Yesterday, USA hoops announced that Kobe, Dwade, and Lebron have committed to the US National Team team for the 2012 Olympics. With this move, the core of the 2008 Gold Medal Team remains intact and the chances of back-to-back golds is basically 100%. The only players from the Redeem Team not returning are Jason Kidd, Tayshaun Prince, and Michael Redd- Thanks for the service but you've been voted off the island in favor of dominant young talent.
Even though the core of the 2008 team is back, the roster and the guys who see playing time come 2012 could be different than the team who took gold in Beijing . Team USA basketball invites 27 players to join their national team roster for the three years leading up to the Olympics. Through summer tournaments and other international competitions the 27 player roster eventually gets cut down to the best 12 who travel to London. Over the course of the three years a lot can change and players who you think are mortal locks now could lose the desire to play every summer for the next three years, especially those who are getting up in there in age.
The 27 players auditioning for a guaranteed spot atop the medal stand are:
Guards:
Chauncey Billups (33)
Kobe Bryant (31)
Kevin Durant (21)
Eric Gordon (21)
OJ Mayo (22)
Chris Paul (24)
Derrick Rose (21)
Dwayne Wade (28)
Russel Westbrook (21)
Deron Williams (25)
Forwards/Centers:
LaMarcus Aldridge (25)
Carmelo Anthony (26)
Carlos Boozer (29)
Chris Bosh (26)
Rudy Gay (24)
Danny Granger (26)
Dwight Howard (25)
Andre Iguodala (26)
Lebron James (25)
Al Jefferson (25)
David Lee (26)
Brook Lopez (21)
Kevin Love (21)
Lamar Odom (30)
Kendrick Perkins (26)
Amare Stoudemire (28)
Gerald Wallace (28)
My ONE complaint about this roster: Where the fuck is BRANDON ROY? If I were him I would be losing my mind. This kind of snub is like London Fletcher not making the Pro Bowl after leading the NFL in tackles for the last decade, it should be a crime.
Anyways, If you haven't figured it out already, this team is gonna be stacked. Every player is either the face of a franchise or an amazing role player with lots of intangibles. Got to love intangibles. The other thing that sticks out is how young these guys are. The average age of the team right now is 25. In three years when they head to London with their minds set on world domination most of these guys will be in their basketball "prime". I'm talking, Lebron, Bosh, Wade, Paul, Dwight, Melo, Deron Williams. That's scary. Not to mention all the young guns we have in the league right now emerging as potential stars: Eric Gordon,Kevin Durant, Russel Westbrook, Klove, David Lee, Danny Granger, OJ, and Derrick Rose to name a few. Of course there will be a few vets on the team (Kobe and my sleeper, Gerald Wallace) to anchor the young guns, but if it was my call I'd go as young as I can. If you're bordering 30 or over it (Boozer, Perkins, Amare, Lamar, Chauncey), good luck making this team. Get these young dudes experience so we can win gold for eons to come; they are the future.
If this were my team, my roster would be as follows:
PG- Chris Paul
SG- Kevin Durant
SF- Lebron James
PF- Chris Bosh
C- Dwight Howard
**This lineup can be tweaked depending on opponents: So many combos available depending on matchups its scary. Basically, the rest of the world is fucked no matter what.
Bench:
PG Derrick Rose or Eric Gordon
PG Deron Williams
SG Dwade
SG Kobe Bryant
SF Carmelo Anthony
PF David Lee (obligatory white dude, plus he's dirty)
F- Danny Granger or Kevin Love (depending on if you want scoring or straight hustle play)
It will be hard for Coach K and his cabinet to find the right mix to take to London, but either way, this team should cake walk its way to Olympic Gold. The talent pool for this go round is deeper and younger. Every position has a star backing up a superstar. Its what I like to call a potent mix, kind of like a marine in an avatar body.
PS- Can we bring back these uniforms, please?
PPS- What up Penny?
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