for three spots. Either Russell Westbrook or Deron Williams will make it as an extra guard, but not both. It's really just a matter of preference. Westbrook might be the better player, but Williams was on the gold medal-winning team in Beijing. I'm not saying the fact that he was on the 2008 team gives him any sort of edge, though. But the fact that he has more international experience and would probably be more comfortable serving as a third point guard that doesn't play a whole lot than Westbrook would makes him my choice.
Now we're left with Tyson Chandler, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love and Lamar Odom. Picking two of those four is a little more difficult. Chandler's the only other center on the preliminary roster, so do you take him for his size? Odom is technically a forward, but he's extremely versatile. Do you need another guy like that, though? Blake Griffin is electrifying and his dunks are spectacular. But this isn't the NBA All-Star Game. How would he fit into the equation on a team that already includes Kobe, LeBron and Howard? Everything Kevin Love does other guys on the team do, too. But he's a hell of a rebounder. Is that enough reason to take him?
In my eyes, you take one of the two scorers (Odom or Griffin) and one of the two rebounders (Chandler or Love). You can sacrifice Chandler's size because of the athleticism others bring. Besides, you need a token white guy (was that racist?). So, congratulations Kevin Love. That leaves us with the hardest decision of all: Odom or Griffin. If it was up to a fan vote, the choice would obviously be Griffin. But it's not. Even still, Griffin probably brings a little more to the table than Mr. Kardashian. He can provide the rebounding that you're giving up by not taking Chandler. I'm taking Griffin. Another reason for taking Griffin and Love: even though neither one will play that much in London, they'll both be locks for Rio and the faces of USA Basketball for the next decade. It'll be important for them to get that first Olympic experience, just like LeBron and Carmelo got in Athens.
So, that's my team. And for fun, I'll assign them jersey numbers:
4-Chris Paul, 5-Derrick Rose, 6-LeBron James, 7-Carmelo Anthony, 8-Deron Williams, 9-Dwayne Wade, 10-Kobe Bryant, 11-Dwight Howard, 12-Chris Bosh, 13-Blake Griffin, 14-Kevin Love, 15-Kevin Durant
As for my starting lineup, it's Paul at the point, Kobe at the 2, LeBron and Durant at forward with Howard at center.
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