The USA team this year is looking like the best one since the Dream Teams with Jordan, Magic, Barkley, and Bird. With Kobe and Kidd to lead the team along with young superstars like Lebron, Melo, Wade, and Paul the team has the potential to win the gold medal. If I was making the USA team roster though, I would have it a little bit different. Right now the players trying out for the team are Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets), Gilbert Arenas (Washington Wizards), Shane Battier (Houston Rockets), Chauncey Billups (Detroit Pistons), Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors), Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz), Bruce Bowen (San Antonio Spurs), Elton Brand (Los Angeles Clippers), Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), Tyson Chandler (New Orleans Hornets), Nick Collison (Seattle SuperSonics), Kevin Durant (Seattle SuperSonics), Kirk Hinrich (Chicago Bulls), Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic), Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks), Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks), LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers), Antawn Jamison (Washington Wizards), Shawn Marion (Miami Heat), Brad Miller (Sacramento Kings), Mike Miller (Memphis Grizzlies), Adam Morrison (Charlotte Bobcats), Greg Oden (Portland Trail Blazers), Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Lakers), Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets), Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics), Tayshaun Prince (Detroit Pistons), Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks), J.J. Redick (Orlando Magic), Luke Ridnour (Seattle SuperSonics), Amaré Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns), Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat), and Deron Williams (Utah Jazz). From that list I would automatically eliminate J.J. Redick, Bruce Bowen, Shane Battier, Adam Morrison, Nick Collison, Kevin Durant, Mike Miller, Brad Miller, Luke Ridnour, Greg Oden and Tyson Chandler. Those players are good, but compared to the rest of the people on this list they are not that good. The players that I would have automatically making it are Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Jason Kidd, Lebron James, Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. So that leaves 3 spots left for Lamar Odom, Michael Redd, Tayshaun Prince, Deron Williams, Shawn Marion, Joe Johnson, Elton Brand, Antawn Jamison, Paul Pierce and Kirk Hinrich to compete for. Michael Redd is one of the best 3-point shooters in the NBA so I would put him on the team. The defensive people already on the team are Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, and Dwyane Wade, so we don't really need to add more. For the last 2 spots I would take Deron Williams and Lamar Odom on the team. The reason I would take Lamar Odom over Paul Pierce, Antawn Jamison, Shawn Marion, and Joe Johnson is because he doesn't have the ego of Paul Pierce and Shawn Marion, he is more of a passer than Joe Johnson, and can take the ball up the court unlike Antawn Jamison. I also think that Lamar would do good being the only non-allstar on the team and I think he is to unique for international players to guard. Lamar Odom is a poor man's Magic Johnson. The starting lineup would be:
PG - Jason Kidd
SG - Kobe Bryant
SF - Lebron James
PF - Carmelo Anthony
C - Dwight Howard
And the bench would be:
Chris Paul, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Dwyane Wade, Lamar Odom, Deron Williams, and Michael Redd.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS:
The Lakers made is to the Finals last season, even though they weren't expected to until later in the season. Next year they will have their starting center back, their young players with be more experienced, and they will have added some new players. Many people are saying that Lamar and Pau should be traded, and that Phil Jackson should be fired. But the problem is that why would you fire the greatest coach ever, a poor man's Magic Johnson, and a big man perfect for the triangle offense who is also the reason they made the finals? It doesn't make sense to me to get rid of all 3 of them. No way should Phil Jackson be fired. Odom is a player that would be very easy to trade because of his expiring contract, and he is an all round player. Here is a trade scenario that might work and it would make the Lakers have the best starting lineup in the NBA (I don't know if I would do this trade though).
LAKERS TRADE:
Lamar Odom (to Warriors), Derek Fisher (to Kings), Trevor Ariza (to Kings), Vladimir Radmanovic (to Warriors), Luke Walton (to Kings), Sun Yue (to Warriors), Cash (to Kings)
KINGS TRADE:
Ron Artest (to Lakers), Quincy Douby (to Warriors), Francisco Garcia (to Warriors)
WARRIORS TRADE:
Baron Davis (to Lakers), Kosta Perovic (to Lakers)
If that trade were to happen (I don't think it would unless the Lakers wanted to do what the Celtics did and if Baron Davis and Ron Artest told their teams they weren't going to resign with them.)
I like the Lakers and I hate the Celtics. I have been a Lakers fan since the 2007 playoffs. I am not a bandwagoner though, because I stayed a fan through Kobe's trade demands and watched every game this season even though people thought they were going to be bad. I hate the Celitcs because of the players attitudes and they are always favored by the refs. My favorite players are Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Kyle Weaver.
