Yardbarker: Tyson Chandler

Analyzing Team USA's 12 Man Roster

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 23:11:17 -0500

Last Monday, USA Basketball announced the 12 man roster that will comprise the 2008 U.S. Olympic basketball team. Five of the 12 have participated in the Olympics previously (Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer, LeBron James, Jason Kidd and Dwyane Wade); the only U.S. team that had more Olympic veterans was the 1996 squad--the so-called "Dream Team II" that welcomed back six players from the first Dream Team, the 1992 U.S. Olympic team that is the only group that truly deserved the "Dream Team" designation. Eight members of the 2008 team played in the 2007 FIBA Americas tournament, which Team USA won with a 10-0 record; here is a list of those eight players, along with some of their statistics from the 2007 FIBA Americas tournament. Carmelo Anthony (21.2 ppg, .613 FG%, .578 3Pt FG%, 5.2 rpg, 1.4 apg in nine games) LeBron James (18.1 ppg, .760 FG%, .622 3Pt FG%, 3.6 rpg, 4.7 apg in 10 games) Kobe Bryant (15.3 ppg, .548 FG%, .459 3Pt FG%, 2.0 rpg, 2.9 apg in 10 games) Michael Redd (14.4 ppg, .530 FG%, .453 3Pt FG%, 1.4 rpg, 1.5 apg in 10 games) Dwight Howard (10.0 ppg, .814 FG%, 5.3 rpg, 18 blocked shots in 10 games) Tayshaun Prince (7.3 ppg, .481 FG%, .357 3Pt FG%, 5.0 rpg, 2.1 apg in nine games) Deron Williams (4.7 ppg, .613 FG%, 5-10 3Pt FG, 1.0 rpg, 4.6 apg in 10 games) Jason Kidd (1.8 ppg, 6-10 FG, 5-8 3Pt FG, 3.3 rpg, 4.6 apg in 10 games) Amare Stoudemire and Chauncey Billups played in 2007 but withdrew their names from the selection process this time around. Tyson Chandler played the fewest minutes on the 2007 team and Mike Miller had the second lowest field goal percentage on the 2007 team. Those four players have been replaced by Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade. In addition to the Olympic and international experience listed above, the current roster has the 2008 NBA MVP (Bryant), four of the five members of the 2008 All-NBA First Team (Bryant, James, Howard and Paul) plus a 2008 All-NBA Second Team selection (Williams) and a 2008 All-NBA Third Team selection (Boozer). Since the debacles for Team USA in 2002, 2004 and 2006, USA Basketball has emphasized that it wants a three year commitment from players so that the team can develop cohesion and chemistry. That is why the fifth member of the 2008 All-NBA First Team, Kevin Garnett, is not on the roster. USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo said of Garnett, "We never got any positive feedback of his interest. It was more about 'I've been there, I've done that and it's time for someone else to do it.' I had a number of conversations with his agent just to check the temperature of the water, and there was never any positive response. We would have loved to have had him...but obviously, it wasn't in the cards." The key additions to the 2007 team were Kobe Bryant and Jason Kidd; they quickly emerged as team leaders because of their professionalism, work ethic and defensive intensity, three qualities that had been noticeably missing on recent editions of Team USA. U.S. Coach Mike Krzyzewski said, "Kobe is unbelievably committed to representing his country. Last summer playing for our team, the first time he saw his uniform, he got emotional...The first thing he did for us last summer, he was our best perimeter defender--and that's a role he wanted...I think we'll start out with the same thing because he knows he can play that way and expend the energy on defense because of the offensive talent of his teammates...We usually put him on the best perimeter player on the opposing team whether it be a point guard or a wing, and that's how we started the game. And that's how I want to start our practice sessions with that in mind." Bryant sacrificed some of his offensive game to concentrate on defense but still managed to finish third on the team in scoring and fourth in assists.In a December 5, 2007 post, I mentioned some things that Suns General Manager Steve Kerr told me that then-Suns Coach Mike D'Antoni--a Team USA assistant coach--had said about Bryant's role on Team USA:Prior to each game in last summer's FIBA Americas tournament, Bryant asked the coaching staff, "Who do you want me to take out?" In other words, Bryant wanted to know who was the toughest perimeter threat on each team so that he could study his tendencies on film and then completely neutralize him on the court. I said to Kerr, "That sounds like a sniper zeroing in on a target" and Kerr replied, "Yeah--and he was serious." Kerr went on to say that Bryant's "focus" and "bravado" added an essential missing element to the squad and elevated everyone else's play. Kerr noted that the previous Team USA squad had performed reasonably well other than the infamous loss to Greece but that it lacked a certain "swagger," as he termed it, and that Team USA did not have a "player who everyone feared." Kerr literally shook his head in wonderment as he described Bryant's impact on Team USA. Kidd's leadership came in a much subtler form; there is virtually no statistical evidence of it, other than the fact that he ranked second on the team in assists--but make no mistake that he played a very key role on the team. He has never lost a game while wearing a Team USA jersey and he made it clear that he does not intend on ending that streak now. The usual starting lineup of Bryant, Kidd, James, Anthony and Howard generally led the team to such big early leads that players like Redd, Stoudemire and Williams put up a lot of their numbers in de facto garbage time. Though casual fans probably assume that Chris Paul will be the starting point guard, I expect Coach Krzyzewski to use the same starting lineup during the Olympics that he employed during the FIBA Americas tournament; Kidd only ended up playing 15.9 mpg because Team USA won so many blowouts but I think that it is important to start the game with a group that has played together before in FIBA competition. This is not some All-Star exhibition in which Team USA can rotate who starts. Paul may end up playing more minutes than Kidd, particularly if Team USA builds big leads, but I would be surprised if Coach Krzyzewski changes his starting lineup. The main early criticism of the 2008 roster is the supposed lack of big men but I disagree with that assessment. Chandler hardly played at all in the 2007 FIBA Americas tournament and although Stoudemire rebounded well he was not much of a defensive presence (six blocked shots in 10 games). Boozer and Bosh should be more than able to replace them, so this team is deeper and more versatile up front than the 2007 squad. Furthermore, the most effective style of play for Team USA in FIBA events is to go small, play pressure defense, force turnovers and score in the open court. Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James can easily play power forward in such a lineup, so on this team they are essentially "bigs" also. As for the perimeter players, Billups and Miller were two of the least productive members of the 2007 team, so it is difficult to believe that there will be any drop off by replacing them with Paul and Wade. Thus, the 2008 team should be even better than the 2007 squad, though it is also true that the competition at the Olympics will be much tougher than the competition at the FIBA Americas tournament. Anthony will almost certainly be Team USA's leading scorer. He feeds off of the open court scoring opportunities provided by the pressure defense of Bryant, Kidd and James and he is also a tough cover in the half court for most FIBA forwards. If anything, Anthony plays even worse defense in FIBA competition than he does in the NBA but he is such an efficient scorer--and the other four starters defend so well--that his offensive output outweighs his defensive liabilities (which was not the case in the 2004 Olympics, when Bryant and Kidd were not on the team and James did not defend nearly as well as he does now). Some quotes from Anthony and Wade give an indication of why they failed to lead the 2004 and 2006 teams to gold medals. Anthony said that he joined the 2004 team expecting to have "some of the best workouts in the summertime with the best players in the world" and he assumed "the USA is supposed to win everything." Wade candidly admitted that being an Olympian had never been a dream of his, adding, "I didn't have a clue what I was getting into...Now, we respect the game so much. We respect the team basketball that they play internationally so much." You don't have to read too far between the lines to understand that in 2004 Anthony and Wade underestimated the competition that they faced and did not realize how much hard work and intensity would be necessary to win the gold medal. Now, they know better and the team has a much better leadership structure--with Bryant and Kidd on board no one will be taking any shortcuts in practice or at the defensive end of the court (well, Anthony probably will still take some shortcuts there but the team can survive that as long as he keeps shooting over .600 from the field). The prevailing myth about Team USA's failure to win gold medals in the 2002 FIBA World Championship, the 2004 Olympics and the 2006 FIBA World Championship is that a lack of outside shooters proved to be fatal. However, as I demonstrated in a September 4, 2007 post titled The Real Story Behind Team USA's Losses in Previous FIBA Events, what really killed those teams was poor defense, particularly regarding the short three point shot (20'6" as opposed to 23'9" in the NBA) that FIBA teams love to launch. It is absolutely vital that Team USA shut down the three point shooters on opposing teams and that they do so without leaving the lane open to cutters; shooting well from the three point line would certainly be a nice bonus but perimeter defense will be the linchpin of Team USA's success. Good perimeter defense will fuel transition offense that will result in open three pointers and fast break dunks; the gaudy field goal percentage posted by Team USA in 2007 was largely the result of great defense leading to high percentage scoring opportunities in transition. OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK FInal AL All-Star Game Voting Update has Tight Races - The Biz of Baseball DC and Virginia Lotteries Team with Nationals For Scratch-It - The Biz of Baseball Aw, Tapioca! Kozy Shack the Official Pudding of the Mets - The Biz of Baseball MLB.com Releases 3-D Enhancements to Gameday - The Biz of Baseball Take in an Orioles Game, Win $50,000 or $100,000 - The Biz of Baseball SEE IT: Red Sox/AAA Ford Fusions to Run Sat. and Sun. at New Hampshire Motor Speedway - The Biz of Baseball Deadline Pushed Back to July 31st for Cubs/Wrigley Field Sale - The Biz of Baseball Dunkin?' 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Up 111% from 2006 - The Biz of Hockey 15,000 General Admission Tickets for London NFL Game Sell Out in 30 min. - The Biz of Football Papa Replaces Gumbel as NFL Network's Play-by-Play Announcer - The Biz of Football NFL Network May Partner Up With ESPN - The Biz of Football NFL Players Help Hometown Tornado Victims - The Biz of Football Recently Retired Strahan Joins Fox NFL Pregame Show - The Biz of Football Anheuser-Busch to Sponsor New Meadowlands Stadium - The Biz of Football TNT Lands Full Slate of Sponsors For "Wide Open Coverage" Telecasts - Maury Brown's Biz of Sports David Friedman is a weekly contributor to the Business of Sports Network. To read more of his basketball articles, just take a 20 Second Timeout. His general sports commentary can be found at Best Ever Sports Talk, where "Smokin' Joe Frazier Fires Off One Liners in Guest Appearance on Friday Night Fights," "Old School Video: Hagler Versus Hearns, The War," "Why Steroid Users Should be Banned for Life" and "Tiger's High Stakes Gamble Pays Off—For Now" are among the subjects that have been recently discussed.

Analyzing Team USA's 12 Man Roster

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 07:55:17 -0500

So What Do The Knicks Do Now?

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 11:41:47 -0500

Ron-Ron would be great and so would Baron Davis. Realistically who are you going to trade to get them? As good as "Double" Lee is he is NOT great he is a great role player who fills a need on a good basketball team. Lee is not even close to the level that a Baron Davis or a Ron Artest are as players. Knick fans out there are getting a little ridiculous with these trade requests remember this is real life not NBA2k or NBA Live. You can not trade Marbury for Iverson because they are both rated on a video game in the 80s that doesn't work in the real NBA. How about this one I heard some crazed fan say Zach Randolph for Tyson Chandler? Or another one I heard on the radio was Eddy Curry for Marcus Camby. Haha, yeah right let's get real people.

Hornets Training Camp 2007, 20 Suicides in 20 Minutes

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 02:42:25 -0500

Found this great clip from earlier in the NBA season with a behind the scenes look at the New Orleans Hornets Training Camp from last season. One of the great things about watching NBA practices is how individually focused they are. Each player is broken down and analyzed and practices are designed specifically to maximize each player's potential.

Now, obviously as a high school coach or lower, you don't nearly have the coach to player ratio to be able to emulate that kind of attention, but there are some cool things that you can try to incorporate, especially for individual development. Take a look at this 2 min clip,

Using a Training Harness:

I love using the training harness. I've used it for football in the past, and it's a great way to incorporate resistance training into everything that you do. We usually use it for RBs, QBs and LBs but as shown here with Tyson Chandler, it can be very effective for explosion training for rebounding and jumping,

Other Thoughts:

- 20 suicides in 20 minutes, pretty standard conditioning drill for beginning of season to build up endurance.

- Bobby Jackson, says he always shoots 100 3s, then 100 mid-range after practice. "You have to always work as a shooter. You can't think that your jumpshot will always go in. You have to work at it. It's my 11th year, and I still work on the little things."

- Byron Scott, "Biggest thing about our team, if you don't work hard, you don't get respect. Not just from the coaching staff, but from the players."

For more info on improving your speed and conditioning, check out Alan Stein's new DVD on Reaction & Quickness Drills for Basketball. Coach Stein is the conditioning coach for Montrose Christian, famously for having worked with Kevin Durant. Be sure to check out the X's and O's Basketball forum to discuss your favorite coaching topics.

Team USA

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:20:01 -0500

Staying on basketball for a little bit more, I wanted to take a look at the U.S. Olympic squad. Before I get into it, let me just say that it's hard for me to handle my country losing at anything. Maybe it's because I spent the first 9 years of my life in a real "Red White and Blue" part of Texas, and have grandfathers that fought on Destroyers in WWII, or maybe I'm just a sore loser. Either the case, if there's one team I root for that I don't accept losing from, it's the United States Men's Basketball team. I know how talented the rest world has become at playing basketball, but this is a sport that is still dominated by Americans at the highest level (NBA). Since 2000 the team has taken a step back mainly due to a lack of participation from most of the elite American ball players. In 2004 we sent what I would've considered our 2nd and 3rd teams to the Olympic Games in Greece. The team's starting line up consisted of Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, LeBron James, Carlos Boozer, and Tim Duncan. Sounds like a good enough squad, but far from our nation's best. The first team should've consisted of a 4 year younger Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett, and a still dominate Shaq at center. Now I understand that Garnett, Shaq, and Kidd already have Gold medals from past Olympics, but it's not like Manu Ginobili will miss a single international competition even though he's already won Olympic Gold. This year's team does have some of the same faces that failed miserably 4 years ago, but with good reason. In the last 4 years LeBron has become a figurehead in the league, Carmelo has led the league in scoring, and although Dewayne Wade has struggled to stay healthy, he's still the most talented young 2-guard in the world. I like Carlos Boozer, but he replaces a guy I like a lot more, Amare Stoudemire. He'll be the only guy missing from what should be a once again dominate American squad. Boozer and Stoudemire both were on the 2004 team, but Boozer has gotten older, smarter, and has been an All-NBA selection (2nd and 3rd team) in each year since '04. Another guy who's grown a lot in the last 3 years is Dwight Howard. The starter at center for the U.S. is young and has pride for his country that should keep him coming back for Gold until he retires. We know what starters Jason Kidd and Kobe Bryant will bring to the table, but it's going to be interesting to see these young guns who have truly come into their own play against elite international competition (Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Chris Bosh, Howard, Melo, and James). I believe one key to sure victory is Michael Redd; no country in this world will come close to defeating this team if he hits his 3's. With the All-World skill that the 3 U.S. point guards (Kidd, Paul, Williams) have for driving into the paint and dishing out to an open shooter, Redd will get many chances every game to make big shots. And if he hits a majority of them, the games will be over after the 3rd quarter. Oh I guess I forgot to mention, not only do expect victory, but I expect domination. I grew up on the Dream Team; destroying every country they faced 3 Olympics in a row (1992-2000). I still think we're that talented, and will always be more talented, so I don't accept any country coming within 10 pts of this squad, or any other squad we put together from now on. LeBron, Melo, Paul, Williams, Howard, Bosh, and Stoudemire seem to have a lot more pride for their country's basketball heritage than older players (i.e., Shaq, Garnett, McGrady). Like me, the young men in the previous sentence grew up watching the first NBA players participate and dominate in '92, so hopefully they want what I want, to see this country return to that form. The only concern I have is with head coach Mike Krzyzewski's decision to not take Tyson Chandler to Beijing. Chandler played very well last summer for team USA during Olympic qualifying, and without the help of one of the key's to his success, Chris Paul. CP3 was left off last summer's roster by coach K, and Paul made it quite clear that he was irked by the decision. But sure enough, after an MVP caliber season, we'll finally get to see the most talented young PG in Red White and Blue. We already know that Kidd will start, and Paul will come off the bench, I just think he would be better off coming off that bench with a teammate. Chandler is a good defender and rebounder, but becomes a scorer when Paul is on the court. A 7'1" scoring threat sounds pretty good to me. I think Deron Williams could have been left off to make room for Chandler. Williams will be a good asset in China, but Chandler could've been a force. The roster may look similar to the one Larry Brown put together 4 years ago, but things should run a lot smoother.

Chris Paul Is On the Olympic Team!

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:58:08 -0500

The Times Picayune is reporting that Chris Paul is going to make the cut for the USA Olympic roster that will be announced Monday. It's not exactly official, but the T.P., whatever other failings they may have, is usually right about stuff like this. It would have been an egregiously bad decision if they didn't take the point guard who just had one of the best seasons in history. There shouldn't have even been a discussion about it. Jason Kidd is practically mummified. But the article is also saying Tyson didn't make the roster, despite having played last summer. Hey now. That sucks. Congrats to Chris! (And, self-servingly and unpatriotically, don't get hurt, don't get hurt, don't get hurt, don't get hurt…)

U.S. basketball roster for Olympics to be released Monday!!!

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:18:23 -0500

Olympic team coach Mike Krzyzewski said that the 12-man roster for this summer's Beijing Games will be released Monday. The deadline to submit the roster is July 1st. The Dallas Morning News has reported that Jason Kidd has already been asked to particapate in the games. In July, the team will head to Vegas to start their training. Also, the USA Men's Basketball Team will play an exhibition game vs. Canada before the Beijing Games on Aug. 10. I'll keep you guys in touch when the roster is annouced. Sorry about the Articel, it somehow got posted twice!!!

U.S. basketball roster for Olympics to be released Monday!!!

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:18:17 -0500

Bruised, Not Broken

Fri, 16 May 2008 13:18:22 -0500

Injuries and their impacts on the 2008 Playoff landscape.

AccuScore - Hornets-Spurs Game 5 Preview

Tue, 13 May 2008 16:32:20 -0500

Home court has ruled in the playoffs and New Horleans will hope that will be enough to give them the edge tonight against the defending champions. Still, the Spurs have several advantages namely the disappearance of Peja Stojakovic and Tyson Chandler.

Defending Low Post Pick and Rolls

Tue, 13 May 2008 08:19:49 -0500

Chris Paul & Tyson Chandler are the best at it. But all the quick young point guards are initiating it. The play's a bit like a soccer penalty kick with the defensive big as the goalee. It needs to be handled similarly to the high pick, where the defensive big normally glues on to the point guard, cutting off his passing lanes. Down low, like a goalee the big needs to guess the point's spin off the pick and pounce. 'Cause otherwise it's sure to end badly. Kevin Garnett's the only one who D's this well. But. . .Daniel Gibson last night took his pick and went straight out to the foul line- didnt matter what the Big Ticket did. . .

2007-08 Slam Dunk Stats (Overall Leaders, Most by Rookies, Most by Players Under 6'4, etc.)

Thu, 08 May 2008 08:39:08 -0500

To the surprise of no one, D-Howard, Amare & Chandler led the NBA in dunks this past season. But what about everyone else? All 353 NBA players who recorded at least 1 dunk in '07-08 are listed below. I have included a few special categories as well: Most Dunks per Game, Most Dunks by Rookies, Most Dunks by Players Over 30, Most Dunks by Players Under 6-4, Most Dunks by a Team, and Fewest Dunks by a Team.

Hornets' speed is killing the Spurs

Tue, 06 May 2008 16:00:11 -0500

It's still way too early in the series to write the defending champs off, but I think that even the most ardent San Antonio supporter would admit that things aren't looking too good. The Spurs entered the series with a serious advantage in playoff experience, but all that's got them thus far is a pair of 18+ point defeats. It looks like the Hornets are a horrible matchup for the Spurs. San Antonio's offense starts with Tony Parker, who is typically able to use his quickness to get into the lane at will. But with the speedy Chris Paul and even speedier Jannero Pargo splitting defensive duties, those driving lanes aren't nearly as open as they usually are. If Parker's jumper isn't falling - and at the moment it isn't - his effectiveness is severely limited. Inside, the Hornets are trapping Tim Duncan just about every time he gets the ball... (Read the rest of the article after the jump.)

Chris Paul has Recieved Co-MVP In my eyes

Tue, 06 May 2008 14:38:58 -0500

New Orleans Hornets The New Orleans Hornets are deserving of some praise right now. They are really playing with the heart of champions right now. I don't know of city more deserving of something good happening to them right now. Hurricane Katrina was something devastating to the city. Sports I believe bring whole cities together. Now even if you are not a basketball fan this something in this article for you. When season started for the 2007-2008 season started nobody even had New Orleans Hornets even making the playoffs. A few people had them seeding at the very last spot in the conference. In western conference it is filled with all star household names. You have everyone from Kobe Bryant, Tracy Mcgrady, Steve Nash, Shaq, Dirk, Yao Ming, Tim Duncan, Jason Kidd, the list goes on. At the start of the season the Hornets had not one player that had all star game under their belt. Now I a Chicago fan had nothing to cheer about all year long. The only thing was good about the season was going to see my favorite player Jesus Shuttlesworth whoop on the bulls at united center. Now back to Hornets, they have a Leader and that is established and his name is Chris Paul, then have role players that all have very important roles from Tyson Chandler " I miss you in the chi" David West, Peja, pargo. Paul leads the charge and makes everyone better; there is no question right now that CP3 is best point in the league. The reason the hornets work so well is due to their ability to know their rolls, and their General Byron Scott "congrats on coach of the year". People doubted them at the start of the season, people doubted them at the start of the playoffs, and people doubted them at start of the San Antonio series, now they have band wagon jumpers on board. No matter how they end this playoff run I will call them most successful team of 2008. Reasons why Coach of the Year CP3 established as the best PG in the league, and well deserving of max contract this summer CP3 took David West, and Tyson Chandlers game and Elevated them David West and Chris Paul made all Star Team They finished second in the Western Conference They knocked out Dallas Mavericks They are going to knock out Spurs mark my words They are team that have great group of guys who stay of trouble of the court They got a whole city behind them, and some They play with heart and passion every night They are achieving a level of success that I don't even think they knew they could at the start of the season People would not of argued if CP3 got CO-MVP LAST but not Least They PLAY as a TEAM Jubril Agoro www.jubrilagoro.com

NBA Playoff Preview: Conference SemiFinals

Mon, 05 May 2008 20:31:07 -0500

With the Atlanta/Boston series finally over, FIO staff writer Jorge Menocal previews the Conference SemiFinals for this season's NBA Playoffs. Find out the keys to success for each team, as well as some predictions about which squads will come out on top.