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ultknicks524
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Chris Sheridan Chat Wrap on the Olympics for any of you who cares..
Chat with Chris Sheridan
Welcome to The Show! On Wednesday, ESPN.com's NBA reporter Chris Sheridan will log on to chat with you about the roster for Team USA and much more. Chris came to ESPN from the Associated Press where he spent the last 10 years as the lead NBA writer.
Sheridan's chat tips off at 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday so send in your questions now and join him right here for the answers.
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (12:58 PM ET ) Greetings from America, the land of the free and the home of the bronze, where Chris Mortensen can take over your chat room and not even know it. Our subject today is Team USA, the upcoming World Championship and the 2008 Olympics. Let's roll.
Dijana (Colchester, VT): Why in God's name is Iverson not on the USA team?
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (12:59 PM ET ) I haven't asked Shammgod, and Jerry Colangelo hasn't said. We'll get more answers on The Answer on Sunday when Colangelo formally announces the team.
Moe Steff (NY): Why do you seem so high on Arenas making the US squad? Have you ever watched him play carefully? First off he's not a point, he's a turnover machine, has one of the worst asst/to ratios in the L, has one of the worst shot selections in the L, not a very good defender, and his offense is predicated on slashing-- which we all know works real well in FIBA. This guy shouldn't even be invited to camp. Put Mike Miller in instead.
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:00 PM ET ) Memo to Zach Bolno in the Wizards' p.r. office. Clip and save this for Gilbert. He has another doubter.
Jay (NY): Why isn't Hinrich on this list?
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:01 PM ET ) Hinrich met with Colangelo, but they never spoke again. Draw your own conclusions.
Yorkis (Philly): Where's the veteran PG? I know Kidd said no, but why not Sam Cassell? Gotta have 1 veteran PG...
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:03 PM ET ) The veteran point guard who was in the mix but wasn't chosen was Baron Davis, plus Jason Kidd said no. It certainly appears as though the lack of a classic ballhandler might be one of their weaknesses, and you can be certin a few foreign teams will be stashing a strong on-the-ball defender on their rosters for possible use against the U.S. team.
Binh (Vancouver): Why do you need a veteran point guard? Chris Paul will have 3 years of the NBA under his belt by the time Beijing rolls around.. Truth!
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:04 PM ET ) And Chris Paul might be the fastest point guard in the tournament, unless you want to debate Tony Parker's quickness vs. CP's.
Bill: Why isn't Mike Miller on this list? He would be perfect for FIBA--great shooter & ball handler? And wouldn't complain about playing less & inconsistent minutes, another underrated aspect of putting team US together.
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:06 PM ET ) Mike is too deficient in other areas of his game to make the cut for the national team. Same with Kyle Korver, Salim Stoudamire and some of the other best pure shooters in the U.S. They'll have Kobe and LeBron, who can both shoot it, and they'll probably have Pierce and/or Joe Johnson in reserve. That should take care of the U.S. team's most glaring weakness from Athens.
Tyler (Ca): Why put Redick and Morrison on the team? I would've thought that they didn't want Iverson because all he does is shoot, but so do these guys.
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:09 PM ET ) They want to bring a few select young guys into the program early so they get a feel for it. LeBron, Carmelo, DWade, Jefferson and AI went into the 2004 Olympics having no clue what was in store for them in terms of the quality of the competition and the anti-American sentiment that often manifests itself during games, whether it be the crowd's behavior or the referees' biases. If you bring Redick, Morrison and Dwight Howard along to Japan as your three inactive players, they'll see what these tournaments are all about without having to be immediately tossed into the fire.
Mateen (Chicago): Besides Iverson and Odom, who do you think was the biggest Olympics snub?
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:10 PM ET ) A guy nobody talks about, and a guy they didn't even consider: Mike Bibby. I believe it's due to lingering resentment over Bibby being one of the many guys who bailed out in 2004.
David (Shreveport, La): Whats the deal with guys like Garnett and McGrady always saying they will not play? Neither one of these guys have ever done a thing for team USA, yet Garnett is always refered to as "such a great citizen". What gives?
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:11 PM ET ) KG won a gold medal in Sydney. McGrady played for the Olympic qualifying team in 2003, then bailed out in 2004.
vin (new york): please tell me that shawn marion will make the team. He has all the things team usa needs. Rebounding, defense, toughness, he is a great player, and the usa needs him
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:13 PM ET ) As far as I can tell, he's a lock. I also think he should have started over Jefferson in Athens.
Brion (Denver): If you are talking pure PGs for the USA squad, why not consider Andre Miller. The guy is definitely underappreciated.
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:15 PM ET ) Andre played for the US in 2002, when he and Baron Davis were the point guards. I do not believe he was given much consideration this time.
bryan (wisconsin): do you see redd as a lock for the team seeing he is a great shooter and was a sixth man and role player early in his career?
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:16 PM ET ) He's a lock for Beijing, I'd think, but he won;t be going to Japan because he's getting married right in the middle of the tournament. Chauncey Billups also won't be going to Japan becasue his wife is due to give birth to their third child.
nate (new hampshire): do you see both bowen and j. howard on the final roster?
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:17 PM ET ) I think Bowen has a very good chance of being on the 2006 active roster, while Josh would be the man to fill that role in 2008.
Tom (Chicago): I credit them for naming Bowen to the team. He's exactly what they need and he has some insight as to how to stop Ginobli.
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:21 PM ET ) Frankly, that's why he's on the list. There are a lot of players in the NBA who consider Bowen a dirty player, and some of them are on this roster, too. But even if Bowen can lock down Manu, the other four players have to defend as a unit. In Athens, the Argentines back-picked the Americans to pieces and broke the game open with layup after layup in the semifinals.
JJ, PR: Do you think Shaq will commit for Japan?
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:22 PM ET ) I never underestimate O'Neal's potential for pulling a Shaq Surprise.
Tony (Nebraska): What about Kobe?
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:23 PM ET ) Good question, and it'll be a big one for this team. He'll be a 30 minute player for the U.S., and he'll defend as hard as Bowen, but will his personality clash with that of his teammates? We'll see.
John (Portland, ME): Any unexpected players make the roster in your mind?
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:25 PM ET ) Ridnour is the guy that sticks out. I've always been a pretty solid supporter of his, but not to the degree where I believe he's top-chelon enough to be the PG for the US team.
Trevor (Mission Viejo, CA): How can Coach K get the US team mentally prepared for the biased referees they are sure to run into? A lot of these guys are used to getting "superstar" calls from NBA refs.
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:29 PM ET ) Gregg Popovich tried to get that very thought into the heads of the '04 team, and his message sometimes fell on deaf ears. The refs were merciless on Duncan in Athens, and they called some sort of technical jump ball violation against Antonio McDyess late in the 2000 semifinal against Lithuania that allowed Jasikevicius to get off the potential game-winner. What Coach K has to get them to do is expect the worst, cuz they'll certainly see it.
Tim (San Antonio): Presuming that Bowen's role is passed on to one of the other guys in 2008, since he'll be 35(?) then, do you think that Duke grad Battier has the inside track over Howard, since this is Coach K's team?
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:31 PM ET ) Interesting question, Tim. I think a lot will depend on how each of them develops over the next two NBA seasons. Battier sometimes seems as though he's already plateaued. Howard is vastly underrated.
larry (texas): Why was tim duncan not included in the list (at least he should have a standing invitation like shaq)
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:32 PM ET ) Tim Duncan will never, ever, ever, ever play another game refereed by officials from FIBA. His departing words in Athens were: "FIBA sucks."
Jay (NY): Why did Team USA pass over Mike D'Antoni as coach to give the reins to Coach K? With all due respect to Coach K, he's never had to handle pro athletes before, nor does he have the international game pedigree that D'Antoni does.
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:34 PM ET ) Uh, Jay, Mike D'Antoni is Coach K's lead assistant.
Mat (Scottsdale, AZ): When does the final roster come out?
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:35 PM ET ) When they finish camp in Las Vegas in early August and get on a plane for Asia with 15 guys, three of whom will be inactive for the Worlds.
JJ - Wenatchee, WA: Isn't Billups a good enough veteran point guard for you?
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:36 PM ET ) Again, JJ, Chauncey is not going to Japan because his wife is due to have a baby. If he was going, he'd be perfect. But he isn't.
Tom (Chicago): Iverson was the only player who wanted to be there last time. I think it's disrespectful and disgraceful that he won't even be invited for the tryout. He deserves that at least.
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:37 PM ET ) That's not fair to the other guys on that team. They did want to be there. The guys who didn't want to go were the guys who bailed out.
Drew (Philly): There seems to be a ton of sentiment for Iverson to be on Team U.S.A. Is there a chance Colangelo will change his mind and add Iverson to the roster or is the roster set in stone?
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:39 PM ET ) I imagine we'll have to wait and see, and we'll have to factor in what AI and JC say about the situation in the days ahead.
Rick (Selah, Wa.): Why did Ben Wallace not get picked?
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:41 PM ET ) Ben met with Jerry Colangelo in Oklahoma City at the same time as the other three Pistons, Hamilton, Billups and Tayshaun Prince. Ben was the least eager, because he really didn't enjoy his experience on the U.S. team in 2002. Opponents found ways to make the Americans put the ball in his hands late in the shot clock, and they'd dare him to shoot from 12 feet. Ben's game is not at all suited to the international style of play.
Tim (San Antonio): Is there any concern about age, considering all these players will be 2 1/2 years (and seasons) older in 2008? Bowen, Pierce, Bryant, Brand, Miller, Billups, Jamison, Battier, Marion and certainly Shaq (if he is added) will have a lot of wear on the tires by then...
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:42 PM ET ) The 22-man list is not final. Quite the contracy, it will remain flud between now and 2008 and will evolve as circumstances merit.
Drew (Philly): Has the World really come that far in the last 10 years that the U.S. has to play International type hoops. Why can't we take it to the rest of the world like Dream Team 1 & 2?
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:44 PM ET ) The rest of the world has really caught up. Do you realize Slovenia will have five NBA players, two NBA draft picks and a team captain, Marko Milic, who also played in the NBA. And that's just little Slovenia. There are NBA players on almost all of the top-level teams from around the world, the notable exception being Italy.
Mike (CT): Do you know hy Richard Hamilton and Ray ALlen didn't want to be on Team USA?
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:45 PM ET ) Rip was worried about fatigue. He expects to be playing into late June. With ray, I imagine Kobe Bryant being on the roster might have had something to do with it.
Reggie (Orlando): The lack of bigs seems to be a concern. Brad Miller is the only true center and the other options (i.e. Dwight, Bosh, Amare) aren't really centers. . .your thoughts?
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:47 PM ET ) Sometimes we all get a little too caught up in whether a big guy is a true center. The most improtatnt thing for the American big guys will be their ability and willingness to go out on the perimeter and defend. If they don't, the big guys from overseas will all make them pay from behind the 3-point arc.
Sean (Los Angeles): I love the pick of Rashard Lewis. It seems like he creates one of the biggest mismatches w/ other countries, as most don't have his size/touch. Is he a lock?
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:49 PM ET ) I don't see him as a lock, but rather an a very interesting bubble guy, But I'd disagree with the stament that other teams don't have players with his combination of size and touch. That's exactly what the other teams' big men have. The quality that Lewis possesses to set himself apart is athleticism.
Nick (MN): Do you think it will be a cakewalk in 08? This team clearly will have the best player AND starting 5 in the world.
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:51 PM ET ) The days of the cakewalk are over, especially in the medal rounds. The Americans' only preliminary round cakewalk will be Senegal.
Gavin (Toronto): Bosh has to be an integral part of this team. The perfect inside-outside forward, and his speed and strength should cause nightmares for opposing teams.
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:53 PM ET ) That's why he's on it, Gavin, and that's why I considered him a lock in the Q and A piece I wrote earlier today. For those of you who haven't seen it, please give it a read.
SportsNation Chris Sheridan: (1:54 PM ET ) That's all for this afternoon, folks. My fingers hurt from all this typing. We'll chat again soon. Over and out.
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2/28/2006 11:25 PM
