Joe Johnson Team USA?

[Hogs4Ever]

Congrats to JJ!

[aristotle]

He hasn't made it yet. There are only 12 active spots, but they will take up to 15 to Japan. I hope he does make it. Had another great night last night with 26 points, 9 assists, and 7 boards. Also, played 53 minutes in the overtime game.

[D-macs cuz]

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

I think he just didn't get along with Nolan, otherwise you could say the same thing about Pargo when he wasn't getting pt, and he's in the NBA also.  Joe Johnson is a hot rising star, I don't think he was lazy, I think he didn't like Nolan.
His laziness and picking his spots are what held him back. Not Nolan.

[spahoopsfan]

You guys sure don't get it. Had he stayed we wouldn't have had the losing teams we had. I bet there isn't one coach that he ever played for that would call him lazy.

[Munich swine]

There have been so many college stars that flopped in the pros.  He may not have been the best around in college, but as I remember it, he was our hero most nights.  JJ was obviously a late bloomer, you should just be proud he was a hog.

[return2glory]

  I understand the point that you are making hogtheball, but Iverson was not the problem with the team in the Olympics. The problem was Stephon Marbury. Iverson was actually one of the few guys who played with a little pride. He was one of the few who was genuinly disturbed by the losing. I'd take Iverson on Team USA in a heartbeat. He gets a bad wrap.

Lando, I looked up Nique's stats and sure enough he only played in 42 of the 82 games in the 1991-1992 season. Good call. Prior to that he played in a majority of the teams games. No way Dominique should have been left off the NBAs greatest 50. Nor should he have gotten snubbed from the Hall of Fame the first time around.

[Lando Calrissian]

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 was semi-joking.

[Lando Calrissian]

Lando, I looked up Nique's stats and sure enough he only played in 42 of the 82 games in the 1991-1992 season. Good call. Prior to that he played in a majority of the teams games. No way Dominique should have been left off the NBAs greatest 50. Nor should he have gotten snubbed from the Hall of Fame the first time around.

It makes me wonder why Dominque was so underappreciated, even when he was in his prime.

I don't think he had any serious off the court or character issues.

[1994]

I joe's last 12 games he has 11 or more assists 7 times. He's having alot more UP games than down ones.

[Patch]

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. 

He may have been injured in '92, but he was on the WBC Dream Team in '94 along with Shaq and a few others who were left off the original team. The '96 team was awesome as well.

I found this link with Rosters and Results of every "Dream Team" since '92.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Team_(basketball)#Results_at_the_1996_Olympics_in_Atlanta

[Boner]

Iverson played great in the last Olympics.  He was one of the few guys that wanted to be there, appreciated being there and was honored to be there.  He had no problem taking a backseat and passing more on that team.  While many of our players TURN DOWN the opportunity to play for their country, Iverson openly lobbied to be on it again this year.  Its a shame they left him off.

Does anyone remember that Jordan kept Isiah Thomas off the original team?  They hate each other.

As far as the Laettner/ Shaq deal; while it was obvious that Shaq was going to be the #1 pick, Laettner was coming off a better college career.  He had just won his second NC, was player of the year, the all time winningest player in NCAA history, etc.  And not that it mattered after the first 11 players, but Laettner's game was better suited for the olympics than Shaq's.

[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. 

You're right - Iverson did play OK.  Although his defense wasn't good enough to get it done.  marbury was the terrible one. 

[98hogs]

Joe Kleine and Alvin Robertson were on the Olympic Team in the 1984 LA Games along with Michael Jordan.  Both played quite well and won the Gold as College players .  You can see a uniform and some of their memorabilia in the museum at Bud Walton Arena, just no mention of Joe as a Radio Commentator there!

[Patch]

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. 

You're right - Iverson did play OK.  Although his defense wasn't good enough to get it done.  marbury was the terrible one. 

Curse words cannot describe the frustration I had while watching Marbury play on that team.

[Brutalis]

I follow the NBA closer than anyone possibly can. And I can tell you they are going after specific players for specific on court duties.

The got Bowen from the Spurs for hard nosed defense. etc etc...

I love JJ but I don't understand how he fits on the USA squad. Iverson didn't even get an offer.

[hogtheball]

I follow the NBA closer than anyone possibly can. And I can tell you they are going after specific players for specific on court duties.

The got Bowen from the Spurs for hard nosed defense. etc etc...

I love JJ but I don't understand how he fits on the USA squad. Iverson didn't even get an offer.

Bowen plays D, but don't forget about his accuracy from 3 pt. line.  He leads the NBA this year.   So what do you think about Ridnour?  I'm a huge fan of his, but I can see arguments for a few other guys. I bet that one ticked off Iverson.       Andre Miller might have been interesting.   I don't understand JJ myself.  If he was a team player, seems like he would still be in Pheonix. 

[Boner]

The guy in charge of the Olympic Hoops team is Bryan Colangelo, the former GM of the Suns.  The top assistant is D'Antoni, the Suns coach.  He was brought in because he's coached in Europe and his teams play that way.

Don't think both those guys didn't play a huge role in getting JJ on this team.

[return2glory]

   I think Joe fits nicely on the team. He's a long defender (avgs over 1.25 steals per game), he can rebound well for a point guard, distributes the ball well (as previously noted), and shoots the lights out. Another big quality that I think gets over looked is the fact that Joe doesn't have to be "the man". I think this is a big key. Egos were the demise of the earlier teams with Marbury's me first attitude and Melo complaining about minutes.

   To me Joe makes a lot of sense for the team. I think he belongs in the group. Also, Jerry Colangelo, Bryan's dad, is the one putting together the team. Luke Ridnour making it over Iverson is a complete joke. Surely we have a better US born point guard than Ridnour.

When all is said and done, I'm not sure either of these guys will be on the final 12 man roster though. I think the PG duties will be handled by Billups and Arenas. If they take a third it will be Joe, IMO.

[hogtheball]

I'm not sure about Ridnour, but it's probably coach K's call.  He seems like the only PG on the list who could run the style I'm sure coach K will want to try. Also, Rudy T is the teams talent scout and he loves Ridnour.  I wouldn't say he's a joke - the guy can play point guard.  And there are a lot of coaches who don't want anything to do with Iverson.  I wouldn't doubt it if at least three of the teams coaches are in that category.

[Brutalis]

I follow the NBA closer than anyone possibly can. And I can tell you they are going after specific players for specific on court duties.

The got Bowen from the Spurs for hard nosed defense. etc etc...

I love JJ but I don't understand how he fits on the USA squad. Iverson didn't even get an offer.

Bowen plays D, but don't forget about his accuracy from 3 pt. line.  He leads the NBA this year.   So what do you think about Ridnour?  I'm a huge fan of his, but I can see arguments for a few other guys. I bet that one ticked off Iverson.       Andre Miller might have been interesting.   I don't understand JJ myself.  If he was a team player, seems like he would still be in Pheonix. 

Ridnour has a great chance. I thought he was asked. If not, he should be.

Andre Miller is overrated. Trust me on that one.

[return2glory]

  I understand what you are saying. Ridnour is a decent point guard, but America's best he is not. You might be surprised to find out that Iverson is averaging more assists and steals than Ridnour. It should also be noted that he doesn't have Ray Allen or Rashard Lewis to pass to. Iverson also averages a higher field goal percentage, as well as 3 pt %. I didn't look up turnovers, but I would guess this is the only stat that Ridnour would beat Iverson in.

  Again, I understand that Ridnour is a good point guard, but I don't think he is a better PG than Iverson.

[hogtheball]

Ridnour was invited.  Reddick was invited, too.  I almost forgot about him.  I wouldn't be surprised to see Reddick at some point.  All of the European points are shooters.

[return2glory]

  Chris Paul will also make the team over Ridnour. I'm anxious to see how Reddick makes the transition to the NBA game. I don't know how great of a ball handler he will be. But admittedly, I hate Duke and most of their players. I just don't see a huge difference between him and Trajan Langdon. I think Reddick will succeed in a certain situation, aka on a team with a strong low post threat that demands a double team, but he's not a guy that you can build a team around. Especially is your team is in the lottery. Time will tell.

My preliminary picks for the Olympic team are:

PGs
1. Billups
2. Paul

SGs
3. Kobe
4. Wade
5. Redd

SFs
6. Lebron
7. Battier


PF
8. Stoudemire
9. Brand
10. Marion

C
11. Howard
12. Miller

[razorhead69]

never said I wasnt proud of him. In fact very proud of him and watch him every chance I get. I want him to do well. I was a huge fan of his but sometimes thought he dogged it while here. He was still the best player most nights on the court. Just wish he had acted like he cared about his U. Just sayin!! PEACE OUT

[hogtheball]

  I understand what you are saying. Ridnour is a decent point guard, but America's best he is not. You might be surprised to find out that Iverson is averaging more assists and steals than Ridnour. It should also be noted that he doesn't have Ray Allen or Rashard Lewis to pass to. Iverson also averages a higher field goal percentage, as well as 3 pt %. I didn't look up turnovers, but I would guess this is the only stat that Ridnour would beat Iverson in.

  Again, I understand that Ridnour is a good point guard, but I don't think he is a better PG than Iverson.

Iverson takes like 29 shots a game. He's barely defined as a point guard. just barely.  Most coaches don't know how to win with a PG like that.

[HOGLIGULA]

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.

Yeah averaged 16 ppg and 6 rpg as a freshman at UofA only one to ever dot hat and he was lazy???  True he could put up 30 a night if he wanted, but that wasn't the point

[HOGLIGULA]

I think he should make it!

[dmhog v2.0]

I selected all three.

[HOGLIGULA]

I selected all three.

why??

[dmhog v2.0]

Because I could.

[HOGLIGULA]

either he is or isn't hell I gave you a should.

[dmhog v2.0]

But I could select all three, so I did.

[HOGLIGULA]

But I could select all three, so I did.

well that is a great reason!

[dmhog v2.0]

I know, that's why I did it.

[HOGLIGULA]

"vote early vote often" Boss Tweed  and Tamany Hall
Gone till Sunday have a hog wild time