The Off Guard

Knicks-Celtics Game 2 Retroactive Log: Clovers Trampled

By Earl Lee Mourning 2013/04/25 Game Recaps, Hoops, NBA Playoffs No Comments

This piece is an excerpt of an article I wrote under yet another pseudonym for BallerMindFrame.com. To read that version, click here.

Bernie Williams is playing the national anthem. And it makes me yearn for the silky smooth stylings of Jerry Stackhouse.

1st Quarter

8:39 Refs learned from a testy Game 1, are calling the game incredibly tight.

5:45 Walt “Clyde” Frazier on the call for MSG Network: “He’s a good bad shot shooter.” Who do you think?

All the time: People confuse Kenyon Martin and Carmelo from a distance.

2:57 Jordan Crawford for 3. Boston bench’s first field goal of the series. Fifteen all.

1:55 Pierce gets away with travel, Terry hits a 3. 20-15 Celtics.

1:39 Melo (and ref) answers on backdoor feed from KMart. And-1 dunk (and makeup call).

0:00 JR Smith splashes a 36-footer off a Pierce turnover. 26-20 Knicks.

2nd Quarter

11:18 Knicks going with their no-bigs lineup: Kidd-JR-Novak-Copeland-Melo … whoops, never mind. That’s Kenyon Martin.

7:52 Hey, no fair. That guy’s not on the Celtics! Oh wait, it’s just Jason Terry. Knocks down a 3 to cap an 11-0 run. Clyde: “A little more pep in the Celtics’ step.” I feel for anyone who’s never had the opportunity to hear Clyde call a game. 31-27 Celtics.

5:12 “KG sucks” chant booming through the Garden after a blocking call and a standard KG complaint. Or what MSG’s Mike Breen calls “a derisive chant.”

Halftime: MSG interviewing Spike Lee at half time, who refers to his shoes as “orange and blue (long pause) joints.” 48-42 Celtics.

3rd Quarter

9:54 Shumpert opens the second half with two 3s off Prigioni assists to tie the game at 48. Knicks fans have really gotten behind Prigioni, and with good reason. He always makes the right play and delivers timely passes right where teammates want ‘em.

8:13 Tyson Chandler (remember him?!) and-1 from a Prigioni feed. His first field goal of the series, followed by a monstrous block.

4:45 Garnett misses a long jumper. Boston starting the quarter 1 of 11, reminiscent of Game 1’s ugly 4th quarter.

2:56 Knicks timeout. Doc’s whispering something into Jordan Crawford’s ear. My guess: “… and when the other team has the ball, we try to stop them. It’s called defense.”

0:50 Clyde: “JR very loosey goosey tonight, tantalizing with the jumper.” Fadeaway. Largest lead of the night for the Knicks, 72-57.

4th Quarter

9:46 Pierce rattles home a 3, then Crawford pulls up and pops with Novak on him to get the Celtics back into the game, already with as many 4th quarter points as in Game 1. 76-67 Knicks.

8:50 Melo pulls up. After a slow start (3 of 12), he’s hit 7 of his last 8.

8:40 The Garden crowd still thinks KG sucks.

7:00 Breen: “Block by (pauses to make sure it’s not Carmelo) Kenyon Martin!

6:09 Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Suck My Kiss” is pretty awesome highlight/bump music for basketball, especially when replaying a JR Smith oop-slam. 82-69 Knicks.

4:14 Doc Rivers subs Pierce out, effectively conceding the game at 85-69.

0:39 In perhaps the most unlikely play of the night, Steve Novak dribbles into a shot.

Final: 87-71

In a fashion similar to Game 1, this game was tight, chippy and relatively exciting until the Celtics melted down, tying an NBA-record low with 23 points in the second half. It’s hard to imagine such a veteran-laden team would have as much trouble focusing for the required 48 minutes of playoff basketball. More likely, the Celtics just don’t have the offensive firepower to hang with the Knicks—or most playoff teams, for that matter.

Heat-Bucks Game 2 Retroactive Log: The Disappearing Bucks Backcourt

By Earl Lee Mourning 2013/04/25 Game Recaps, Hoops, NBA Playoffs No Comments

This piece is an excerpt of an article I wrote under yet another pseudonym for BallerMindFrame.com. To read that version, click here.

1st Quarter

9:03 Larry Sanders jams home a feed from Monta Ellis. Sanders has been active early, but that’s not necessarily a good thing: A hand in 3 of the first 4 Bucks buckets, and 3 turnover in the first five minutes.

4:40 Monta flings a three off the backboard from straight on. Not pretty.

4:29 Dwyane Wade called for a push-off against Monta. Or, if you speak 2006, two free throws for Wade!

4:00 Greg Anthony on the call: “Mario Chalmers doesn’t get enough credit.” Amen. Nice banker for two, 18-15 Bucks.

3:32 Ilyasova on a feed from Ellis, he’s got 12 of the Bucks’ 20.

0:01 After missing a lay-in, LeBron James is initially assessed a technical foul due to an outburst. An obnoxiously loud girl too close to the television mic summed it up best: “He’s mad at himself! No way! No way! No way!” After LeBron explained his reaction, the technical is rescinded. No way.

2nd Quarter

10:10 Every time John Henson (or any of the endless line of athletic defensive big Bucks) bricks a long jumper, it’s hard to ignore Tobias Harris’s half-season in Orlando.

9:23 Birdman emphatically swats an layup attempt into the stands, followed by his “Predator” stance. Shouldn’t he have a more birdlike celebratory pose? I don’t know, did Big Bird have a signature move?

3:55 Chalmers scores five straight points to take the lead. 38-35 Heat.0:42 Dunleavy with an isolation on Bosh. Sweet step-back jumper along the baseline. He and Ilyasova are carrying the Bucks so far.Notice anyone missing? Brandon Jennings and Monta’s combined scoring at the half: 1 point. (But 10 assists. That’s more than most starting backcourts combine for a game, at least.)

3rd Quarter

10:26 Bosh bricks a layup attempt. Sanders doesn’t miss his on a feed from Monta, then hits an 18-footer to tie it up, 49-49. If he can consistently have that weapon in his arsenal, Sanders’s game is all the more lethal.

5:37 Brandon Jennings with one of his five missed three-point attempts of the quarter.

2:01 Pick and roll flush from Ray Allen to Bosh, followed by yet another Brandon Jennings brick, and a Bosh flick for two. Heat’s largest ead of the night so far, 68-60.

1:47 Dunleavy again, midrange.

0:03 Dunleavy picks LeBron’s pass and feeds Jennings on the break, who glides in for a sweet reverse scoop finish as the Bucks close the quarter with a burst. 68-65 Heat.

4th Quarter

9:37 Birdman finishes galloping through the lane, followed by a Norris Cole 3. A 12-0 Heat run to start the quarter and effectively end the game (80-65). The “no way!” girl is now just “woo!” girl. And you know it’s game over when “woo!” girl shows up.

7:42 Now Birdman’s just doing an iteration of that Predator pose no matter what he does: score, rebound, pick his nose.
Final: 98-86 Heat.

A competitive game through three quarters, but if the Bucks don’t have their starting backcourt going, there’s just no chance. After their 1-point first half, Ellis and Jennings finished the game with 15 total points, on 5 of 22 shooting. Oh, and that 10-assist mark from the first half? They finished with 10 for the game. Police are still searching for J.J. Redick.

Knicks-Celtics Game 1 Retroactive Log: Old Flowers Blooming in the Garden

By Earl Lee Mourning 2013/04/21 Game Recaps, Hoops, NBA Playoffs No Comments

1st Quarter

8:45 Raymond Felton drives right around Kevin Garnett. Out of respect, there hasn’t been much coverage of Garnett’s obvious decline, but when Raymond Felton makes you look slow, retirement’s gotta be on your mind.

5:24 JR Smith with an amazing spin-o-rama into a KG goaltend. Much to the delight of Mike Woodson on Knickerbocker fans everywhere, JR seems to have retained his thirst for the paint that made his second half of the season so spectacular.

4:24 Refs show off multitasking ability with two terrible calls in one: Not a foul on Bradley, and if it’s a foul, it was way before shooting had even crossed Carmelo’s mind (I take it back, when is shooting not on ‘Melo’s mind?).

3:35 JR Smith and Paul Pierce trade step back Js with (very) varying degrees of athleticism

2:41 JR brings the Garden crowd to their feet, spreading hot jam on Jeff Green. But once again, Pierce answers with an old-man herky-jerk and-1. 24-22 Knicks.

0:55 Kenyon Martin absolutely demeans a Jason Terry dunk attempt, fulfilling the fantasy of anyone who’s ever watched Terry play.

0:00 Green nails a 3 at the buzzer to cap 10-2 run. 29-26 Celtics at quarter. As has been well documented, when Green’s on, he’s on. And today he’s on.

2nd Quarter

11:16 Green hits fadeaway turnaround 27 footer to beat buzzer. Look. Out.

10:41 Green drive for 2. It might have taken 2 years too long, but hoops fans are finally getting a glimpse of what Danny Ainge had in mind when he relinquished heart and soul center Kendrick Perkins.

8:29 Felton, good … defense? Blocking Avery Bradley at the buzzer

6:38 Green aggressive to the hoop, fouled by Novak. Celtics 40-38. Noticing a trend?

5:22 Melo nets 4 straight, follow by a JR hook shot down low, 44-40 Knicks.

4:08 Bradley answers with a 6-point run at the half. If he can become even half as efficient as he’s been to this point in the game, he’d be scarier than Andrew Bynum at your local salon. And would be the answer to the question, What if Tony Allen could score? 46-44 Celtics.

53-49 Celtics at the half. Jeff Green has 20.

3rd Quarter

9:26 (and all the time) Iman Shumpert’s high-top fade, styling and profiling.

7:06 Knicks spend first five minutes of the half answering Celtics scoring bursts. Finally pull even on Anthony 3 ball. 57 all.

4:43 Sweet Felton-Martin pick and roll flush. KMart providing every bit of bench presence the Knicks were seeking from him, finishing with 10 points, 9 boards and 2 blocks.

1:20 Pierce knocks in a 3 to cap an 11-3 run, taking a 70-63 lead. Knicks, meanwhile, have been settling like they’re 19th century frontiersmen.

0:15 Melo responds with a 10-foot post up turnaround, the closest it seems a Knick has shot the ball al quarter (I checked, it was the closest make other than the previously mentioned KMart slam), and Kidd free throws (loose ball foul. No, Kidd didn’t draw a foul).

4th Quarter

Key stats through three quarters: 13-4, Celtics, in fast break points. But 26-4, Knicks, in bench scoring.

Celtics looking pretty menacing with Pierce and Green at the forward spots.

10:22 JR forces two straight 3s.

9:34 KMart brings crowd to its feet with immense effort on the offensive boards, then gets fouled for an and 1, 72-70 Knicks. Remember this moment.

7:24 Spike Lee wants people to run.

5:55 Paul Pierce with yet another unblockable step-back. Couldn’t he keep doing that until he’s 50? Why not?

4:43 Kidd comes up with a big steal (one of his 3) and Felton is fouled on the break. The old men are really getting it done for the Knicks. It’s like a Knights of Columbus meeting.

2:47 Mike Breen: “The Knicks have gone cold from downtown.” Mike Woodson: this.

2:31 Melo with a big steal and layup, 81-76 Knicks. Celtics turning the ball over like burgers on a Sunday cookout.

2:15 Kidd with yet another huge strip.

0:40 Out of obligation, Melo whips his first assist of the night, KMart with the finish, 85-78 is your final.

Quite the back-and-forth affair. A great way to open the 2013 NBA Playoffs for hoops fans, but a terrible way to end the game for the Celtics. Where to start with their fourth quarter? The three total field goals? The 11 total field goal attempts? The eight turnovers? It wasn’t too long ago that the Celtics were the veteran team with the effective bench. But that script has flipped. With questions floating regarding the Knicks playoff fortitude, their wily, greying veterans (Kidd, Martin) made the big little plays necessary to advance. Green and Pierce drop 26 and 21, respectively, but combine for 12 turnovers, 1 fewer than the Knicks had all game.

NBA Centers: Ranking the Top 30 of the 2012-13 Season

By Earl Lee Mourning 2013/04/19 Hoops No Comments

This piece is an excerpt of an article I wrote under yet another pseudonym for Bleacher Report. To read that version, click here.

Dwight Howard might still be the biggest name among NBA centers, but did he have the most game in 2012-13? Now that the season has come to an end, let’s take a look at the top 30 campaigns at the 5 spot over the course of the regular season.

A few notes on the rankings: They reflect every aspect of productivity over the course of the season, so games and minutes played factor heavily into each decision, as does efficiency. I also tried to include some unquantifiable factors, such as how heavily his team depends on him to create offense for himself or the rest of the team, or if he’s the only defensive presence on an otherwise weak defensive team, thus hurting his defensive efficiency but making him all the more valuable (hello, Omer Asik).

Continue reading or Joakim here will get you with his laser gun. Pew pew pew!

30. Enes Kanter: Size, agility, skill. All the tools are there for the 20-year-old former third overall pick. Now it’s a matter of getting playing time and putting it all together. With the contracts of Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap up in Utah, he should get that chance next year.

29. Jonas Valanciunas: Fortunately for Raptors fans, The Big V showed a lot of promise during his rookie season. Unfortunately, the better he plays, the more it hurts the “Fire Bryan Colangelo” campaign.

28. Marcin Gortat: It was an odd season for The Polish Hammer, who saw his scoring drop by more than four points per game during a season in which the Suns needed (a ton) more scoring.

27. Emeka Okafor: Remember the old “Dwight Howard or Emeka Okafor” draft debate? Me neither. The usual tough defense is there, but thanks to his increasing age and his feet’s distaste for getting off the floor, scoring has become tougher for him than pronouncing his real name is for me.

26. Brandan Wright: Unfairly (perhaps) labeled a dud after outsized expectations coming out of UNC-Chapel Hill, Wright’s fashioned himself a career as an efficient reserve big, making a habit of swatting opposing second-stringers’ shots and finishing on putbacks and nice feeds.

25. Spencer Hawes: There’s a lot to like about Hawes’ game, making himself most useful when he’s knocking down from deep and dealing pretty passes. Sadly the aesthetic beauty doesn’t carry over to his Captain-America-at-Coachella look.

24. Kosta Koufos: A five-year veteran at the age of 23, Koufos’ career is ready to turn a corner if he learns to defend without fouling.

23. DeAndre Jordan: If he can become a mediocre free-throw shooter—and that “if” is bigger than his man-sized slam on the valiant Brendan Knight—not only will his efficiency increase, but he’ll be able to stay on the floor longer to accrue the countable stats.

22. Andre Drummond: Super efficient and hyper active, Drummond’s ceiling is already higher than DeAndre’s. But if he can’t straighten himself out from the free-throw line, it could cost him being a top-five center in the league.

21. JaVale McGee: Anyone who thinks JaVale and his high-flying shot-swatting sideshow should be ranked higher should be reminded that the last time he was a regular starter, his name was more synonymous with “punchline” than “star.”

20. J.J. Hickson: Hickson finally seems to have picked up the pieces after losing out on being LeBron’s running mate three years ago. Who wouldn’t play their heart out after just a year and a half in the black hole that is Sacramento? He can rebound, run the floor and finish, but the defense leaves a lot to be desired.

19. Robin Lopez: The “other” Lopez isn’t as talented as many of the players below him on this list, but he’s shown up every night and carried an otherwise weak defensive Hornets team on that end for stretches.

18. Andray Blatche: After flaming out in D.C. as its high-paid small forward, Blatche seems to have landed in the best possible situation. Sporting the third-highest PER of anyone on this list and backing up Brook Lopez (and occasionally playing alongside him), Blatche uses his strong ballhandling skills and creative post game to dizzy opponents when he’s not nauseating his coaches with questionable shots.

17. Roy Hibbert: The bad: Hibbert shot a measly 41.3 percent from the field through the first 41 games. The good? He managed to stay consistent as an interior defensive presence throughout the season and notched a respectable 48 percent from the field after that rough start.

16. Omer Asik: The numbers, like his game, aren’t always pretty, but Asik is invaluable to Houston’s success considering he’s more than a big part of its defensive presence—he is its defensive presence.

15. Kevin Garnett: Once the man who led his 2002-03 Minnesota squad in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals, Garnett has reinvented himself as a center by focusing on the things he can still do very well: Shut down post players, rebound, score efficiently and find the open man.

14. Larry Sanders: A favorite for the season’s Most Improved Player Award, Sanders’ secret to success has been figuring out when and when not to shoot, allowing him to convert over 50 percent of his field goals for the first time in his career, in turn keeping him on the floor long enough for his usual spectacular defense to shine.

13. Nikola Vucevic: Trading one coach killer for another? Don’t think that Vucevic’s inspired play in an expanded role—combined with only three total minutes for the 76ers in the playoffs last season—didn’t contribute to Doug Collins’ recent job change in Philadelphia.

12. Nikola Pekovic: The unofficial captain of the “my strength is my strength” all-stars, Pekovic is more than a brawny, bruising menace in the middle. He combines that muscle with uncommon guile and a deft touch around the rim to be one of the more effective low-post scorers in the league.

11. DeMarcus Cousins: Known for inducing as many headaches for his opponents as he does his coaching staff, DeMarcus Cousins is as polarizing today as he was before being drafted three seasons ago. He shows that there is a big difference between being a smart basketball player and being a good decision maker. Seeing the floor as well as any big man in the game, he definitely represents the former, but is not at all the latter. At least not yet.

10. Greg Monroe: Another skilled passer out of the pivot, Monroe is one of the more dynamic offensive players on this list. While protecting the paint isn’t really his bag, he won’t be relied upon to do much more of that once Andre Drummond’s playing time becomes consistent.

9. Chris Bosh: If this were a list ranking each player’s ability, Bosh might be much higher. Yes, his numbers have taken a dip because he’s playing out of position. But what’s concerning is that after sliding from power forward to center, his rebounding numbers have nosedived when they should have gone the other way.

8. Al Jefferson: Jefferson suffers from being so under-appreciated that he might now be over-appreciated. Not a defensive stalwart, there are few centers as reliable as Jeff on the offensive end of the floor. Case in point: Jefferson finished third in the league in turnover percentage behind catch-and-shooters Steve Novak and Dante Cunningham.

7. Tyson Chandler: As the defensive leader on the East’s second-best team, Chandler continues to be a field-goal percentage wonder as the premier pick-and-roll finisher of the NBA. It’s hard to quantify his value, but it’s safe to say that the threat of him slamming a lob into the opposition’s basket is a big reason Knicks three-point shooters are always so open.

6. Joakim Noah: Guys love playing with guys they hate playing against. And that’s Noah. Possessing the uncommon combination of shot-blocking, rebound and passing (2.1, 11.1 and 4.0 per game, respectively), the wild man from New York City does everything—other than score—at an elite level.

5. Al Horford: Like Noah—his former frontline running mate at Florida—Horford excels in every facet of the game, but with less hair and more individual offense. I’m not sure if it’s because he plays in Atlanta or because he’s so solid and consistent that people forget he’s there, but how underrated Horford is never ceases to amaze and infuriate me.

4. Dwight Howard: Visibly affected by his back all season, Howard is still a premiere rebounder and shot-blocker. But free throws and turnovers do count, and a mark of 3.0 per game in the latter category—particularly for a coach who admittedly hates post-up plays—is a dark crimson flag. There are players on this list with much higher usage percentages who turn the ball over half as much.

3. Marc Gasol: Marc Gasol is one of my favorite players to watch in the league. And it’s definitely not the prospect of Marc jumping over his defender to slam home a lob or rebound that keeps me glued to the tube. Instead, Gasol blends unmatched mass and enormous, soft hands with a cerebral game, good court vision and sneaky-good quickness. His ability to assess what his team needs in a given game at a given moment is uncanny, whether it’s facilitating the offense from the high post, scoring down low or shutting down opposing bigs. Bonus points for being the player who most looks like his team’s mascot.

2. Brook Lopez: You know the case for Brook: Fifth in the league in PER (first among centers), he’s the offensive focal point for the No. 4 seed in the East, averaging more points per game than anyone else on this list while playing fewer minutes per game than eight of the next nine leading scorers (that lone holdout is next). He’s also taken a big leap defensively, placing sixth in blocks and blocks per game among centers and acting as the only shot-blocking threat on an otherwise grounded Nets frontline.

And you know the case against Brook: In a word, rebounding. However, in Lopez’s defense, over his first two seasons he averaged a very respectable 8.4 rebounds per game. It’s not a coincidence that his career drop in rebounding coincided with the addition of boarding machine Kris Humphries and later Reggie Evans. Second, because his backup is also an effective player (and to combat injury), he only plays about 30 minutes a game. This year he’s averaging 8.2 rebounds per 36 minutes, more than Gasol.

1. Tim Duncan: Like Garnett, Tim Duncan has reinvented himself as a center by focusing on the things he can still do very well. But for Duncan, unlike Garnett, that means still doing just about everything he always did. Though his age has had the expected effect on his mobility and forced him to stay closer to the paint, The Big Fundamental still delivers in every aspect: He scores, rebounds, passes and defends at an elite level.

Credit him for slimming down during the offseason so as not to exert himself too much by simply carrying his seven-foot frame up and down the floor. It’s paid off. Duncan is second only to Lopez in PER among centers, and he’s blocking shots at the highest rate of his career. Perhaps the biggest controversy surrounding this selection is whether or not Duncan deserves to be on this list at all. Is he a center or a power forward? While I’m firmly in “Tim Duncan is the greatest power forward of all time” camp, he’s played more 5 in the past few years than he has at 4.

I kicked the idea around for days, and when I couldn’t come to a conclusion, I did what I spend entirely too much of my life doing: I referred to basketball-reference.com, where, for this season at least, Duncan is listed as a center and Splitter a power forward (hence his not being on this list despite his own productive season). So if you’ve got a qualm regarding Duncan’s being on this list, take it up with the fine people of one of my favorite websites.

Olympics Considering 3-on-3 Hoops: A Wildly Speculatively Look at Who Might Be Available, and Who Might Play

By Earl Lee Mourning 2013/04/12 Hoops, NBA Offseason No Comments

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The International Olympic Committee is considering adding 3-on-3 basketball to its 2016 Brazil events slate and … wait, the International Olympic Committee is considering adding 3-on-3 basketball?!?!?! Why didn’t this happen last Olympics? Why weren’t the ancient Greeks going balls out in the halfcourt in Olympia, 776 BC?

Hoops isn’t alone. The IOC is voting on several events vying for a spot in Brazil and future Olympics. According to its sports director Christophe Dubi, “All of them believe that adding something will be fantastic for their sport. We look at it from the other angle: Will that bring, or not, an added value to the Olympic Games?” I can’t think of many proposed sports that could possibly outperform 3-on-3 hoops on the international TV ratings scale. Sorry dirt-bike racers and horseback riders.

Still, questions abound surrounding the event, and that, along with purveyors of other sports in question, might derail this hoop dream. Are we playing straight up to 21? Ones and twos? First row is out of bounds, right? And are we calling our own fouls?! Please tell me we’re calling our own fouls.

And so I ask—because baseless speculation is sort of my jam—who would the United States send? Of course there’s no way to know who and who wouldn’t be playing on the 5-on-5 rosters, so for argument’s sake, we’ll assume no one on the previous Olympic roster—they’ll have either had their Olympic experience or be playing again—and no one on the Select Team roster will be available, as well as anyone who will likely be on either team by 2016. For fun’s sake, let’s field two squads. If beach volleyball can do it, basketball can.

Blue Team

Brook Lopez
With all the open space 3-on-3 (or 2-on-2, for that matter) affords, a lethal post game is all the more potent. It also helps that Lopez can score from anywhere inside the 3-point arc, especially now that he’s been putting the ball on the floor. Sure, someone like Larry Sanders can terrorize opposing teams’ forays into the lane and run the open floor (and has a good chance of doing so as Team USA’s updated version of Tyson Chandler), but the Brooklyn center destroys him one on one.

Chandler Parsons
The second-year man out of Florida makes too much sense for this roster. He does a little bit of everything, and has the size and athleticism to defend all types of players, which will likely be key considering the diverse lineup possibilities (might a team try to burn others with dual, speedy guards? might not an Eastern European squad plod out a pair of 7-footers?). Of all the players on this list, Parsons might be the most likely to be playing on the 5-a-side squad by 2016.

Ty Lawson
The speedster has enjoyed breakout success over the past two seasons, but given his size and the dearth of quality point guards young, old and in-between, Lawson might be one of those guys perennially on the cusp of the traditional roster. Just imagine him ripping into all that open space with the option to score, dish to Lopez, or find Parsons for three. Those poor floorboards.

White Team

LaMarcus Aldridge
Often overlooked for spots on All-Star and Olympic teams, Aldridge will be ready to suit up for the states, even at age 31. He’s a great post player with good range and considerable experience as a number one option.

Tobias Harris
A bit of a wild card and probably overrated due to his newfound go-to mentality in Orlando, Harris is still a great fit for this style of play and just might be available. He possesses a solid all around game, scores from anywhere, and can match up at multiple positions. Perhaps most importantly, though, is his age. Harris will be 24 when the next Olympics roll around, and could still be on the periphery of the 5-on-5 team, providing much-needed youth to veteran teammates used to watching the Olympics from the couch. To that end, it’s tempting to include current top college prospect Andrew Wiggins in this role, but one has to assume he’ll already be on the big squad’s radar four years from now.

JR Smith
Buckets. Isn’t that what it comes down to? This guy gets ‘em, especially if his recently discovered thirst for the paint permeates the rest of his career. When inspired, he can hound the ball defensively.

Clearly, these decisions are better left to a few years from now, when we know where these players—and the rest across the Association—stand. I can’t even decide if I’ve underestimated the talent that will be available, and could then field far superior teams, or if I’ve overestimated and all or most of these players will already be in the clutches of the big Team USA. But here’s to hoping we get to have that discussion someday.

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