Over-analysis, anyone?
You know it's going to be frustrating when Charles Barkley is the voice of reason in an argument. For the last week or so since the preliminary 22 man roster for the next Olympic hoops team came out, analyst after shitty analyst has been shooting their load over the fact that Allen Iverson was not invited to try out. Some of the reasons mentioned are:
1. He's a great scorer.
2. He's fast.
3. He's "exciting" and "has flair" (Kenny Smith's words, not mine).
4. He's one of the most important players of this generation.
5. He "deserves it".
Now, before I point out how stupid most of these arguments are (yes, Bill Walton, Kenny Smith, Mike Tirico and anyone else - stupid) let me say that Allen Iverson has been one of my favorite basketball players for years. He's a blast to watch in person. He is, without question, one of the 10 or 12 best players in the league. But he simply is not suited for international play.
1. Yes, he is a great scorer. His career scoring average entering this season was 27.4 ppg. However, he averages 23.1 shots per game. That is 4 more shots per game that Kobe Bryant's career average (!). Also, Team USA doesn't need any more great scorers. They have Kobe, Dwyane Wade, Gilbert Arenas, Paul Pierce, and LeBron James, to name a few. Also, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady (2-time scoring champ) and Ray Allen are "great scorers" too. Why is no one complaining about them being left off?
2. True. He is fast. So is Craig "Speedy" Claxton. So is T.J. Ford. And Sebastian Telfair, and Raymond Felton too. So what?
3. There are lots of other players on the roster who are just as "exciting" as Iverson. You could argue that James and Bryant, along with Amare Stoudemire, are more exciting. But since "being exciting" is a subjective quality (for the most part) I'm going to chalk this up to stupidity.
4. He probably is one of the more influential players of this generation. This argument holds some weight, but Colangelo and Coach K were probably not looking at cultural relevance when they put this roster together. I'm just guessing, since Bruce Bowen, Brad Miller, and Luke Ridnour are on the team.
5. Why does he deserve it? Because he is a great scorer and/or fast and full of flair? Colangelo has stated over and over again that he simply did not fit into their blueprint. They need players who can play roles, play man to man defense, and don't dominate the ball so much. Didn't anyone learn anything from the last Olympics?
Sure, there are some question marks on this team (Carmelo Anthony? Lamar Odom? Joe Johnson? Antawn Jamison?) but I think when the team is settled and they have a chance to play together you idiots will see that they made the right choice. Sorry, Allen. Now everyone shut the fuck up about it.
1. He's a great scorer.
2. He's fast.
3. He's "exciting" and "has flair" (Kenny Smith's words, not mine).
4. He's one of the most important players of this generation.
5. He "deserves it".
Now, before I point out how stupid most of these arguments are (yes, Bill Walton, Kenny Smith, Mike Tirico and anyone else - stupid) let me say that Allen Iverson has been one of my favorite basketball players for years. He's a blast to watch in person. He is, without question, one of the 10 or 12 best players in the league. But he simply is not suited for international play.
1. Yes, he is a great scorer. His career scoring average entering this season was 27.4 ppg. However, he averages 23.1 shots per game. That is 4 more shots per game that Kobe Bryant's career average (!). Also, Team USA doesn't need any more great scorers. They have Kobe, Dwyane Wade, Gilbert Arenas, Paul Pierce, and LeBron James, to name a few. Also, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady (2-time scoring champ) and Ray Allen are "great scorers" too. Why is no one complaining about them being left off?
2. True. He is fast. So is Craig "Speedy" Claxton. So is T.J. Ford. And Sebastian Telfair, and Raymond Felton too. So what?
3. There are lots of other players on the roster who are just as "exciting" as Iverson. You could argue that James and Bryant, along with Amare Stoudemire, are more exciting. But since "being exciting" is a subjective quality (for the most part) I'm going to chalk this up to stupidity.
4. He probably is one of the more influential players of this generation. This argument holds some weight, but Colangelo and Coach K were probably not looking at cultural relevance when they put this roster together. I'm just guessing, since Bruce Bowen, Brad Miller, and Luke Ridnour are on the team.
5. Why does he deserve it? Because he is a great scorer and/or fast and full of flair? Colangelo has stated over and over again that he simply did not fit into their blueprint. They need players who can play roles, play man to man defense, and don't dominate the ball so much. Didn't anyone learn anything from the last Olympics?
Sure, there are some question marks on this team (Carmelo Anthony? Lamar Odom? Joe Johnson? Antawn Jamison?) but I think when the team is settled and they have a chance to play together you idiots will see that they made the right choice. Sorry, Allen. Now everyone shut the fuck up about it.
Labels: basketball, idiots
posted by guru at 9:39 PM
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