Akeem Scott: Baller, Rapper, Psychic

Keem Scott made something of a bold Olympic prediction before Team USA faced off against Finland in the hockey semi-finals:



He took some old fashioned Facebook heat for the prediction. He is living in Finland, after all. But in true P.C. fashion it didn't end there.



Or there.

Also, U-S-A! U-S-A!

Team USA squashes Canda, Canadian currecy still worth more

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A?

Team Nike USA didn't come for a Canadian Debate. They came to squash their over matched opponent, and they did. What does that mean?

Not a whole lot, Canada didn't make the Olympics after all. The two best Canadian players (Nash and Dalembert), aren't even on the national team. It is safe to say the real tests for Team USA are still to come.

In such a lopsided match up I'm not sure you can glean much analysis of how good this Team USA is right now. Because of sheer talent, they are favored to win Olympic Gold. I'm fine with that, but there are some concerns.

Back when it became clear that we need a more thoughtful approach to international basketball, there were some pledges made. More shooters, more defenders, more role players. This disjointed collection of All-Stars just wasn't going to cut it anymore!

Which is why I did a double take when the roster came out. The only shooter on the team is Michael Redd. There are three pointguards that will play significant minutes, which means an all-pointguard backcourt will be a regularity. This can be great, but can also be exploited by the better teams in Beijing.

There are other signs of weakness. Against Canada, USA got disturbingly little production out of the post. Team USA will be undersized under the basket against teams like Spain. In proud Team USA tradition, this group will rely heavily on players shooting the outside jumper off the bounce. This is all good when things are falling, but when the jumpers start missing, look out. Seems like they should have figured out how to fix that.

I like that the United States is taking a more serious approach, like requiring a three year commitment out of players. But thinking about this team, some of those historical flaws seem to still be lurking. It has been a long time since the world cowered at the sight of USA Basketball. They know how to defeat this team, and can just look at the film in case they forgot.

Sergio Rodriguez left off Team Spain?

This post over at SLAM provides a glance at the Spanish National Team for the upcoming Olympics. One Spanish Blazer is listed, one isn't. I'm still searching for the official list to verify (if you find it, please share it in the comments), but this would be especially depressing news to a guy who has been having trouble keeping his head up. Sergio Rodriguez has always been a popular topic around these parts, so hopefully we will have more to steal share soon.

UPDATE:
I threw the question out to BlazersEdge folks. Although no official release has surfaced, three other pointguards on the team sounds like strong evidence that Sergio was indeed left off.

Its good to see us feeling so good about ourselves

The reaction to Team USA by mainstream American Media has been a little shocking:


"Best team since the original Dream Team."
-Woody Paige on Around The Horn

I know Woody Paige says a lot of moronic things and isn't so much an authority on anything as he is a representation of whats wrong with ESPN, but this quote I heard succinctly captures what has been the overall response of talking heads and columnists.

But why? Because we handled Venezuela and the U.S. Virgin Islands? Hey, its very likely that the team will continue to dominate this tournament. There may even be a blowout of Brazil. Then we'll feel even better about our return to the top of international basketball.

Let's remember, besides Team USA, there are two teams here that are considered threats to medal at the upcoming Olympics: Brazil and Argentina. As I ranted about here, these teams aren't exactly fully represented. Defending Olympic champ Argentina is without my man Pepe Sanchez and four of their NBA Players. Yeah, beating them will be a nice ego stroking session. Two of Brazil's NBA Players aren't playing. U-S-A! U-S-A!

I'm not saying Team USA can't be great (or that they aren't already), but maybe we should wait to measure them against top international competition instead of admiring how they dominate teams that won't even be in the Olympics, or are competing without key players. I know its a crazy notion that the media jump the gun on something, but we don't all have to be swept away in the premature ejaculation.

See you in Beijing.