Seriously, could team USA win the gold medal without Kobe?

[Rapper]

I think so.

USA team got men like LBJ, D-wade, cp3, super-howard, etc..

Most importantly, Dwyane wade was absolutely the most valuable player among all of them during Beijing Olympics and all exhibition games.

so don't be cocky kobe, but congratulation though..

[samikeyp]

I think so.

we got men like LBJ, D-wade, cp3, super-howard, etc..

Most importantly, Dwyane wade was absolutely the most valuable player among all of them during Beijing Olympics and all exhibition games.

so don't be cocky kobe, but congratulation though..

"we"

So now you are American? :lol

[TDMVPDPOY]

kobe likes tastin ass

[Brutalis]

I think we could.

[samikeyp]

Nice edit Rapper! :lol

[Rapper]

Nice edit Rapper! :lol

What a typing mistake~

[1Parker1]

Yes they could. Just as easily probably. Lebron, Wade, Bosh/Howard are more than capable of bringing home the Gold.

[Rapper]

To be honest, i think D-wade is the real MVP~

[alamo50]

Sure, leave Kobe home (or in Denver) and replace him with Billups or Pierce.
On top of that you'll be needing another injury to Nocioni and Manu of course.

[Flo-Rida]

Where is Redhawks bitch ass now. Saying Wade should have been replace by Joe Johnson.

[Flo-Rida]

I bet you Wade will struggle because their is no star treatment in international basketball, my boy Joe Johnson got snubbed because of this fucker

[TheNextGen]

its hard to say they can without Kobe especially after last nights game. We all saw what happen in 2004 and 2006. So, im not gonna say they CANT win without Kobe...but he sure did prove that they needed him in the Gold medal game.


btw..whats the point of this thread anyways? you guys just LOVE to hate the guy.

[IronMexican]

Red Hawk is looking for a new team.

He might come back as Blue Grizzly 69

[Flo-Rida]

Red Hawk is looking for a new team.

He might come back as Blue Grizzly 69

:lol

[KobeOwnsBowen]

This team is very vulnerable without their best defender and clutch shooter. We could've lost against Spain without Kobe.

[Showtime24 LAKERS]

Team Could not have won it without me, tell me how my ass taste!

[JoeTait75]

USA could have gotten to the gold medal game without Kobe. But they couldn't have won the gold medal without him.

[Allanon]

USA could have gotten to the gold medal game without Kobe. But they couldn't have won the gold medal without him.

Agreed.

And besides, LeBronze and Wade already had a chance to take home the gold without Kobe but they came back with a Bronze.

2004 Bronze Medal team had some very talented guys ... Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Carlos Boozer, Carmelo Anthony

[jack sommerset]

They just didnot throw the team together and say "go out and win now" They have been putting the team together for over a year. So many great USA players did not even play.

[Flo-Rida]

Agreed.

And besides, LeBronze and Wade already had a chance to take home the gold without Kobe but they came back with a Bronze.

2004 Bronze Medal team had some very talented guys ... Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Carlos Boozer, Carmelo Anthony

Melo,Bron and Wade barely even played in the 04 Olympics.

[The Franchise]

Yes.

[JoeTait75]

And besides, LeBronze and Wade already had a chance to take home the gold without Kobe but they came back with a Bronze.

Unfair point, and you ought to know that.

[Allanon]

Unfair point, and you ought to know that.

Sure. But c'mon, you gotta admit, "LeBronze" is very catchy :D

[TheMadHatter]

Kobe can't even win the Gold Medal for the United States without the haters coming out in full force. He is without question the most controversial player in sports, probably of all time as far as basketball goes.

[IronMexican]

Kobe the Doberman Bryant.

or in other words, Dobe

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj46/laker49/dobe.jpg

[ThunderStix®]

Sure, leave Kobe home (or in Denver) and replace him with Billups or Pierce.
On top of that you'll be needing another injury to Nocioni and Manu of course.

You're just a bitter European loser.

[TheMACHINE]

We'll never know if they could have won without him...but WE do know that he came up big time when it counted yesterday.

[Fmedrano1077]

Wouldn't have last night!

[Biggems]

you mean the same Kobe committing stupid fouls and chucking up ill-advised shots last night? Yes he made some clutch baskets, but someone of his skill level is bound to make some of his chucks.

Wade was the real hero last night. He took over in the first half and made sure the US was in control at halftime.

[024]

kobe loves to be the hero. when it works out, he's the best player in the world. when it doesn't, people make excuses for him. you can tell how badly he wanted to be the hero at the end of the game when he selfishly tried to go for that steal on rudy fernandez. and then again desperately chucking a contested three with still six seconds on the shot clock.

has anyone else noticed that kobe has been taking the most shots throughout the olympics? i remember announcers praising kobe for taking an "unselfish" role and then citing an average of 12.8 points as an example. but that just means kobe has been missing most of his shots. kobe will always shoot the most on any team whether they are good or bad shots. when kobe makes his shots, he's the best player in the world, when he doesn't he's playing an "unselfish" role.

[TheMadHatter]

The haters will always hate.

WHEN THE GAME WAS ON THE LINE, there was only one player on Team USA that was ready and willing to take those big shots. There was only one man on Team USA that Wade and Lebron WANTED taking those shots, and that was Mr. Kobe Bean Bryant.

And boy oh boy, did he deliver. Vintage Kobe. Another classic to be added to his collection. Simply the best.

[Darthkiller]

they could have lost if kobe didnt make that 4 point play in the 4th quarter.

[024]

The haters will always hate.

WHEN THE GAME WAS ON THE LINE, there was only one player on Team USA that was ready and willing to take those big shots. There was only one man on Team USA that Wade and Lebron WANTED taking those shots, and that was Mr. Kobe Bean Bryant.

And boy oh boy, did he deliver. Vintage Kobe. Another classic to be added to his collection. Simply the best.

really you can read wade and lebron's minds? you sound like his PR agent. all i saw was wade sealing the game with a three after kobe missed his forced one. and he didn't look around to see where kobe was when he got the ball. he shot it. and i believe it was also lebron who kicked it out to wade, not kobe. i'm not going to argue if kobe is a great player or not because he is. he will always make big shots just like he will always make poor decisions.

[TheMadHatter]

really you can read wade and lebron's minds? you sound like his PR agent. all i saw was wade sealing the game with a three after kobe missed his forced one. and he didn't look around to see where kobe was when he got the ball. he shot it. and i believe it was also lebron who kicked it out to wade, not kobe. i'm not going to argue if kobe is a great player or not because he is. he will always make big shots just like he will always make poor decisions.

Like I said haters will always hate, and you sir are a H-A-T-E-R. Say it with me, H-A-T-E-R. :lmao

You don't have to read minds to see both Lebron and Wade passing back to Kobe in the final minutes so he could take over.

[024]

Like I said haters will always hate, and you sir are a H-A-T-E-R. Say it with me, H-A-T-E-R. :lmao

You don't have to read minds to see both Lebron and Wade passing back to Kobe in the final minutes so he could take over.

oh oops. i didn't know madhatter was a troll. i apologize for paying attention to him. i'll stop talking to him now.

[Medvedenko]

The team could have won it withouth Wade, Kobe or Lebron....The americans have a lot of talent and one player regardless of stature shouldn't matter. I know wade played well in the first half, but with all of that scoring where was the D...It's not about Kobe's scoring or shooting percentage, his D is what mattered the most. Also his poise was huge. I do agree, Wade was the most consistent player they had.

[KidCongo]

Agreed.

And besides, LeBronze and Wade already had a chance to take home the gold without Kobe but they came back with a Bronze.

2004 Bronze Medal team had some very talented guys ... Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, Carlos Boozer, Carmelo Anthony

Man Kobe fans get defensive.

[TheMACHINE]

kobe loves to be the hero. when it works out, he's the best player in the world. when it doesn't, people make excuses for him. you can tell how badly he wanted to be the hero at the end of the game when he selfishly tried to go for that steal on rudy fernandez. and then again desperately chucking a contested three with still six seconds on the shot clock.

has anyone else noticed that kobe has been taking the most shots throughout the olympics? i remember announcers praising kobe for taking an "unselfish" role and then citing an average of 12.8 points as an example. but that just means kobe has been missing most of his shots. kobe will always shoot the most on any team whether they are good or bad shots. when kobe makes his shots, he's the best player in the world, when he doesn't he's playing an "unselfish" role.

So are you saying that Lebron, Melo and Wade didn't take bad shots or go for bad steals in this game?

[jacobdrj]

Team USA's best linup was one that didn't include any of the starters...
Kobe wouldn't have had to get hot had those bench guys stayed in. I appreciate that Coach K was able to get these guys to play a little team ball (even though they were most likely willing at that point and didn't need much prodding). but he is on my OSCL list at this point. The guy doesn't have a clue how to rotate professional players. It isn't like college with 2 superstar recruits, a bunch of random guys with good GPAs all willing to eat out of a coaches hands for no pay... You play the best lineup and keep playing them until something goes wrong, and not after a lead has been completely blown. P-Jax/Carlisle never would have allowed it to get to a 4 point game... it would have been closely monitored the whole way...

[Kip Dynamite]

So are you saying that Lebron, Melo and Wade didn't take bad shots or go for bad steals in this game?

Your mom takes bad shots!

[urunobili]

no Kobe no gold for the US

[Allanon]

Team USA's best linup was one that didn't include any of the starters...

It seemed this way because when the NBA 2nd unit was on the floor, the other team's 2nd unit was also out on the floor. Starters mostly played against starters and bench played against bench.

Wade was a strong performer off the bench but the rest were less than spectacular. Melo for all his whining actually played well.

Chris Bosh did have his moments. CP3 wasn't able to dominate like in the NBA. DWill didn't couldn't take it to the hole either. The bench did have the most fastbreaks I think.

[jacobdrj]

With all due respect, I have heard this before. It would be a valid point, but it can't be tested, as coaches like Coach K don't seem to want to keep those players in until they do poorly. He doesn't even give them a chance to test the '2nd best bs 2nd best' hypotesis, because they are taken out once they build a lead.
I do agree that Melo played well (he seems particularly suited to international play, as is Bosh). But to leave a linup in that slowly slowly is blowing a lead after the bench worked so hard to build it is infurating at least, and dangerous at worse (see Flip Saunders, 2004 WCF).

[DDS4]

It seemed this way because when the NBA 2nd unit was on the floor, the other team's 2nd unit was also out on the floor. Starters mostly played against starters and bench played against bench.

Wade was a strong performer off the bench but the rest were less than spectacular. Melo for all his whining actually played well.

Chris Bosh did have his moments. CP3 wasn't able to dominate like in the NBA. DWill didn't couldn't take it to the hole either. The bench did have the most fastbreaks I think.


Yep. The depth of the bench was the USA's best trait. That's why Bosh and Wade had monster contributions vs. other teams' 2nd unit. Some of other teams were only 6-7 men deep for the most part.

[TheNextGen]

no Kobe no gold for the US

[LakeShow]

http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2008-08/41778220.jpg

http://www.latimes.com/media/thumbnails/columnist/2007-04/260175.jpg (http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-columnist-bplaschke,0,2615104.columnist)
Bill Plaschke (http://www.latimes.com/sports/basketball/nba/lakers/la-columnist-bplaschke,0,2615104.columnist):
The word on Kobe Bryant from his Olympic teammates: respect

Kobe Bryant and his U.S. teammates have scored 84 more points off turnovers than their opponents, and 91 more points off fast breaks.


Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt have garnered the fame. For Kobe Bryant, the reward is much more valuable.
Bill Plaschke
August 23, 2008

BEIJING -- He never wore a swimsuit, but nobody made a bigger splash.

He never ran a lap, yet nobody traveled farther.

The Beijing Olympics may initially be known for Michael Phelps' strength and Usain Bolt's speed, but, among American sports fans, no memory will prove as indelible as Kobe Bryant's redemption.

It's here. It's done. It will be officially completed on Sunday when the U.S. reclaims a gold medal against overmatched Spain, but, in terms of the one thing Bryant had lost, it's already happened.

The Olympics will give Phelps and Bolt only fame.

The Olympics have given Bryant the more enduring gift of respect.

Seven games down, one remaining, and longtime Bryant watchers are hearing the most unusual things.

Players speaking glowingly of him. Players speaking kindly of him.

Players who once universally distrusted him, well, they like him. They really like him.

The sort of All-Star team that once froze him out now follows him, gaining energy from his defense, making it their mantra.

Every game, Bryant has been the first player in a defensive stance, the first guy guarding the opponent in the backcourt, squatting and straining alone in front of four guys who have no choice but to imitate.

If this team could have only one passport, Bryant playing defense would be the photo.

"He gives it his all on every second of every play. You see that and you're like, you've got to do the same thing," said center Chris Bosh. "You see a guy playing that hard, you'll do anything not to let him down."

The sort of smart players who once shunned him now actually learn from him, drawing inspiration from his preparation.

Every game, he's the player pointing to other players, directing them on both sides of the court, counseling them, cheering them.

"You hear a lot of things about Kobe, but I had no idea he was such a basketball junkie," said guard Chris Paul. "He studies all the film, talks basketball all the time, knows everything."

Finally, the sort of nice-guy players who once ignored him now treat him as an equal.

"We're good friends, so none of what he does surprises me," said center Carlos Boozer.

Notice something interesting about that sentence?

In my memory, it's the first time that anyone has ever been quoted saying that he and Bryant were "good friends."

The loner has become an embraced leader, and you could see it again Friday in a 101-81 rout of defending Olympic champion Argentina at Wukesong Arena.

Before the game, the handful of players who had competed on the embarrassing 2004 Olympics team in Athens pleaded with them for revenge.

Bryant listened, and came out crazy.

He scored the first points on a reverse follow-up layup. He made the first defensive stop while swarming Manu Ginobili into a three-point miss.

He threw the first big elbow of the game, shoving Ginobili right in front of a whistle-chewing official, setting the tone for an hourlong scrum.

And then, he ran the first player off the court, chasing Ginobili to the bench with what appeared to be a sprained ankle less than seven minutes into the game.

Neither Ginobili, nor the Argentine chances, returned.

"Kobe was the guy; he was like, 'I want to guard Manu,' " Paul said. "He always wants to guard the other team's best player."

It's one thing for him to say that in a Lakers locker room, on a team where he has to guard the opposing star.

It's another thing to say it in a room filled with stars, where he knows that concentrating on defense will hurt his scoring, and that volunteering for anything can only bring embarrassment.

"The things he does out there, they're not about putting the ball in the basket," said Carmelo Anthony. "They're about his presence."

Notice something interesting about that sentence?

How many times does a teammate compliment Bryant on something that doesn't involve numbers? Even when his Lakers teammates talk about how Bryant won't let them lose, they are talking about his scoring.

As perhaps the ultimate compliment, Bryant's teammates here are raving about him in spite of his numbers.

He is only the third-leading scorer on the team, at 14.3 points a game. He ranks fourth in steals. He ranks sixth in assists. Eighth in rebounding.

It's not about the numbers. It's about the perception.

His teammates can't believe this is the Kobe Bryant who has, at various times in this career, cast himself as heartless and selfish.

His teammates see him only as the leader of a defense that has scored 84 more points off turnovers than their opponents and 91 more points off fastbreaks.

Notice something interesting about this column?

As recently as a year ago, you couldn't write a story about Kobe Bryant's impact on a team without talking to Kobe Bryant. His teammates never had much to say, and when they did, they seemed to say it with fear.

This time, though, there are no Bryant quotes. There is not enough room. His teammates said plenty.

Bill Plaschke can be reached at bill.plaschke

@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Plaschke, go to latimes.com/plaschke

[TheNextGen]

good article. growing up makes a big difference.

[Avitus1]

Yes.

[monosylab1k]

We'll never know if they could have won without him

We'll never know if they could have won without Wade either.

[TheMadHatter]

Plashcke trying his hardest to complement Kobe, haha.

[dirk4mvp]

Plashcke trying his hardest to complement Kobe, haha.


Jason Kidd has been trying to shoot some shots.

[TheMadHatter]

Jason Kidd has been trying to shoot some shots.


http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/64/fullj.bd3a7ce9504c86572fa508dda0a536e9/bd3a7ce9504c86572fa508dda0a536e9-getty-81972795mc177_olympics_day_.jpg

[monosylab1k]

Hi Jeff

[TheMadHatter]

Hi Jeff

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/64/fullj.bd3a7ce9504c86572fa508dda0a536e9/bd3a7ce9504c86572fa508dda0a536e9-getty-81972795mc177_olympics_day_.jpg

[monosylab1k]

his hand is right on that ref's cock, Jeff.

[TheMadHatter]

no

[monosylab1k]

no

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/64/fullj.bd3a7ce9504c86572fa508dda0a536e9/bd3a7ce9504c86572fa508dda0a536e9-getty-81972795mc177_olympics_day_.jpg

[MavDynasty]

Jkidds poor shooting is all a fluke and kobe sucks ass.

Mavs going to win it all next year while kobe complains cuz he couldnt get traded

[TheMACHINE]

We'll never know if they could have won without Wade either.

But we know they can lose with Wade...just ask Manu.

[cecil collins]

Kobe is a big phony.

[Showtime24 LAKERS]

But we know they can lose with Wade...just ask Manu.

While you're at it ask Lebronze and Dimcan why they couldn't win it in 04' :lmao

[hater]

could USA win with Manu on the court?

[LakeShow]

could USA win with Manu on the court?

Can Manu ever get over his fear of KOBE? Ever since Kobe bitch slapped him, he pulls the injury card whenever he faces him.

:fro

[Allanon]

Ok, so let's forget 2004 and give LeBron + Wade a free hall pass for that debacle.

I just remembered that the 2006 Worlds "Bronze" team had many of the same superstars minus Kobe:

LeBron James (Captain) , Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh

Watch the LeBronze + Newly minted Finals MVP Wade + CP3 + Melo but 0 Kobe 2006 horror show:
(this "awesome" Greece team with 0 NBA players lost by 23 to Spain in the final Gold game)
_D1WjZV50Lo

[angelbelow]

i think we still would have won no doubt, but kobe made it that much easier, without him a lot of those games would have been close and the spain game would have been a toss up imo.

[monosylab1k]

I just remembered that the 2006 Worlds "Bronze" team had many of the same superstars minus Kobe

that team also didn't have Jason Kidd, so I guess team USA couldn't have won gold without him either.

[Dramon]

While you're at it ask Lebronze and Dimcan why they couldn't win it in 04' :lmao

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Larry-Brown-kindly-stop-it?urn=nba,103479

[endrity]

I am not a big fan of Kobe, but there is no way the US beats Spain in that final without him. He took over everything in the end, when everybody else was hiding and re-living the 2006 debacle with Greece.

And he did this after spending the whole summer setting up the defensive attitude of the team. Let's remember one thing, Chuck was the top scorer of the Dream Team. But is there any doubt that if the games were close the ball was going to Jordan??? The same logic should be applied here. People rushed to congratulate Melo after some great scoring games in 2006 but he was just as lost as everyone against Greece. Point being, that in these US teams there are a lot of scorer and the best scorer is not necessarily the best player. When it mattered most Kobe did what he had to do, after making sure that the team was great defensively, unlike years past.

So, NO, USA doesn't win without Kobe this year.

[nhan]

Dwyane Wade was easily the best player for the US in the tournament. He made the most out of his minutes, shooting very efficiently from the field. Kobe attempted two shots in the final minutes. One was the 4-point play, the other was a horrible shot. As soon as he went down the court he just shot a three, enabling the Spanish to once again get back in the game. Kobe's defensive efforts were great, but there were times when he gambled way too much. Rudy's amazing dunk happened because Kobe tried to go for the steal, and well failed. In this Olympics, Kobe made some amazing plays, but he also made horrible plays.

If there was no Kobe, we could've won it, no doubt. While everyone is giving Coach K so much praise, I thought he did a bad job with his lineups. And I'm a Duke fan. I just think his coaching is suited for the college game, not the international game. I wished Deron Williams could've handled the point by himself, not with Chris Paul always. And again, the US didnt run enough pick and roll plays. A LeBron, Kobe, Wade coming off a pick is always deadly.

And who was hiding? Wade sure wasnt hiding with his three. Kobe always has this mindset that he has to take over, meaning not passing the ball to others.

[endrity]

LeBron certainly seemed a bit scared to me, so was Melo. True about Wade, but he did most of his damage early.

Again, even if Wade was the top scorer throughout the tournament it means very little in terms of who the best player is. Scoring a bunch of points against some pushover teams is not that amazing of a feat. Again, Chuck was the top scorer in 92 but we all know who the best player on the team was.

Kobe was the best player in the final, and even semi-final I would argue, so yeah he showed in the biggest stage of them all.

As for rotations, I agree with you. As good as Paul is, I think Deron is just better suited for the FIBA game because of his size and his better jumper.

[KidCongo]

While you're at it ask Lebronze and Dimcan why they couldn't win it in 04' :lmao

oh fuck LJ was 19.