Olympic Basketball Thoughts
Posted 8/21 at 1:02 PM
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I’ve been watching the Olympics most every night since they began. I’ve also been able to catch the majority of the “Redeem Team’s” basketball games. I’ve noticed the following things.
1. LeBron James is the best player on the planet. I know Kobe was the MVP and went to the Finals and Paul Pierce was the Finals MVP, but it doesn’t matter. LeBron James is on another level. He’s got the body of a bruising power forward and the skills of a guard. When he decides to attack the rim, no one can stop him. Even when players try to foul him, he’s still able to muscle his way to the goal. At this point, the best thing to do is just get out of his way. Get used to this for the next 8 years or so.
2. Dwyane Wade has reminded me that he’s one of the best 5 players in the NBA, when healthy. The disclaimer when healthy is the key, however. The slashing style of play that makes Wade so exciting to watch is also going to be his downfall. Because Wade relies heavily on getting to the rim in order to score, his body takes a pounding that leaves him susceptible to injury. He’s going to have to develop a consistent jumper in order for his body to hold up over the long haul.
3. Marc Gasol needs a haircut. He looks like a long lost member of the Georgia Satellites. He might struggle with the speed of the NBA, but he is a big body. I think his defense and rebounding will compliment the scoring and quickness of whoever is playing at the PF (Hak, Arthur, Gay) for the Grizzlies.
4. Kobe Bryant is overrated. He’s widely considered one of, if not the, best player on the planet. Between the playoffs and Olympics I’ve seen enough of Kobe to realize that yes, he probably would win a 1-on-1 game against anyone in the world (except for LeBron), but that doesn’t make him a great player. He really doesn’t make his teammates better. He struggles to play basketball any way except his own. Just because he doesn’t shoot as much in the Olympics doesn’t mean he’s playing team ball. His style of play has been cheated ever since Shaq left, because, simply put, he’s so used to be the offensive focus of a team that the habit can’t be broken over the course of a summer.
5. I know that if Team USA wins anything less than the gold that everyone will say it’s a disappointment. After watching the way this team plays and the sacrifices that each player has made, I think the team is a success. I want and expect gold but accept that anything can happen in these last 2 games. If they lose, this summer won’t be a failure. They’ve restored the prestige to USA Basketball and paved the way for future Americans to view international competition as an honor rather than a chore.
Posted 8/21 at 1:02 PM
pau gasol is the best player in the olympics and the history of menphis
I guess if Spain wins the gold medal then that statement will carry some weight. We’ll know in the next couple of days.
USA will beat Spain. You know it, we know it, the players know it. But let us dream for some hours, because if USA play under his level, if they have an exces of confidence, Spain has a chance. I dont mind if Spain lose this game, I only want to see them give the best -not like the last game againts USA-.
This time we wont lose against an amateur team like in 1986 (well, with Jordan, Ewing...) but againts the second best of the history.
I don’t think Pau is the best player of the Olimpics (!!)
Think about this: basket in Catalonia is the second sport (everybody plays soccer), we have a population of 7 millions, and we produce players like Pau and Marc Gasol, Ricky Rubio, Rudy Fernández, Navarro -he is playing so bad-, do you imagine the league we’d had with a population of 300mm like USA?