Greetings my peeps and welcome to the all things basketball podcast with your boy GD.
In this episode we'll be talking FIBA World Cup.
We'll give you a wrap up of that as far as the USA team goes and what lies ahead for
them.
Just sit back, relax and enjoy the show.
Okay guys so we are back with the all things basketball with GD podcast with yours truly
of course and right about now we're going to break down the FIBA World Games as far
as the games of basketball that was being played for meddling all those sort of things.
So let's get into it of course our focus is on the USA.
I'll tell you the roster of the team.
I'll do it alphabetical.
At forward Paolo Banchero and he played with the Orlando Magic and by the way he's coming
off his rookie season so there's that.
Also at forward Mikael Bridges of the Brooklyn Nets.
At guard Jaylen Brunson of the New York Knicks who was actually the captain of this team.
Guard Anthony Edwards from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Guard Tyrese Holly Burton of the Indiana Pacers.
Forward Josh Hart of the New York Knicks.
Forward Brandon Ingram of the New Orleans Pelicans.
At slash center I would say Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies.
Forward Cameron Johnson of the Brooklyn Nets.
At center Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz who also is coming off his rookie season.
Center forward Bobby Portas Jr. of the Milwaukee Bucks and then rounding out guard Austin Reeves
so that is your roster as far as the USA go.
They played in five exhibition games and won all five of those games.
They beat the likes of Puerto Rico, Slovenia, they also beat Spain, Germany and kind of
a close game and also Greece so they go five and no on their exhibition tour.
So with that said they enter the Feeber World Cup and in the first round they do well.
They beat New Zealand 99-72 that's the game where New Zealand does kind of the tribal
war channel and so forth.
Supposed to intimidate their opponents not so much for the USA so the USA wins big in
that game.
In the next game they would go on to win 109-81 over Greece and then in the third game of
the first round they defeat Jordan 110-62 so they go through the first round, unscathed
3-0 then you go to the second round.
Second round they face and defeat Montenegro 85-73 and then they suffer their first loss
in the Feeber World Games where they lose to Lithuania and they lose that game 110-104
and that's a game where Lithuania was absolutely unconscious from three.
They actually hit their first nine shots from three and for the game they end up going 14
or 25 so they couldn't miss from three and that really sunk the US team so they end up
losing the game so now they're 4-1.
Then they reach the quarterfinals where they beat Italy 163 and then the next two games
not so good guys.
In the semi-finals they are defeated by Germany 113-111 in a very close game there but they
couldn't get the win and in that game there was no Brandon Ingram.
I'll talk about the players in depth in a minute.
And then in the bronze game where they face Canada a team that's pretty loaded with NBA
star talent and in that bronze game they go down to Canada 127-118 and that game actually
went into overtime.
So the US team comes home without any medals.
Of course they are now the subject of ridicule all over the place and you know this roster
was flawed.
I'll give you that definitely could use some more bigs.
I mean the fact that you had to go with Jaren Jackson Jr. who's a fine player in his own
right but I think you need it more than him.
Walker Kessler this is a kid coming off his rookie season so for him to be thrown into
international play right off the bat I don't think that was fair to him.
Bobby Portis Jr. I mean you know it wasn't good inside that's for sure.
You could have used the likes of a Brook Lopez.
You could have used the likes of a Jared Allen.
You could have used the likes of even Evan Mobley who's a defensive presence inside
who can defend multiple positions as well.
But yeah so not good guys not good.
And Paulo Boncara I mean he's a power forward but he kind of plays to the outside he's not
really a banger like that he's taking this game more to the perimeter so there's that.
But you would think they would at least get a medal which they make history with this
for them actually back to back years not to medal.
It hasn't happened since the 70s I want to say.
And then for a team like Canada they get their first medal in 60 years so and I was talking
to my boy D about this.
You know I remember Canada where you barely had one or two players who had any kind of
NBA background.
Now you got a team full of them so this is a different Canada team than the teams I grew
up with.
I remember Steve Nash being on there but not much of anything else to be honest with you.
So Canada has come a long way and I think the bottom line guys is the world has caught
up and you know if you're the USA you got to bring a solid team there you have to do
it.
You know now you got players saying before I even go there in terms of the players that
could return maybe for the Paris Olympics in 2024 I would say definitely Anthony Edwards
who really showed himself in this round of play.
He really played well.
Mikhail Bridges is a guy I think you can bring back especially a guy who's durable who can
defend definitely need those type of role players on your team so I could definitely see him
coming back maybe a Josh Hart even though him and Mikhail is kind of in the same vein
in that regard.
Josh Hart a better rebounder that's for sure so you need those kind of role players amongst
the stars you need guys to do the dirty work.
Therese Holly Burton I'm lukewarm on that I don't know if he comes back especially if
you get guys like the guys I'm going to name then where's their room for Holly Burton so
so there's that.
Austin Reeves I think a guy who could possibly be on the fence he played well in this tournament
I grant you that he definitely did.
Jaylen Brunson I think his game more caters to the NBA than international play you know
it's just hard for him to kind of get off the type of shots that he usually gets in
NBA during the international play but you know he did the best he could then you have
guys like Brandon Ingram I don't know what happened with him but him and Steve Kerr just
didn't click whatsoever and he was kind of made the fall guy a little bit there then
Steve Kerr replaced him in the lineup with Josh Hart so there's that dynamic so I would
think when the season starts guys I would circle the first Pelicans Warriors game because
I think Brandon Ingram probably is going to have a chip on his shoulder from you know
the way he was dealt with in these games but that's the story for another day.
Jaren Jackson I just think too much of the load was on him he ended up getting into foul
trouble and things like that and once that happened the USA team really got exposed so
again if you have a guy like Jared Allen in there you don't have to tax Jaren Jackson
Jr. that much you needed another legit big in there someone with I guess kind of experience
of Brooke Lopez somebody who's a vet who's played internationally before he's a guy
you could have used and that was the other floor with this team there was no player with
previous international experience other than maybe Jalen Brunson when he was with the 19
and under team I mean apart from that no one here really had international play experience
and you have to have that on your team I think yeah so that was another thing with this team
and then now you have before I go to the guys wanting to play so when all is said and done
Germany ends up getting the gold medal they beat Serbia 83 to 77 Germany with a team
comprising of Dennis Shroeder who was actually the captain and remember during these fee
the games him and the coach got into a little bit but I guess you know sometimes a little
tension is good for your team so I guess that kind of helped the team so you had Dennis
Shroeder as the captain Franz Wagner from Darlando magic along with his brother Mo
Wagner and Daniel Thice who's with the Indiana Pacers at last check so you have these guys
here with international experience and plus you have a German team that's you know played
together pretty much during the Euroleagues and all that kind of stuff so and that's the
thing guys when you already have a team that's formed and you're just adding pieces like a
Shroeder like the Wagner boys you know it's not much of an adjustment you have to make
whereas the USA team you just throwing everybody together and hoping for the best so there's
that dynamic Serbia actually that is the Joker's his team but he didn't play in these games
on Nikolaj Jokic he didn't play in these games but Bogdan Bogdanovich did and he was the
captain of the Serbian team along with Nikola Jovic not to be confused with Jokic and he's
the young player from the Miami Heat actually the forward from the Miami Heat and Felipe
Petruzev that's another player with NBA experience as well and then of course the Lithuanian
team that the USA lost to during the second round that had Janus Balachunis on there as
well as Ignas Radeci and also Madagascar Kamenstas these are guys who played in the NBA at some
point actually two of these guys were former Nicks and then you have Rokas Jokic Biotis
and the Nicks have the draft rights to him but he continues to stay overseas so one day
he'll come over we'll see yeah so you have that dynamic there and then the Canadian team
full of NBA players like I said Kelly Olanik he was actually the captain of this team RJ
Barrett of the Nicks was there Shai Gilkis Alexander Dylan Brooks as well as Lou Dort
Dwight Powell Nikhil Alexander Walker so you have all these guys that's played in the NBA
so again I say the fact that most of these teams have at least one player who is playing
in or has played in the NBA so and that's the whole thing with you know the NBA being
so global these guys are gonna come in and you know they come from all these different
countries and that's a good thing to grow your game but in the same token you gotta
know that the growth of the game means your team has to adapt to that growth yeah so with
all that said again USA no medals they come home empty handed now you got players who
want to play now Bron James has come out he said him and AD would like to be a part of
the next team also Steph Curry that's been rumblings about him joining Kevin Durant,
De'Aaron Fox now even Kyrie Irvin I heard his name that would be an interesting dynamic
Devin Booker, Dremon Green, Damian Lilith those are the names that are being thrown
out there most of these guys have played on the international stage so and that's the
whole thing somebody in the USA's I want to say front office but amongst management
there has to impress upon these players the importance of playing in these international
games not just the Olympic games but the FIBA games which are highly competitive and some
people say it's even more competitive than the Olympics themselves so someone has to
get that point across I understand I get it Grant Hill is now in charge of that sort of
thing now that he's been handed the reins but you know Grant and that's the thing Grant
is such a nice guy but he's got to you know lay down the law that look you know we need
you for these other tournaments as well as the Olympics so I don't know how you get that
done but Grant Hill and the powers that be have to figure that out so with that said
is terms of the coaching I would say something that probably gonna sound outlandish but I'll
say it Steve Kerr needs to be one and done as USA coach he does too much of this small
ball and that's not gonna work on the international stage it just isn't so predecessor of his
Don Nelson even he knew better when he coached Dream Team 2 he had Shaquille O'Neal on there
he can't he can't go small when you got a Shaquille O'Neal in your arsenal no way you
have to adapt to the international play so I say and it's not unprecedented guys where
a coach is like one and done we've seen it with for instance how this stuff all came
to be John Thompson the late John Thompson he coached that 1988 team of college kids
that pretty much got ran over by the Russian team and others and that kind of laid the
groundwork for NBA players to now be invited or part of the international play so so he
was one and done Larry Brown who we know what his team did I believe they even failed the
medal and you saw what happened with that so it's not out of the realm of possibility
to have a coach one and done so I say put Eric Spolstra as the next USA Olympic coach
Eric Spolstra I trust him to employ bigs because you're gonna need them especially in the Olympics
especially if you end up getting a guy like Bam out of bayou to be on the team you know
Spolstra is gonna play him you know you're adding a guy like Anthony Davis and Jared
Jackson Jr. then you got a solid middle there so you add those three guys now you're saying
something but this small ball stuff that's not gonna work overseas is just not you know
the fact that Josh Hart ended up being the lead rebounder over there is insane so yeah
I think Steve Kerr if I was Grand Hill I'd be like Steve Kerr you know we appreciate
what you did in this brief time but we need to go in a different direction and that's
okay that's alright again a guy like Eric Spolstra I can even go Tyron Lou if you want but I
would say Eric Spolstra first get a guy like that to coach this team and then you know
you're saying something but and then you know Steve Kerr he wants to make excuses as far
as those teams had continuity we didn't you know now could be the complaint of any USA
basketball coach that could be their complaint but you got to suck it up and whip these guys
into shape and have them go out there you know you didn't say that during the exhibition
games where you went five and oh so why is it all of a sudden the problem when you start
getting into the latter stages of the tournament so I'm just putting it out there guys Grand
Hill I don't know if you're listening but yeah tell Steve Kerr you know we appreciate
what you did but we're going in a different direction and you're bringing the Eric Spolstra
then you bring home the gold in 2024 so that's just my thought on that so anyhow so I think
this this is going to be a short episode guys I just wanted to cover the FIBA and so forth
my next episode which will probably run together with this will be the WNBA the season's over
now we now get to talk WNBA playoffs we'll do that we'll talk about everything that's
happened at the end I'll give you my predictions for the postseason awards and so on and so
forth so alright guys so that's going to do it for me all things basketball with GD.com
that's the website to email me that sportsdudegd.com you can send emails there write reviews guys
write it on the website you can I'm on YouTube you can go and like the video you can comment
over there as well Apple podcast I'm there as well you can also do reviews there also
so you know I'm all over the place social media and so forth Twitter and X you know we don't
get along but if I get desperate then I go there alright so that is it guys as always
I thank you for listening and we will talk soon so my peeps if you like what you're listening
to you can go to my website www all things basketball with GD.com you can also email
me at that sportsdudegd.com to support this podcast you can go to my paypal and that email
is that sportsdudegd.com also on my anchor page I have a support button there that you
can also use to help the podcast I'm on all the major platforms like anchor, spreeker,
google podcast, amazon, soundcloud, youtube, cast bots, radio public, pod chaser just
to name a few and also you can find me on social media, facebook, instagram, twitter,
tiktok, clubhouse and fanbase so once again I thank you for listening and supporting this
podcast and take care and be safe.