Team USA - Shawn and Amare

[playstation]

by the way, i still don't buy it. how in the blue hell does a guy go from being decent in summer leagues to good enough to play for the world championship in 10 days, especially when he himself says its around 70%?

 

[F-Dog]

by the way, i still don't buy it. how in the blue hell does a guy go from being decent in summer leagues to good enough to play for the world championship in 10 days, especially when he himself says its around 70%?

Hell if I know.

One thing I really like about Amare--even if he fails, it's never through lack of effort. Practice, scrimmage, and shooting drills afterward, and it's not even August yet.

 

[Muggum]

70 percent? Agh.

 

[Louis]

by the way, i still don't buy it. how in the blue hell does a guy go from being decent in summer leagues to good enough to play for the world championship in 10 days, especially when he himself says its around 70%?

Hopefully he pulls out or doesn't make the cut.

The Suns should be pushing this agenda. Too much is riding on Amare for this season.

His first official games should in a Suns uni.

I'm all for representing the country but at the risk of too much too soon with this guy, it's not worth the gamble.

 

[Treesquid PhD]

70 percent? Agh.

look at the bright side 70% amare is 250% better than Chris Wilcocks

 

[zett]

well shawn hurt his knee and pulled out, so I guess that puts Amare in! any one know how bad shawns knee is?

 

[asudevil83]

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/wbc2006/news/story?id=2529354

Stoudemire earned a spot on the traveling team with a remarkable comeback from surgery on both knees during last season with the Suns, when he played in three NBA games. The 6-foot-10 forward looked strong and mobile during training camp despite struggling during summer-league play a few weeks ago.

so i guess this makes it official!!

 

[Nash]

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/wbc2006/news/story?id=2529354

so i guess this makes it official!!

aaaww! I was hoping D'Antoni would talk him into taking it easy now with an assurance that he could play for the Olympic team.

Its great that he made such a solid comeback to merit a spot on the national team but I hope he doesn't exert himself too much to prove a point to the 'stars' (LBJ, CA, DW) on the team all 3 of whom are a year junior to him.
Its good that D'Antoni is part of the staff because he can use Amare in spurts and not let him go wild.

With the pressure that comes with playing for the national team, Amare is likely to take his game higher when the time comes. I'm a bit scared he might get carried away. btw, how many games does a team play in the World Championships assuming it gets to the finals?

Great news if we have the new, more complete, 90% as explosive as the old Amare, back on our team! Watch you mofs-SA, Mavs; here we come!

 

[George O'Brien]

Having D'Antoni as an assistant coach takes some of the worries from this whole process. It's not like having Larry Brown messing with guys heads and bodies.

BTW, I think it is great that coach K is focused on defense. That's a huge part of what Amare has to develop.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

Will the World Championships be on TV? I think our team could be pretty entertaining to watch.

 

[SunsTzu]

Will the World Championships be on TV? I think our team could be pretty entertaining to watch.

Yeah but the start times are all around 5:30am EST.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

Thank God for DVR...

 

[George O'Brien]

Amare on the 15 Man Squad

_

Jul 25, 2006 1:19pm ET
Finalists for USA World Championship Team Announced
USA Basketball Senior National Team Managing Director Jerry Colangelo and USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski (Duke University, N.C.) announced today the 15 players who had been selected as finalists for the USA Basketball World Championship Team.

Players named as finalists include: Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets); Gilbert Arenas (Washington Wizards); Shane Battier (Houston Rockets); Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors); Bruce Bowen (San Antonio Spurs); Elton Brand (Los Angeles Clippers); Kirk Hinrich (Chicago Bulls); Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic); LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers); Antawn Jamison (Washington Wizards); Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks); Brad Miller (Sacramento Kings); Chris Paul (New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets); Amaré Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns); and Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat).

I've been hearing rumors that Arenas, Jamison, and Battier are out. Is there a more up to date list?

 

[Kolo]

A Portuguese to English online translation (obviously) of the write up from today's Brazil-New Zealand game. Looks like "the Leandrinho shipowner" is doing pretty well.

BRAZIL GAINS Of the NEW ZELÂNDIA FOR 101 x 83 In the GAMES CHALLENGE ELETROBRÁS
Rio De Janeiro - Brazil gained of the New Zelândia for 101 the 83 (49 the 40 in the first time) in the second departure of the series of four Games Masculine Eletrobrás Challenge of Basquete. Cestinha was the New$zealander Kirk Penney, with 28 points. The main pontuadores of Brazil had been Leandrinho and Anderson, with 24 and 18 points, respectively. The game was carried through in the gymnasium of the ASCEB, in Brasilia, total crowded with 2.489 people. The two elections come back if to face in this thursday, in the gymnasium Philip Karan, River Clearly (19h30), with transmission to the living creature of the SPORTV. In the friday they lock up the series of games in the gymnasium of the Paulistano (18h15), also with transmission to the living creature of the SPORTV. It will be the last departure of Brazil in the country before the World-wide one of Japan. - We commit many imperfections and we did not have a good income in the departure of today. The teams did not produce and our exploitation in the arremessos of three points was low. Still we need to make right some things, but I believe that with the series of games and the matches we go to be prepared for the World-wide one of Japan - commented the Leandrinho shipowner, that marked 24 points, five rebotes and three assistências. - more important of the one than the victory it is that we are training all the movements that the commission technique has passed. In this phase of preparation it is normal to commit some errors, mainly in the defense, that continues being the point most vulnerable. We know that still we have much thing to fix, but these games had been programmed to correct the details - the pivot Anderson Varejão said, that marked 18 points, 14 rebotes and three assistências. - we do not mark very well in as and the third period. Ours better moment was in the last room, when we make right the marking and the attack was well. We have conscience of that we are errando and we go to use to advantage all the departures until the World-wide one to improve in all the sectors. It is important to stand out that today the technician Squid used the 12 players - explained the ala/armador Marcelinho Axe, that marked 16 points, seven assistências and three rebotes. Before 15º World-wide Championship of Japan, Brazil will go to still dispute the Super Match Four, in Argentina (31 of July and 1º of August); International game against the United States, in China (8 of August); e 2ª Stankovic Pantry, also in China, against Germany, Australia, China, France and Greece (10 the 15 of August).

 

[George O'Brien]

These translation programs are so much fun.

Back to the USA team, here is the AP story

USA Basketball trims roster to 15 before Asia trip

By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer
July 25, 2006

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- LeBron James already knew his name would be called when coach Mike Krzyzewski announced the U.S. national team's 15-man traveling roster Tuesday.

It still gave James a thrill to hear he's definitely headed to Asia next month for the world championships.

"I wasn't sweating, but it makes basketball a lot more fun when you're with a great team, and when you're around guys you know," James said. "Guys were great about coming in here and not having a personal agenda. We're just all here to make a team, and we've got to do it as quickly as possible."

Led by James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony, the club will travel west in 10 days to begin the task of putting USA Basketball back on top of the world.

Adam Morrison, Luke Ridnour and Shawn Marion -- who has a minor knee injury -- were not among the players selected for the roster by Krzyzewski and managing director Jerry Colangelo after a weeklong training camp in Las Vegas.

Amare Stoudemire and Kirk Hinrich were the only moderately surprising inclusions on the squad, which will play warmup games in Las Vegas, China and Korea before opening the world championships in Japan next month.

The roster also includes Gilbert Arenas, Shane Battier, Chris Bosh, Bruce Bowen, Elton Brand, Dwight Howard, Antawn Jamison, Joe Johnson, Brad Miller and Chris Paul.

Though Morrison and Ridnour left town before the official announcement, there appeared to be no hard feelings about the process. Unlike some previous U.S. squads of NBA millionaires, this team seems uniformly eager to take on the world.

"Why not be a part of something that you can be proud of doing for the rest of your life?" asked Paul, who emerged as the Americans' probable starting point guard with a dynamite training camp. "We'd probably just be watching TV and playing pickup ball this summer."

After three more days of workouts, the club will play an exhibition game against Puerto Rico in Las Vegas before heading for Asia. Coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff must trim the roster to 12 players by Aug. 18 -- one day before his club begins the world championships in Sapporo.

"This week was more about putting in the foundation for a system and building camaraderie," Krzyzewski said. "We accomplished that this week, and now we have to start doing some more basketball stuff so we look like we know what we're doing."

Krzyzewski also revealed a few nuggets of strategy for the tournament: He doesn't plan to have a regular starting lineup, and nobody will play all 40 minutes in any game. The Duke coach wouldn't mind using all 12 players in most games -- another way to keep his players' legs fresh and confidence high.

Marion, Morrison and Ridnour weren't cut from the U.S. team in the new selection system championed by Colangelo -- they just weren't included on this roster. Kobe Bryant, Chauncey Billups and Paul Pierce, who couldn't play next month because of injuries or family commitments, still are candidates for future U.S. teams as well.

In all, 24 players and non-roster invitee Greg Oden will be in the mix for training and competition for at least the next three years, through the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Marion, the Phoenix Suns' three-time NBA All-Star, only felt the soreness in his left knee in the final days of training camp. He was just one of five U.S. players remaining from the 2004 Olympic team, which won disappointing bronze medals.

"I just told the guys they've got to respect each other and play hard," said Marion, who will have an MRI exam this week. "It's a great group, and they're going to bring it home."

Marion's absence deprives the American club of a veteran international performer, a versatile defender and one of its best athletes. Krzyzewski and managing director Jerry Colangelo revealed they secretly decided to take 16 players to Asia before Marion's injury developed Monday.

"I keep talking, I'm going to start crying," Krzyzewski joked after listing Marion's attributes.

Hinrich, the Chicago Bulls' point guard, beat out Ridnour for the ostensible third-string spot behind Paul and Arenas. Hinrich was slowed by a hamstring injury during training camp, but apparently did enough to impress Krzyzewski.

Stoudemire earned a spot on the traveling team with a remarkable comeback from surgery on both knees during last season with the Suns, when he played in three NBA games. The 6-foot-10 forward looked strong and mobile during training camp despite struggling during summer-league play a few weeks ago.

"It's a great feeling," Stoudemire said. "This is a great opportunity to show your abilities to the rest of the world, and I didn't want to miss it."

 

[SunsTzu]

Barbosa and Diaw have both been lights out in the games they've played. The shooting % they are putting on teams makes it sound like they aren't even being defended.

 

[Joe Mama]

George, don't forget to put links to the articles in your posts.

Joe

 

[George O'Brien]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AmlzP2L_kHVOvLSi0WKYoe.8vLYF?slug=ap-uscamp-roster&prov=ap&type=lgns There are a lot of sources for AP.

Here's a another piece on the camp

http://www.nba.com/usabasketball/notes_060725.html

USA Basketball Camp Notes - Week One



by John Schuhmann

July 25, 2006 -- On Tuesday, USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team managing director Jerry Colangelo and Heach Coach Mike Krzyzewski announced the names of the 15 players who will continue to train for next month's World Championships in Japan. The second session of training camp begins Monday, July 31 back in Las Vegas and NBA.com will continue to have behind-the-scenes coverage as well as the inside story from the players every day.

Until then, let's take a look back at the first week of camp and what we saw behind closed doors.

Points of Emphasis From the Coaches:

Defense - Some man, some zone and they even broke it down to some fundamental ball-you-man drills that some of us remember from grade school. Communication was key as players called out switches and let their teammates know what was going on behind them.

Transition - When the defense creates a turnover or a missed shot, this team wants to run. They want to take the first good shot available because they believe that, with their athletic bigs, they will be able to get a lot of second chances by taking advantage of a defense in transition.

Dribble penetration - Especially against a zone, they want to use their quickness on the perimeter to get into the seams of the defense to create open looks. There are not many (if any) set plays against the zone. The offense is more about finding space in the zone and taking what the defense gives you.

More time with a trainer could be in store if Arenas keeps throwing his body in front of fast-moving objects.

Shooting - Everybody on the floor needs to be ready to shoot at all times and take the open shot when it is presented.

More Observations:

Gilbert Arenas is not afraid to throw his body around. On mulitple occasions, he stepped in front of LeBron James or Dwight Howard on a fast break, which is like jumping in front of a runaway train, in order to take a charge. And he did not sacrifice his offensive game one bit. He was the best shooter in camp (once Michael Redd left to get married).

Arenas was not the only one throwing his body around. As a whole, these guys played hard. Every loose ball was a battle and no buckets or rebounds came easy.

Chris Paul with the ball in three-on-three drills is unstoppable, because when he gets around his defender (and he almost always does), there's less help waiting for him.

Whenever the players are lining up for a free-throw, the defensive team is reminding each other to "Get it off the rim." These guys know the international rules and they have the size and athleticism to take advantage of the rule that you can knock the ball out of the cylinder once it has hit the rim.

One of the highlights of the week came on Saturday when, during a scrimmage, Dwight Howard took a dump-off pass from Antawn Jamison and layed it up for an easy two ... until LeBron James came out of nowhere to knock it off the rim, collect the ball and lead a break going the other way.

Carmelo Anthony was easily one of the best players in camp. His jumper was sharp and he was very aggressive in taking the ball to the hole.

Injury report: Kirk Hinrich sat out of Saturday's practice with an injured hamstring. He was back in action on Sunday, but sat out the scrimmage on Monday. Shawn Marion sat out both Sunday and Monday with a sore knee and will not be traveling with the team. Amare Stoudemire looked pretty good and never stopped moving, shooting on the side when he wasn't participating in the scrimmage on the main floor.

Sitting this one out: Michael Redd left after the third day of camp to get married. Chauncey Billups did not participate much during the last two days, as he will be staying home to take care of his new baby.

Projected Starters:

Based on our observations, several guys on this squad derserve to start (and we may see multiple lineups over the course of the summer), but there can only be five on the floor to start that first game. Here's who we think that could be:
Point Guard: When you have a group of guys that are not used to playing with each other, you need a true point to run the show and Chris Paul has been the class of the true point guards in camp. Gilbert Arenas is certainly deserving of a starting spot as well.

Shooting Guard: The man who just may be the best player in the world right now: Dwyane Wade.

Small Forward: LeBron James will be a mismatch everytime he steps on the floor during international competition.

Power Forward: In order to get another shooter on the floor, we think Coach K will go with Carmelo Anthony here, but Elton Brand is definitely a possibility.

Center: Dwight Howard is a beast. He even looks huge standing next to Amare Stoudemire. He threw down two vicious dunks in the span of a minute during Monday's controlled scrimmage and every player we spoke to thought that he's in store for a coming out party very soon. Brand could get the start here as well if Coach K wants to go with a little more experience.

 

[Skkorpion]

Hopefully he pulls out or doesn't make the cut.

The Suns should be pushing this agenda. Too much is riding on Amare for this season.

His first official games should in a Suns uni.

I'm all for representing the country but at the risk of too much too soon with this guy, it's not worth the gamble.

Louis, I completely agree with you. I'm very glad Marion gets to rest and I'm pissed that a player at "70%" made the team.

As the summer has gone along, I've just begun to allow myself a glimmer of hope about Amare. Now I hope he doesn't get off the USA bench.

 

[arthurracoon]

Louis, I completely agree with you. I'm very glad Marion gets to rest and I'm pissed that a player at "70%" made the team.

As the summer has gone along, I've just begun to allow myself a glimmer of hope about Amare. Now I hope he doesn't get off the USA bench.

Im sure Dantoni and Colengelo and all the suns assistants will keep a very close eye on amare

 

[George O'Brien]

Im sure Dantoni and Colengelo and all the suns assistants will keep a very close eye on amare

Also, Amare's issues now are not a threat of re-injuring but condititoning. He admitted that it is hard to push when working out on his own or beating up guys with no chance against even a subpar Amare. (Amare was clearly not up to speed in Las Vegas and still averaged 20.7 ppg on 57.1% shooting, 6 rpg and 1.7 blocks in 29.7 minutes).

Practicing against the other USA team players forces him to push himself because he's so competative. With D'Antoni as a coach, he's not likely to anything stupid, but he needs this kind of play to develop.

Also, I like the fact that Nate McMillian is on the staff as defense coach.

 

[Nasser22]

I'm fine with Amare playing. Like George said, his problem is conditioning and playing with the US team will get him back to where he wants to be and with Jerry Colangelo and D'Antoni there, if he's not ready they won't keep him on the 12 man roster but if he is they are smart enough not to push him TOO hard. I'm really hoping to be able to watch some of his games.

 

[HooverDam]

A friend and I ate at Delux burger tonight (32nd and Camelback), Amare was sitting two chairs over from us at the bar. He is very tall. The owner of the place kept hounding him and being a tool, so I tried to leave him alone. I did hear him say, (I believe referring to Banks) "he has poor shot selection, but he can drive to the bucket really well. You have to respect his penetration." Also, I overheard him saying the Team USA stuff is going "great".

That is all.

EDIT: I should also mention I was wearing an orange Suns hat (with the sweet original logo), which made me feel a bit awkward sitting kitty corner from him.

 

[green machine]

A friend and I ate at Delux burger tonight (32nd and Camelback), Amare was sitting two chairs over from us at the bar. He is very tall. The owner of the place kept hounding him and being a tool, so I tried to leave him alone. I did hear him say, (I believe referring to Banks) "he has poor shot selection, but he can drive to the bucket really well. You have to respect his penetration." Also, I overheard him saying the Team USA stuff is going "great".

That is all.

You should have walked over and wished him well....








and then asked about team USA, the knee, defense, rebounding, Banks, Nash, D'Antoni, and pretty much whatever else you could think of.

 

[F-Dog]

A friend and I ate at Delux burger tonight (32nd and Camelback), Amare was sitting two chairs over from us at the bar. He is very tall. The owner of the place kept hounding him and being a tool, so I tried to leave him alone. I did hear him say, (I believe referring to Banks) "he has poor shot selection, but he can drive to the bucket really well. You have to respect his penetration." Also, I overheard him saying the Team USA stuff is going "great".

That is all.

EDIT: I should also mention I was wearing an orange Suns hat (with the sweet original logo), which made me feel a bit awkward sitting kitty corner from him.

Thanks for the info, and congrats on not acting like a jerk.