It all must snuck up on me, but watching the USA basketball team was a real treat. Being told it was on Sunday morning in the US (true except for on the West Coast), I thought I had a day until the big game. Having not seen any basketball this Olympics, it was great to see a very entertaining and competitive Gold medal game.
Below are some random thoughts
– I give a lot of credit to Mike Krzyzewski. Yeah he had the best talent by far, but he got the team playing their best ball, meshed together a bunch of guys who don’t play together, made defense a priority, and most importantly kept the team laser focused on the prize at hand.
For whatever reason Coach K is not really embraced by sports fans. Maybe its that he always wins, he is kind of boring, and Duke is overpimped by ESPN. Regardless of how you feel, you have to appreciate the job he did with this team.
– Dwyane Wade is back and played a hell of a game and tournament. No doubt he will be a top 5 player next year in the NBA. My questions is are the Heat a top ten team in the NBA next year? Sounds ridiculous considering they are in the East and last year they were one of the worst teams in the East.
Regardless Wade, Marion, and now Beasley present a nice trio of players. Although supporting talent is few and far between, its very possible that the Heat could still be be a top tier contender at least in the East.
– Marc Gasol will be an All Star in the NBA. The East has Bosh and Howard, but Gasol showed he can hang with them and at times even dominated the two All stars. With Memphis having Conley, Gay, Mayo, and now Gasol, they become a team to keep an eye on over the next handful of years as a possible up comer to challenge Boston, Detroit, and Cleveland. So Memphis plays in the West, something that slipped my mind. Regardless the Grizzlies are building out a nice squad with Conley, Gay, Mayo, and now Gasol. Gasol showed he can play at the same level as Bosh and Howard and will now look to get the Grizzlies into conetion again.
– Rudy Fernandez showed me some game and I am kind of thinking that its 3-1 that the Blazers win a championship in the next 3 years. Its very possible the Blazers will have three of the best rookies in the NBA next year with Oden coming back from injury, Fernandez who looks ready to contribute, and Jerryd Bayless running the point. These three to go along with Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge makes me think they are the most likely to succeed the Spurs as the premier Western Power House.
– A year ago and a half ago, I had a friend asked me if I were to build a 3 man basketball team, who would I pick. I went with Chris Paul, Chris Bosh, and Lebron James. At the time he didn’t know who Paul and Bosh were. I have to say I don’t know if I would change my answer now. In particular Bosh is a guy that continues to grow on me. Dependable, smart, and with good range for a big man. Its a shame he is lampooned in Toronto.
– Just one man’s opinion, but I thought it was pretty lame that Spain puts player’s first names on the back of their jerseys.
– The announcers were all over Ricky Rubio the young prodigy point guard, rumored to be a front runner for the top pick of the NBA in 2010. While its a little early, I can definitely see him being an elite point guard in the NBA. A little raw in some areas I would say he is on par with guys like DJ Augustin and Jerryd Bayless who were top picks on this year’s draft. That’s quite impressive considering he still has two more years to mature. Tonight he hung with DeRon Williams and Chris Paul, while making Jason Kidd look his old age.
Below is cool highlight reel with a lame soundtrack of Rubio.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gIFun-ygSA&hl=en&fs=1
