Olympics

[rico]

Team USA

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/team-usa-basketball-kevin-durant-damian-lillard-among-final-12-man-roster-committed-to-play-in-olympics/

[Zlinedavid]

There's something I never realized: Steph Curry has never played in the Olympics. 

Guys like LeBron, Harden, CP3, etc....OK. They've won medals and are getting up there in miles. Give someone else a shot to live a dream. But you'd think that for someone on Steph's level (the true elite), you'd want that Olympic medal in your trophy case.

[Steubenhoosier]

I lost all interest in this event once they brought the pros in. I understand fully why that decision was made, but don’t care if they win a gold or lose

[dgambill]

My opinion...which counts for nothing lol...is that as a pro you can go to 1 olympic team. That way it makes room for young guys like Booker, Young, Mitchell etc etc etc. It's a great brand exposure for guys to broaden their appeal overseas. Guys like Durant, Lebron, Melo don't need to do that anymore and honestly it would allow them to focus on their pro team and be healthy. This is all about marketing for those guys...not representing the US. 1 and done!!

[Zlinedavid]

12 hours ago, dgambill said:

My opinion...which counts for nothing lol...is that as a pro you can go to 1 olympic team. That way it makes room for young guys like Booker, Young, Mitchell etc etc etc. It's a great brand exposure for guys to broaden their appeal overseas. Guys like Durant, Lebron, Melo don't need to do that anymore and honestly it would allow them to focus on their pro team and be healthy. This is all about marketing for those guys...not representing the US. 1 and done!!

I'd be OK with a cap of 2 times, but maybe with the caveat that there could only be 2-3 returning players.  I remember Pippen and Barkley playing on both the original Dream Team and in Atlanta in 1996.

[rico]

On 6/24/2021 at 7:19 PM, Steubenhoosier said:

I lost all interest in this event once they brought the pros in. I understand fully why that decision was made, but don’t care if they win a gold or lose

I lost interest as well...but I still want to win the gold.

[Zuckerkorn]

I used to look forward to the Olympics when I was young, then realized I'm not a fan of sports that are based on judging.  Then the TV coverage ruined my remaining interest with their "human interest" approach.  I was so disappointed in 1984 when they showed so little of the BB games - presumably because Knight had them kicking everybody's tail.

[TheWatShot]

Apparently the U.S. lost an exhibition game to Nigeria. WTF? 

[kyhoosier29]

19 minutes ago, TheWatShot said:

Apparently the U.S. lost an exhibition game to Nigeria. WTF? 

I was surprised to see that Nigeria had 6-7 NBA players. 

[Parakeet Jones]

With the instantaneous way we receive information these days it makes the Olympics tough to watch when they are taking place on the other side of the world. I have no interest in watching when I already know who wins. 

[Indy1987]

1 hour ago, kyhoosier29 said:

I was surprised to see that Nigeria had 6-7 NBA players. 

Mike Brown is their coach as well.   

Hopefully this was a wakeup call for the US team.  

Go Hoosiers!!!

[Lurker]

The Nigerian team has been together for a couple of weeks where the US team only a few days. I don't see this as any big deal. At least the US won gold in the FIBA U19 bball tournament over France.

[BGleas]

Kevin Durant's announcement in the post-game 🤣

[NotIThatLives]

5 hours ago, Lurker said:

The Nigerian team has been together for a couple of weeks where the US team only a few days. I don't see this as any big deal. At least the US won gold in the FIBA U19 bball tournament over France.

Anyone see the 7'2" kid playing for France u19?  He's going to be really really good.  Can shoot, dribble, even a little bit of dunking.  Plays for Tony Parker's pro team.  Seems to be a fierce competitor, was royally pissed on the sidelines of this game they lost to US.  

Not draft eligible until 2023.  

[dgambill]

13 hours ago, Lurker said:

The Nigerian team has been together for a couple of weeks where the US team only a few days. I don't see this as any big deal. At least the US won gold in the FIBA U19 bball tournament over France.

Well it's only the 3rd time it's happened since 1992...so yeah...still a big deal. Excuses are simply that. No doubt the world has really closed the gap on American basketball but when you have a team of all-nba superstars that only know how to play one way (iso ball) it will continue to happen. I don't think we lose in the Olympics but it's still pretty embarrassing for those guys and hopefully that wakes them up.

[dgambill]

11 hours ago, BGleas said:

Kevin Durant's announcement in the post-game 🤣

This is HILARIOUS!!!! 🤣I mean I admire KD's game on the court....much like I admire Lebrons....but I gotta admit....NBA stars today just aren't very likable off the court and with the way they carry on positioning themselves together to be on super teams etc....no matter who is doing it.

[Zuckerkorn]

5 minutes ago, dgambill said:

This is HILARIOUS!!!! 🤣I mean I admire KD's game on the court....much like I admire Lebrons....but I gotta admit....NBA stars today just aren't very likable off the court and with the way they carry on positioning themselves together to be on super teams etc....no matter who is doing it.

To extend upon that a bit, does this mean all the top NBA players are all going to jump to the Nigerian team now?  International pile-on teams at the olympic level 😐

[dgambill]

3 minutes ago, Zuckerkorn said:

To extend upon that a bit, does this mean all the top NBA players are all going to jump to the Nigerian team now?  International pile-on teams at the olympic level 😐

Not sure the exact rules of the Olympics for playing on a National team. Usually its you have to be born there or your parent has to be of that country. Most NBA players I'd say don't have an immediate connection to Nigeria or other countries...but we are seeing more and more players brought over to play. Obviously more and more players from Europe and even Canada. The competition is getting tons better and it doesn't hurt that NBA game is getting more similar to the global game with big mean stepping out and shooting and less emphasis on physicality etc.

[dgambill]

Poor USA basketball.....they are getting roasted on twitter etc lol Seems people take great joy in this stuff. Not sure I understand...I know the players aren't all super likable and have shared my views many times but for people that supposedly love our country it seems a bit of a contradiction then to take joy in the U.S. losing. 

 

[IowaHoosierFan]

On 6/24/2021 at 5:26 PM, Zlinedavid said:

There's something I never realized: Steph Curry has never played in the Olympics. 

Guys like LeBron, Harden, CP3, etc....OK. They've won medals and are getting up there in miles. Give someone else a shot to live a dream. But you'd think that for someone on Steph's level (the true elite), you'd want that Olympic medal in your trophy case.

Alot of players just turn down the invitation and i think Steph has been asked twice now.

[TheWatShot]

34 minutes ago, dgambill said:

Poor USA basketball.....they are getting roasted on twitter etc lol Seems people take great joy in this stuff. Not sure I understand...I know the players aren't all super likable and have shared my views many times but for people that supposedly love our country it seems a bit of a contradiction then to take joy in the U.S. losing. 

 

There's a meme I'd love to post about this, but it would get deleted. 

[BGleas]

36 minutes ago, dgambill said:

Poor USA basketball.....they are getting roasted on twitter etc lol Seems people take great joy in this stuff. Not sure I understand...I know the players aren't all super likable and have shared my views many times but for people that supposedly love our country it seems a bit of a contradiction then to take joy in the U.S. losing. 

 

Outside of Durant, this is a pretty likeable team. Not the most talented the US has fielded, but Lillard, Tatum, Beal, LaVine, etc., are all likeable guys. 

[BGleas]

9 minutes ago, IowaHoosierFan said:

Alot of players just turn down the invitation and i think Steph has been asked twice now.

I think for Steph it has largely been timing. In 2012 he was still ascending and had only played 26 games that season because of ankle issues. 

In 2016 he had just come off two Finals appearances in a row and that tough Game 7 loss to Cleveland right before the Olympics. 

I know other guys (LeBron specifically) have played even after long playoff runs, but some guys prioritize rest, especially when banged up. 

Not sure why he isn't playing this time, especially given that he had off from March through Nov in 2020. 

[IowaHoosierFan]

Just now, BGleas said:

I think for Steph it has largely been timing. In 2012 he was still ascending and had only played 26 games that season because of ankle issues. 

In 2016 he had just come off two Finals appearances in a row and that tough Game 7 loss to Cleveland right before the Olympics. 

I know other guys (LeBron specifically) have played even after long playoff runs, but some guys prioritize rest, especially when banged up. 

Not sure why he isn't playing this time, especially given that he had off from March through Nov in 2020. 

Who knows why he has turned it down.

[go_iu_bb]

1 hour ago, dgambill said:

Not sure the exact rules of the Olympics for playing on a National team. Usually its you have to be born there or your parent has to be of that country. Most NBA players I'd say don't have an immediate connection to Nigeria or other countries...but we are seeing more and more players brought over to play. Obviously more and more players from Europe and even Canada. The competition is getting tons better and it doesn't hurt that NBA game is getting more similar to the global game with big mean stepping out and shooting and less emphasis on physicality etc.

The country has to consider that athlete a "national." That will vary by country so there is no set rule other than the country deciding for itself if it will allow an athlete to represent it. I'm sure come countries would be willing to consider someone that if they're a good enough athlete even if the connection to that country is tenuous. Athletes can also change the country they represent, but I believe there is a wait period of a few (2 or 3) years after they represent their previous country before they're allowed to compete for the new one.