Mon, August 19th, 2019

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Written while listening to Daft Punk's Around the World

The problem with Team USA is that they don’t have the best players

De’Aaron Fox, who we just could not shut up about last week, dropped out of consideration for Team USA’s FIBA World Cup team on Saturday, which means there are 13 finalists to make the 12-man roster:   Harrison Barnes; Jaylen Brown; Joe Harris; Kyle Kuzma; Brook Lopez; Khris Middleton; Donovan Mitchell; Mason Plumlee, Marcus Smart; Jayson Tatum; Myles Turner; Kemba Walker; and Derrick White  This team, talent-wise, continues to get worse, which is probably fine with Gregg Popovich, who earned his stripes coaching a bunch of Division III benchwarmers, not an embarrassment of NBA All-Stars.[READ: 10 things to know about the FIBA World Cup]But what’s most concerning/intriguing/emblamatic of a growing game is that Team USA, for the first time since perhaps 2002, will not have the best player in the tournament.Or the second best player. Or maybe even the third?Here’s a rough top-10 list of the best players in the World Cup, which begins on August 31 in China. 10. Jayson Tatum (USA)9. Danilo Gallinari (Italy) 8. Nikola Vucevic (Montenegro)7. Rudy Gobert (France)6. Donovan Mitchell (USA) 5. Khris Middleton (USA)4. Kemba Walker (USA)3. Marc Gasol (Spain)2. Nikola Jokic (Serbia) 1. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) That’s a subjective list, for sure, but it’s at least in the ballpark, and there’s a huge fissure between the first two players and the rest. Walker and Middleton are USA’s only two All-Stars from last season, and they were in the East.If you go by All-NBA selections, the USA has one (Walker, third) while France has one (Gobert, third). Serbia and Greece both have a first-team selection each.Giannis is far-and-away the best player in this tournament; the only thing hurting him is an inferior cast of teammates, including his brother, Thanasis.The best player with the best supporting cast might be in Serbia, though France and Australia also have a competent cast.Jokic has Sacramento’s Bogdan Bogdanovic, Minnesota’s Nemanja Bjelica and, of course, newly-signed Maverick Boban Marjanovic, plus a crew of familiar Serbians who take tournaments like this more seriously than most Americans can understand.In FIBA’s mind, Serbia is second-best in the world behind USA, despite the junior varsity roster.(These two won’t be able to play each other until the knockout round. Here are group stage matchups.)(via NBA.com)Obviously, this go-around for Team USA won’t be 1992 all over again, but it also might not be 2014, when Team USA went undefeated en route to winning the FIBA World Cup.The rest of the world sees an opportunity to dethrone the champs. Sasha Djordjevic, Serbia’s coach, is all the proof you need: “Let’s let them play their basketball and we will play ours and if we meet, may God help them.”[READ: Is this the worst Team USA in modern history?]

The free agent big man lottery: Intensely depressing 

After likely losing DeMarcus Cousins for the season to an ACL tear last week, the Lakers are looking for a big man on a budget. The two names circulating are Dwight Howard and Joakim Noah, who are one immature joke and one petty failed drug test away from signing BIG 3 contracts, respectively.Given the choice, you’d have to think Joakim Noah is the guy here, given that he played actual games last season (it’s true) and hasn’t been chased out of town by his last five NBA teams.The funny thing is: Both these players are kind of on the Grizzlies right now. Howard was traded there by Washington, though he’s expected to be waived at some point, while Noah played half a season with them last year, though he’s actually a free agent.

QUIZ:

Who was the last player to make an All-NBA first-team, Dwight Howard or Joakim Noah? Answer at the bottom. 

ICYMI: More dancetastic gifs of 1970s NBA refs

On Friday, we brought you back to the 1970s to observe the incredible grace of the era’s referees. Here are more “dancetastic” moves, as reader Jeff described them:

1. It’s Phoenix’s ball here, if you couldn't tell by the emphatic hopping turned left-handed point.

2. This ref, apparently an avid deep sea fisherman, combines work and hobby.

3. And finally, a turnover is used to show off a mean Saturday Night Fever move. 

 Quick Hits 

• The NBA released its annual Rookie Survey on Monday. Zion’s going to win Rookie of the Year, think 35 percent of them. 

• Kawhi Leonard busted out the fro when he went golfing this weekend. 

• Here’s Marcus Smart fooling around and hitting a trick shot during Team USA practice.

• Steph Curry bankrolled Howard University’s efforts to build its men’s and women’s golf teams.  

• That time Michael Jordan blew the announcers’ minds with a wrap around dribble to the same hand.

 Concrete Reads 

• For Donovan Mitchell, USA basketball is summer school. He’s top of the class. [New York Times]

• The nihilist's guide to DeMarcus Cousins's injury [Deadspin]

• Melbourne’s growing NBA love affair [ESPN]

• In the NBA, the term “owner” has come under fire, as players assert self-determination [New York Times]

• Goodnight, sweet oligarch [The Ringer]

 Podcast Pick

Debating the All-Decade teams [Sports Illustrated]