Lamar Odom Is in Spain
by DexterFishmore on Aug 20, 2010 9:30 PM PDT
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In the lovely city of Madrid, to be exact. That's where he and the rest of Team USA will play tomorrow, against Lithuania. It's their antepenultimate tune-up game before the FIBA world championships officially start next weekend in Turkey. Team USA has an exhibition against Spain on Sunday and then another against Greece on Wednesday in Athens.
Lithuania has an OK squad. Last I checked, they were listed at 40-to-1 to win the tournament, which were the eighth-best odds among the field of 24. In the Beijing Olympics two years ago they finished fourth, which doesn't sound too bad, although they lost by 36 points to the Redeem Team, which admittedly does sound pretty bad. Linas Kleiza, now of the Toronto Raptors, plays for Lithuania, but the guy you should really keep an eye on is Donatas Motiejunas. He's a seven-foot power forward whom many are predicting will be a high-lottery pick in next year's NBA draft.
Team USA will roll to a big win, in all likelihood, but that's not really the point. The emphasis tomorrow will be on polishing offensive and defensive sets, getting Kevin Durant to shoot more and figuring out who will be the last player cut. It sounds like either Stephen Curry or Russell Westbrook will be the one left behind. Curry has an injured left ankle, and Westbrook might not have any minutes available to him, with two drive-first point guards (Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo) already considered locks for the roster. Word is the starting lineup will be Rondo at the point, Chauncey Billups at shooting guard, Durant at small forward, Andre Iguodala at power forward and Tyson Chandler at center.
The game is at noon Pacific time and will be carried on both ESPN and ESPN3.com. We'll have a game thread teed up, so pop on by if you happen to be watching. Personally, I look forward to learning how to pronounce "Donatas Motiejunas."
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Say hi to Sara Carbonero for me Lamar
Born purple and gold. Live purple and gold. Die purple and gold.
Montiejunas will be interesting to watch
He was on the lottery bubble in the draft and the main concerns largely revolved around his lack of strength, which we really can’t take advantage of with this group of players.
As for the final roster spot, unless Curry’s ankle is really bad, Westbrook will likely get the axe. You already have two point guards who are iffy shooters in Rose and Rondo (or just horrible in the case of the latter) and you compound that with Westbrook on the roster. Curry can also play both guard spots and is probably one of the best pure shooters on the team.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
Yep
I love Westbrook, but Curry’s skill-set is more needed here.
Twitter feed: @dexterfishmore
by DexterFishmore on Aug 20, 2010 9:51 PM PDT up reply actions
He practiced today, right? Maybe he can play tomorrow.
"There are no "Kobe Lovers", just people who are right." - Gil Meriken
The guard debate is quite interesting to me...
…what does it take to be a good, decent, horrible, or amazing shooter?
Obviously Curry is without a doubt the best of the bunch when it comes to outside stroke (compared to Rondo, Rose, and Westbrook), but when we look at the other guards what creates the gap between one and the next?
Rose’s speed and ball handling skills are unmatched right now. Westbrook brings something to the table as well in terms of raw athleticism and his ability to finish at the rim. Rondo brings a point-guard savvy that you rarely see in young players on not just the offensive end but especially the defensive end.
The question that pops up in my head is this: how can one so non-chalantly divide them in terms of shot-making ability? Rose is probably the best with Westbrook close behind and Rondo (a veteran) still has a ways to go. Nevertheless — I don’t see any of them as the type of guy I want spotting up for a corner three. Why is Rondo’s jumpshot so poor? It is obviously not only the biggest weakness in his game but also a big weakness in his team’s overall offensive sets. What can he do to improve it? Is Rondo’s jumpshot really that much worse than Westbrook’s? Or Derrick Rose’s?
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.
rondo's shot is really bad
only once in a blue moon does he nail a 16-18 foot jumper. some have said it’s because he has really big hands like some of the big men. none of them are really that good at 3 point shooting, rose shot 27% last year (although it’s been said he’s been working on his 3’s this summer), westbrook at 22%, rondo at 21%. at least rose and westbrook can hit their free throws, at 77% and 78% respectively. rondo was shooting 62% last year.
3 Heat can't stop the 3peat.
Or nail a miraculous 3 pointer
after an offensive board, in the goddamn corner, by the opponents bench, and threaten a safe lead. That was a lucky shot.
Everyone in this room is now dumber. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
igoudala at the 4 instead of durant? I’d put rudy and durant in, move one of em to the 4
by S.Fisher on Aug 20, 2010 9:51 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
Maybe even start odom. This is a small team this year.
by S.Fisher on Aug 20, 2010 9:52 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Durant's not shooting at the 4.
And Iggy is stronger than Durant, anyways.
Iggy gets in as the wing defensive specialist on this team, Rudy’s more of a scorer, and they’ve already got one starting wing whose specialty is scoring in Durant.
Kobe Bryant's no Michael Jordan. Kobe Bryant is Kobe Bryant.
"Lebron joins teams with his friends; Kobe’s enemies join teams with him." - Gil Meriken
by Saurav A. Das on Aug 20, 2010 9:55 PM PDT up reply actions
I'd start Odom, Granger, or Gay at the four
Depending on the matchups and the needs: size/rebounding/ball handling (Odom), shooting (Granger), or athleticism/cutting (Gay).
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
I'd go with Granger, preferably.
Odom’s penciled in as backup Center, which I like because not only is he somewhat used to defending bigs due to matching up with Pau Gasol in practise, the added versatility in having a Center who can run point is remarkable.
I think Gay’s a bit too small, and I doubt he’s ever played PF, whilst Granger seems somewhat used to that position, whilst adding in extra shooting to compensate for Rondo’s lack of a jump shot.
Kobe Bryant's no Michael Jordan. Kobe Bryant is Kobe Bryant.
"Lebron joins teams with his friends; Kobe’s enemies join teams with him." - Gil Meriken
by Saurav A. Das on Aug 20, 2010 10:13 PM PDT up reply actions
Gay has been sampled at the four quite a bit recently
And given that his shooting touch is inconsistent, it’s probably the best place for him as he can take slower bigs off the dribble. That said, I agree that Granger is probably the best given that he plays the four a lot in O’Brien’s smallball offense and can shoot as well as create his own offense.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
I'm curious, a lot is being made of Team USA's lack of size this year.
But didn’t they only have Dwight and Bosh in Beijing?
And they started 2 SFs there, too.
Kobe Bryant's no Michael Jordan. Kobe Bryant is Kobe Bryant.
"Lebron joins teams with his friends; Kobe’s enemies join teams with him." - Gil Meriken
They had Boozer as well
And LeBron, who might as well be a four in the international game, played the four and even the five.
On this subject though, what happened to Howard? I hate to agree with Simmons, but if anyone needed alpha dog credentials and some leadership training, it’s him. Traveling to India as an NBA ambassador is great and all, but he’d really benefit from playing with this group.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
Yeah, Howard had no reason to not play.
Melo, too.
And did Boozer play at all in Beijing?
Kobe Bryant's no Michael Jordan. Kobe Bryant is Kobe Bryant.
"Lebron joins teams with his friends; Kobe’s enemies join teams with him." - Gil Meriken
by Saurav A. Das on Aug 20, 2010 11:19 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah he did.
I remember because that was the first time I ever heard about him.
"If you have a debate with a scholar, you can win. If you have a debate with an ignorant person, you will definitely lose."
"The NBA Apocalypse has occurred, and it's our fault."- C.A. Clark
"I don’t always celebrate, but when I do, it’s when the Lakers win championships. Stay thirsty my friends." - gen!e
Melo had his wedding
So he couldn’t attend the initial camp.
And yeah, Boozer played a bit (as the fourth or fifth big in the rotation depending on the night).
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
he played mostly garbage minutes
in the 4th quarter when they had 30-point leads, or when howard/bosh were foul trouble.
3 Heat can't stop the 3peat.
An Anagram for Donatas Motiejunas
Adjust No Anatomies
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
LOL
Did you spend the whole 48 minutes since this article was posted thinking that up?
Kobe Bryant's no Michael Jordan. Kobe Bryant is Kobe Bryant.
"Lebron joins teams with his friends; Kobe’s enemies join teams with him." - Gil Meriken
by Saurav A. Das on Aug 20, 2010 10:19 PM PDT up reply actions
Nah
Just scanned the results of the anagram generator
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gil Meriken on Aug 20, 2010 10:21 PM PDT up reply actions
Hopefully he'll be wearing comfortable shorts.
"There are no "Kobe Lovers", just people who are right." - Gil Meriken
LA is so awesome
everyone else hates cause they’re jealous.
Adam Morrison has more rings than Lebron, Bosh, and Wade combined?
I love L.A. too
even though it’s a fucking toilet.
Twitter feed: @dexterfishmore
by DexterFishmore on Aug 20, 2010 11:35 PM PDT up reply actions
LOL {offers Dex some Charmin}
Wipe yourself off, honey. Everything will be fine.
"There are no "Kobe Lovers", just people who are right." - Gil Meriken
Nice photo
My only critique would be that the horizon is not level, but hey, some people find it artistic that way
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
by Gil Meriken on Aug 20, 2010 11:25 PM PDT up reply actions
If it's your photo
You can easily alter it and rotate it until the horizon is flat
"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson
yep
I rotated it on photoshop. this is the edit:
looks about level.
Ammo is known as a shooter, scorer, defensive specialist, and all around god-like warrior from another planet sent to placate the masses. There was a Sanskrit passage I remember from my doctoral thesis in ancient languages, it’s eerie, but I believe it has some bearing on the Adam Morrison for MVP rumors I’ve heard lately.
मूंछ नायक दो हज़ार ग्यारह में जीत जाएगा. उसे डर. शॉ की स्तुति करो.
Taken from a tablet removed from the mummified bowels of a nursing camel, and believed to have belonged to the prophet and fakir (I’m going to do this in English so you get an idea of the pronunciation) Be’ryo’n Zsh’aw. The translation is as follows: The mustache hero will win in two thousand eleven. Fear him. Praise Shaw. Do not doubt.
-99bc99
starting line-up is rondo, billups, durant, iggy, chandler?
i have a feeling rose and odom may play the same roles wade and bosh played at the ’08 olympics.
3 Heat can't stop the 3peat.
Lets Go USA!!!!
yeah its gonna be a blow out. Am i the only one who isnt worried about the other oppossing bigs too much? most of the guys we are talking about are going to be playing the four which means that Rudy Gay and Danny wont really have to guard a post up threat.Tyson and Lamar will have to deal with that and i believe they are capable of containing their matchup. Marc Gasol wont be a problem from a matchup point of view. Scola might just cuz he plays the for but he’s also 6’9 and Rudy and Danny are 6’8 6’9 themselves. Rudy might get beasted cuz he’s a lil light but he is long. Danny could potentially guard him and give him a harder time as a bigger body than Rudy. Really the only thing to worry about is international 4’s who can post up not their centers. so unless we run into a team like that we are ctually going to be better than most people realize. Oh and Durant is like 7 ft tall thats plenty of length and height. so the starting lineup’s height is looking something like 7’1 at center 6’9 at PF 6’11-7’0 at small foward 6’7 sg and 6’3 at pg?? Thats if the lineup is tyson,ganger,durant,A.I.,billups
by Blackmamba81024 on Aug 21, 2010 10:44 AM PDT reply actions
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