You can say what you want, but the USA team was too young to handle the pressure of competing for they're country. The same players that the media and little teenage kids overhype simply aren't at the level some might think yet. What the team needed was a veteran playmaker that would hit bigshots in crucial situations (and wouldn't be afraid to take it). With Kobe, the team wouldn't have lost. The real problem was that the players got rattled and started playing scary when Greece had them down. Being the best player in the league, Kobe NEVER gets rattled and would've bailed out Team USA just like he bailed out the Lakers with Shaq. Next time around, hopefull he'll play.
Hinrich steppped up and hit two clutch threes, and melo did pretty good. I odubt kobe would have changed anything because bball is a team game, and thats why we lost
I wouldn't go that far. I wouldn't have wanted to see a team with Lebron, Wade, Melo and Kobe try to share the ball. They all have to have the ball all the time. The bigs really wouldn't have ever seen the ball. Honestly though, I think Kobe would have helped out more on the defensive end more than the offensive end. The real reason we lost was that we shot more 3's on avg then the 5 bigs shot combined. You aren't going to beat a team being one dimensional(with outside shooting) when you don't shoot a high percentage.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting GatorsowntheNCAA:</div><div class="quote_post">The real reason we lost was that we shot more 3's on avg then the 5 bigs shot combined. You aren't going to beat a team being one dimensional(with outside shooting) when you don't shoot a high percentage.</div> Exactly, we didn't take advantage of having Brand, Bosh, or Howard at all because those guys are on a whole different level than the other bigs in the WCs (except Dirk). It seemed like every game they played less and less. To be honest I'm dissapointed in Coach K, the whole gameplan seemed very gimmicky and shallow relying on steals on defense and 3's on offense. Slow the game down and give the ball to Brand and Bosh and no one else would have been able to beat them.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Run BJM:</div><div class="quote_post">Exactly, we didn't take advantage of having Brand, Bosh, or Howard at all because those guys are on a whole different level than the other bigs in the WCs (except Dirk). It seemed like every game they played less and less. To be honest I'm dissapointed in Coach K, the whole gameplan seemed very gimmicky and shallow relying on steals on defense and 3's on offense. Slow the game down and give the ball to Brand and Bosh and no one else would have been able to beat them.</div> Because of the wider lane, short three point line, and zone defenses, big men can't dominate inside in FIBA like they can in the NBA.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting durvasa:</div><div class="quote_post">Because of the wider lane, short three point line, and zone defenses, big men can't dominate inside in FIBA like they can in the NBA.</div> I'm aware but you have to give them more shots. Bosh is a very good faceup/iso player at least give him 15 minutes of playing time a night, Brand is more of a traditional post scorer but at least slow down the tempo and make the other team beat you one on one in a half court set.
It's a team game sure. But when the U.S panic'd they played iso. And Kobe is the best iso player in the league. He is also the only player that should be double team'd playing at the guard spot. Dont get me wrong "The 3 Amigos" are good but Kobe is the best scorer in the game, scoring title proves that along with the fact he's KOBE FREAKIN BRYANT. I agree with them coming home with the gold.
I dont know if Gold would have come easily, but I think the possibility would have been better. I still cant believe Greece played 4 quarters of just a simple pick and roll and no one could defend it.. Geeze. We need defense on Team USA. Offense does not win games. Everyone knows this. DEFENSE does.
Kobe is the best defender on this US olympic team. Normally, in the NBA I might go with Battier or he could be in the discussion, but when Kobe shoots less or takes less offensive responsibility, Kobe is more consistent with his D. I do think we would have made up that 6 point difference. We did not lose by 20 points people. God that was embarrassing that Spain, without Pau Gasol, beat Greece by 20 and held them to 47 points.
A few things here, Kobe isn't the best defender on the olympic team, that's Shane Battier. I'm a huge Kobe fan, but even I realize that Battier is better than him. And next, I don't think having Kobe would have mattered. We shot too many threes, we didn't go to our bigs enough, and we shot free throws horribly. Kobe might have helped, but we'll never know, so I don't think you can proclaim something like that.
I'm pretty sure having the best scorer in the league helps.... Bring back Kobe and run the US team like the 2003 Lakers with Dwight Howard instead of Shaq
I'm not saying it wouldn't have helped. I just don't think it would have led us to a gold medal. The team was already stacked with talent everywhere. Kobe probably wouldn't have gotten a huge amount of minutes, simply because that'd mean LeBron or Wade or Melo would have gotten minutes eaten up, unless they go and play small ball. The only thing I think Kobe really could have helped with was defense, but it's not like we were playing awful defense. We were beating opponents by over 20ppg and scoring a lot of points off turnovers. And we had plenty of clutch play as well. Note 'Melo having the 25(?) point half, Wade dropped 18 in the fourth against Argentina, etc. Clutch play was not a factor, the fact that we shot too many threes, something Kobe would have added to, and we didn't use our bigs nearly enough.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting durvasa:</div><div class="quote_post">Because of the wider lane, short three point line, and zone defenses, big men can't dominate inside in FIBA like they can in the NBA.</div> Being from Europe myself I don't agree with that statement. Although big men can't dominate with force. They also have to be smart, know who to play against zone. I have seen a C who was ideal in my book - it was Arvydas Sabonis - he had length, power, incredible shooting touch, awesome court vision and he could pass like a PG. He totally dominated games. But your statement is true to a certain extent.....it is more likely that FIBA game will be won with cleaver guard play than dominating big man, but to say it can never happen is wrong.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Semmi:</div><div class="quote_post">Being from Europe myself I don't agree with that statement. Although big men can't dominate with force. They also have to be smart, know who to play against zone. I have seen a C who was ideal in my book - it was Arvydas Sabonis - he had length, power, incredible shooting touch, awesome court vision and he could pass like a PG. He totally dominated games. </div> I never saw Sabonis play in the 80s. Perhaps he was an exception. But didn't he also play a lot on the perimeter and high post? That was where he was primarily stationed when with the Blazers.
I don?t think kobe would change anything. The problem is the way american plays. Americans plays an indivial basketball, and not team play, you need team play to win. It doesn?t change anything if you bring this or that player. If the USA doesn?t make a real TEAM and start playing as it it would continue loosing. Today, in international basketball the best team is cwith no doubt SPAIN. The played as a real team. all players. It was funny to listen the people say that without Gasol SPAIN will loose, and then they make a great game and beat Greece for 70-47. before greece won USA 105-95. Anyway USA some of the best players of the world, and that helps to win. But without real team is very difficult to win at top level.
Bosh, Howard, and Brand may not have been able to dominate like they did in the NBA, but they had both showed that could play well off the ball (setting picks, rebounding, clogging the lane, etc.). And for some reason, Coach K didn't realize how important players like that were, subbing them out for more players that were effective with the ball in their hands. I was also very surprised by the lack of time Brad Miller got. He's one of the best passing big men in the NBA and should easily excel in the international game. I actually thought he'd be getting the most time out of the big men. But, that just shows you how little the coaching staff had committed to ball movement and team basketball (staples of international play), favouring iso's and a stagnant offense.
The players couldn't handle the pressure and started throwin illadvised 3's. Kobe is a scorer and all, but he's alot of other things too. For example, a great defender and clutch preformer. He's also very smart and knows how to takeover a game better than anybody. When it came down to hittin big shots, Team USA got shaky. Kobe would've led them in times like those. But obcourse we'll never know
The team had been launching threes the entire WCs, not just in that last game. And they had plenty of clutch performances from the likes of Anthony and Wade amongst others. And beyond that, they didn't need someone to take over the game, that wasn't the way they were needing to play. They needed to play a team game and take over the game as a team, not with an individual player.
no way Kobe wouldn't have changed JACK. The very idea that Kobe would have changed the outcome IS A PART OF THE REASON why U.S.A. didn't win gold. The whole idea of we need a superstar, etc. It has nothing to do with choking; the guys on team USA are professional ballers and among the very best in the world and all have hit big shots in their career, the idea that Kobe is one level beyond is stupid cause he's not, he's mortal, don't you get it? Wade is one of the clutchest guys out there and he couldn't beat Greece by himself. Take kobe off the pedestal for once. And besides the 81 points what has he done since Shaq left? NOt that much.
With Kobe there would of been a small difference. But, not much. I just don't think with Melo, Wade, Bron and Kobe all on the same team makes a good combo.
