Please explain to me how having shaq on this team is awful ?

This teams biggest weakness is size in the inside and interior offense. Shaq gives them both of these options, while shaqs main weakness can be avoided on this team because he wont have to play long continuous minutes.

Hes not gonna slow down the fast break game, because most of the fast break game is 2 on 1 and wade on nothings anwyways. Hes a great passer from the inside if he gets double teamed which he will because no one can guard him one on one. He will bring you offensive boards if hes not getting it in the post and block shots on defense.

As athletic as dwight howard is, he does not bring the interior presence that shaq would. A big leak in this usa team is half court offense, isnt that one of shaqs strenghts ?

Yes shaq is old and cant play 30+ minutes per game, but Ill take shaq over any big man in the NBA right now for 20 minutes a game.

Chandler is merely a lesser version of dwight, although still better than boozer he wouldnt be as great as an improvement as shaq would be.

As you have also seen these refs are not in favor of star power which increases shaqs defensive presense even more, in the NBA they just call fouls for whoever the guard is that penetrates straight into the big mans chest. Here in the olympics they let them play ball which I am hugely in favor of. Your not seeing kobe, lebron, and wade having 10+ freethrow attempts every single game.

everyone saying shaq, do you at least agree Duncan would be a better option x10?

As a full time starter I would take duncan over shaq at this point in their careers .

In this case of replacing boozer off the bench I would be undecided.

I like duncans defense, but we really need a post presence and shaq is better than duncan in the post.

Kg over both of them.

FYP

makes no sense. Duncan is a sick post presence. He's currently better than Shaq down there.

Id rather have Chandler than Shaq on this team.

I obviously know Duncan is better than shaq, but for the sake of this team and lineup shaq would be more effective since he only has to play 10 to15 minutes.

Duncans strength and huge advantage in the NBA is finesse and fundamentals, while shaq us just an over powering force. Duncan can be countered with good defense while shaq cannot. Shaq will cause opposing big men to get in foul trouble while Duncan will not.

Like I said before I will take shaq over any big man for less than 20 minutes.

Also Duncan had terrible time in last olympics, this is a slightly diffrent game that can change the effectivness of players compared to their NBA production.

Did you watch Shaq this year on PHX? Shaq at 29 I'd take in a second, Shaq at 35 is a huge shell of himself.

Yeah, when he plays alot of consecutive possesions he looks horrible out there. Especially on phoenix where they run an run an play no defense.

He looks great in the first few plays of the game again to start the second half. Hes also known to step it up when it counts.

I am not saying I would take shaq over duncan no doubt, Im saying it would be a close decision leaning closer toward shaw due to dominance on offense in the area we are lacking most on this team.

Shaq had won championships with 2 of the players on the team also which would add to team chemistry.

ya duncan would be better.... he declined... they should have asked shaq atleast

sheed disgracing the country is a real possiblilty so i guess it would be a bad choice

I saw shaq this year on the heat live... it was early in the year, bad losing streak, big game aagainst the rockets... he clearly pumped himself up and played INCREDIBAL in stints... coming off the bench on a super star team would be awesome for him... this really isn't even debatable actually

also what about elton brand... they need somebody with some post moves in the half court

Duncan declined an invite to be on the roster.
This team was not selcted only, or even predominately based on, talent. It was selected to be the best TEAM We are past the point where we can just send an all-star team. We had to select guys who could fill roles, which is why Boozer, Prince and Redd are there. Kidd is there becuae of his leadership skills and experience. This team was also selected to maximize our defensive abilty, which is why u have Bosh and Boozer instead of someone like Shaq because they are switching ball screens, and someone like Bosh can go out on the perimeter and guard a wing where Shaq cant.

Also, if u have to have a few guys who are gonna play little, why not have a guy you as the coach coached and u know how he will handle his role. Boozer is there for a reason.
And remember, Boozer is a 20-10 guy. He is actually a better player than the best player on todays opposing team-Gasol.

You guys talking about Shaq and Rasheed are using the same faulty thinking that has got us into this era of losing. The selection of Coach K was the best decsion, and the way they assembled the squad was masterful. this being said, they could have a bad night and lose, but this team is being done right.

And I was sure right about our 3 pt shooting. Three games is a small sample size. everybody struggles in spurts.

Kobe has played much better the past 2 games. No, he is not being Kobe, but he is going to be fine. He is playing defense, and he is being a good teammate. there is a reason he is playing so many minutes.

Lets remember- im guessing Coach K, Jim Boheim, Nate McMillan and Jerry Colangelo MAYBE just MAYBE know a LITTLE BIT MORE about the game than any of us- u think?

Oh- and Rubio is talented but not close to being ready. hes only 17 but he better get in the weight room. NO WAY is he 4 years from an all-star game.

snowman,

boozer is more talented than shaq by a mile at this point, as an N.B.A starter it isn't even close... but like you said trying to build the best team... shaq is a much better fit, not even remotely close... VERY LIMITED MINUTES!!!!!


anyone who picks Jkidd and tayshaun when you could pick basically anybody doesn't understand this.... i bet garnett could have been convinced to play if they told melo boozer and tayshaun to go F themselves and they got ray allen pierce and garnett instead... dude loves basketball, poor recruiting by coach K

Isn't it kind of hard to be complying about team selection since they have been blowing out everyone? Putting Shaq on this team is ridiculous because he is not very good anymore and him and Kobe on the same could be a disaster.

Basketball Knowledge Chart:

Coach K > Snowman > Online Begginner

Not trying to be an arse (ok, maybe a little), but youre wrong here.

Actually it's not close. You thinking that it is makes me think you must have last watched Shaq play in 2001. He is a shell of his former self and nobody in their right mind would put him on this team ahead of Duncan.

I think this US team is about the best possible with just some minor flaws. I'd be surprised if they loist as it would require both the other team shooting lights out, not turning the ball over, playing ood defense and team USa sucking in general. They are clearly on a different level from every other team they've played.

hard to judge rubio one way or the other. the only thing i came away w/is that his defense has been overrated b/c of his comp but he looked decent.

Boozer and Bosh are there because they're better than Shaq. Redd is there because he scores 23 ppg and that means he's good or something. Prince and Kidd are there for some godawful reason but it doesn't matter too much when you have Paul, Wade, Kobe, Melo, and Lebron all on the floor at once.

This is why I wondered how Shane Battier wasn't on the team. Seems to be like he's a better fit than Prince. Anyway, there's no way Boozer is better than Pau.

lol, masterful. Most of them were selected pretty much based on points or assists. And then Tayshaun Prince, because they need a character role player guy like Christian Laettner. Of course, Prince is such a dumb selection. They take him instead of a guy who's just as good a defender but can take advantage of the 3 point line and has played with the Coach before, Shane Battier.

What a load of ****. They suck for 3 games, but get hot in one game and... what were you right about? This team can't shoot 3s capably. Deal with it.

And that reason is...? Oh, because he's the "best player in the world." He's a ******. Guy never met a shot he doesn't like.

Yeah, they know enough to take the guys with the highest ppg. Wow, so ****ing hard.

boozer is not better on this team in five minute stints... you guys don't understand this five minute stint concept... what shaq does after playing a major offense role after playing the majority of an N.B.A game has no relevance in this discussion

how am i a charlatan???

Just want to say the Wade/Lebron combination is just so unreal good.

You know what sex and coaching have in common?
Every american male thinks hes great at both but most cant do either well.

Selecting the 12 most talented guys or even the one who plays the best in 5 minute stsints is not the idea. it was to pick the team with the best chance to win gold..

Many of these guys declined the invite, so youre arguing for no reason there. Prince is the one guy i dont see but i figure coach k deserves one pass.

Boozer is a post, battier is not, the two are not comparable. He cant put his whole Duke alumni team in there so not both.

Any person who has any knowledge of MATH let alone basketball knows that three games is not a large enoguh sample size to actually pass judgement on a teams ability. plus they are adjusting to a diffeent distance.

Wade, leBron, Kobe etc were no brainers but they did a great job.

it is absolutely amazing how stupid some of you are. Now I am on pretty frim footing here, and for you guys to soemhow suggest you are more knowledgeable than the usa staff is IDIOTIC at best.

There are legitimate reasons for each selection that im sure K could give you but hes worried about winning a GOLD MEDAL rather than answering the criticism of soem guys who shoot baskets at the elementary school gym on Sunday.

Now, i actually made coherent arguments as to WHY the decisions may have been made, while a few of you just go "Shaq ould be better" and "they chose the best ppg" and make no reasonable argument, as if u could.

The variables for selecting this team are so numerous that we dont and cant ever know them but rest assured the people who are in the decision making crew are there for a reason.

all i hear is blah blah blah i know they need inside scoring but since boozer is better than shaq he's better for this team, even tho he is undersized and adds absolutely nothing

that's why. Now go root for the Jazz or something