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You know, it seems just as plausible that Reggie shut it down so word wouldn't get out that he had a problem with that knee. Especially that he didn't provide medical records. Couldn't that have made has draft stock plummet? The more different doctors look at it, the more likely one or more will see something that they believe would be recurrent and then you know, maybe word gets around. Maybe he worked out for OKC while healthy, hurt his knee, had reason to believe he had a major problem and shut it down rather than risk falling out of the first round where contracts are guaranteed.

Hope I'm wrong of course.

@ Jax Raging Bile Duct
It comes down to this for me: There are at least two players ahead of Russ at both guard positions. If not Paul or Deron, it will be Rose (just like at the world championships). SG has several players who are better at the 2 than Russ. What that means is that whomever is the 5th/6th guard needs to be able to impact the game in very limited minutes.

Russ just isn't that kind of player. His defense is limited (poor PnR defender, tends to get lost off the ball), his offense is predicated upon having the ball in his hands (unlikely with the talent around him on that team), and he's not a quality shooter (to take advantage of open looks). I get why he was so good in 2010, I really do. But a team as (or nearly) as talented as 2008 doesn't have much use for Russ's skills. He wouldn't have the same minutes or opportunity to be himself.

Rose shouldn't make the team either, as he's more combo than point and shares most of the same weaknesses as Russ.

If you look at the model put forward at the world championships. and the need for an extra big due to Ibaka's commitment to play for spain here are the roles available and possible automatic selections

Locked in
Defensive C: Dwight Howard
Defensive Stopper: Lebron
Veteran Guard there for leadership SG2; Kobe
Scoring Forward/ KD
G3/Token Shooter Stephen Curry,

Positional Battles
PG1 Passing: CP3 v Dwill v John Wall
PG2 Athletic Combo: Rose v Westbrook
SG: Harden v Wade v Gordon v johnson v Evans v Derozen v Mayo
PF/C Amare v Odom v Aldridge v Bosh v Monroe
PF Kevin Love v Griffin v Smith v boozer

Final Cuts
C2 V PF2 V SF 3: Melo, R Gay, Mcgee, Bynum, Chandler v others listed above

:facepalm:

why is everyone so certain that Wade will make team USA for the london olympics. keep in mind all players will be two years older. so the younger guys in the NBA will be more developed. In a year Harden will be a much better choice then Wade, because he is almost as good a playmaker and he hits 3's which is much more important in fiba play

Dallas used the same tactics that the world used against 2003 team USA, when america started loosing with lebron, wade, bosh, melo ect until they bought in coach K, because you need more then 1 perimeter shooter on the floor.

Another article on CP3-the-free-agent and another suggestion from Broussard that CP3 should go to the Thunder. This guy really wants KD and Paul together. At least he included the caveat "if the Thunder would agree to it" when he talked trades this time.

Reggie Jackson's knee makes me a little bit nervous. I wish he would have had the surgery even if it meant missing some of the season.

@Keith
Honest question, but what would Russ bring to Team USA that Iggy wouldn’t bring at a higher level? What does he add that isn’t already covered by someone else that also brings more to the table individually (Paul-Williams-Kobe-Wade)?

Sorry, the Reply|Quote links aren't working for me (and haven't for about 3 months now).

If you use Russ exclusively at any position, then nothing.

@Keith

What I'm saying is that Russ is versatile enough to save a roster spot. You can't play CP3 at the 2, and you can't play Kobe/Wade at the 1. I think DWill and Russ would both be good at playing the 1 and 2. I would think Rose could play both as well, but coach K obviously didn't think he could do it as well as Russ could. Of course that could change with a new personnel mix and natural development by the time London rolls around.

So if you are going to go 3 deep at every position and you consider the 3-5 to need more depth, than you could use Russ as the 3rd option at the 1 and the 2 and use that extra spot for a 3-5 rather than just 3 deep at every natural position.

If last year is any indication, Russ would get the nod at the type of role.

kobe/wade/lebron won't be playing

Honest question, but what would Russ bring to Team USA that Iggy wouldn't bring at a higher level? What does he add that isn't already covered by someone else that also brings more to the table individually (Paul-Williams-Kobe-Wade)?

@ Jax Raging Bile Duct
The issue I see is that what Russ offered last year isn't in short supply, assuming everyone commits. Paul can press the opposing PG as well as Russ. Deron is big enough to play both spots. Kobe and Wade can do just about everything better than Russ. For the 5th/6th guard, I think the team emphasizes shooting (maybe Gordon/Curry) and a lockdown defender (Iguodola would be my choice).

Like I said, Russ just doesn't bring to 2012 what he did in 2010, because the team is so much more talented top to bottom. The 2010 team needed that versatility and bulldog mentality. The 2012 team has that in spades - what it needs is more shooting and savvy decision making (two things Russ doesn't have).

@Keith

I see where you're coming from, but coach K didn't use Russ to defend the PnR last year. He did use him to apply ball pressure for 94 ft, and that worked wonders - like a Pitino press in college. He would have Russ guard the ball all the way up the court, then switch off with whoever was guarding point just after half court - usually after the PG fought to stay out of a trap.

I don't know if they'll use Russ or not - ultimately it doesn't really matter because they'll win the gold with any of those guys. But I think there is a good chance coach K goes back to Russ simply because he was the only player that played major minutes at the 1 and the 2. With rosters that small, versatility is a plus, and Russ was their 2-players-for-1-roster-spot guy the last time around with Rose, Billups, Gordon and Curry as options.

It's nothing against Westbrook, but his talent doen't fit with a full team the way they fit last summer. Last summer was the Durant show, and it needed a little help at times. In 2012, Durant could realistically not even be in the starting lineup. Totally different set of skills (passing and athleticism at a surplus) and needs (outside shooting, defensive play recognition). Westbrook overlaps what the team will already have, and doesn't improve the weaknesses. Rose is the same way, though his MVP may force his inclusion.

@ walker
I don't mean to attack you, but are you serious with that comment? Melo is a very good player (even better in FIBA), but not top 5 in the NBA at all. Lebron, Wade, Old Kobe, Dwight, and Durant are all easily better. Melo is a great scorer, but he's not honestly a smart one (goes ISO too much and chucks from deep when covered). And he's an absolutely terrible defender. Basketball is a two-way game, and Melo is a one-way player. He's basically what Durant was before he decided to play defense.

@ divisadero
Russ can't shoot and, like Rose, isn't a "pure" point. I know he's been fantastic for this team, but I honestly wouldn't put he or Rose on Team USA with that revamped cast. They are ball-stoppers in an offense where they would be the least effective scorers. They are also rather poor defenders, especially against PnRs (a huge staple of international offense).

If you project Westbrook into becoming the defender he can be, and becoming a distributor rather than scorer, sure, put him on the team. But Team USA doesn't need a bench spark. Everyone on the entire team will be able to do that, and other PGs will pass/defend better while other SGs will actually be able to shoot.

melo already played twice

Alot of people don't like Melo,but he is a top five player in the NBA.

"job"

I'm not sure why Williams is considered a lock over RW. I think RW offers something none of those guys can--a real spark off the bench. Krzyzewski knows this and did a great of using RW to ramp up Team USA's energy and focus when things weren't going their way last summer. Give me (a healthy) Paul as the starter and RW as the high-energy back up.

I think neither rose, nor melo are locks at all at this point. Melo's great, but is it worth taking someone who doesn't always play hard? Rose is the MVP, but I think most reasonable people would agree that has very little to do with how valuable he is on the re-redeem team. If he tried to play like he did on the bulls this year he would be benched the rest of the tourney. I really don't see russ getting left off, as he was simply perfect in his role in the worlds.

Russ can be SG for the team 2012.Gordon and Iggy are valueless when you have Kobe and Lebron.

Sorry I meant Johnathan Givony not Kubatko.

Justin Kubatko and others were still saying that Jackson had a promise from Miami after the draft and OKC just swooped in and took him anyway.

When do teams suspect that a player has been given a promise? Not only does the player not work out for them, he doesn't come in for an interview or make his medical records available. His agent stops returning calls.

That's what was happening with Reggie Jackson. Sure, your knee hurts, but that doesn't prevent you from visiting with teams for interviews and psychological tests.

It seems very unlikely Jackson would have been so unavailable if he hadn't been given a promise by OKC.

And no one ever admits a promise so these denials are par for the course.