Carlos BoozerTeam USA continues to round into shape before Monday’s official unveiling, as Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer have been confirmed for the Olympic roster. From all we’ve heard and all we can assume (i.e. Kobe and LeBron are in), there’s only one spot left, which will likely go to Chris Bosh or maybe Elton Brand. Pound-for-pound, if all three guys are healthy, considering age and salary and all that, who would you prefer on your (NBA) team: Bosh, Boozer or Brand? … On the same day he’ll be officially named to the U.S. national team, Carmelo Anthony is scheduled to meet with Nuggets management to clarify his status with their team. ‘Melo is reportedly tired of hearing his name in trade rumors (they’re coming in every day) and wants to know if the Nuggets are committed to building around him or if they’re seriously thinking of trading him. Word is that if ‘Melo doesn’t get that commitment, he’ll ask for a trade. It says a lot about our current sports landscape that Denver could be about to basically give up on the Carmelo era just five years in. Imagine if the Celtics had been ready to unload Paul Pierce at this stage in his career back in 2001? … With Mo Williams on the trading block (not a good look for the Bucks considering they just signed him to a huge contract last year), should the Cavs make a run at him? Cleveland has two big expiring contracts to play with in Wally Szczerbiak and Eric Snow, and Mo would definitely solve the problem of no one else on the team besides LeBron wanting to shoot … If you remember, the Heat were very close to signing Mo last summer until the Bucks came through with a richer offer. Would this past season have played out any differently for Miami if they had Mo running the point? Probably not. But would they have pulled the trigger on the Shaq trade if they felt they were still building something around Diesel, D-Wade and Mo? Now the Heat have the Shawn Marion situation on their hands, and word is the two sides aren’t so close on negotiating an extension. Miami reportedly wants Marion at $10 million; he can make $17 million if he doesn’t opt out of his current contract; but he’s apparently willing to take $13-15 million. Good luck Pat Riley, getting Marion to leave $7 million on the table. At the end of the day, we get the feeling Matrix is destined to eventually wind up on a terrible team where he can be the undisputed #2 guy — or #1 on a really bad team — happily putting up his numbers every night … Kobe to the L.A. Daily News on Sasha Vujacic’s impending free agency: “I would love to keep him around for selfish reasons, because of his defense, his passion, and his shooting was obviously something that was invaluable to us this year. So for my own selfish reasons, I would love to keep him here, but as a big brother, he has to do what’s best for him and his family.” We didn’t know Kobe and Sasha were so tight. We also didn’t know that Kobe calls him “Shi-shi.” … FYI to any teams picking in the 6-10 range come Thursday’s NBA Draft: Joe Alexander was seen doing Vince Carter-style elbow-in-the-rim dunks in his latest workouts for the Nets and Knicks. We can’t wait until Draft Night when the announcers will be racking their brains trying to find a White player to compare Joe’s game to even though there are tons of Black players they could use. We can see an Andrei Kirilenko reference coming … It turns out the Knicks aren’t completely cleaning house from the Isiah Thomas regime — and no, we’re not talking about Isiah’s BS “advisory” position where he isn’t allowed to talk to anyone or generally show his face near Madison Square Garden. Herb Williams is being kept on as an assistant on Mike D’Antoni’s staff. Glad to know we can still go to Knicks games and joke about how Herb could walk onto the court right now and get more rebounds than Eddy Curry … We’re out like Shi-shi …
June 22nd, 2008 at 12:49 am
bank says:
FIrst! sucka faggots
June 22nd, 2008 at 1:08 am
hahns says:
2nd
June 22nd, 2008 at 1:17 am
Top_Gun says:
Bosh is clearly the favourite over Boozer and Brand. During the playoffs, Boozer was useless and unproductive. Elton Brand just missed a full season due to injury, i don’t think they will let him get back to game shape.
June 22nd, 2008 at 1:28 am
djKianoosh says:
I’d take Boozer cause he can just board and bang better than Bosh, at least that’s what it seems like. He got 2 more defensive rebounds per game this past year. Bosh may give you more offense and transition, but if you’re selecting for Team USA, you already got that end figured out. Brand you just can’t count on, though if you say he’s 100% healthy they yeah, he’s the best of both worlds. but when was the last time he was 100%?
things are not looking good in denver. are they going to blow up the entire team if they get rid of Melo? AI will not like it if he has to carry yet another challenged team.
June 22nd, 2008 at 1:35 am
BxBaller says:
Herb Williams will always have a job in NY.
June 22nd, 2008 at 1:48 am
What is this!? says:
Carmelo isn’t going anywhere, Denver is the only city that will praise a player that gives half effort. Iverson should be the one demanding a trade…again.
And i’m happy that Boozer is going to the Olympics, dude is a beast.
June 22nd, 2008 at 2:01 am
Dave says:
US team should probably take Boozer. Having a guy like him who’s a great finisher from anywhere inside of 17 feet and a top rebounder will make all the other guys better.
For a franchise picking one you’d have to go Bosh with age being the pivotal factor.
June 22nd, 2008 at 2:14 am
heavy d says:
Bosh or Brand? I’d rather go defensive and have Chandler on the Olympic squad. With Boozer they’ve already got a PF-type. Howard is the only true C. Chandler would be a 2nd C. Bosh is tall but not a shot blocker in the middle and Brand is tough, but not tall enough to hold down the middle against likely matchups.
Starting a franchise I go with Bosh.
June 22nd, 2008 at 2:21 am
da man says:
i hope sasha knows that “shi shi” is slang for piss.
June 22nd, 2008 at 2:36 am
tealish says:
Somebody call up Satan to check if hell just froze over because we just saw maturity and selflessness from Kobe Bryant.
June 22nd, 2008 at 2:43 am
Dagomar says:
Bosh is a much more versatile player than Brand, but when selecting an Olympic team that isn’t necessarily better. On a team that doesn’t have that much size I’d choose Boozer over Bosh. I’d definitely find a way to get Bosh in there though; Bosh’s rebounds went down last year because he plays on a team with great shooters and was injured for stretches. The guy is still a monster rebounder in spite of last season’s numbers, and there isn’t much he can’t do.
June 22nd, 2008 at 3:10 am
Brian Scalabrine says:
i should get that last team usa spot, i mean hello im a world championnnn!! and besides no one in the last spot will play, you need a guy with experience to bring the star players water, u need a guy with experience to warm up the bench for when the stars sit down, u need a guy with experience to cheer on the team to the point that they get annoyed. Im the perfect guy for that
June 22nd, 2008 at 3:12 am
Brian Scalabrine says:
i also 4got that i have years of experience
June 22nd, 2008 at 3:26 am
the_don_mega says:
melo’s not really actin’ right for a “franchise player”…
@What is this!? - your right AI wouldn’t like it if he has to be a 1 man gang again
June 22nd, 2008 at 3:44 am
courtlegend says:
id go with brand he was a beast before he got injured and theres no sayin he wont get back like that just look at amare comin back from injury
June 22nd, 2008 at 5:37 am
Oscarisalakerfan says:
Lol 13 14
June 22nd, 2008 at 5:59 am
yoda says:
“It says a lot about our current sports landscape that Denver could be about to basically give up on the Carmelo era just five years in. Imagine if the Celtics had been ready to unload Paul Pierce at this stage in his career back in 2001?”
PP wasn’t problem like melo is and probably denver is sick of waiting what will this punk do next to screw them some more.
June 22nd, 2008 at 7:25 am
Money J says:
Boozer over Bosh? Did you clowns catch the playoffs? Dude made Gasol and Odom look like HOFers. If it wasn’t for DWill, Utah gets swept…
June 22nd, 2008 at 7:45 am
Phileus says:
It’s just bizarre that sportswriters always hesitate to compare white players to black players. Is there some sort of mental block that makes writers think that white players’ games are completely different?
June 22nd, 2008 at 9:09 am
florida_evans says:
Shi-shi,
Uhhhhh…blowticious,
Skeevee [mmmmmm] delicious.
(But me and Cedric ain’t callin no man delicious…)
June 22nd, 2008 at 9:40 am
miamiVIS3 says:
Matrix definitley needs to take a pay cut down to at least 13mill because as it stands he’s getting paid more than D-Wade.
June 22nd, 2008 at 9:45 am
Big Freeze says:
LMAO at Brian Scalabrini
USA should take Bosh. A Franchise should take Boozer. The Knicks should take whoever the fuck they can get becuase they suck.
June 22nd, 2008 at 10:12 am
garbageman33 says:
Love the guy who says, “First! sucka faggots”. As if we’re the losers for having something better to do on a Saturday at 1 a.m. than be on the computer.
June 22nd, 2008 at 11:07 am
Ashlov says:
Some retard from the Boston Globe wrote that the Heat are thinking of trading Wade to the Bulls for the #1, Larry Hughes, and Tyrus Thomas. If you sit back and replace Wade’s name with Kobe Bryant or Lebron James’, how fucking ridiculous does that look.
June 22nd, 2008 at 11:13 am
yallallreadyknow says:
how about denver trading carmelo anthony, jr smith and marcus camby to the wizards for caron butler, brenden haywood, deshawn stevenson and antonio daniels?
nuggs
allen iverson
deshawn stevenson
caron butler
kenyon martin
brendan haywood
wiz
gilbert arenas
jr smith
carmelo anthony
antwain jamison
marcus camby
thoughts?
June 22nd, 2008 at 11:18 am
DJ Go Go Gomez says:
Carmelo needs to relax. The Nuggets can’t stop other teams from calling and asking abut him. Other GM’s read the papers. They know about Carmelos problems. So they call to see if Denver wants to move him. Big Deal. From everything i’ve read it isn’t Denver making the calls.
June 22nd, 2008 at 11:18 am
yallallreadyknow says:
..and between boozer, bosh and brand…
the best palyer of that trio is elton. its not even close.
he’s the best defensive player of the bunch, best rebounder and shot blocker of the bunch. he can run; which boozer cant. he can jump, which boozer cant. he got some muscle which bosh dont
June 22nd, 2008 at 11:26 am
Bone says:
If all three players were healthy, I would take Brand in a nano-second. He can compensate for the lack for true size because he has such long arms and can block shots and rebound.
I love Bosh’s game, but his strengths are the same as Brand’s but he doesn’t bring EVERYTHING Brand does - namely D.
Boozer is garbage in my eyes. He got exposed in the playoffs as a fraud.
June 22nd, 2008 at 11:27 am
garbageman33 says:
Yes, that trade looks ridiculous with Lebron or Kobe’s name attached to it. But Dwyane Wade is not either one of those players. He’s an injury prone combo guard whose specialty is doing the very thing that gets him injured (relentlessly taking it to the hole).
June 22nd, 2008 at 11:29 am
Bron42 had springs before slamball says:
since when was none dunkin, recently injured, undersized power forward known for his jumpin? I’d rather see tyson chandler over all of them since team you USA needs more defense than offense down low. You can goaltend overseas so shot blockers would help.
June 22nd, 2008 at 11:32 am
Bron42 had springs before slamball says:
I was talkin about elton brand wit the non dunkin part
June 22nd, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Three Stacks says:
you can’t goal tend, you can only knock balls outta the cylinder. that’s a big difference.
June 22nd, 2008 at 12:29 pm
miamiVIS3 says:
@ garbageman Wade has had one major injury that lead to tendinitis which is what is hindering him now and he sustained it by reaching for a steal not driving to the basket
June 22nd, 2008 at 12:44 pm
yallallreadyknow says:
if yall think u know nba images, play this game
http://arcade.espn.go.com/cameraman-nba-finals.htm
June 22nd, 2008 at 12:47 pm
yallallreadyknow says:
bron42
elton brand is 6′8…since when is that undersized for a pf?
he dunks more than boozer.
tyson chandler cant make a damn freethrow; why put his punk ass on a usa team?
and there IS goldtending in the olympics.
players can knock a ball out the rim, off the cylinder. that is legal….goaltending however is not
lil bitch get ur shit straight b4 u try to come at me. prick.
June 22nd, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Amar says:
athletic white guys:
* a young brent barry
* the birdman
* kirilenko (i guess, when he was young)
* young bobby sura
anyone I miss?
June 22nd, 2008 at 2:11 pm
rodnets says:
now boyaahchick is shi-shi, another reason to demote him to wnba shi-shi booyachick from the LA Sparkz, que could get a ring there, or some marriage proposals.
I pick Brandt, he comes from an injure he will be more than willing to play…Besides PT is not an issue in that team.
Peace
June 22nd, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Brian Scalabrine says:
@ amar u missed me
June 22nd, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Chris Mihm says:
im everything scalabrine is except three inches taller!
PICK ME!
June 22nd, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Joe says:
rex chapman in his younger days was an athletic white dude
June 22nd, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Brian Scalabrine says:
@chris mihm ur not a champion so fck off!!
June 22nd, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Jack Haley says:
I was an athletic cheerleader!!!
June 22nd, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Amar says:
yeah, totally missed out on rex
June 22nd, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Chris Mihm says:
@ brain scalabrine
you may have a ring
but i played for 2:46 of the nba finals
how much PT did you get?
June 22nd, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Ding Dong We Got The 6th Pick says:
Let’s not start singing praises on KB’s maturity yet.
He talks like he’s reading from a teleprompter. Someone should do a Roy Burgundy on him.
June 22nd, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Bron42 had springs before slamball says:
oh ya, cuz dunking more than boozer really makes you a good dunker when boozer has nooo hops himself. And 6′8 is ok height but its not imposing or anything. And compared to the nba, that goal tending enough for me. Didnt know I had to spit it straight from the FIBA manual just for your dumb ass to accept it. Chandlers doesnt make free throws but he dunks anything around the rim, blocks shots and defends the pic and roll better than brand. Plus brand is injured 24/7 so why even risk him makin the team and gettin hurt 1 game into it. Just throw tony allen ont here while were adding crippled guys
June 22nd, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Brian Scalabrine says:
@ chris mihm at least i played this season and i dont get dunked on, how is it possible to get dunked on soo much with so little pt
June 22nd, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Shack says:
Elton Brand? You think he’s actually in the running for an Olympic spot? And you work for a basketball magazine? Looks like your editors need to start hiring. It’s either Bosh or Tyson Chandler.
June 22nd, 2008 at 10:45 pm
yallallreadyknow says:
fiba manual aint for me, its for you prick.
it helps to know what ur talking about before you start spittin it.
elton brand is just better than chris bosh, tyson chandler and carlos boozer.
last season was an exception. brand played in 80, 70 and 81 games in the previous 3 seasons. and just in case you did not know, an nba team plays 82 regular season games per year. …so to correct you(again), brand is NOT always hurt 24/7 or crippled. get it straight punk bitch
June 22nd, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Amar says:
I’m Ron Burgundy?
June 22nd, 2008 at 10:47 pm
yallallreadyknow says:
80, *79*, and 81 games for elton brand the last 3 seasons prior to 2007-2008.
i needed to correct myself. i put 70 games in the previous post when it was actually 79 games in appeared in and started
thats for you bron42
u should just give it up
go post on a d-league webpage
June 22nd, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Money J says:
Brand is comin off a injury so Tyson and Bosh gonna get the frontrunnin position. Really tho, this is a joke. If Bosh played in NY or the Chi or LA, it’ll be no contest. Damn American Media Bias
June 22nd, 2008 at 11:07 pm
E-ROC says:
I’d take Elton Brand. Brand is filthy and is the better player if all three were healthy. I don’t think it’s close.
Joe Alexander is an athletic beast AND has game. That’s a rarity these days.
Kobe, go ahead and pay yo boy $5.8 million annually to come off the bench to shoot some threes and flop around.
June 22nd, 2008 at 11:33 pm
johnsacrimoni says:
Dan Majerle and Tom Chambers could throw down some nasty dunks in their younger days. Joe Alexander might wind up being the most athletic white boy ever.
June 22nd, 2008 at 11:34 pm
drewstar says:
i gotta agree w/ e-roc. brand is the best all-around player of the 3, and its not even close.
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:05 am
Money J says:
I agree with E-Roc too…….
but “Brand is filthy and is the better player IF all three were healthy”
I’ve seen Bosh and Booze(not so much) play this season. Anybody seen Brand play? Achilles tendon rupture ain’t no joke
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:09 am
tim says:
I read Pistons would send Billups and Prince for Melo. But Denver denied it.
Imagine if the Pistons lineup though
Stuckey
Hamilton
Carmelo
Maxiell
Sheed
I wouldn’t mind that lineup….
June 23rd, 2008 at 3:36 am
TalenTed says:
man if the nuggets dont pay this man…they most definitely wont go any where.
June 23rd, 2008 at 8:14 am
doc says:
Brand the best but I would take Tyson on that team for goaltending purposes.And everybody hating on Melo.Give me Melo for Iggy right now.
June 23rd, 2008 at 8:15 am
doc says:
Same dudes was saying he better than Bron they 1rst years.
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:15 am
chris says:
money J got it right….coming back from an achilles tendon rupture isn’t a joke, USUALLY it costs you at least 6 inches on your vertical, brand ain’t no sky king, so all bets are off that he dominates again…can you think of ANYONE who dominated in the league after an achilles tear? take bosh or chandler. white guys who can jump aren’t necessarily ‘athletic’, either, i think joe alexander will be fun to watch in the league for a year or two, but my bet is he gets hurt and never becomes a big money player.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:27 am
DaPro says:
If Brand is healthy, than I take Brand. His injury was serious but unlike most players who have major leg injuries, his game isn’t based on athleticism. Duncan, Al Jefferson, and Brand to name a few don’t need hops to get their shot off. Brand has a huge wingspan and wide body so his post game will be fine.
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Austin Burton says:
For the few games that Brand came back at the end of this season, he was very good.
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Dave says:
I’m with DaPro, if Brand is healthy I take Brand, then Bosh, then Boozer. I’m still trying to figure out where Boozer disappeared to in the playoffs….
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Dave says:
Brand has a nasty streak, plus all the physical tools when he’s healthy and I think if he’s on a team that has a chance to win he’s easily a first or second option that can deliver in the clutch. Bosh is still learning in my mind to be mentally tough enough to be a consistent winner, and of course we all know about Boozer…..great player until there’s something on the line, is afraid to get his shot blocked and defers too much when his ‘mates need him to take the lead.