The Team That Never Sleeps
LeBron in Dime #31Monday was all about Team USA. On a one-day trip to New York in between their training camp in Vegas, the U.S. squad got things started early by hitting the morning talk show circuit, then got on a boat bound for the Statue of Liberty for a photo shoot. (Dwight Howard said he was amazed to learn that the statue wasn’t originally green.) From there it was onto Rockefeller Center, where the famous outdoor ice rink was transformed into a basketball court and the players were presented with their USA jerseys. Kids in the audience were allowed to ask the players some questions, then Chris Paul and Deron Williams paired up to beat Michael Redd and Tayshaun Prince in a game of Lazy H-O-R-S-E. (During the Q&A’s, CP started popping off about how his AAU team beat LeBron’s team and Carmelo’s team back in high school; ‘Bron just shrugged while ‘Melo gave CP one of those “You’re buggin’” looks.) After the Rockefeller, the players hit the Plaza Hotel for a hectic media session full of photo shoots and interviews. Naturally, being in New York, everyone wanted to ask LeBron about 2010 and the possibility of him coming to the Knicks or Nets. And surprisingly, he didn’t totally duck the question — unlike D-Wade, who gave a sincere “Really?” when someone mentioned that he, LeBron and Chris Bosh would all be free agents in 2010 … The second-funniest part of the day for us was an exchange between Dwight Howard and a reporter from Argentina. The reporter said something along the lines of, “We don’t have Superman in Argentina, so you’re our Superman.” Dwight didn’t know what to say, and as he was trying to think of something, the guy asked, “Do you behave like Clark Kent?” … But the funniest moment by far happened as the Dime crew was leaving the Plaza. Since word had gotten out that Team USA was staying at the hotel, there were a few scattered fans waiting for autographs outside. As we were walking out, a grown man ran up to our Lifestyle Editor, Christian Grant-Fields, holding a Sharpie and asking him to sign a D-Wade Sports Illustrated cover. As a mortified Christian kept trying to tell the guy, “I’m not Dwyane Wade!” another fan screamed out, “Oh come on, Dwyane, just sign one! Stop being an a**hole!” … Have you seen Deron Williams’ new full-grown facial hair? Carmelo claims D-Will grew it all out in one day. If he keeps that thing all season, Deron could usurp Antoine “Big Dog” Carr as having the greatest beard in Utah Jazz history … Even with 10-year-olds, Kobe Bryant is a polarizing figure. Whenever the announcers said his name during the Rockefeller Center event, it was about 70/30 cheers versus boos … Tyson Chandler was named as Team USA’s alternate and will be making the trip to Beijing, but wasn’t involved in the NYC tour yesterday … We’re looking forward to seeing that “Road to Redemption” Team USA mini-series this week, but what we really wanna see on TV is the scrimmage games between the U.S. senior squad and the group of NBA youngsters being assembled to test them before Beijing. That roster includes Andre Iguodala, Kevin Durant, Al Jefferson and Derrick Rose, among others. Check out the whole list HERE and chime in on who you think should be added to that team … We can all agree that the ‘92 Dream Team is pretty much unbeatable, but what about the rest of the U.S. Olympic teams since then? Yesterday we kicked off our Team USA Fantasy Tournament, taking the ‘92 unit out of the mix and pitting ‘96, 2000, ‘04 and ‘08 against each other. The first matchup is 1996 versus 2008: a.k.a Dwight, Bosh and Booz having to deal with Shaq, Hakeem and The Admiral, and a prime Scottie Pippen guarding LeBron and/or Kobe. Vote on who you think would win … The day before free agency officially started, the Wizards locked up Antawn Jamison with a four-year extension worth $50 million. Good move by Washington to not even let Jamison get on the open market and potentially get a monster offer from another team he couldn’t refuse. We think $12.5 million per is a solid figure for Jamison; he’s making less than other forwards like Amare, Lamar Odom, Zach Randolph, Bosh, ‘Melo, Andrei Kirilenko, Richard Jefferson, Rashard Lewis and Shawn Marion, but he’s making more than Josh Howard, Al Jefferson, Tayshaun, David West, Hedo Turkoglu, LaMarcus Aldridge and Boozer. FYI, Jamison also makes more than Caron Butler … Meanwhile, Elton Brand and Baron Davis are, as expected, officially on the market after exercising their respective opt-out clauses. Who will command a bigger paycheck out of those two? … Are there any decent free agent centers available? After Emeka Okafor, the best of the rest are either really old (Kurt Thomas, Theo Ratliff, Mutombo), really raw (Patrick O’Bryant, Robert Swift, Randolph Morris) or just really bad (Jamaal Magloire, Lorenzen Wright). If your squad needs a big man, hope you lucked out in the draft … We’re out like the Argentine Superman …
July 1st, 2008 at 12:21 am
bill says:
tits
July 1st, 2008 at 12:24 am
Str8ganksta says:
1st
July 1st, 2008 at 12:40 am
Steve says:
threeezeeee!!!!!
July 1st, 2008 at 12:40 am
fallinup says:
Baron Davis is a free man!
July 1st, 2008 at 1:20 am
GEE...no nose job says:
See its things like the draft and team usa being in nyc that help make and keep nyc the mecca of basketball culture. although i wish the nba would spread the wealth to other states, i would have loved to be in nyc to see team usa.
i said this in another post but if somehow someway houston could get emeka he would be a great backup to yao and starter for yaos annual injury in houston. i know i am dreaming but that would be crazy and solidify the 5 completely.
wonder if Kobe is going to go on another defensive clinic in locking up dudes. hope so, its just a beautiful thing watching mamba shut dudes down.
washington did fine with jamison but they gonna pay way to much for agent zero. i would trade dude for a big, point and first round picks.
wish other countries played american football. can you imagine football in the olympics. us would destroy other countries.
sleep time cause im thinkin crazy lol……but i wonder though.
July 1st, 2008 at 2:39 am
Lee says:
WOW .. do you really think the USA would win at AMERICAN football. Try taking off all that protective clothing and come play a real physical game like rugby.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3cnss1UMO8
July 1st, 2008 at 3:00 am
BxBaller says:
Elton Brand & Baron Davis are officially free agents. Let the madness begin.
July 1st, 2008 at 3:22 am
Coach T-sun says:
Elton Brand and Baron Davis are gonna play together in LA… Baron, Eric gordon, Thornton, Brand and Kaman gonna be a real solid 5 they have a 22 mill payroll as of now they can bring brand and baron aboard and if donald sterling wants to bring back maggette as well they hold brand and maggette’s bird rights they can go over the cap. You also have a solid bench waiting Deandre jordan, josh powell, maggette (if re-signed), tim thomas, mobley, brevin knight gonna be a solid solid team if healthy
July 1st, 2008 at 7:02 am
John says:
There is a way that the Heat can get Okafor ? We would start J-Will, Wade, Marion, Beasley and Okafor. Good defensive team, and very fast team also.
July 1st, 2008 at 8:19 am
Ross says:
lol @ Dwight Howard. I’d say he should have gone to college, but we learned that the Statue of Liberty wasn’t originally green back in elementary school.
July 1st, 2008 at 9:39 am
Kobeef says:
I’m surprised that Team USA is the theme of Smack today when the big news is FREE AGENCY. The next week is going to be nuts with guys like Brand, Baron, Posey, Maggette on the market.
I would not be at all surprised if both Baron and Brand end up with new teams because GS and the Clips aren’t winning anything with the current rosters so they might as well take this opportunity to start rebuilding.
-Elton Brand
I still think he is most likely going to Miami in a sign and trade for Marion (who has only one year left).
Philly apparently also really wants him.
- Baron
A good move for team and player. GS has Monta in the wings so they don’t need BD and there are tons of teams with a need for a starting PG. Cleveland, NY, Detroit immediately come to mind and I think Detroit is still a front runner (trade young talent - Prince, Stuckey - for BD + Sjax?). GS starts
PG -Monta
SG - Stuckey
SF - Prince
PF - Wright
C - Biendris
Detroit starts
PG - Boom Dizzle
SG -Rip
SF - Jackson?
PF - Rasheed
C - McDyess
I don’t know where Chauncey goes (Denver?) but otherwise this could work.
July 1st, 2008 at 9:50 am
Ashlov says:
@ Lee
Do you really think it’s a good idea to have 300+ lb. football players snap their Rugby counterparts in half? You take off the pads and have that game, there’d be deaths on the field.
July 1st, 2008 at 9:52 am
Ashlov says:
Only way to get Okafor is via trade, and I doubt the Heat has anything to entice the Bobacats. If they would have taken Brook Lopez, then maybe. But without Okafar, they have nothing at center.
If I were Okafor, I’d take the one-year, and then get PAID next offseason. The Heat will have oodles of cap space by then.
July 1st, 2008 at 9:53 am
Kobeef says:
Oh - and apparently at one of the media events in NY Lebron was asked
a)What is your favourite city in the US
Answer? NY….Akron Ohio was 5th…
b)What is your favourite part of NY?
Answer? Brooklyn…then manhattan.
But don’t read too much into Lebron’s comments…….
July 1st, 2008 at 10:33 am
Skeeter McGee says:
Obviously LeBron’s future in Cleveland is dependent on whether or not the Cavaliers can consistently make a run at the Finals, considering the East is quite weak this should not be too lofty a goal. In my opinion, he will leave for Brooklyn because with a lightning fast point guard in Devin Harris, could you just imagine LeBron in a system that might like to get out and run?
Plus, this might be way out there but the exposure the Nets will get globally now thanks to Yi Jianlian on their team will be huge, and we all know LeBron is like God in China. Not only will he be in a huge market in New York, but he’s also getting worldwide exposure constantly.
Just my $0.02 though.
July 1st, 2008 at 10:55 am
DaPro says:
Okafor isn’t a center, that’s why he struggles alot and has trouble staying healthy. He is a pf, he needs to go to a team that can put him at the 4.
I’d rather see him play his natural position. He’ll have trouble guarding some of the athletic 4’s but he’ll adjust
July 1st, 2008 at 11:09 am
Michorizo says:
the first comment really got my attention
July 1st, 2008 at 11:13 am
hahns says:
i dont think any other team in the L has a chance at getting lebron other than brookly or the cavs. lebron and the cavs have a dysfunctional marriage right now but lebrons trying to make it work…but itll end in divorce and him running off w/ a hotter girl.
@kobeef. sjax in detroit would be crazy. palace brawl? not saying it couldnt work trade wise, just that itd be crazy for sjax to play for the fans that he punched out.
and american football players are some of the most athletic in the world…if the rest of the world learned how to play the game…itd be like dream team vs the world all over again.
July 1st, 2008 at 11:53 am
that's whats up says:
Wasn’t Jamaal Magliore an all-star a few years back?
How the hell did that happen???
July 1st, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Bron42 aka Thugnificant says:
lol rugby players vs american football players..It would be roadkill…Let some long haired shirtless euro try to run over ray lewis without pads. Not to mention, in italy they do stuff even more hardcore than rugby where they pretty much play full contact kill the carrier.
July 1st, 2008 at 12:09 pm
rell says:
Quick question. If the Clippers resign Brand and Maggette, is the only way they can afford B.Diddy is by B.Diddy taking the mid-level? Right now their payroll is at 27million instead of 22million and this does not include Gordon contract. I think they can afford Brand and either B.Diddy or Maggette.
July 1st, 2008 at 12:14 pm
t7yui7yiyfi says:
rugby iz gay
July 1st, 2008 at 12:15 pm
John says:
Thanks Ashlov .
July 1st, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Amar says:
dont know if you guys are haters or just racist, but mark eaton had the beastiest beard in jazz history.
July 1st, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Austin Burton says:
Wouldn’t it be more like Maggette taking the mid-level? Although I doubt he’d take less money to keep losing.
American football players would mollywhop any other coutry out there, pads or not. We all know this. It would take the world years to even begin catching up, and by then the Olympic committee would have already killed the sport due to non-competitiveness (a la softball).
July 1st, 2008 at 2:00 pm
GEE...What ya gonna do brother? says:
Didn’t Dave Chappelle have the Ghetto Olympics where they was rollin dice or something. I know snoop or westside connection had a video once where they did ghetto olympics and who could crip walk the best, and jump over fences and stuff hilarious.
It wouldn’t be fair but it would be fun to see Peyton Manning throwing touchdowns all over some poor cats, and you know Chad Johnson, provided he made it would be doing something hilarious when he scored lol.
LOL at Rugby being harder. Alot of guys playing pro football grew up playing without pads, so please know that with or without America would dominate football totally.
Dang Gil is really going to have to come with it for all he is going to get paid. Perhaps someone can help me here have Gil, Caron or Jamison ever gone past first round? I am just looking for someone to answer cause I am to lazy to look it up right now lol.
Is there any team that could pull off getting B Diddy and Brand? That would be crazy.
July 1st, 2008 at 2:51 pm
that's whats up says:
The Wiz should get rid of or trade Arenas. He will end up costing too much and everyone is nice and sweet before the BIG CONTRACT is signed.
Look at Tim Thomas - dude had a nice playoff run two years ago, got BIG money and faded into Bolivian
July 1st, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Amar says:
i dont know if yoy guys are haters, or just racist, but mark eaton had the beastliest beard in jazz franchise history . . .
July 1st, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Kudabeen says:
DIME:
Are they going to televise the game between Team USA and the young squad? Is it possible to make that happen. I don’t think it did last year…
July 1st, 2008 at 9:47 pm
biverton says:
Dimemag is really going downhill fast with Austin working for them.
July 1st, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Austin Burton says:
Thanks, whoever you are.
July 1st, 2008 at 10:22 pm
K Dizzle says:
Damn! LA vs LA next season COULD be the conference finals
July 1st, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Austin Burton says:
Nah, the Clippers won’t make that big of a leap even with Baron.
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:21 am
Amar says:
K dizzle — gimme the drugs, mmmmkay?