Wednesday, August 22, 2007

K gets some NBA Love


Coach K is guiding USA basketball, hopefully back to gold in the Olympics. But first, coimes the FIBA Americas tournament. Things tip-off for the USA tonight at 11 eastern on ESPN Classic.

Really sounds like the guys are really buying K's method:

NBA veterans rave about Krzyzewski

With a roster that includes proven veterans such as Chauncey Billups along with young stars such as LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, Krzyzewski has been able to get his team to bond by treating everyone like family.

"The first thing is communication, which he does very well because he likes to teach," Kidd said. "I think he would do great in the NBA, but we all know that he has a great gig at Duke."

Krzyzewski understands that his legendary coaching status will not mean a thing if Team USA fails to reach the FIBA Americas Championship final and is forced to play in a world qualifying tournament to reach next year's Olympics.

"I'm proud that these guys have made this type of commitment," Krzyzewski said about Team USA players, who committed three years to work with the national program.

Krzyzewski, who led Team USA to an 8-1 record and bronze medal at the world championships last year in Japan, has made relationships a priority this summer, and his roster filled with NBA players has responded.

"He gets his points across very clear, and as a player, you respect that," Stoudemire said. Full Story...


Full TV Schedule is below.

In some ways there is now less pressure on Coach K that you would have thought, just because USA has had terrible performances that last few years. It is a great opportunity, where he has been giving a great deal of control over the process, and can in many ways be seen as the savior of USA Basketball should we bring home the gold.

The Roster is loaded, in fact loaded enough that he sent home Kevin Durant

Bodog Beat
NBA News: Kevin Durant Cut from US Basketball Team
Bodog Beat, Antigua and Barbuda - 21 hours ago
"With Kevin, one year in college and 18 years old and he's made giant progress and he's going to be one of the faces of the NBA and USA Basketball who will ...
(Roster and Roster comments from NBA.com)
Point Guards

Jason Kidd
Kidd has been the starting point guard throughout camp. His leadership and ability to find his teammates in scoring position has been invaluable to this team. He might not start every game, but he's just an important an addition as Bryant is. He will need to push the tempo as much as possible, because getting easy baskets on the break will be key to the Americans' success.

Chauncey Billups
Mr. Big Shot has also taken on a leadership role and should see plenty of playing time (along with a start or two) throughout the tournament. He will be asked to hit shots from the perimeter, because the wings will draw defenders, leaving him alone beyond the arc.

Deron Williams
Even though he's the third point guard on the depth chart, D-Will is a lock for this roster. Coach K has talked about playing two of the point guards together in the backcourt in order to take advantage of all the skill he has at that position. Williams is one of the best shooters on this team, so they may need him to knock down shots as well as run the offense. Kidd has taken his "son" under his wing during camp, and that will not only benefit Williams, it will also benefit USA Basketball down the line.

Wings

Kobe Bryant
As Coach K said, KB24 will start at the two throughout the FIBA Americas tourney, and you can probably guarantee the same for next year's Olympic Games. He will be the go-to guy down the stretch of close games, but he'll probably draw multiple defenders in such cases, so he will need to make the right decision with the ball. He'll also be asked to defend some of the better shooters in the tournament, so keep an eye on his defense as well.

LeBron James
Like Kobe, LeBron is the starter at the three. He will be the primary option on the fast break, because he runs the floor well and of course, nobody wants to get in front of him when he has a head of steam. In the half court, LeBron will be asked to use dribble penetration to create for his teammates.

Michael Redd
Redd has shot the ball pretty well in camp. No one on the roster can get a shot up quicker than he can, so he's obviously a key weapon off the bench. If there weren't as many injuries, he might be battling with Mike Miller for the designated shooter's role, but with only 14 healthy bodies, there looks to be room for both of them on the roster.

Mike Miller
Miller has been just as good as Redd from downtown, and he's also filled the boxscore in other ways. In fact, Redd and Miller have often assisted on each other's baskets during camp. The two of them could see time together on the second unit, to really make defenses pay for packing it in the lane.

Tayshaun Prince
Prince's shooting has been a bit inconsistent, but he's the best defensive player in camp. There's probably room for him on the 12-man roster, but he may not see significant playing time.


Bigs

Carmelo Anthony
With the lack of skilled bigs, Coach K will go with Anthony at the four in order to have his best players on the floor. That gives Team USA some extra offense in the starting lineup, but 'Melo will need to guard some bigger opponents, and he'll need to help out on the boards.

Amare Stoudemire
First of all, it's just great to see Amare at 100 percent this time around. Secondly, it's great to see how much his shooting has improved in the last couple of years. His offensive game is more complete than it has ever been. He'll start most games at the five, he'll get some easy baskets playing with the playmakers listed above, and he'll be asked to clog up the middle defensively.

Dwight Howard
Howard could start a game or two at the center spot. He's not nearly as good a shooter as Stoudemire is, but he'll grab his share of offensive boards and there's not a player in this tournament who can out-muscle him. He's a beast and if he puts himself in position to score, the guys handling the ball will find him.

Tyson Chandler
If you assume that Durant isn't going to make the roster, then the last spot probably comes down to Chandler and Nick Collison. Chandler gives Team USA their biggest shot-blocking presence, should that be a need. The guy can go from one side of the lane to the other in a split second in order to erase any mistakes the perimeter defenders may make. But he's a true center, and the team may be want their fourth big to be able to play the four, since both Stoudemire and Howard are centers as well.




2007 FIBA Americas Championship Television Schedule

ESPN

Date Game Network / Time
Preliminary Round
Wednesday, Aug. 22 USA - Venezuela ESPN Classic, ESPN360 / 11:00 p.m. (EDT)
Thursday, Aug. 23 USA - Venezuela ESPN2 / 1:00 a.m. (EDT)
Thursday, Aug. 23 USA - U.S. Virgin Islands ESPN Classic, ESPN.360 / 11:00 p.m. (EDT)
Friday, Aug. 24 USA - U.S. Virgin Islands ESPN2 / 2:00 a.m. (EDT)
Saturday, Aug. 25 USA - Canada ESPN2, ESPN360 / 3:00 p.m. (EDT)
Sunday, Aug. 26 USA - Brazil ESPN2, ESPN360 / 9:00 p.m. (EDT)
Second Round
Monday, Aug. 27 USA - TBD ESPN2, ESPN360 / 11:00 p.m. (EDT)
Tuesday, Aug. 28 USA - TBD ESPN2, ESPN360 / 11:00 p.m. (EDT)
Wednesday, Aug. 29 USA - TBD ESPN2, ESPN360 / 11:00 p.m. (EDT)
Thursday, Aug. 30 USA - TBD ESPN2, ESPN360 / 12:00 a.m. (EDT)
Semifinals
Saturday, Sept. 1 USA - TBD ESPN Classic, ESPN360 / 4:00 p.m. (EDT)
Saturday, Sept. 1 USA - TBD ESPN2 / 10:30 p.m. (EDT)

FSN

Date Game Time

Preliminary Round
Wednesday, Aug. 22 Canada - Brazil 8:30 p.m. (EDT)
Thursday, Aug. 23 Argentina - Uruguay 3:30 p.m. (EDT)
Friday, Aug. 24 Brazil - Venezuela 11:00 p.m. (EDT)
Saturday, Aug. 25 Virgin Islands - Brazil 6:00 p.m. (EDT)
Saturday, Aug. 25 Argentina - Mexico 11:00 p.m. (EDT)
Sunday, Aug. 26 Panama - Argentina 12:00 p.m. (EDT)
Second Round
Monday, Aug. 27 TBD - TBD 8:30 p.m. (EDT)
Tuesday, Aug. 28 TBD - TBD 6:00 p.m. (EDT)
Wednesday, Aug. 29 TBD - TBD 3:30 p.m. (EDT)
Thursday, Aug. 30 TBD - TBD 7:00 p.m. (EDT)
Finals
Sunday, Sept. 2 Bronze Medal Game 4:00 p.m. (EDT)
Sunday, Sept. 2 Gold Medal Game 7:00 p.m. (EDT)

NBA TV

Date Game Time
Preliminary Round
Wednesday, Aug. 22 Uruguay vs. Panama 3:30 p.m. (EDT)
Wednesday, Aug. 22 Puerto Rico vs. Mexico 6:00 p.m. (EDT)
Wednesday, Aug. 22 Canada vs. Brazil 8:30 p.m. (EDT)*
Thursday, Aug. 23 USA vs. Venezuela 1:00 a.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 22)
Thursday, Aug. 23 USA vs. Venezuela 12:00 p.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 22)
Thursday, Aug. 23 Argentina vs. Uruguay 3:30 p.m. (EDT)*
Thursday, Aug. 23 Venezuela vs. Canada 6:00 p.m. (EDT)
Friday, Aug. 24 Panama vs. Puerto Rico 1:00 a.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 23)
Friday, Aug. 24 USA vs. Virgin Islands 12:00 p.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 23)
Friday, Aug. 24 Mexico vs. Panama 3:30 p.m. (EDT)
Friday, Aug. 24 Brazil vs. Venezuela 11:00 p.m. (EDT)*
Saturday, Aug. 25 Canada vs. Virgin Islands 1:00 a.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 24)
Saturday, Aug. 25 Puerto Rico vs. Argentina 12:00 p.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 24)
Saturday, Aug. 25 Virginia Islands vs. Brazil 6:00 p.m. (EDT)*
Sunday, Aug. 26 Uruguay vs. Puerto Rico 1:00 a.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 25)
Sunday, Aug. 26 Argentina vs. Mexico 10:00 a.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 25)
Sunday, Aug. 26 USA vs. Canada 12:00 p.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 25)
Sunday, Aug. 26 Venezuela vs. Virgin Islands 4:00 p.m. (EDT)
Sunday, Aug. 26 Mexico vs. Uruguay 6:30 p.m. (EDT)
Sunday, Aug. 26 Panama vs. Argentina 12:00 a.m. (EDT)*
Monday, Aug. 27 USA vs. Brazil 2:00 a.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 26)
Monday, Aug. 27 USA vs. Brazil 12:00 p.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 26)
Second Round
Monday, Aug. 27 TBD vs. TBD 3:30 p.m. EDT
Tuesday, Aug. 28 TBD vs. TBD 1:00 a.m. (EDT)** (game played on Aug. 27)
Tuesday, Aug. 28 TBD vs. TBD 10:00 a.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 27)
Tuesday, Aug. 28 USA vs. TBD 12:00 p.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug 27)
Tuesday, Aug. 28 TBD vs. TBD 3:30 p.m. (EDT)
Tuesday, Aug. 28 TBD vs. TBD 6:00 p.m. (EDT)*
Tuesday, Aug. 28 TBD vs. TBD 8:30 p.m. (EDT)
Wednesday, Aug. 29 USA vs. TBD 12:00 p.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 28)
Wednesday, Aug. 29 TBD vs. TBD 3:30 p.m. (EDT)*
Wednesday, Aug. 29 TBD vs. TBD 6:00 p.m. (EDT)
Wednesday, Aug. 29 TBD vs. TBD 8:30 p.m. (EDT)
Thursday, Aug. 30 USA vs. TBD 1:00 a.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 29)
Thursday, Aug. 30 USA vs. TBD 12:00 p.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 29)
Thursday, Aug. 30 TBD vs. TBD 4:30 p.m.(EDT)
Thursday, Aug. 30 TBD vs. TBD 7:00 p.m. (EDT)
Thursday, Aug. 30 TBD vs. TBD 9:30 p.m.(EDT)*
Friday, Aug. 31 USA vs. TBD 2:00 a.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 30)
Friday, Aug. 31 USA vs. TBD 12:00 p.m. (EDT)# (game played on Aug. 30)
Semifinals
Saturday, Sept. 1 TBD vs. TBD 11:00 p.m. (EDT)#
Saturday, Sept. 1 TBD vs. TBD 1:00 a.m. (EDT)#
Finals
Sunday, Sept. 2 Bronze Medal 4 p.m. (EDT)*
Sunday, Sept. 2 Gold Medal 7 p.m. (EDT)*


* Simulcast Live on FSN
** Taped Delay from FSN
# Replay of ESPN Telecast

1 comments:

Jarrett said...

It's not surprising.

K has always has a player-friendly style of play. Lot's of shooting and a motivating presence on D.