Team USA 2023 FIBA World Cup (Trae Watch)

[JayBirdHawk]

21 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

TOLD YOU!!!

I don't believe this at all that they deliberately threw that game. 

If you watched and checked the actual quarter by quarter scoring, that's a no for me. If there was talk prior to the game about them playing for a more favorable matchup like in previous iterations, I'd agree, but this isn't that.  US unexpectedly got down big in the 1st quarter and just couldn't do enough to get back in it...they had no answer for the Lith switch big on small in the post and getting ORebs. They were killed on the glass.

 

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

25 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Bogi is a MONSTER!

Hot Bogi !  I just keep praying he remains healthy. 

Love his ability to keep his dribble alive in the paint.

 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

7 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

I don't believe this at all that they deliberately threw that game. 

If you watched and checked the actual quarter by quarter scoring, that's a no for me. If there was talk prior to the game about them playing for a more favorable matchup like in orevious iterations, I'd agree, but this isn't that.  US unexpectedly got down big in the 1st quarter and just couldn't do enough to get back in it...they had no answer for the Lith switch big on small in the post and getting ORebs. They were killed on the glass.

 

 

 

 

I'm normally not a conspiracy theorist. But if you want to throw a game, you do it on the defensive end.

Lithuania got hot on the offensive end from 3 in that 1st quarter.  Meanwhile, the US had a complete meltdown around the 5 minute mark of the 1st, and got outscored 18 - 4 to close the quarter.  Lithuania made 14 threes in that game, with most of them being open looks.

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

3 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

 

I'm normally not a conspiracy theorist. But if you want to throw a game, you do it on the defensive end.

Lithuania got hot on the offensive end from 3 in that 1st quarter.  Meanwhile, the US had a complete meltdown around the 5 minute mark of the 1st, and got outscored 18 - 4 to close the quarter.  Lithuania made 14 threes in that game, with most of them being open looks.

 

 

Lithuania's strength is playing inside so giving them 3s is the scouting report. They just couldn't miss if you are going to be giving them practice style 3s.

US bigs also in foul trouble and couldn't match Lith physicality.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

18 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Lithuania's strength is playing inside so giving them 3s is the scouting report. They just couldn't miss if you are going to be giving them practice style 3s.

US bigs also in foul trouble and couldn't match Lith physicality.

Your logic may be undeniable, but I'm going with the conspiracy theory.

 

[AHF]

34 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Your logic may be undeniable, but I'm going with the conspiracy theory.

 

I still say that if you are throwing games to avoid Serbia then you have utterly failed as a GM for USA basketball.  How pathetic it would be to deliberately throw games to avoid matches that scare you when you should not be scared of any opponent in basketball.  Any loss in international play is viewed as a failing for USA basketball and you locked that in if you throw a game.

I tend to think that this is a poor job of roster construction by the USA execs and nothing more.  Frankly, I think a world in which you are starting Hart and have Kessler, Portis, Banchero (at least he has the talent to warrant a spot long-term), Reaves, and Johnson on the roster when you had guys like Trae interested in playing is a complete disaster.  Ideally, JJJ and Brunson would be coming off the bench (but I don't have a problem with their inclusion).  Bridges and Edwards are worthy starters, imo.  At least Haliburton showed up strong for this one but too little, too late for the team.

[JayBirdHawk]

40 minutes ago, AHF said:

How pathetic it would be to deliberately throw games to avoid matches that scare you when you should not be scared of any opponent in basketball. 

[Spud2nique]

[Spud2nique]

3 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

 

 

 

Hey Burd you posted the X thingy, seriously how does that work? Don’t keep it a secret, share! 

[JayBirdHawk]

58 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

Hey Burd you posted the X thingy, seriously how does that work? Don’t keep it a secret, share! 

I'm not tech savvy enough to explain it but see if this from @djjob23 makes sense:

[Spud2nique]

27 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

I'm not tech savvy enough to explain it but see if this from @djjob23 makes sense:

Thanks   

[macdaddy]

it's all whether the url it gives you to share says twitter.com or x.com.   If it says x.com then it's not going to work right now.   I haven't tried just replacing the x.com with twitter.com.  that might work. 

[kg01]

5 hours ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

Your logic may be undeniable, but I'm going with the conspiracy theory.

 

Feeling they need to throw a game is an even bigger indictment than just losing games in the first place. 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

 

 

He got ejected for ref yapping! 

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

Germany vs USA  

Serbia vs Canada  

Canada - 8 NBA players

Germany- 5 NBA players

Serbia - 3 NBA player

 

[AHF]

27 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Germany vs USA  

Serbia vs Canada  

Canada - 8 NBA players

Germany- 5 NBA players

Serbia - 3 NBA player

 

When you say a number of NBA players, does that reflect only current NBA players or does it also include guys who have previously played in the NBA or been drafted by NBA teams?

[capstone21]

I hope Murray and Wiggins also play for Can during the Olympics 

[JayBirdHawk]

1 hour ago, AHF said:

When you say a number of NBA players, does that reflect only current NBA players or does it also include guys who have previously played in the NBA or been drafted by NBA teams?

I think I did current only. 

[JayBirdHawk]

FIBA Player Rankings to date.

 

[AHF]

42 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

FIBA Player Rankings to date.

 

Going beyond current NBA players and nearly all of them are NBA connected or grew up playing in the US (where they would have been in the NBA if they could have made it).  [Probably all of them would be in the NBA if they could have made it but I'm granting for the sake of argument that some might prefer to have played elsewhere if they have no obvious connection such as entering the draft.]

1 NBA player

2 NBA player

3 NBA player

4 NBA player

5 NBA player

6 American born and bred (didn't make the NBA)

7 NBA draftee

8 NBA player

9 NBA draftee

10 NBA player

11 Declared for NBA draft (went unpicked)

12 NBA player

13 Former NBA player

14 NBA player 

15 No US / NBA Connection

16 Former NBA player

17 No US / NBA Connection

18 Played HS / College ball in Florida & Illinois

19 NBA player

20 NBA player

21 No US / NBA Connection

22 Former NBA player

23 NBA player

24 Former NBA player

25 NBA player

26 No US / NBA Connection

27 NBA player

28 NBA player

29 NBA player

30 NBA player