So far there has been one worthy suggestion for Team USA’s most fitting new nickname: “The Unknowns.” By the end of this week, perhaps something else will be more fitting, like the “C-Deem Team.” I was the guy four years ago who dubbed the 2010 World Championship team the “B-Deem” team as it traveled to Turkey, learned of how hard it would be to not lean on Kevin Durant, and got out of Istanbul with the gold medal by trouncing the
So the World Cup is in three weeks, and I figured I should probably make an effort to watch this year. I’m not really up on my international basketball, so I decided to do a little research. And I found out that Andray Blatche plays for the Philippines, apparently because of a “naturalized player” provision allowing him to play for a country just because they asked him. I’m not necessarily saying this is a bad thing. What I’m more concerned with
The first round of Team USA cuts have been made. Adios John Wall, Bradley Beal and Paul Millsap. The roster now stands at 16. They have to cut it to 12 — and they’ve said they will cut it to 12 before leaving later this month for the World Cup in Spain. They still have four point guards. They are back to having just one power forward. They have four centers, one of whom — Andre Drummond — played horribly in
PHILADELPHIA – Let’s begin with a question. In the three-plus decades since David Stern took the reins as NBA commissioner from Larry O’Brien and handed them to Adam Silver, what do these franchises – the Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans, Charlotte Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers – have in common? Answer: None has gone to the NBA Finals. Furthermore, among that group only Denver, Minnesota, Milwaukee, Sacramento and
LAS VEGAS – Team USA’s training camp ended disastrously with the gruesome leg fracture suffered by Paul George. Team leaders Jerry Colangelo and Mike Krzyzewski postponed indefinitely any decisions on the makeup of the roster, which was the right thing to do. For the time being, our thoughts and prayers should be with Paul George and his family. With that being said, the U.S. national team will eventually move forward. And after having been with them for a week, up close and
This isn’t your child’s game of King of the Hill. No sir. No m’am. This is grown man, elite athlete, basketball “King of the Hill.” A game of one-on-one involving three players. It starts with Player 1 trying to score on Player 2. If he succeeds, Player 2 exits the floor and Player 3 takes over on defense. If Player 2 manages to prevent Player 1 from scoring, Player 1 exits and Player 2 moves to offense to try to score on Player
LAS VEGAS — This summer’s USA team does not yet have a nickname or a real identity, so I decided after talking to several staff members I would call them “The Unknowns.” Team USA history is replete with nicknamed versions, from the Dream Team to the Redeem Team to the Nightmare Team to the B-Deem Team that won the Worlds four years ago. Why “The Unknowns” for this group? There is a fear of the unknown for the staff in trying to
Everyone on the internet loves A.M.A.s (“Ask Me Anything” question-and-answer sessions). Who doesn’t want to get to know more about their favorite celebrities? Indiana Pacers All-Star forward Paul George took to Twitter to engage his fans Friday night. He opted to take 10 questions, most of which help to paint the picture of what he likes. From his favorite NBA players while growing up to his current celebrity crush, the subjects were pretty broad. [Read more…]