FIBA World Cup [USA vs. TUR: 9/3, 8:30 AM EST (ESPN+)]

[Tr1boy]

International game is more physical. I don't see anyway Smart is not on this team if he's healthy.

really?\

more than NA game?

[rondofan1255]

Sacramento's Marvin Bagley III, who played well enough in training camp last week to earn a promotion to the @usabasketball senior national team roster, has withdrawn from team activities to focus on the upcoming season, league sources say

Bagley III had played his way into contention for a frontcourt spot on the final 12-man roster that Team USA will field for the @FIBAWC in China but elected to step aside before the team reconvenes Tuesday in Los Angeles to keep the focus on next season with the Kings

https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1160672985952542720

[footey]

Call up Time Lord, Pop.

Kidding but would be fun.

[rondofan1255]

Team USA reshuffles roster after first scrimmage
John Schuhmann NBA.com

LAS VEGAS -- The first week of U.S. Senior Men's National Team training for the FIBA World Cup concluded on Friday with a scrimmage against the Select Team and a little bit of roster reshuffling.

After the Senior Team beat the Select Team 97-78 in the scrimmage, two players on the Senior Team were replaced by two players from the Select Team for the next phase of training camp -- three practices and an exhibition game against Spain in Los Angeles.

Sent home from the Senior Team were center Bam Adebayo and forward Thaddeus Young. The 22-year-old Adebayo was one of the best rebounders in camp, but was probably a little too raw in comparison to the other bigs. Young, meanwhile, didn't provide the shooting that the remaining power forwards on the roster do.

Added to the roster in their place were Marvin Bagley III and Derrick White, who impressed as members of Jeff Van Gundy's Select Team. However, after being promoted to the Senior Team, Bagley decided to withdraw from the competition to focus on the upcoming NBA season.

White will join the 13 other healthy players from the Senior Team, along with Kyle Lowry (who is recovering from thumb surgery and missed all of this week's camp) and Marcus Smart (who missed the last three days with a sore left calf).

From those 16 players, a 12-man roster will be selected for the World Cup. That roster doesn't need to be finalized until a two days before the tournament begins on Aug. 31, a fact that USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo has brought up multiple times this week. So he and the rest of the staff clearly won't rush a final decision and it's possible that the team will take more than 12 players with it from Los Angeles to Australia, where it will play three more exhibition games before heading to China.

"We're going to be patient with the rest of the squad, because we have plenty of time," Colangelo said Friday. "We want to make sure everyone gets a real shot, and I think the staff is sorting through all that. There's something we like about every one of the players."

Both Lowry and Smart are likely to make the final roster if they're healthy, but the status of both is still very much in the air. Lowry is expected to be reevaluated by his doctor before the start of the L.A. camp, and Smart will see how he feels after a few days off.

Other sure things to make the final roster are Jayson Tatum (Friday's leading scorer) and four of the five starters from the scrimmage: Kemba Walker, Donovan Mitchell, Jaylen Brown and Khris Middleton, though Senior Team head coach Gregg Popovich said afterward that inferring too much into the starting lineup would be "an incorrect assumption."

"We're still trying to figure out how people fit together," he continued. "You don't always necessarily play your most talented guys together. It's got to be a good mix. You got to have something coming off the bench also. What we're doing now is just mixing and matching and taking a look at everybody."

The status of guards De'Aaron Fox (who had 12 points and three steals on Friday), Joe Harris and White could depend on the health of Lowry and Smart. The frontline may have more questions than answers. Harrison Barnes is a pretty safe bet to make the roster, maybe leaving one roster spot between Kyle Kuzma and P.J. Tucker. The competition at center features Brook Lopez, Mason Plumlee and Myles Turner, who was the Senior Team's starting center on Friday.

"There are going to be some players that are more talented than others, but a lot of jobs have to be filled," Popovich said. "Overall, we're looking for people who are committed defensively and are totally unselfish and are willing to move the ball and move themselves at the offensive end."

With the Senior Team scoring just once on is first six possessions and with the Select Team bigs feasting inside, the young guys jumped out to an 8-2 lead on Friday. But the Senior Team got some stops and the second unit -- Fox, Harris, Tatum, Kuzma and Lopez -- took the lead for good with a 9-0 run to close the first quarter. The Select Team scored just 28 points over the second and third periods and it was a 30-point game going into the fourth.

Credit the Senior Team defense (which mixed in some 2-3 zone), though it should be noted that the Select Team was lacking shooters (it finished 3-for-26 from 3-point range) and running plays that they'd seen all week.

Tatum was the offensive star, scoring a game-high 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting in just 15:44 off the bench. His biggest highlight on Friday was a late-third-quarter spin move to a left-handed scoop in traffic. But he has shot well most of the week, looking to be in midseason form despite not having played an NBA game in almost three months.

"I just tried to come in the best shape as I could," he said. "I just tried to get in a rhythm before I got out here."

Though Popovich was quick to dismiss Friday's starting lineup as non-news, it's easy to see Tatum staying in that sixth man role, where he could provide some scoring punch off the bench.

"He was very aggressive tonight," Popovich said. "We really like that about him and need that from him."

A foundation has been set. But there's still a long way to go before this team is ready for real competition. Developing chemistry, so that the talent can really flourish within the system, takes time.

"Everybody here is really talented and has a high IQ," Tatum said. "We all know how to play basketball. We did a lot of great things on the fly today, but it's going to get better with time."

https://www.nba.com/article/2019/08/10/team-usa-reshuffles-roster-after-intrasquad-scrimmage

[Silky]

Team USA reshuffles roster after first scrimmage
John Schuhmann NBA.com

LAS VEGAS -- The first week of U.S. Senior Men's National Team training for the FIBA World Cup concluded on Friday with a scrimmage against the Select Team and a little bit of roster reshuffling.

After the Senior Team beat the Select Team 97-78 in the scrimmage, two players on the Senior Team were replaced by two players from the Select Team for the next phase of training camp -- three practices and an exhibition game against Spain in Los Angeles.

Sent home from the Senior Team were center Bam Adebayo and forward Thaddeus Young. The 22-year-old Adebayo was one of the best rebounders in camp, but was probably a little too raw in comparison to the other bigs. Young, meanwhile, didn't provide the shooting that the remaining power forwards on the roster do.

Added to the roster in their place were Marvin Bagley III and Derrick White, who impressed as members of Jeff Van Gundy's Select Team. However, after being promoted to the Senior Team, Bagley decided to withdraw from the competition to focus on the upcoming NBA season.

White will join the 13 other healthy players from the Senior Team, along with Kyle Lowry (who is recovering from thumb surgery and missed all of this week's camp) and Marcus Smart (who missed the last three days with a sore left calf).

From those 16 players, a 12-man roster will be selected for the World Cup. That roster doesn't need to be finalized until a two days before the tournament begins on Aug. 31, a fact that USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo has brought up multiple times this week. So he and the rest of the staff clearly won't rush a final decision and it's possible that the team will take more than 12 players with it from Los Angeles to Australia, where it will play three more exhibition games before heading to China.

"We're going to be patient with the rest of the squad, because we have plenty of time," Colangelo said Friday. "We want to make sure everyone gets a real shot, and I think the staff is sorting through all that. There's something we like about every one of the players."

Both Lowry and Smart are likely to make the final roster if they're healthy, but the status of both is still very much in the air. Lowry is expected to be reevaluated by his doctor before the start of the L.A. camp, and Smart will see how he feels after a few days off.

Other sure things to make the final roster are Jayson Tatum (Friday's leading scorer) and four of the five starters from the scrimmage: Kemba Walker, Donovan Mitchell, Jaylen Brown and Khris Middleton, though Senior Team head coach Gregg Popovich said afterward that inferring too much into the starting lineup would be "an incorrect assumption."

"We're still trying to figure out how people fit together," he continued. "You don't always necessarily play your most talented guys together. It's got to be a good mix. You got to have something coming off the bench also. What we're doing now is just mixing and matching and taking a look at everybody."

The status of guards De'Aaron Fox (who had 12 points and three steals on Friday), Joe Harris and White could depend on the health of Lowry and Smart. The frontline may have more questions than answers. Harrison Barnes is a pretty safe bet to make the roster, maybe leaving one roster spot between Kyle Kuzma and P.J. Tucker. The competition at center features Brook Lopez, Mason Plumlee and Myles Turner, who was the Senior Team's starting center on Friday.

"There are going to be some players that are more talented than others, but a lot of jobs have to be filled," Popovich said. "Overall, we're looking for people who are committed defensively and are totally unselfish and are willing to move the ball and move themselves at the offensive end."

With the Senior Team scoring just once on is first six possessions and with the Select Team bigs feasting inside, the young guys jumped out to an 8-2 lead on Friday. But the Senior Team got some stops and the second unit -- Fox, Harris, Tatum, Kuzma and Lopez -- took the lead for good with a 9-0 run to close the first quarter. The Select Team scored just 28 points over the second and third periods and it was a 30-point game going into the fourth.

Credit the Senior Team defense (which mixed in some 2-3 zone), though it should be noted that the Select Team was lacking shooters (it finished 3-for-26 from 3-point range) and running plays that they'd seen all week.

Tatum was the offensive star, scoring a game-high 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting in just 15:44 off the bench. His biggest highlight on Friday was a late-third-quarter spin move to a left-handed scoop in traffic. But he has shot well most of the week, looking to be in midseason form despite not having played an NBA game in almost three months.

"I just tried to come in the best shape as I could," he said. "I just tried to get in a rhythm before I got out here."

Though Popovich was quick to dismiss Friday's starting lineup as non-news, it's easy to see Tatum staying in that sixth man role, where he could provide some scoring punch off the bench.

"He was very aggressive tonight," Popovich said. "We really like that about him and need that from him."

A foundation has been set. But there's still a long way to go before this team is ready for real competition. Developing chemistry, so that the talent can really flourish within the system, takes time.

"Everybody here is really talented and has a high IQ," Tatum said. "We all know how to play basketball. We did a lot of great things on the fly today, but it's going to get better with time."

https://www.nba.com/article/2019/08/10/team-usa-reshuffles-roster-after-intrasquad-scrimmage

There is a brilliant line from Pop in there regarding lineups.

You dont just put your beat players out there and expect it to work. You need to look at fit.

That is something the celtics lacked last season and a reason I see Hayward coming off the bench this season.

[saltlover]

Kyle Lowry is out, per his Instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B1FDGoOlBBz/

[blink]

I know that some will disagree, but I hope Marcus Smart gets better enough to play for Team USA.  I think it can only help him as a player and us as a team to get more reps in with the other 3 celtics.  I think Marcus would be a difference maker for team USA once they start playing games that matter.

I have tickets to the exhibition game on Friday night vs Spain in Anaheim at the Honda Center.  Looking forward to watching the guys play against Spain.

[rondofan1255]

Update: After M Bagley & K Lowry withdrawals, USA Basketball will select 12-man roster from these 15 finalists...

- H Barnes
- J Brown
- D Fox
- J Harris
- K Kuzma
- B Lopez
- K Middleton
- D Mitchell
- M Plumlee
- M Smart
- J Tatum
- PJ Tucker
- M Turner
- K Walker
- D White

https://twitter.com/bengolliver/status/1161030678206509056?s=21

[Fierce1]

I know that some will disagree, but I hope Marcus Smart gets better enough to play for Team USA.  I think it can only help him as a player and us as a team to get more reps in with the other 3 celtics.  I think Marcus would be a difference maker for team USA once they start playing games that matter.

I have tickets to the exhibition game on Friday night vs Spain in Anaheim at the Honda Center.  Looking forward to watching the guys play against Spain.

If Smart is in then that means Brown will be out.

It's very unlikely all 4 Celtics will be on Team USA.

[blink]

I know that some will disagree, but I hope Marcus Smart gets better enough to play for Team USA.  I think it can only help him as a player and us as a team to get more reps in with the other 3 celtics.  I think Marcus would be a difference maker for team USA once they start playing games that matter.

I have tickets to the exhibition game on Friday night vs Spain in Anaheim at the Honda Center.  Looking forward to watching the guys play against Spain.

If Smart is in then that means Brown will be out.

It's very unlikely all 4 Celtics will be on Team USA.

I actually disagree.  With Lowry out, I think if Smart makes it he ends up being the backup point guard to Kemba.  I don't think Smart is playing the same position as Brown in this team.

[saltlover]

I know that some will disagree, but I hope Marcus Smart gets better enough to play for Team USA.  I think it can only help him as a player and us as a team to get more reps in with the other 3 celtics.  I think Marcus would be a difference maker for team USA once they start playing games that matter.

I have tickets to the exhibition game on Friday night vs Spain in Anaheim at the Honda Center.  Looking forward to watching the guys play against Spain.

If Smart is in then that means Brown will be out.

It's very unlikely all 4 Celtics will be on Team USA.

I actually disagree.  With Lowry out, I think if Smart makes it he ends up being the backup point guard to Kemba.  I don't think Smart is playing the same position as Brown in this team.

Yeah, if Smart is healthy, then Derrick White is out.  Smart can obviously play both the PG and off-guard positions, and you want that versatility when you’ve got a 12-man roster with no ability to replace injuries.

[slamtheking]

Update: After M Bagley & K Lowry withdrawals, USA Basketball will select 12-man roster from these 15 finalists...

- H Barnes
- J Brown
- D Fox
- J Harris
- K Kuzma
- B Lopez
- K Middleton
- D Mitchell
- M Plumlee
- M Smart
- J Tatum
- PJ Tucker
- M Turner
- K Walker
- D White

https://twitter.com/bengolliver/status/1161030678206509056?s=21

not exactly the who's who of the NBA.  only 2 B-list players in that group -- Kemba and Middleton.  Everyone else is meh or still climbing the ladder.

my one concern is that the C's have 4 players playing heavy minutes with that squad and get burned out before the end of this season.  That may overshadow any chemistry they develop as part of that team

[saltlover]

Update: After M Bagley & K Lowry withdrawals, USA Basketball will select 12-man roster from these 15 finalists...

- H Barnes
- J Brown
- D Fox
- J Harris
- K Kuzma
- B Lopez
- K Middleton
- D Mitchell
- M Plumlee
- M Smart
- J Tatum
- PJ Tucker
- M Turner
- K Walker
- D White

https://twitter.com/bengolliver/status/1161030678206509056?s=21

not exactly the who's who of the NBA.  only 2 B-list players in that group -- Kemba and Middleton.  Everyone else is meh or still climbing the ladder.

my one concern is that the C's have 4 players playing heavy minutes with that squad and get burned out before the end of this season.  That may overshadow any chemistry they develop as part of that team

I wouldn’t worry too much about that.  I doubt anyone plays much more than 20 minutes most nights.  Look at the rosters of other countries — they’re far shallower, and few if any have more than 2 players who could even make our B and C-list roster.  Most games won’t be very close, allowing minutes to be evenly distributed, and games are only 40 minutes long.

I like that our guys all want to get on the court as soon as they can.  I worry about injuries, because playing basketball opens that risk, but that’s about it.  Exhaustion because they played an extra couple hundred minutes in August and September before taking a couple weeks off is not a concern.  Ideally it will make our guys sharper early in the season, allowing us to get a couple of extra wins in October and November, leading to extra rest in April.

[rondofan1255]

Schuhmann speculation
 

If Smart's healthy, he's on. If not it's Harris/White is a pick 1.

https://twitter.com/johnschuhmann/status/1161068341844480000

[rondofan1255]

A scrappy squad of players featuring some who played in @FIBAWC qualifying for @usabasketball and are being coached again this week by Jeff Van Gundy just took it to the USAB senior national team in a scrimmage open at the end to the media. Final score: 36-17

https://twitter.com/thesteinline/status/1161742830135414784?s=21

As if the Team USA drubbing vs. the Select Team wasn’t bad enough, sources tell @TheAthletic that it was their second loss to the Select Team on the day (the first one was by three, with the game going just 10 minutes). Not a great way to go into Friday’s exhibition v. Spain.

https://twitter.com/sam_amick/status/1161767158071693313?s=21