Couple of short thoughts from watching Team USA take on a few other countries in exhibition games:
- Deron Williams may be the most effective player out there. He seems to make the right pass, right cut, right drive to the hoop, right decision nearly every possession - plus he is physically capable of going anywhere he wants to on the floor.
- While Chris Paul impressed me greatly in the NBA playoffs, he hasn't been able to do much in international play because he is getting bumped a lot more (refs are allowing more contact)
- The team already has problems rebounding - several teams, in and of themselves not that talented, have been able to get several extra possessions simply by stationing 2-3 big men in the paint and batting the ball up in the air. Leaving Tyson Chandler behind in favor of Boozer may end up biting the team in the butt.
- LeBron and Carmelo are not able to defend the PF position - not that they are that much smaller or less physically imposing than the guys they guard, but they're not smart enough to know when to reach, when to body up, and most problematically, when to slide over to provide help defense when a guard gets beat off the dribble.
- Given the short three-point line, it is imperative that the guards put in extra effort to prevent penetration because a kick-out results in a mid-range jumper for 3.
- What's with the weird pattern on the back of the jerseys?
- The coaching staff has clearly put the team through some drills on breaking the zone defense - sliding a forward to the free throw line in the middle of the zone, and having a big man lurking on the baseline for a dumpoff pass.
- Michael Redd is still the only deadeye shooter. Here's hoping 2-3 other guys will get hot each game.
- AK47 is a lot more versatile/crafty/aggressive when he's leading the Russia team than when he's playing 3rd/4th banana to Deron, Boozer, and Okur.
- So begins Lebron's quest to be the first basketball billionaire - by taking over China.
Did anyone see the news item a few weeks ago that China was trying to restrict the Olympic teams from bringing their own food items in order to stimulate traffic to local restaurants? Can you imagine being a world-class athlete deprived of your Gatorade and Powerbars in exchange for local food that might give you the runs?
Also, Bill sent me a link to an amusing article about how China has been legislating behavior and hygiene "improvements" for local residents - things like learning how to stand in line, no public spitting, no bare chests or rolling up pant legs, all for the purpose of presenting the best public image to the world.
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Good thoughts from Hornets 24/7:
"So here's the most important observation I have about the Olympic game - and it may be the reason why our team seems to really struggle in the half court:
When you watch the other teams, who are experienced with international ball, they initiate their offensive sets about six to eight feet back from the three point line. Their wing shooters hover a good three to four feet back from the line.
The US, however, like good NBA players, initiate their offense at - or a few feet behind - the three point line. Their wings toe it. This is especially the case with slash-minded players like Anthony, Wade, James, and Bryant.
In the NBA, this is fine - the wider arc of the 3-point line adds another 6 feet to the space within it, giving penetrators more room to operate, and generating greater spacing. But the international arc is so much shorter, when a player penetrates, the help defense has three or four fewer feet to cover to collapse on them. Watching the games - at times it does seem amazing how quickly the defenses will jam penetration and attack post players.
When Redd is on the floor - he actually sits where the normal three-point line is - and that does help the spacing and our half court offense. Deron Willams and Paul are also adept at making their moves well outside the three-point line - probably because as Point Guards, they are a little more used to making moves further out, using as much floor as they can to create space on their defender.
Hopefully, they'll figure that out. It would help Howard greatly."
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