GSW beat writer Marcus Thompson is reporting that Jeremy Lin, Kyrie Irving, and Klay Thompson have been reportedly selected to play on the USA Select team this summer. This team will help prepare Team USA for the London Olympics. I'm sure that Team USA Assistant Coach Mike D'antoni put in a big plug for JLin.
http://www.ibabuzz.com/warriors/2012/05/14/warriors-sg-klay-thompson-invited-to-team-usa-select-squad/
http://mobile.newyork.sbnation.com/new-york-knicks/2012/5/14/3020056/2012-team-usa-london-olympics-jeremy-lin-2012-usa-select-team
Huge and great news for jeremy if true.
ReplyDeleteHe gets a first hand look at his rivals next year (whether on the olympic team or on his own select team). He will be able to compete against them and figure out their strengths and weaknessess. Great situation for him. Hopefully, his knee is helaed before the training sessions start.
I hope it's true and I hope Lin accepts the invite.
ReplyDeleteLin's knee should be healed by now. Today is a full 6 weeks since his surgery. Lin's failure to return in the Heat series may have left lingering doubts about his knee. Practicing against Team USA will cure those doubts.
It'll be good training against top competition, which will help make up for the court time Lin lost when his season was cut short. It places Lin in the system to someday join Team USA's senior team.
Yes, it has been 6 weeks since surgery, but remember: He still needs a couple weeks to work himself into game shape and conditioning. So he shouldn't rush back into basketball.
ReplyDeleteAlso, being a practice player does not disqualify him from joining an overseas national team. And it's much better competition and practice, than say going up against a bunch of "scrubs" in the NBA Summer League.
Practicing against TEAM USA is much better competition, but not necessarily against Team China or Chinese Taipei. Team CHINA played in the summer league a few years back and they barely won 1 game. Chinese Taipei would probably get destroyed in the summer league.
DeleteThe summer league includes top draft picks, sometimes 2nd year NBA players, and free agents trying to make NBA teams.
Wow, nice honor. Hopefully his knee is back to 100% by that time. It'll be a good opportunity to raise his game against that level of competition!
ReplyDeletethis was worth sitting out the playoffs. i think this is going to be a huge experience and confidence builder and is only going advance his game in a shorter time
ReplyDeleteThis is going to be as good as the playoffs.
ReplyDeleteOff-Topic but.. when do the NBA contract negotiations for 2013 start? Is there an offical date?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
July 1st. Hopefully JLin17 gets his contract wrapped up early July and can put 100% focus on playing for the USA Select Team. What a great honor!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.redking.com
More developments on Lin's resigning:
ReplyDeletehttp://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/knicks/post/_/id/19565/the-knicks-summer-spending
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/15/sports/basketball/union-seeks-clarity-on-bird-rights-knicks-could-benefit.html?_r=2&smid=tw-share
Long story short, if the Knicks re-sign Jeremy for the full MLE, they're going to be severely handcuffed making any other moves. And the players union is seeking clarification that would allow the Knicks to sign Jeremy (and Novak) with using the MLE.
Translation: it seems more and more possible (I won't say "likely" yet) that Jeremy ends up somewhere else this summer.
*withOUT using the MLE.
DeleteI don't trust Jeremy's agent, Roger Montgomery. Dude does not sound like a very experienced sports agent. Besides Lin, he is only representing ONE other NBA player, Maurice Evans, and a few basketball players in Europe.
DeleteMontgomery does not know what is best for Jeremy, and I'm worried he might sign him to a bad contract or with a bad team.
Ridiculous comment
DeleteOh don't worry ABC Baller.
DeleteMontgomery has done a superb job with Lin.
Lin had made ZERO missteps so far. Remember that Montgomery works for Lin, not the other way around.
One very smart thing that Montgomery did was bring in additional legal help once all the offers started coming in. As Lin's agent, Montgomery has stood by Lin's side as they have sifted through the offers. My legal counsel calls it "sharking the sharks".
This whole apron business is very interesting.
DeleteI hope the Knicks get serious and hire Phil Jackson who reportedly likes Jeremy as a player since last season. I wonder how much it will influence Jeremy's decision to resign with Phil as the head coach.
ReplyDeleteInteresting read that Dolan won't likely give control to Phil.
"Knicks too busy putting on show to give Phil Jackson a call"
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/19042422/knicks-too-busy-putting-on-show-to-give-phil-jackson-a-call
This is kind of awesome and historic.. The first Asian player to be on USA Select team.. Wait a minute is USA Select team the jr varsity of USA Men's Basketball????
ReplyDeleteThere's all kinds of USA national teams both senior and younger. They are not like a JR Varsity, whereas they get to go play other teams. They are simply just a practice team to help the regular team. Even if a bunch of the current guards on the roster get hurt, there's a slim chance Jeremy Lin gets promoted to play in this summer Olympics for Team USA.
DeleteHere's a clip of the U19 destroying the Chinese National Team:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCGq3Zsg4dQ
This isnt the real Chinese national team. Its only the junior team they're beating up on...not a big deal.
DeleteOf course it's only the junior national team, I never said it was the senior national team. It shows the future prospects, and some of those players Guo Ailun and Wang Zhelin are already currently training for a spot on this summer's "real" Chinese national team. Matter of fact, Guo Ailun made the senior national team during the World Championship.
DeleteThe senior Chinese national team isn't that good either especially without Yao.
Uh Yes u did say the "Chinese National Team" and there is only one "National Team" and those guys aren't them. It doesn't matter if a couple of those players are training to be the next generation national team. It's still a totally different team and beating a bunch of Chinese teenagers who are just learning the game is not the same as beating up on a team of seasoned veterans with Olympic experience, which would've been somewhat impressive enough to warrant you posting a video. Next time get your facts straight so won't get corrected again.
DeleteUhh I was clearly talking about U19 team, so anyone who actually watched the clip would know it was a U19 tournament. Too lazy to comprehend?
DeleteSino, you seem to obviously be extremely butt-hurt and anal. What's next, are you going to tell me that calling "Taiwan" as Chinese Taipei is incorrect too or that Jeremy Lin is "Taiwanese" and not Chinese?
If you were actually paying attention, you would know I clearly stated that there's all kinds of national teams. And no you're wrong, there isn't only "1" national team, there's different kinds for different ages.
Don't be so sensitive next time.
Thanks for the link, it clearly says this on the Youtube video, so it's not difficult to understand.
Delete" Highlights from USA performance against China in a 82-66 victory. 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship, 2nd July 2011"
Don't mind "Sino" who describes himself as a "Typical Asian FOB nerd" so anything remotely against the Chinese will make him cry.
The Chinese National Team is garbage. They couldn't even beat most of the teams in the summer league.
DeleteThey went 1-4 when they played! hahah and Sino, yes that was the "real" team.
http://www.nba.com/summerleague2007/standings/index.jsp
Thank God that Lin will never play for them.
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DeleteThe Chinese team would probably lose to that U19 too. That's why Jeremy would never play for them.
DeleteChina does have a long way to go in terms of basketball development. But they have some guys that can play. Unfortunately, I don't think the Chinese National Team are exposed to quality play in Asia. The only competition they get is outside of Asia.
DeleteCHina can get much better in time if their style of play is adapted to a more American style. The Chinese are pretty tall and athletic but play a slow walk it up style emphasizing three pointers.
I agree with DCL.
DeleteThe Chinese National Team has great athletes. However, they try to play too much Euroball with the big men on the outside and small men driving to the hole.
What the Chinese team needs to do is work on their post up game. I envision them being a powerful post up team sort of like the 80s Celtics that would post up on every possession and with every player including their point guards.
If the Chinese got a good veteran post up coach like Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Kevin McHale, Adrian Dantley, or Hakeem Olajuwon, they would send more players to the NBA and become one of the best basketball teams in the world.
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DeleteNo Yao Ming = No chance for Chinese team. Just stop it. Kareem Abdul Jabar , Kevin McHale, and Hakeem? lol only in their dreams.
DeleteThe Chinese team isn't even athletic compared to the rest of the competition, Yi aka "Chairman" may be the only one comparable but was severely overrated and obviously is a scrub in the NBA. Most of the Chinese team are one dimensional players who are just followers and can't think for themselves. One big man coach won't make a difference, just ask Michael Olowakandi.
There's a reason why Hamed Haddadi, and soon to be Javalee McGee next summer, and many other foreigners dominate the Chinese competition. Also their head coach Bob Donewald Jr said he can't even find a "real" PG lol.
I'm sorry but Wang Zhi Zhi's time has past. Just another soft scrub who ate himself out of shape and just shoots jumpers.
Most of the commentators here are probably Chinese, so they have a soft spot for the team. It's understandable but take off your homer glasses for a second.
DeleteChina has tall players. Athletic? That's questionable. I would say most of the Chinese players are average compared to the best teams in FIBA competition. Even with a great big man coach, the players still have to be able to produce on the court. Example: Hasheem Thabeet. He's already worked with Hakeem and had Kevin Mchale before he was traded, and yet is a bench warmer. Yi goes his own special training every summer before joining the national team, and then when NBA season starts he turns back into the same weak-minded player that every criticizes him fore.
The problem with Chinese basketball is the system especially developing guards. It's been noted time and time again that even if Jeremy had gone through the Chinese system, he probably would have never been given a chance which speaks volumes. There's been countless interviews from foreign players who have questioned Chinese styles of teaching and development.
A Yao-less Chinese team puts them in big trouble. Yi Jianlian, Su Wei, Wang Zhi Zhi, "Max" Zhang does not scare anybody, nor does Wang Zhelin. Liu Wei, Wang Shipeng, and Zhu Fangyu are on their last legs, and Sun Yue doesn't care to get any better and will probably stay with his banned Chinese team for the rest of his career.
Simply put, the Chinese have to get better guard play who aren't scared to attack. They not only need bigs who play in the post, but they have to get stronger and rely less on jumpers. Yao was able to change that because of an entirely different system, which includes coaches, and culture.They also have to stop letting foreigners coming in and ball hogging which just hinders the players development in general. A few big man coaches won't change that. Perhaps Stephon Marbury hopes of becoming a coach could someday help the guards breakout, but that might not be for a very long time, if at all.
Don't forget that the majority of Chinese players have fake ages, including at the junior level.
DeleteMichael Olowokandi is not Chinese, so holding him up as examples of why Chinese players cannot succeed is utterly INCORRECT.
DeleteI have long pouted about Yi's inability to play in the NBA. That said, most NBA big men cannot score consistently in the post off anything other than an assisted dunk or layup. Adrian Dantley had long lamented how NBA players simply don't learn those moves anymore, even with coaches working on them. Dantley would be an excellent coach for Yi, by the way.
What's wrong with speculating that China could be good if they had better coaching? China is a big country with world class athletes, though obviously Taiwanesestyles17 thinks otherwise.
In my years of watching the Chinese team play, I've seen ample raw athleticism but inferior conditioning and coaching. Slowly, the level of play is rising as exposure to international ball takes place.
I do agree with TaiwaneseStyles17 and Niu Baller that the Chinese system needs to be repaired. On the other hand, I have faith in China's ability to eventually adapt to world basketball. Basketball is too popular in China for it to continually be inferior to the rest of the world.
It's not difficult to understand that someone doesn't have to be Chinese to know that coaching isn't the only factor that can develop players. Matter of fact, if Kandi man was Chinese, he may have been even a bigger bust. The fact that there have been NBA players who have gotten that type of training but still hasn't produced involves many others things from the player himseilf such as BBALL IQ, work ethic, and even passion.
DeleteYi has been catered to his whole career. It's not surprising that he's been on many teams. Also the fact that Chinese officials falsify their ages, just hinders their development even more.Basketball is too popular in the Philippines as well, that don't mean they're going to be very good any time soon.
Olowokandi is NOT CHINESE. How many times do I have to drive that obvious point home? He does not belong in a discussion abot Chinese players!
DeleteCoaching is a huge factor. It can make or break guys. Jeremy Lin has had the good fortune of playing for good coaches up until he got to the NBA.
If there's a country that I keep my eye on as a future legitimate challenger to American basketball supremacy, it's China. While I root against them when they play the US team, I also want China to develop its team.
You seem very salty and you continue to post in leaps combined with wishful thinking. You have yet to name even one Chinese player that would be a "Legitimate" challenger to American basketball supremacy. Your bias already clearly shows.
DeleteTake your own advice and stop PUNKING yourself. It is quite hilarious to read though that you try very hard and are highly offended by the thought that Team China isn't very good and WON'T be a future legitimate challenger to American basketball supremacy anytime soon. Just stick with defending Jeremy Lin because you clearly don't know anything about Chinese basketball.
The problem is that KHuang is relying on faith. The fact of the matter is Chinese officials could have made these changes a long time ago. Nothing indicates that they will and it takes a lot more than coaches to put China on par competitively with Team USA. The farm system between China and USA is vastly different too. Guard play in FIBA basketball plays a significant role as well, which is another big reason why China continues to struggle outside of Asia competition.
DeleteActually, I am OK with your assessments.
DeleteI just see a lot of potential positivity that has yet to be harnessed in China. It has a long way to get there, but it isn't as if there's absolutely no hope for success down the line.
I do have a legitimate question for Taiwanesestyle17/ChineseTaipei:
DeleteDo you think American imports like Stephon Marbury should be competing for Team China? And would a guy like Marbury even help China win more.
I am not a Chinese or Taiwanese citizen, so I have no political interest here. I am.just asking the question for basketball reasons.
That is a good question, but I'm not even exactly sure if Marbury would be eligible to even play for China since he already played for USA in 2004. There's also the fact that China does not allow dual-citizenship at the current moment, which is another big reason why Lin probably won't really make that decision. China could possibly do the South Korea route in the future, which they now allow dual citizenship to those with "outstanding" talents" but we'll see.
DeleteMarbury is a very interesting situation since he's one of the few foreign players that have shown to attempting to assimilate to Chinese culture. He's already spoken out that he hopes to play a role in coaching Team China one day. For a foreign player that isn't of Han Chinese ethnicity, I'd be shocked if China allowed that. Taiwan would be more likely to allow that. If Jeremy Lin doesn't accept their offer, I could see them going after Joe Alexander.
If it were up to me, I'd get Yao and Marbury in there ASAP, but the Chinese officials might have a different view. They already have an American coach in Bob Donewald Jr, but his job will be on the line after this Olympics. What I think China ultimately needs to do is look how they develop their players in general. Del Harris has been noted for playing a role in discovering Yi Jianlian as well, but he has a big mental hurdle. With the said, the more people involved in help discovering and shaping players especially at the youth level, the better.
A new Chinese basketball association rule was changed, was where they could have one player either around 18 (can't remember if it was younger) but if they allow those type of players, it's progress. The player that was allowed in was Guo Ailun. Guo Ailun, who was another top prospect that is already in training camp to possibly make this summer's Olympics and made the World Championship roster previously.
If you're really interested in Chinese basketball, keep an eye out on two of the upcoming prospects, Zhou Qi (Center) and Gao Shang (Guard).
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Gao-Shang-7131/
http://www.nbadraft.net/players/zhou-qi
+10000000
DeleteIncredible post.
When you mentioned Del Harris and Yi Jianlian, you also mentioned a "mental hurdle". Could you explain that? Is it Yi that had the mental hurdle?
As far as Marbury coaching, I would imagine it's possible. Jonas Kaslauskas coached China in the Olympics, though I did not agree with his outside in approach that I felt didn't play to China's matchless interior size.
The reason I mentioned having an American post up coach there is because I was dismayed by Kaslauskas's approach in the last Olympics. I wanted those quick little Chinese guards to stop shooting so much and ram the ball inside to Chinas overwhelming inside players. I also wanted to see Sun Yue handle the ball more as a point forward in the mold of Boris Diaw, especially with his back to the basket. I also don't remember seeing Wang Zhi Zhi whose game I love.
If it were me, I'd have started Liu Wei at PG, Sun Yue at SG, Wang Zhi Zhi at SF, Yi at PF, and Yao at center. I'd run very basic plays and use Sun and Wang as post up players. That team would have trouble defending people and even scoring, but at least they'd have their most experienced unit on the floor. But feel free to poke holes in that to suggest a better option.
I strongly feel that adding Jeremy Lin to the Chinese national team would CHANGE EVERYTHING. He'd not turn China into a medal winner, but China would put a major scare into opponents since Lin has the capability of beating teams all by himself.
I re-read what I posted, just to clarify when I mentioned someone of non Han Chinese descent, I meant actually playing for the team.
DeleteAs far as Yi goes, yes I think a major reason to him struggling is mental. He had the potential to be a very good player in the NBA, which I guess it's possible he still could be but very , but going off what we've seen so far he has shown flashes of greatness but has yet to put it all together.
There were some interesting quotes in the past about Yi. One with Raefer Alston comparing Yi to Yao and David Thorpe talking about Yi as a player.
http://www.truthaboutit.net/2010/08/discussing-the-fortunes-of-yi-jianlian-with-david-thorpe.html
http://www.netsdaily.com/2009/11/6/1346819/alston-on-coffee-losing-youth-and
I think the problem with Chinese players, outside of Yao who was able to dominate in the NBA, their training and work ethic are probably different than what's needed to be one of the Top teams in FIBA. Also the way those players were taught to play, Wang and Sun Yue hardly ever posted up. I think Sun Yue was developed as a PG, which is why I couldn't see him adjusting his game. He would also need to get stronger. Another problem with Sun Yue is that his Chinese team, Aoshen Olympians, have been banned from the CBA. In theory, he could have trained in the off-season and try to apply some of those post up moves in the CBA before he takes it to the international stage. But it looks like he's destined to be what he is now.
Adding a player like Lin, even prior to Linsanity, would have done wonders just because they would have a more than capable PG. But unless China does the dual-citizenship rule, I don't really see Lin ever accepting to play for Team China. It would also create a lot of controversy as well, especially since Lin has gotten so much attention. If that were to happen though, I'd look to get Mike D'Antoni as head coach and bring Linsanity to Team China. The focus would be on Lin and Yi (Nash/Amare) with role players. Put the ball in Lin's hands and let him create for the rest of his teammates.
marc cuban's take on the olympic committee is pretty funny and worth a read. http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/_/id/7845290/dallas-mavericks-owner-mark-cuban-not-fan-international-games-nba-players
ReplyDeletei'm sure the Olympic committee is dying to have Jeremy's star power as part of events somehow. i almost suspect somehow they're going to be get him involved.