Team USA Select Team
The NBA has selected a group of ten young players to go up against Team USA and there are definitely some interesting choices. Looking at the roster, there are some selections that will help mirror the talent that the USA will be facing (ala Jason Kapono) but some of the other choices are a bit strange (Aaron Brooks, Channing Fye, Devin Harris). If I was putting together a squad of ten, I'd have gone with:
C: Al Jefferson: A quicker center with great low post moves, Big Al should test the individual defense of Team USA's bigs.
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge: His perimeter game is advanced which makes him like many FIBA big men.
SF: Andre Iguodala: His jumpshot still needs to improve a bit but his ball-handling and overall game makes him a must-have for this team.
SG: Brandon Roy: A do-everything guard who can help run the offense, complementing Gordon and the other guards.
PG: Ben Gordon: A deadly scorer who can get hot and fill it up in a hurry. If a team is going to beat Team USA, it will either because we can't hit any shots or one of their players can't miss. Gordon is a good test for how to combat a guy who is filling it up at will.
C: Jason Smith: Talent-wise, there's no way that Smith should sniff the team however for a tune-up opponent, there are few Americans who mirror Euro-bigs better than Smith. He's athletic, skilled, and can knock down perimeter shots all day. He isn't a guy that you are going to focus on but if you don't pay attention to him, he'll find a way to make you pay. I could see him playing a similar role as to the one Wang Zhi-Zhi filled for the Chinese National Team that played in Vegas.
PF: David Lee: Talented, athletic, hustles. Just the kind of guy opponents hate to have to line up against.
SF: Caron Butler: Butler is a elder statesman on the team and has an inside-outside game that will help create and take advantage of mismatches. Butler is also strong enough that he could handle some minutes at the PF spot should the team decide to go small.
SG: Kevin Martin:A lights-out shooter who isn't a complete stiff. While Team USA picks guys like Kapono, the European marksman has improved athletically and isn't the one dimenional gunner that the Dream Team faced.
PG: Monta Ellis: The tweener point guard who can set up his teammates but can also score on his own.
