Team USA Basketball, Who Steps Up Now?
Last week I was going to write about who I thought would make the final 12 man lineup. I was going to base those predictions off the scrimmage last Friday. In probably the biggest sports story in the last few weeks, Paul George snapped his leg and changed my mind about writing such a piece.
That was a major bummer. I'm a big George fan, and I feel really bad for the Pacers. I would think that Larry Bird has probably broken a few pieces of a furniture in the past week, and I can't blame him. The way this Pacers team is constructed now, they may not even make the playoffs.
So that was obviously a major blow to the team. PG was all but penciled in to start. Now Kevin Durant withdraws!?!? Holy moly, that is news. So you lose the best player on the team, (who happens to be the reigning MVP) now what?
Team USA was already lacking power forwards, with Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Blake Griffin not playing for one reason or another. The potential centers (with the exception of Anthony Davis) aren't impressing anyone enough to even think they deserve being on the roster. Now you lose your two best small forwards, who are 2 of your 5 best players. Yikes!
So who's stepping up? I think the general consensus probably assumes it will be Derrick Rose. He looked fantastic in the scrimmage, and reports have stated the same thing for practices. People have seemingly forgot that he, along with Durant, lit up the FIBA championships in 2010. Rose may now be the leader, but he will need some help.
Anthony Davis could be that guy. He will be the dominant big man, and I've read his outside shooting has improved. That is key to international ball. Or maybe James Harden? He should have a chip on his shoulder from getting ousted in the first round of the playoffs. Could that fuel his game? Possibly.
I think the most likely guy will be Steph Curry. Who was the best shooter on the team not named Durant?(Not counting 3-point specialists like Korver or Thompson.) Curry hands down. If Curry gets hot, he will single handily win Team USA the game. He can play off of D-Rose's penetrations, and theoretically get the wide open look. He can also play the point, and dictate the game that way.
I see no reason (barring one of his infamous ankle injuries) why Curry (with or without Rose) can't possibly be the man for Team USA. Is his job going to be a hell of a lot harder without Durant, let alone George?Absolutely. But he's shown the proper leadership qualities that a guy like Harden, for example, seem to lack.
This is a big opportunity for Curry and the rest of Team USA's roster for that matter. It's anyone's guess who the other two starters will be. That's not really important though. What is important is who leads, and who finishes. My guess is Curry.
That was a major bummer. I'm a big George fan, and I feel really bad for the Pacers. I would think that Larry Bird has probably broken a few pieces of a furniture in the past week, and I can't blame him. The way this Pacers team is constructed now, they may not even make the playoffs.
So that was obviously a major blow to the team. PG was all but penciled in to start. Now Kevin Durant withdraws!?!? Holy moly, that is news. So you lose the best player on the team, (who happens to be the reigning MVP) now what?
Team USA was already lacking power forwards, with Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Blake Griffin not playing for one reason or another. The potential centers (with the exception of Anthony Davis) aren't impressing anyone enough to even think they deserve being on the roster. Now you lose your two best small forwards, who are 2 of your 5 best players. Yikes!
So who's stepping up? I think the general consensus probably assumes it will be Derrick Rose. He looked fantastic in the scrimmage, and reports have stated the same thing for practices. People have seemingly forgot that he, along with Durant, lit up the FIBA championships in 2010. Rose may now be the leader, but he will need some help.
Anthony Davis could be that guy. He will be the dominant big man, and I've read his outside shooting has improved. That is key to international ball. Or maybe James Harden? He should have a chip on his shoulder from getting ousted in the first round of the playoffs. Could that fuel his game? Possibly.I think the most likely guy will be Steph Curry. Who was the best shooter on the team not named Durant?(Not counting 3-point specialists like Korver or Thompson.) Curry hands down. If Curry gets hot, he will single handily win Team USA the game. He can play off of D-Rose's penetrations, and theoretically get the wide open look. He can also play the point, and dictate the game that way.
I see no reason (barring one of his infamous ankle injuries) why Curry (with or without Rose) can't possibly be the man for Team USA. Is his job going to be a hell of a lot harder without Durant, let alone George?Absolutely. But he's shown the proper leadership qualities that a guy like Harden, for example, seem to lack.
This is a big opportunity for Curry and the rest of Team USA's roster for that matter. It's anyone's guess who the other two starters will be. That's not really important though. What is important is who leads, and who finishes. My guess is Curry.
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