0x NBA/NFL Champion
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11 days ago
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Most of you would agree that LeBron James provides a better chance than Tyler Hansbrough at winning a Gold Medal in the Olympics. Kobe Bryant gives U.S.A. a better chance to contend than Stephen Curry. Dwight Howard gives more ability in the games than Luke Harangody.
Most of you probably also know that for a very long time, U.S.A. was a roster filled of college players. Some of these guys went on to long, storied careers in the NBA. But before that, these college players made up all of Team U.S.A. and they were very succesful in the Olympics.
Notice my reluctancy to call the Olympic basketball team from the United States of America, Team U.S.A.? Well, that's because I don't really consider them all that much of a team. In all honesty, I don't think that they have been a true "team" for a long time. Ever since the NBA players were allowed to play, it has been superstars, superstars, and more superstars. For a long time, the U.S. simply had the best players. The best players generally win games. But there was something else to this; those guys wanted to win, and they cared about playing together. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Hakeem; they all cared about winning a Gold medal more than themselves. Stephon Marbury, Lamar Odom, Carmelo Anthony; you all can make the judgement for yourself.
At least now, Team U.S.A. is starting to look more like a team. They have "role" players such as Tayshaun Prince, Michael Redd, and Carlos Boozer. But they're also loaded with superstars. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, etc. So after watching the U.S.A.-China game today, I can view them more as a team than as I did in 2004. 2004, the year that NBA scrub Carlos Arroyo took out an entire team of American players.
Well, I've been thinking, and I think that a team of college players would provide a good shot to win a Gold medal. Why? These guys are young and full of energy. They have never played on an international stage before, so you know they'd give it there all. They aren't making money (well, officially), so they would be in it to win it. And they aren't yet NBA players, so they still value the concept of team. Anyway, I'll let you guys voice your opinions while I give my team of college players to make a run at the Gold.
Darren Collison
Every good team needs a point guard, and this team is no exception. Collison can score, pass, play defense, run an offense, he can do it all. People often forget about how good this guy is. He has been overshadowed by Aaron Afflalo, Russel Westbrook, Kevin Love, etc. But throughout all of the great players that Collison has played with at UCLA, he still has managed to get his. He has upped his scoring every year. He has a very good assist-to-turnover ratio. He averages 2.6 rebounds, which is very good for a point guard. He gets steals, he knocks down threes, he's clutch. Collison can lead Team USA, and lead them in the charge for the Gold.
Stephen Curry
To win an Olympic Gold, you need to have someone who can score. And I think we would all agree that if someone knows how to score, it's Curry. To give you an idea of some of what he was able to accompish (great wording by me, right?), I'll say some of his scoring totals. 24 against North Carolina, 29 at North Carolina State, 20 against Duke, 15 at UCLA. Still not impressed? In the NCAA Tournament, he went for 40 against Gonzaga, 30 against Georgetown, 33 against Wisconsin, and 25 against Kansas. What do all four of those teams have in common? They all are known to play some type of good, frustrating defense. He can score, we know that. He's a good rebounder for his size, and averages nearly 5 a game. He gets steals, assists, and doesn't turn over the ball much. He can penetrate, finish, knock down shots, everything. The scorer for Team U.S.A. is Curry.
Antonio Anderson
Another key to winning a Gold medal is defense. Whenever the United States has been succesful in the Olympics, it has been in large part to defense. Anderson is one of the better defenders in the country, and was a key reason that Memphis went to the NCAA Championship Game. Without him, I really think that Rose, Douglas-Roberts and company wouldn't have gone as far as they did. He can score when he needs to, going in double-digit's 18 times last year. He can both pass, and rebound. But his key component is on the other side of the ball, where he can guard three positions. In the NCAA Tournament alone, he frusturated JaMont Gordon, Raymar Morgan, Drew Neitzel, A.J. Abrams, Russell Westbrook, Josh Shipp, Brandon Rush, the list goes on and on. But those are a few of the big name college players that Anderson played good defense against. He's always on you, he's constantly frustrating people, and he plays a ton of minutes to keep it going. Anderson is the key defensive player for Team U.S.A. and will make a big impact.
Tyler Smith
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