I've gone from being baffled to understanding this process to being utterly baffled (again) in the span of a week and half. It started out with me thinking Nick Collison was on the Select Team that will scrimmage Team USA in the run-up to the FIBA tournament in Las Vegas.Then, I thought he was going to be a member of the Team USA because, well, it was reported at ESPN and everywhere else via an AP story.
Now, Steve Carp of the Vegas Review-Journal says that Collison will be on the Select Team after all. Here's what he wrote:
"USA Basketball still is finalizing the roster of NBA players that will scrimmage the national team. Several players already have committed to what is being called the NBA Select team, including Nick Collison, Monta Ellis, David Lee, Andre Iguodala, Al Jefferson and Jason Kapono."
It appears that LaMarcus Aldridge and Monta Ellis are off the Select Team because of injuries, which may be why Collison is headed for that club, rather than Team USA, which is the team that the Select Team plays, because they're not the Team USA, because ...
Oh, I give up.
Somebody explain to me how this means we're going to finally beat Puerto Rico?
I read some where else that there were conflicting stories on this one. I think USA Basketball's website might be the most reliable source.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.usabasketball.com/news.php?news_page=07_msnt_aug_15-21_train_add_collison
The link above points to an article post yesterday. "USA Basketball Senior National Team managing director Jerry Colangelo announced that USA Basketball veteran and Seattle SuperSonics four-year 6-10 forward Nick Collison had been added to the USA Senior National Team program."
Though, JJ Reddick was transfered off of the Senior National Team to the Select Team there was no mention of Collision have been transfered yet. Perhaps this guy in Vegas didn't do his homework in researching the story. Or maybe he knows more than USA Basketball's webmaster.
NBA.com's write-up of the story by Dave McMenamin (love his hamburgers; that's an inside Portland joke) agrees with the Vegas story, so that makes two references (here's the link: http://my.nba.com/forum.jspa?forumID=400025373&start=0)
ReplyDeleteAccording to supersonics.com Collison has joined Durant on the Senior Men's Roster. And if you look on USA Basketball's website their roster for the Select Team isn't completely up to date, because they're removed Alderidge and Ellis, but haven't add Reddick yet.
ReplyDelete"but haven't add Reddick yet. "
ReplyDeleteGWH syndrome gets really ugly in it's advanced stages. Lord have mercy on this poor deluded child. Sad, so sad.
I agree, the whole thing is a little confusing. it's because so many of these guys are getting hurt, or just deciding it's not worth it to bust their humps just so the big shots can go for gold next year in China.
ReplyDeleteReally, there is no chance that he makes the olympic team anyway is there? So does it matter?
ReplyDeleteEither he's playing with them or against them in the practices, so he'll get some great exposure to high quality guys. Great for Collison. Congratulations.
Now, moving back to the Clay Bennet integrity issue... are we over that?
Regarding the Seattle Supersonics future in the Pacific Northwest, I recently explained that "[t]here are two options here."
ReplyDeleteThe first option would be that "[t]he Washington State Legislature completely funds the building of a $500,000,000 state-of-the-art multi-purpose facility (i.e., the King County Events Center) somewhere in the Puget Sound, which would thereby allow The Professional Basketball Club, LLC to flip the Seattle Supersonics for a huge profit to a local buyer (e.g., Steve Ballmer, Kemper Freeman, Jr., et al.)."
The second option would be that "The Professional Basketball Club, LLC relocates the Seattle Supersonics to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; consequently, Clayton Bennett becomes a renowned civic leader -- as well as somewhat of a philanthropist -- within his hometown community."
http://sonicscentral.com/blog/?p=1357
In this instance, there's little to no middle ground—which flat-out sucks for us fans and taxpayers.
Anyway, Gabriel Mott, nobody should've acted furiously incensed over Aubrey McClendon comments. Instead, they ought to be satisfied that there's no longer a thinly veiled façade covering this entire situation.
As it is, McClendon openly stated that he and his fellow partners within The Professional Basketball Club, LLC (i.e., Bennett, Tom Ward, et al.) would happily relocate the Supersonics to Oklahoma City -- no matter the financial repercussions and any negative impact regarding public relations -- of course, his honesty exposes them as out-of-town carpetbaggers who desperately want to bring a professional basketball team to their hometown.
Yet, that notwithstanding, everyone should've assumed that their intentions were covertly covetous from the moment that The Basketball Club of Seattle -- which was obviously headed by Chairman Howard Schultz -- sold the franchise to the Oklahoman ownership group.
It's a matter of common sense, folks
Regardless of whether or not Nick Collison ultimately earns a spot on the 2008 U.S.A Men's Olympic Basketball Team, he deserves congratulations for making it this far in the process.
ReplyDeleteCollison is on the Senior team, not the Select team. According to nba.com's blog, Collison had an emphatic block of Carmelo during practice. So that's nice.
ReplyDeleteAs for him not making the final roster, he's a long shot, but remember he was on the last Senior Men's team to win a gold medal (the 2003 squad that won the FIBA Olympic qualifying tourney), so it isn't impossible...