Joe Johnson Team USA?

[SGH2244]

Joe Johnson is listed as one of the possible 22 canidates for team USA in the 2008 Olympics per http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2349009.  With the stout make up of this team it looks like his shot at making it is about 50-50.  If JJ were to make the cut wouldn't he be the first Hog to dawn a Uni for our National Team and possibly the first Hog to medal in something other than track? 

Also 3 college players will be added to the team, Brewer was not a likely choice

www.Nbadraft.net is updated and has Brewer at 9 to the Bulls

SGH

[RBLtoHOG]

How come it seems like we never have the equivalent of the Dream Team anymore?

[hogtheball]

Joe Johnson is listed as one of the possible 22 canidates for team USA in the 2008 Olympics per http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2349009.  With the stout make up of this team it looks like his shot at making it is about 50-50.  If JJ were to make the cut wouldn't he be the first Hog to dawn a Uni for our National Team and possibly the first Hog to medal in something other than track? 

Also 3 college players will be added to the team, Brewer was not a likely choice

www.Nbadraft.net is updated and has Brewer at 9 to the Bulls

SGH

Several Hogs have been on USA national teams - just not in the Olympics.  World invitationals, pan-ams, etc.   

[Patch]

How come it seems like we never have the equivalent of the Dream Team anymore?

Simple, because there will never be another Dream Team like '92. EVER.

[Franchise_Hog]

How come it seems like we never have the equivalent of the Dream Team anymore?

Simple, because there will never be another Dream Team like '92. EVER.

Ditto.

[Lando Calrissian]

That '92 team is the best basketball team ever assembled.  Ever.

Jordan.  Magic.  Bird.  Barkley.  Malone.  Stockton.  Pippen.  And on and on and on.


(Was Gary Payton on that team?  I can just envision him brutalizing some soft European point guard.)

[jhud]

Was Joe Kleine not an Olympian?  I believe it was the year Bobby Knight coached the team.  Somebody help me out on this.  Am I right?

[HoopS]

I have heard it mentioned that Team USA will be trying to assemble more balanced teams in light of its last struggles. Using more team players rather than just superstars.  More pure shooters than just slam dunk champs.  More players who will actually d up.  And more players who will play with the pride a Team USA should play with.

JJ should fit into that mode and actually do some "little" things that would help us (yes us, even though I'm not on the team physically) win next time.

[hogfankb]

Johnson would fit in well. The reason we haven't been able to compete at the olympic level like we use to is because we don't have any shooters.

[idochog]

Johnson would fit in well. The reason we haven't been able to compete at the olympic level like we use to is because we don't have any shooters.

On top of that, Joe fits the European mode of being a fairly tall player that can handle the ball and shoot the 3-ball.

[hogfancb]

Besides JJ being a pick, I think Bruce Bowen would be great for defense if he gets picked.

[aristotle]

Was Joe Kleine not an Olympian?  I believe it was the year Bobby Knight coached the team.  Somebody help me out on this.  Am I right?

Alvin Robertson was on that team I believe.

[razorback3072]

Was Joe Kleine not an Olympian?  I believe it was the year Bobby Knight coached the team.  Somebody help me out on this.  Am I right?

Alvin Robertson was on that team I believe.

Joe and Alvin both were on the '84 team that won gold along with Jordan

How come it seems like we never have the equivalent of the Dream Team anymore?

Because nobody plays basketball anymore.  It's all about the highlights and individual achievement.  There are only a few players left in the NBA that play with fundamentals and play team ball.  That's why they got their butts handed to them last time.  Other countries play together as a team.  The '92 team had a lot of big name players but they all played together.  Barkley said it best when talking about the last Olympic team that sucked so bad.  He said there is no excuse for that.  When he puts on the USA jersey everyone else is the enemy and he's there to hurt you. 

[return2glory]

That '92 team is the best basketball team ever assembled.  Ever.

Jordan.  Magic.  Bird.  Barkley.  Malone.  Stockton.  Pippen.  And on and on and on.


(Was Gary Payton on that team?  I can just envision him brutalizing some soft European point guard.)

GP was not on the team. He was on DT3...I think. The original roster was:

1. Jordan
2. Pippen
3. Drexler
4. Ewing
5. Robinson
6. Magic
7. Bird
8. Malone
9. Stockton
10. Barkley
11. Mullin
12. Christian Laettner (they had to include one college player and chose him over Shaq)

I still have the poster hanging up in my room.

[HOGLUVIN]

GP and Shawn Kemp were on DT3

[Patch]

Bow Down

[RBLtoHOG]

I read an article about how one of the opposing teams players was guarding Magic and the whole time he was waving at his team mate on the bench who had a video camera so he would get on video him next to Magic.... i thaught that was funny

[RBLtoHOG]

"Opponents didn't have a chance, but they didn't care. One player, while trying to guard Magic Johnson, was seen frantically waving to a camera-wielding teammate on the bench, signaling to make sure he got a picture of them together."

http://www.nba.com/history/dreamT_moments.html

good article on them

[HOGLUVIN]

Bow Down

Never be a better team assembled.

[Lando Calrissian]

I totally forgot David Robinson was on that team.

[HogInGermany]

With that list, it looks like we are planning on embarrassing ourselves again.

[hogfankb]

That '92 team is the best basketball team ever assembled.  Ever.

Jordan.  Magic.  Bird.  Barkley.  Malone.  Stockton.  Pippen.  And on and on and on.


(Was Gary Payton on that team?  I can just envision him brutalizing some soft European point guard.)

GP was not on the team. He was on DT3...I think. The original roster was:

1. Jordan
2. Pippen
3. Drexler
4. Ewing
5. Robinson
6. Magic
7. Bird
8. Malone
9. Stockton
10. Barkley
11. Mullin
12. Christian Laettner (they had to include one college player and chose him over Shaq)

I still have the poster hanging up in my room.

Can you imagine if they would have taken Shaq instead of the Dookie. Wasn't Bird hurt for a lot of it with a bad back too?

What was reggie miller doing during this era. To me he would have been a better choice than Clyde the Glide for international play. But things seemed to work out with him. And I kinda think i remember him having a really good olympics.

[HOGLUVIN]

Dookie was just wanting to get with Stockton the whole time.

[Pragmatic PiG]

How come it seems like we never have the equivalent of the Dream Team anymore?

America has slipped but don't downplay the strides the world has taken to catch up

[Hogwild07]

If we get Lebron, Kobe, Wade, Duncan, Garnett, Shaq, Redick.......it coukd be close.  Wouldn't be like the dream team but we would certainly win gold.  The 92 dream team consisted of arguably the 3 best players to ever play the game......Jordan, Bird, and Magic.

[hogtheball]

Was Joe Kleine not an Olympian?  I believe it was the year Bobby Knight coached the team.  Somebody help me out on this.  Am I right?

Alvin Robertson was on that team I believe.

Thanks! I forgot those guys were on the gold medal team in '84. Here is a link to the info. on that team if you're interested.  http://www.usabasketball.com/history/moly_1984.html

[3kgthog]

I have to question the inclusion of Paul Pierce, Antawn Jamison, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, and Shane Battier. Paul Pierce is selfish, can't shoot, and doesn't play a lick of defense, Jamison plays no defense and is just a scorer, I figure Bosh is just a dunking and rebounding guy, Carmelo Anthony was one of the guys that pouted and disrupted chemistry during the last Olympics, and Battier is a poor man's Luc Longley.

At least Team USA finally wised up and got some good defenders in Bowen, The Rapist, and JJ. They also got some legit 3-pt threats in Redd, Ridnour, and Billups. Too bad Garnett and Tim Duncan decided their vacation was more important than restoring their country's basketball image. Both of them were on teams that helped to begin the decline of USA basketball so it would've been nice to see them be part of the fix.

Finally, could someone please tell me why in the world Greg Oden is even being considered for a spot on this team? He's a freakin' high school guy. I realize he's a 7 footer, but he will be a high schooler going against men. We aren't talking about the little Catholic school across town where the biggest post player is 6'2". He wasn't even very impressive according to those that watched his games on ESPN and at The Real Deal on the Hill. Leave the little boys at home.

[hogtheball]

I have to question the inclusion of Paul Pierce, Antawn Jamison, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, and Shane Battier. Paul Pierce is selfish, can't shoot, and doesn't play a lick of defense, Jamison plays no defense and is just a scorer, I figure Bosh is just a dunking and rebounding guy, Carmelo Anthony was one of the guys that pouted and disrupted chemistry during the last Olympics, and Battier is a poor man's Luc Longley.

At least Team USA finally wised up and got some good defenders in Bowen, The Rapist, and JJ. They also got some legit 3-pt threats in Redd, Ridnour, and Billups. Too bad Garnett and Tim Duncan decided their vacation was more important than restoring their country's basketball image. Both of them were on teams that helped to begin the decline of USA basketball so it would've been nice to see them be part of the fix.

Finally, could someone please tell me why in the world Greg Oden is even being considered for a spot on this team? He's a freakin' high school guy. I realize he's a 7 footer, but he will be a high schooler going against men. We aren't talking about the little Catholic school across town where the biggest post player is 6'2". He wasn't even very impressive according to those that watched his games on ESPN and at The Real Deal on the Hill. Leave the little boys at home.

I'm not dissin you or anything, but question a couple of points.  You question Shane Battier who shoots 40% from the 3-point line, but then you say you're glad they picked Ridnour as a legit 3-point threat - when he shoots 26% from the 3-pt. line.  I'm a huge Ridnour fan (always love the underdog) but I don't understand his inclusion in this line-up.  I guess Nash is Canadian, Parker is French and Stockton retired so Ridnour is our best passer.  I would also expect them to keep J.J. Redick for shooting and point guard duties as well.

Surprisingly, the best 3-point threat on the team is Bruce Bowen who is leading the NBA in 3-point shooting average at 45% this season. 

[hogtheball]

Was Joe Kleine not an Olympian?  I believe it was the year Bobby Knight coached the team.  Somebody help me out on this.  Am I right?

Alvin Robertson was on that team I believe.

Joe and Alvin both were on the '84 team that won gold along with Jordan

How come it seems like we never have the equivalent of the Dream Team anymore?

Because nobody plays basketball anymore.  It's all about the highlights and individual achievement.  There are only a few players left in the NBA that play with fundamentals and play team ball.  That's why they got their butts handed to them last time.  Other countries play together as a team.  The '92 team had a lot of big name players but they all played together.  Barkley said it best when talking about the last Olympic team that sucked so bad.  He said there is no excuse for that.  When he puts on the USA jersey everyone else is the enemy and he's there to hurt you. 

Amen! Our last olympic team didn't even resemble a team. We didn't lose because of lack of shooters - we lost because we have too many shooters and not enough passers or defensive players.  Carlos Arroyo and his Peurto Rican band of bros. lit us up like a junior high team.  While our players were busy looking embarassed that some 6'2" Puerto Rican actually thought he could guard them, the PR team was busy playing basketball. 

If we don't find a group of guys who will swallow their pride and quit trying to look cool for the poster shots, we'll get embarassed again.  The truth is, the international teams are better than the all-star american teams.  Either we'll change our attitude and our approach, or we'll lose every time. 

[Kevin]

steve kerr writes about joe on yahoo sports

[Lando Calrissian]

Someone above mentioned that Bird was injured for the '92 Olympics, and that is true.

I remember there being some controversy over Laetner being on the team, but lets face it, they had #23.  Did anything else really matter?

[HogWild7982]

link???

[A Boy Named Sue E.]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AiPWB52S8llIkMVuqTLvYSc5nYcB?slug=sk-notebook030106&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

[return2glory]

While Bird did have a bad back during the olympics, and the later part of his career. He did appear in all 8 games. Drexler was one of 5 players to average double figures for the team, along with Barkley, Jordan, Malone, and Mullin. Laetner being on the team was total crap, but like Lando said, who really cares. He probably played a combined 20 minutes throughout the entire olympics and we won by an average of 44 pts every game.

I agree with the inclusion of Battier on the team. He's a solid defender and is a very smart player. Bosh is a lot more than a dunker. He's got a silky smooth jumper. He reminds me of a younger Kevin Garnett.

I like that they are putting together a team of players. People that know their roles. The all-star team mentality doesn't get you to the gold medal game anymore.

[Lando Calrissian]

Clyde Drexler was underrated, IMHO.

[return2glory]

  I agree. The Glide averaged over 20 ppg, 5.6apg, and 6.1 rpg for his career. That's VERY solid.

I pointed this thread out to one of my buddies and he is arguing that if anyone should have been left off the dreamteam, aside from Laettner, it is Scottie Pippen. He thinks Dominique should have taken Pippen's spot.

[HogWild7982]

Thanks for the link

[clemensrules01]

I have to question the inclusion of Paul Pierce, Antawn Jamison, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, and Shane Battier. Paul Pierce is selfish, can't shoot, and doesn't play a lick of defense, Jamison plays no defense and is just a scorer, I figure Bosh is just a dunking and rebounding guy, Carmelo Anthony was one of the guys that pouted and disrupted chemistry during the last Olympics, and Battier is a poor man's Luc Longley.

At least Team USA finally wised up and got some good defenders in Bowen, The Rapist, and JJ. They also got some legit 3-pt threats in Redd, Ridnour, and Billups. Too bad Garnett and Tim Duncan decided their vacation was more important than restoring their country's basketball image. Both of them were on teams that helped to begin the decline of USA basketball so it would've been nice to see them be part of the fix.

Finally, could someone please tell me why in the world Greg Oden is even being considered for a spot on this team? He's a freakin' high school guy. I realize he's a 7 footer, but he will be a high schooler going against men. We aren't talking about the little Catholic school across town where the biggest post player is 6'2". He wasn't even very impressive according to those that watched his games on ESPN and at The Real Deal on the Hill. Leave the little boys at home.

yeah ur right. kobe couldnt handle playing against the big boys. and neither could lebron james. t-mac and kevin garnett sucked too. oh and amare stoudamire is dreadful.

[Lando Calrissian]

I always wondered about Dominque.

He must have been seriously injured around that time (I know he had injury problems late in his career, and that may have feel around the same time as these Olympics).  My hunch is that Wilkins was too injured to play.

I was also baffled as to why Dominque wasn't named to the top 50 list.

He is kinda in the same league as Clyde.  He was known for being athletic, but his general basketball skills were VASTLY underrated.

Pippen deserved to be on that team, too. 

[hogtheball]

Someone above mentioned that Bird was injured for the '92 Olympics, and that is true.

I remember there being some controversy over Laetner being on the team, but lets face it, they had #23.  Did anything else really matter?

Actually, in basketball it does matter if you don't put a TEAM on the court.  Jordan couldn't win a gold medal by himself and didn't.  I actually remember Barkley being the primary go-to scorer on that team with Ewing and Robinson playing incredible defense.  No player is talented enough to carry an international team any more.  That's why Iverson was the absolute worst player for us to have on the team last time. 

[HogKong]

Don't know if this has been posted yet, but looks as if JJ will get a chance to play for his country.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2349009

[razorhead69]

too bad he didnt play for his university.

[taintlint]

too bad he didnt play for his university.

Ouch. Sad but true.

[Topcat]

The U.S team certainly needs someone like Johnson who can shoot and also is willing to pass. Our last team had a bunch of ball hogging super stars that wanted to show everyone how they could go one-on-one. I hope our intention is to put a TEAM on the floor. Interesting that Iverson didn't get an invitation. GHG

[Lt.Dangle]

too bad he didnt play for his university.

You can thank Nolan for that. Nolan was the only person in NCAA that could hold him to under 30

[HogInGermany]

too bad he didnt play for his university.

You can thank Nolan for that. Nolan was the only person in NCAA that could hold him to under 30

His laziness and picking his spots are what held him back. Not Nolan.

[Sammy_Hogar]

How many former Hogs have played on Olympic basketball teams? Does anyone know? I'm pretty sure Joe Kleine did. Maybe Alvin Robertson? Anyone else?

[pigndblanket]

If only he could speak English!

[wishyjoshy]

As I read the list of players, I started thinking about who it would be that is coaching this team of All-Stars - Coach K, right?  Then I had an idea.  Since VERY few of the Duke players have the "X" Factor to make it huge in the league, why not just take all of the graduated players from Duke and put them on a National Team.  Have that National team get paid, just like the NBA players.  Give them the NBA league minimum, because that is probably what most of them would make. Have Coach K be there coach.  They could run the same offensive scheme they run at Duke.  Just think, all those hopefuls that never made it big time could be the heroes for our nation.

Oh and congrats to Joe.  It has got to be an honor.

[cmakrzrbak]

The dude is representing Arkansas well and all you guys can do is talk darn.  He didn't play up to his potential here, but he was still by far our best player, and got the accolades anyway.  Congrats to Joe for his accomplishments.  Why do some have to ridicule just to make their unsecure selves a little happier?!?