Who Should Start for USA Basketball at the Olympics? | The Bill Simmons Podcast

Who Should Start for USA Basketball at the Olympics? | The Bill Simmons Podcast

it’d be really tough for America not to win this I’m trying to figure out it there would have to be some sort of ego Alpha Dog weirdness on the team I think for them not to is it well that’s the thing aunt says that thing today about they know I’m the number one option I was like okay here we go this could get interesting because I guarantee embiid thinks he should probably get the ball at the end of games LeBron is where to have the ball in his hands in big situations then it’s gonna I think it’s going to be a hard team to coach you you have all these uh you have older players you have players in their primes you have players on the way up trying to prove something and they didn’t do the thing this year when uh they put the two at the end of the bench who clearly aren’t playing like all these like halberton is probably the 12th man on this team now halberton was in the Eastern Conference Finals you know so I don’t I think it’s G to be a hard one then you have the kawhai piece of it um there’s not a ton of Defense once you get past the Tatum Edwards Drew bam Davis Kawai if you want to have the defensive lineup so I don’t know I don’t know how it’s going to play out why are you smiling R well because he said I’m worried about the defense then you just went through the guys I went through six but six guys that probably aren’t half of those guys aren’t playing at the end of games like they’re Bam’s not gonna play crunch time Kawai I don’t know at this point what he will be able to consistently give you um maybe he’ll be terrific I don’t know but there was one they’re just gonna I’d imagine they’re just going to defer to the older guys has it always been is this the best example of like an absolute Changing of the Guard roster well they had a 9 to2 I guess like maybe 08 would be the other example but even then like Kobe was in his prime yeah this is I guess because the guys are so much older now yeah you know where you have LeBron is almost 40 and Durant you know the you have guys from drafts that happened 20 years ago and 17 years ago mik get here’s my starting lineup tell me if you guys agree with this Edwards and Curry is the back court embiid is the center and I think Durant starts because he has that long Olympics thing and then the next question for me is is it Tatum or is it LeBron starting and I I can’t imagine LeBron not starting LeBron Tatum’s not going to start he just won the title he’s in his prime and he’s like the perfect International player but I don’t think he starts I think Durant and LeBron start over him so it’s embiid Durant LeBron Edwards Curry or does Kawai get the Edwards spot and they go embiid Durant LeBron kawhai Curry and they don’t have a two guard what do you think Cy if I’m the Clippers and kawhai starts for USA Basketball like that’s I’m going to be pretty bummed out about furiated that’s that’s not awesome uh you lose Paul George and then you know watch kawhai have an awesome Olympics and then gets hurt again next year that’s not what you want to see so I I don’t know I I wouldn’t start Kawai unless he’s just unbelievable in Camp and we don’t know but yeah I think I think Curry Edwards I don’t there’s no way le Lebron is the first guy on the team in in the five I just there’s no way not LeBron has to start yeah I agree yeah and like you know it’s not an anti-m thing but yeah that’s LeBron’s gonna start first of all Lebron’s gonna start and I think Durant’s gonna start just that’s going to happen right you know what I loved about the pictures you know when we first saw the Durant picture next to Bosch and you’re like wait a minute somebody’s height is a lie because Durant was that much taller than Bosch we saw him lined up did you see the picture of Tatum next to Bam Tatum’s huge so I’m glad you noticed this because I noticed this in person I think Tatum’s 610 now I do too I noticed this at the finals going to the games watching him stand next to different people and I’m like there’s he it feels like he was closer to 611 than 69 like he might be like growing you think he’s huge I I’m kidding about is he still growing thing but whenever these guys are lined up next to each other I’ll look for it like who because you know you think of bam positioning it’s not like Bam’s listed height is wrong because there’s a picture of gobear and wemi the other day yeah where wem’s a full head taller than somebody’s lying yeah yeah and I think it’s because wemi is the first player I’ve ever heard prior to the draft that the agents actually were hoping to figure out a way to lie about his height going the other way like nobody’s ever wanted to be shorter ever in the history of the leadup of the NBA draft but there were people like he’s actually like 75 but they want him to be like 73 and then when he’s next to two lied Kareem lied and Bill Walton lied Kareem was like 74 and a half and I think he used to say he was 72 and Walton was absolutely at least s foot2 wasn’t porzingis in that category too I feel like porzingis it was like kind of getting weird there at the top S3 73 yeah he’s a legit he might even be like a whiff taller than 73 you g him 73 and a half are you yeah I would but Tatum I there there’s no way Tatum’s not 610 and I was thought Durant was the other one I feel like Durant might be like Durant yeah yeah seven seven yeah yeah like a seven and 38 something like that but he’s definitely s feet or over I 71 Bam’s listed at 69 so as a center you said I think Bam’s like 68 yeah there’s a good chance he’s probably not see I didn’t I didn’t look at the Tatum bam part and go Bam’s lying I just thought I can’t believe how big Tatum looks next to him and that he’s at least 610 at least and it also when I saw him going up against Gafford of the post it’s not like Gafford has listed at like 611 is Gafford listed at 6 10 that was the beauty of like Tatum and I’m just G to forever be pissed off about Jaylen Brown getting both Conference Finals MVP and NBA Finals MVP because it’s not something that I’m upset that Jaylen Brown has just seeing what Steph had to deal with and all the [ __ ] post 2015 until he finally got here seven years later when in fact like Curry was the guy that was making all of this stuff happen for Tatum to be playing point guard for as much as he was and then also defending centers throughout the playoffs and like he was the most important player even with the bad shooting stretches that he had in the finals um but the the first impression with the finals part of it was just going to be such in favor of Jaylen which is which is fine but watching him physically and then seeing that picture you’re like are we talking about like a 610 guy that’s playing point guard in the NBA Finals that’s defending centers is Tam underrated Bill well this is what we talked about the playoffs is whether there was another another level another stop for him I always feel like it’s the physicality that’s the next piece for him and guys yeah and that 8 to 12 range would I will say really quickly if if you’re putting together the five that like just on paper you think works the best together I I think you can make an argument Tatum over KD is actually the right basketball move right all right so let’s do this as an exercise your Five Guys if it was just like who are the who are the best Five Guys we have to close games with that you would trust the most because that to me Tatum has to be over Durant because of his two-way ability at this point and and the fact that he’s younger I just think he has to be and he beat Durant and pl series two years ago I just think he’s a better player at this point um I would go embid are you sure yeah and and of games well depending on who the if was the team that it was just clearly it would be easy buckets for him Uruguay yeah yeah he’s probably not pass but if we’re going for best possible team that could play defense and resemble a finals team then ad has to be the center right so you just ch play Tatum at five I’d go small I’d go yeah I wouldn’t play a center I wouldn’t play any of those guys so would you go Tatum Durant LeBron Edwards Curry or Tatum Durant Booker Edwards Curry or Tatum Durant Drew Edwards Curry Drew is not going to make uh this closing Five in any they’re going to need him in these Olympics though because understand there’s gonna be a there’s gonna be a team where there’s gonna be some [ __ ] little guy going nuts and Drew is gonna be the guy who’s gonna have to guard him you’re gonna like shy I kind of agree like it’d be really fun to just watch five ball handlers out there and see what happens but there’s also going to be a match up in international play where there’s just going to be horrified of embat they’re not going to be able to do anything with that’s I think it’s be R I like the Tatum Tatum’s like the perfect like small ball stretch International five has your mood entirely changed as we just theorized on what Tatum might be you you have a pep you’re closing strong glad you’re glad I’m glad that you noticed that he grew um I do think embiid as this crazy weapon we haven’t had this since Shaq in like 1996 like certain teams were just like and be just Way Big Bigg than anyone on your team he’s just going to score every time now for the next next like five plays will’ll be fun to watch right I mean you’re sitting there going like I don’t know if Mitchell Robinson can do it on his own I’m worried about the Celtics Frontline depth Horford getting a little bit early I’m worried about Belgium although I don’t know off the top of my head with my luck it’ll be like actually Belgium has this really awesome huge guy yeah there’s it might not even be in the Olympics I don’t know yeah it’s it’s a weird team I wish they had like one more roll guy but in general [Music]

The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Ryen Russillo and Steve Ceruti to discuss the starting lineup for Team USA at the 2024 Olympics.

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