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Magic was still an All-Star level player, meanwhile Kirby is quite possibly the worst starter in the league.
That's especially a slap in the face to Paul George for all he's sacrificed for USA basketball.“Let’s just put it this way: on one hand, you have what you just proposed. On the other hand, if someone is left off the team, like Kawhi Leonard or Paul George — and I’m just using names — for that purpose, then you have to weigh that fairness, to some degree. That’s all. So it’s not an easy call, and it’s one that I don’t have to make for quite some time. And I’m going to stick to that. I’ve got plenty of time. With out further ado ...
Magic was still an All-Star level player, meanwhile Kirby is quite possibly the worst starter in the league.
CIA Pop /blue
Kobe is one damn selfish dude.
I would not consider Kobe even top 200. Let me put it this way, I'd rather take Simmons in my team than Kobe. Colangelo just opening the door for leaving Kobe out, I read it as him stating he would nit leave a Paul George or a Kawhi Leonard fir Kobe. He just didn't want to on Kobe publicly and maybe just opening the door for Kobe himself to bow out.
+100000
There is, I suppose, precedent for this. Larry Bird was definitely washed up by the time of the original Dream Team, and Magic was out of the league because of HIV (at that time considered worse than today). Yet, they made the team over Isiah Thomas and Dominique Wilkins to name a few. Everybody wanted the Bird-Magic "goodbye" tour. Looks like Kobe is lobbying for that memorable ending, rather than just playing out the string shooting 30% on a horrible Lakers team. Looks like JC may give it to him.
It would be funny ass if Kobe got invited to camp but got cut by Pop. I would like to see the expression on Pop's face when reports ask him why Kawhi/George made the team over Kobe.
Those were under different cir stance. That was the original Dream Team & the mission was to assemble a team of legends from present & past. Kobe has already played in the Olympics & he was actually doing a whole lot of nothing in 2012, tbh.
Jim losing to "amateurs" and bronze medal withstanding
LOL top 5 player in the league v one having the worst season in nba history
This - Jerry mentioned Kawhi and George because both certainly will be on the team. He didn't want to throw a borderline guy out there.
Sounds like a good idea to me. I'm for anything that keeps Kawhi in the gym adding more and more to his game.
1. Some might argue Bird/Magic over Nique/Thomas were the better picks even then.
2. Bird/Magic hadn't been on previous Olympic teams; and their was symbolism to them finally being on a team.
3. The team was to be the most legendary team of all-time; don't know how you do that without Bird/Magic.
4. What does USA basketball owe Kobe? Nothing really. This is a decision about money. One could argue the Bird/Magic thing was about money as well.
when you consider durant and lebron at the same position, one of kawhi/pg has to at least be on the bubble.
Paul George and Kawhi has played better than Durant.
Goerge for example has bigger offensive.responsibility than Durant himself.
Kobe is going to start at Allstar Game andd take an Olympics spot
i concur
Its a smart move by colangelo though. He basically said hes not going to pick kobe. Kawhi and George have both played like a top 5 player in the last 21 games so no one would have a problem with kobe not making it.
The league is making a killing off of Bryant, else they'd shed themselves of him. The NBA being tied in with the Olympics is a joke to begin with, because now the Mens Basketball team is a bunch of multi-millionaires. The entire Olympics has been made a marketing campaign for the NBA since the Dream Team.
But before that, which voted in All Star will take a seat so Kobe can start or will Kobe be voted in for old time's sake?
If Kobe is in the AS game, I'll never watch another.
I would love to see him destroyed out there or be benched because he is a liability.
my thought's exactly. I know it sounds selfish, but I"m sure Leonard isn't worried about it and I don't want to lose him for the year if he gets injured in some bull olympics
I had no problem with Bird and magic going because they had never been to the olympics. That was a lifetime achievement. Stockton and Mullin took Wilkins and Thomas' spot. Laettnar took Shaq's spot and pippen took Worthy's. Not saying the 1992 team wasn't great, because they were, but stockton, pippen, mullin, and lateenar did not belond on that team. Pippen was there strictly because of Jordan. We know the Thomas story. Mullin had did good things with GS at the time, but he was no Wilkins and Laettnar was just a product of a system and ty college officiating.
I think you're selling Pippen short here. The season before the Olympics he finished averaging 21 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 7 apg, 2.1 spg, & 1.1 bpg.
Worthy that year averaged 19.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.4 spg, & 0.4 bpg. Pippen's FG% was 50.9% compared to Worthy's 44.7%. Pippen also had a higher 3pt% and was a better defender.
I like Worthy, but it's hard to agree that Pippen "stole" his spot.
Pippen also dominated the advanced stats in that comparison. PER (21.5 vs 16.7), VORP (6.8 vs 1.5), WS/48 (.192 vs .070) all with a slightly lower usage% (24.6 vs 25.4).
He must have also forgotten about the 91 finals where Pippen outplayed Worthy & locked up Magic. The two people that were robbed were Isiah/Shaq by Stockton/Laettner
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