Author Topic: Who will be THE contender for Team USA  (Read 6227 times)

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Who will be THE contender for Team USA
« on: March 12, 2021, 11:32:18 AM »

Offline Ed Monix

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Looking at the overall growth and strength of global basketball I had listed possible contenders against Team USA for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics:

Australia

Aron Baynes
Joe Ingles
Ben Simmons
Matisse Thybulle
Patrick Mills

William Magnay
Thon Maker
Josh Green
Dante Exum
Joshua Giddey

Isaac Humphries
Nick Kay
Mitch Creek
Matthew Dellavedova
William McDowell-White

Prospect: Mojave King


Canada

Tristan Thompson
Kelly Olynyk
Andrew Wiggins
Jamal Murray
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Chris Boucher
Brandon Clarke
RJ Barrett
Dillion Brooks
Luguentz Dort

Khem Birch
Dwight Powell
Trey Lyles
Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Corey Joseph

Prospect: A.J. Lawson


Croatia

Ivica Zubac
Dario Šarić
Bojan Bogdanović
Mario Hezonja
Roko Ukić

Ante Žižić
Dragan Bender
Luka Šamanić
Krunoslav Simon
Roko Rogić

Miro Bilan
Roko Prkacin
Pavle Marčinković
Filip Krušlin
Dominik Mavra

France

Rudy Gobert
Amath M'Baye
Nikolas Batum
Evan Fournier
Théo Maledon

Vincent Poirier
Sekou Doumbouya
Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot
Nando De Colo
Killian Hayes

Mathias Lessort
Guerschon Yabusele
Axel Bouteille
Frank Ntilikina
Andrew Albicy

Prospect: Yves Pons, Juhann Begarin, Joel Ayayi, Malcolm Cazalon,


Serbia

Nikola Jokić
Nemanja Bjelica
Vladimir Lučić
Bogdan Bogdanović
Vasilije Micić

Filip Petrusev
Aleksej Pokuševski
Nikola Kalinić
Nemanja Nedović
Miloš Teodosić

Boban Marjanović
Alen Smailagić
Ognjen Dobrić
Marko Gudurić
Stefan Jović

Spain

Marc Gasol
Serge Ibaka
Rudy Fernández
Álex Abrines
Ricky Rubio

Willy Hernangómez
Nikola Mirotić
Usman Garuba
Pau Ribas
Sergio Rodríguez

Juan Hernangómez
Pierre Oriola
Víctor Claver
Joan Sastre
Carlos Alocén
« Last Edit: March 12, 2021, 12:22:04 PM by Ed Monix »
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Re: Who will be THE contender for Team USA
« Reply #1 on: March 12, 2021, 11:36:34 AM »

Online Donoghus

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No Spain?


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Re: Who will be THE contender for Team USA
« Reply #2 on: March 12, 2021, 11:39:32 AM »

Offline Ed Monix

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No Spain?

My apologies, I knew I missed someone.

I'll add them now, thanks.
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Re: Who will be THE contender for Team USA
« Reply #3 on: March 12, 2021, 12:33:32 PM »

Offline JBcat

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Canada has a real interesting team.

Re: Who will be THE contender for Team USA
« Reply #4 on: March 12, 2021, 01:08:10 PM »

Offline Moranis

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If the top level stars play those teams will all get brutalized.  Won't even be close, that said most of the top level stars aren't going to play.  The fighting Jokic's seem pretty clearly a step ahead of the other squads.
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Re: Who will be THE contender for Team USA
« Reply #5 on: March 12, 2021, 06:48:38 PM »

Offline Ed Monix

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If the top level stars play those teams will all get brutalized.  Won't even be close, that said most of the top level stars aren't going to play.  The fighting Jokic's seem pretty clearly a step ahead of the other squads.

I agree that if it’s based on talent, there isn’t a question. But like in 2004 I think fit and chemistry can be big, I like Canadian team if they are connecting and Australia defensively will be a big challenge for the US team and yes if Jokic is at his best the hope for Serbia would be to out shoot USA and Jokic to dominate in the post.
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Re: Who will be THE contender for Team USA
« Reply #6 on: March 12, 2021, 09:13:38 PM »

Offline Csfan1984

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Doesn't Quickly play for Spain

Re: Who will be THE contender for Team USA
« Reply #7 on: March 12, 2021, 10:35:43 PM »

Offline gouki88

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I don't think Mojave King has acquired his Australian citizenship yet, so I don't think he'd be able to play.

It's weird seeing Simmons and Thybulle line up for Australia. Particularly Thybulle. He doesn't really identify with being Australian at all, and lived there from 2-9. Strange.
Doesn't help that they play for Philly
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Re: Who will be THE contender for Team USA
« Reply #8 on: March 13, 2021, 02:27:30 AM »

Offline Quetzalcoatl

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Canada v Serbia has the potential to be a hell of a game

Re: Who will be THE contender for Team USA
« Reply #9 on: March 13, 2021, 09:38:40 AM »

Offline Adelaide Celt

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I don't think Mojave King has acquired his Australian citizenship yet, so I don't think he'd be able to play.

It's weird seeing Simmons and Thybulle line up for Australia. Particularly Thybulle. He doesn't really identify with being Australian at all, and lived there from 2-9. Strange.
Doesn't help that they play for Philly

As sickeningly smug and aloof as Simmons is, I don't think he has ever wavered on his commitment to represent Australia (so long as all the stars align, of course).
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Re: Who will be THE contender for Team USA
« Reply #10 on: March 13, 2021, 10:52:47 AM »

Offline Moranis

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If the top level stars play those teams will all get brutalized.  Won't even be close, that said most of the top level stars aren't going to play.  The fighting Jokic's seem pretty clearly a step ahead of the other squads.

I agree that if it’s based on talent, there isn’t a question. But like in 2004 I think fit and chemistry can be big, I like Canadian team if they are connecting and Australia defensively will be a big challenge for the US team and yes if Jokic is at his best the hope for Serbia would be to out shoot USA and Jokic to dominate in the post.
Sure, but 2004 wasn't the best talent.  In fact, you could almost argue that Duncan was the only player on the US team that would have been on the best collection of talent.  And before anyone says anything, Duncan was the only player on the US squad that made any of the All NBA Teams in the 03-04 season that played for the US.  He was on the 1st Team that year along with Kidd, Kobe, Shaq, and Garnett, those 4 guys didn't play.  The 2nd Team was Cassell, Big Ben, TMac, JO, and Peja (only non-US), none played for the US.  The 3rd Team was Metta, B Diddy, Redd, and then Yao and Dirk, again none played for the US.  So of the 12 Americans that made an All NBA Team, the only one on the US Olympic team was Duncan.  Now there was certainly a lot of talent, but it was either very young (Lebron, Melo, Wade, Amare, Okafor), past their prime (AI), or just good but not great (Boozer, Marbury, Odom, Marion, RJeff).   

Looking back now you see all those names and think, how could they lose, but at the time, that team was no where near as good a team as the US could have put together.  And I do think just a couple of tweaks and they probably win easily.  I think just swapping Kidd and someone like Ray Allen for Jefferson and Marbury, and I think the US wins the Gold pretty easily.  They needed a real PG (AI, Marbury were not) and they needed an elite shooter like Allen.  Obviously having Shaq on the team also would have shifted things dramatically as even slightly past his prime Shaq would not have been able to be guarded by any of the international teams. 

When the top level players actually play, the US is unbeatable.  That just hasn't happened all that much since the 90's. 
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Re: Who will be THE contender for Team USA
« Reply #11 on: March 13, 2021, 12:43:52 PM »

Offline pp34isthe1

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Not sure how the qualifying works but does Slovenia qualify? If Luka plays, I think he carries Slovenia to the bronze game.