Balance of Power in the NBA

The Miami Heat have a very strong team. They have Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. They also have a star-studded supporting cast that will help the trio with their shooting in Mike Miller, rebounding and defense in Udonis Haslem and Zydrunas Ilgaukas, and a couple of heady point guards to run the show in Miami in Carlos Arroyo and Mario Chalmers. I also like the two-time defending champion L.A. Lakers' chances of winning again. Their bench got deeper with two additions of a backup guard in Steve Blake and a backup small forward in Matt Barnes and a backup center in Theo Ratliff. I also think the Boston Celtics have a legitimate shot at repeating a second NBA Finals appearance. They added the O'Neals over the summer, Jermaine O'Neal and Shaquille O'Neal. Their starting lineup still remains the same, although the Celtics head coach Doc Rivers insists that the Lakers did not beat Boston at full strength, because the C's did not have Kendrick Perkins suited up for Game 7 in their last showdown of the 2010 NBA Finals. I also think the Orlando Magic have a good shot at returning back to the NBA Finals. They will not last long against the physically talented teams, such as the Lakers and the Celtics. The Magic's defensive presence Dwight Howard still mans the middle and he is still grabbing rebounds and blocking shots against all swing men who arrive in his lane. Although the Magic are thin defensively, they have shooters from all four positions on the floor when Howard is in the middle. They added Chris Duhon and Quentin Richardson over the summer. I think they will fit in, especially Richardson. His three-point shooting will be lights-out and his shooting will be appreciated on a Orlando team that shoots the three ball more than any other playoff team in the NBA.

Basketball Thoughts #3

Typical. USA team basketball played a bit sloppy against Angola and Tunisia. Now, they're in the upper tier of tournament ball now and they are taking it easy against the lower-bracket basketball teams, even though Tunisia and Angola can give team USA a run for their money. Team USA really has a problem maintaining their focus and attention to winning ways when they want to approach basketball games. They need to maintain that focus every time they come to play basketball. They must not let down every time a basket is scored against them. The USA men's basketball team needs to take the defensive playbook from the Boston Celtics' swarming man-to-man defense and from Gregg Popovich's San Antonio Spurs. The USA men's basketball team can learn from the top defensive teams in the NBA, as well as from their opponents. They have managed to incorporate the play-defense-as-a-team philosophy with some success, but USA basketball management have always insisted on having a basketball star leading the squad. The USA men's basketball team has to fully engage themselves to commit to play defense as a team and score as a team, plus the bench.

International basketball competition has caught up on how USA men team basketball runs its basketball plays. Dribble, dribble, pass, dribble, dribble, and pass, then shoot. When I watch teams like Argentina, Angola, Serbia, Croatia, and Spain play, I saw all five members of the starting team play crisp ball. They do not drop their offensive and defensive assignments nonewhatsoever. They run, they dribble the basketball, all five starters can rebound, they can pass, they can defend the pick-and-roll, they can play man-to-man defense if they want to. The starters and the bench play together as a team, that is the key. One thing I have seen team USA get burned on a lot is the pick-and-roll between the point guard and the center.

They rotate late as the point man uses his quickness to score or pass if he sees an opening. Those USA basketball players need to get a hand on that ball once it leaves the point guard's hands. The point man will be able to see the open shooters on the court plus the screener, the center. He can decide to score if he wants to or give up his shot to an open teammate. This is the play team USA men's basketball always get burned on. If at all, team USA must help each other play defense if they are to defeat their international opponents at a blowout rate faster than my heart can beat. Team USA is relying on steals and individual player's defense to generate fast break points and offensive baskets. In conclusion, team USA can make little adjustments on their defensive end and tighten up their offense a bit. Then, they will succeed as being at the top of the world again. And again.

Basketball Thoughts #2

USA men's basketball team barely beat Brazil today. They won by two points, 70-68. Brazil was not surprised that they got a good start on how to play team USA at basketball. Throughout most of the game, Brazil's guards set the pace for how they were going to play the Americans. They played a speed game. They did not have NBA big men on Brazil's national team, Anderson Varejao and Tiago Splitter available to play. I think this could have been one of the causes why Brazil did not have the advantage most of the game. The Americans knew coming into this game that they were going to be in for a surprise. It was a big surprise. The Americans were able to stay in the basketball game with the help of Kevin Durant and Chauncey Billups. If USA can survive Brazil's onslaught, then imagine how they can handle the upcoming ball games if they are to win the FIBA tournament. I really like Ricky Rubio's chances of playing in the NBA, particularly for the Minnesota Timberwolves. This Spainard really knows the game of basketball, he's crafty, he's got some flash to his game, and he knows how to play. Play. He can handle the basketball and he's got a nice shooting touch and some decent passing skills as well as some hops to go along with his game.

Basketball Thoughts

The Knicks should be a good team to watch for a few years to come. Amare Stoudemire has joined the organization. If anything, New York Knicks ticketholders would come to Madison Square Garden more because a star basketball player has finally arrived here in the Big Apple. Recently in the NBA, there has been a surge in the change of basketball power especially in the LA Lakers organization. The two-time defending champion Lakers strengthened their bench by adding Steve Blake, a backup point guard for Derek Fisher, and two veterans, Matt Barnes, a backup small forward, and Theo Ratliff, a backup center. If anything, I think that players who are playing in the Western Conference, if they want to win ball games, they have to move to the East Coast. So that means Carmelo Anthony, you want out of your contract, right? You can choose to go to New York and join Amare Stoudemire. Chris Paul is having a miserable time in New Orleans. I think he needs a change of scenery. I think the perfect destination for CP3 is New York. You would have a triumvirate like Miami's trio of Chris Bosh, Lebron James, and Dwyane Wade in New York with Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Amare Stoudemire. I think the Knicks could really use the star attention, because it's New York City and it's at Madison Square Garden. I think that Jason Williams should have joined the Miami Heat, because it is a Florida beach party. Florida alumni basketball college mates Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller have reunited in South Beach. Williams played college ball in Florida as did Haslem and Miller. Instead, Williams opted to re-sign with the Orlando Magic.

How to Construct the Perfect USA Basketball Team

If I were to recruit a group of NBA players to play against the best basketball teams of the world, I would get NBA players who can shoot the basketball. I've seen what opponents have done to the US basketball team in past years and to beat the Americans at basketball, you have to expose their lack of perimeter shooting. Not everyone on the US basketball team has a great shooting touch, which is why you'll need everyone on the roster to be able to make perimeter shots. The Americans have beaten their opponents in two areas of basketball: quickness and athleticism. They're not so hot in perimeter shooting.

Here's who I would pick to play against the best of basketball teams in the world. I like Baron Davis to be the point guard of the team. He can shoot the basketball, especially from three-point land. He can handle the ball as well as distribute. Davis is a skilled player who can also play defense as well. I would pick Ray Allen, the sharpshooter of the Boston Celtics to be my shooting guard. His shooting skills are superb and I wouldn't count on him missing shots without a tight defense around him. At the small forward spot, I would choose Paul Pierce. He can really shoot, that's one quality I have seen in him. He can find his spots and shoot the lights out of the gym with the basketball. At power forward, I would pick Lamar Odom. His shooting skills are great for someone his size, and he is quick too and he is someone who can run on the break. His passing skills and ability to handle the basketball are rare traits of someone as athletic for someone of Odom's size. Amare Stoudemire is my center. He is agile and quick and he has the athletic ability of a big man to get his own shot.

For the bench, I would pick Phoenix Suns center Channing Frye who has the three-point touch of a big man, Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls who can rebound and block shots, Imeka Udoka who is known for his defense and professionalism, Ronnie Brewer and CJ Miles, two perimeter-oriented players who can shoot and play defense, Rodney Stuckey who can play defense and create his own shot and shoot the basketball and be the playmaker of the team, and Matt Barnes, whose fiery passion and competitiveness as well as defense and three-point shooting ability will be the heart and soul of the team.

These players I chose will have the skills, talent, poise, and determination to match the efforts of the world competition who have caught up with the US talent pool of basketball. The players I chose will be able to work together. They have reputations of having no egos and are team-oriented players. The kind of coach they need is someone who will let them be themselves and let them run their basketball skill sets. That coach is current Phoenix Suns coach Alvin Gentry.

USA Basketball: Are they proving that USA basketball is a team of stars by making Kevin Durant, the face of this year's 2012 Olympic basketball team?

This current version of team USA basketball style wants to make Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant its basketball star for their global team in London for the 2012 Olympics. Why does the USA basketball management want to do this? They know now judging from their international competition that opposing basketball teams are learning to play team-oriented style basketball, not the kind of team USA basketball management put together in 1992 with Karl Malone, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and John Stockton. Oh, and yes, Charles Barkley too. If team USA wants to defeat their competition like in the past with precise ball movement, sharp shooting, and team work, they must be able to play like a team, not play one-on-one basketball with the other team's defender. By making Kevin Durant the face (and probably the franchise) of the USA men's basketball team for the London 2012 Olympics, USA basketball management has resorted to basketball star-making. They know by now, that putting basketball stars on the same team playing for the United States of America doesn't work. The rest of the world has caught up on playing the game of basketball and are placing a huge emphasis on teamwork than the Americans have less emphasis on. The American basketball team cannot rely on recruiting NBA basketball stars playing for USA anymore. They must go back to the ways of playing fundamental basketball in the 1992 Olympic basketball days when Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, Hakeem Olajuwon, and John Stockton played. By making Kevin Durant the star of this year's possible Olympic basketball team, they have shown in some way that basketball stars still make up what determines the spotlight of watching NBA basketball. If the Americans have learned anything to play basketball, they have fallen in love with the fancy and flashy dunks and fallen out of touch with the basic fundamental skills in basketball that they once had a long time ago. If Durant is the star of this team's journey to the '12 Olympic basketball games, then the US belief is that basketball stars do win ball games, and not teamwork. Simply put, if the US wants to defeat international competition like they used to, they must study the model of the 1992 Olympic men's basketball team. Until then, the US will still beat teams and just barely, will they dominate Olympic basketball competition like they used to do in the old days.

Team USA Basketball

If I were to describe Team USA basketball, it would be perimeter shooting. Why? This team coming from the country of the United States of America has a lot of perimeter shooters and not much on big men. If this country that is so studious on its sport of basketball and interested in improving its team were to help themselves to a better piece of the cake then I would say that that the only way Team USA can beat their opponents is by shooting the lights out in the gym. There would be no way that this American basketball team can win by playing with their backs to the basket. If I were the other basketball teams playing against the USA Olympic squad, I would exploit their weakness by pounding the ball inside and exposing the Americans' lack of size and interior. Make them shoot from the outside.