I think DT is ready for another olympic ride

[TheFarmFan]

Thank you. It's wild to me people say things this when she is currently averaging 18 PPG and 6 assists in her 19th year. Like if these younger plays are so deserving of a spot, they shouldn't have an issue beating her.

DT's a point guard though and they CERTAINLY are lacking there.

To me the main knock on DT at this point is that her defense is pretty lagging. In that sense, I think Gray, SDS, and Canada, give you more two-way production, among other distributors who can really scorch on defense. But there's no question she's putting up some pretty impressive offensive stats for a 40-something!

 

[nwhoopfan]

To me the main knock on DT at this point is that her defense is pretty lagging

This. The last Olympics, both starting guards were noticeably poor defensively. Several teams just drove at will. We still won Gold fairly easily, but that was because absolutely nobody can handle the combo of Stewie/Griner/Wilson.

That's why I mentioned the FIBA event that was after the Olympics. Some different players on that team, they cranked up the defense and the pace of play and totally annihilated everybody they played. More dominant than the previous Olympic team.

 

[Skeets]

If DT is reasonably competitive and she wants to go to the 2024 Olympics, and doesn't make the team, then that's a dark stain on USA basketball.

 

[bbsamjj]

Jordin Canada is an interesting idea if the team decides it needs a defensive, pass first specialist option off the bench. A. Gray, K. Copper, J. Young are also very good defenders. And of course having Alyssa Thomas in a lineup makes any team good defensively (not to mention Stewart, Wilson, Griner).

 

[Plebe]

If DT is reasonably competitive and she wants to go to the 2024 Olympics, and doesn't make the team, then that's a dark stain on USA basketball.

A dark stain?

"Reasonably competitive" and a desire to play seems a low bar.

 

[Skeets]

A dark stain?

"Reasonably competitive" and a desire to play seems a low bar.

Yes, considering what DT has given to USA basketball. You know, just a smidgen of loyalty.

And for the argument that she should move aside to groom younger players, it's a grand total of 1 position on the team. Looking at the big picture, is that really going to make much of a difference?

 

[baggerbob]

A dark stain?

"Reasonably competitive" and a desire to play seems a low bar.

Shooting 35% overall, and 25% from 3 while leading the WNBA in turnovers at 4 per game DT shouldn't be on the Olympic team.
It's time to move on to the younger players. If Paige is healthy she should be the 12th player as Stewie was in 2016.

 

[hoopsnloops32]

Shooting 35% overall, and 25% from 3 while leading the WNBA in turnovers at 4 per game DT shouldn't be on the Olympic team.
It's time to move on to the younger players. If Paige is healthy she should be the 12th player as Stewie was in 2016.

Paige hasn’t played basketball in two years and you want to put her on the OLYMPIC team??

 

[CL82]

Paige hasn’t played basketball in two years and you want to put her on the OLYMPIC team??

 

[baggerbob]

Paige hasn’t played basketball in two years and you want to put her on the OLYMPIC team??

She has a entire year to play next year to see where she is in her game. If not Paige then Clark should be on the team as the 12th person.

 

[From France]

Paige hasn’t played basketball in two years and you want to put her on the OLYMPIC team??

If, has she wants to, she is a better player than 2021, why couldn't she be ?
Previously, some college players were selected before the pros, and Paige has history with USA WNT

 

[From France]

It has always seem like it's easier to go with USA Women National Team if you have earlier earned the respect of the coaches in Junior National Teams. So if she has a 2021 season like or better, why not ?

 

[Dillon77]

It would take a brave coach to cut her. Who's the coach?

While I get the gist of what you're saying, the U.S.A. Head Coach Cheryl Reeve doesn't have the final say.
The USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee makes the decisions on who makes the team.

 

[Dillon77]

The USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee makes the final decisions on who represents the USA on the 12-person team. I would think/hope performance leading up to the Olympic trials would be major factor, as would the formulation of an overall team -- the I/we, if you will. Injuries/illnesses factor in, unfortunately.

That first part -- performance -- still needs to be determined, on courts of the WNBA, USA basketball events and NCAA games.
So, having read this thread, I'd like to see how DT does the rest of the WNBA season in all aspects of her game. And I'd also like to see how Paige Bueckers plays coming back from her injury. Would assume the committee feels the same way.

International experience/service to the U.S.A. team should be factored in, but -- in my mind --- more as a tiebreaker than anything else.

That said, some thoughts:

- While the Selection Committee makes the final cuts, the favored style of play and input of the Head Coach has to factor in to some degree. And the U.S.A. has a new coach in Cheryl Reeve. One of her benefits is that she sees the vast majority of these players in the WNBA as head coach of the Lynx.

- Getting involved/invited to the U.S.A. training camps matters. And it's worth noting who gets invited to these. For instance, both Allisha Gray and Marina Mabrey were brought into the last camp for the first time. Could that merit a slot in the pool? We'll see.

- As many posters have noted, the U.S.A. has a slew of guards, particularly at the shooting and wing positions. Point guard, without Sue Bird around and Courtney Vandersloot slated for Hungary, might look a bit slimmer, but Chelsea Gray, Alyssa Thomas, Jordin Canada, etc., are playing well and there are numerous "combo" guards, including DT. And it's worth tracking when Skylar Diggins-Smith returns to the game and how she does.

- There are a lot of players growing into their prime years that will be working hard for slots on the 5x5 team, ranging from Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young to Allisha Gray and Marina Mabrey to Sabrina Ionescu and Arike Ogunbowale, who has played on the ream, but never in major tournaments.

Should be fun and be the source of endless discussion going forward. Stay tuned!

 

[Sakibomb25]

Due to respect and legacy, DT deserves the selection

No one ‘deserves’ a spot just because they have been with Team USA for a number of years. If DT gets chosen, it’s because she brings something of value that others can’t, not because of respect or legacy.

 

[From France]

No one ‘deserves’ a spot just because they have been with Team USA for a number of years. If DT gets chosen, it’s because she brings something of value that others can’t, not because of respect or legacy.

That's a point view, id DT still has the same stats, she deserves, IMHO

 

[From France]

And I think the committee would like to have a woman basketballer on the team to have a record that probably will never be broken

 

[From France]

And my opinion, she has given so much to the WNT, then the WNT could give her back

 

[Plebe]

Yes, considering what DT has given to USA basketball. You know, just a smidgen of loyalty.

And for the argument that she should move aside to groom younger players, it's a grand total of 1 position on the team. Looking at the big picture, is that really going to make much of a difference?

I just don't see it this way at all. It's not the Supreme Court and it's not the mob. Rosters are selected anew, by merit, every four years. No one is owed a spot just because they've been on the team before. Experience matters, of course, but blind loyalty is not and should not be a guiding criterion imho.

And yes, every spot matters quite a lot. Even if it's the last player off the bench, one player can either enhance or detract from team culture in a huge way.

 

[JellyBean]

Jordin Canada is an interesting idea if the team decides it needs a defensive, pass first specialist option off the bench. A. Gray, K. Copper, J. Young are also very good defenders. And of course having Alyssa Thomas in a lineup makes any team good defensively (not to mention Stewart, Wilson, Griner).

Thank you! Jordin Canada is so slept on in this League it is ridiculous. Some fans and so-called experts give her some flowers but Jordin rarely gets mentioned as one of the ELITE guards in the W. It is shameful. I looked at the most recent All-Star numbers, Jordin not even mentioned. I need to up my voting practice.

But Jordin would be an ideal player on the Olympic squad. She may be short but she is cat quick and makes great decisions at the pace she plays. Her defense is solid. Her lateral quickness is off the charts! She would be a nice addition to the squad if she were to tryout and made the roster.

 

[boontonbomber]

While I get the gist of what you're saying, the U.S.A. Head Coach Cheryl Reeve doesn't have the final say.
The USA Basketball Women’s National Team Player Selection Committee makes the decisions on who makes the team.

Coach Reeve would certainly make recommendations.

 

[Dillon77]

Coach Reeve would certainly make recommendations.

Yup. As noted in a more detailed post:
"...the favored style of play and input of the Head Coach has to factor in to some degree. And the U.S.A. has a new coach in Cheryl Reeve. One of her benefits is that she sees the vast majority of these players in the WNBA as head coach of the Lynx."

 

[Waquoit]

Due to respect and legacy, DT deserves the selection

Nope. The best players at the time should go. Don't be like the US women's soccer team that carries washed-up stars to the detriment of the team.

 

[HuskyNan]

Yes, considering what DT has given to USA basketball. You know, just a smidgen of loyalty.

And for the argument that she should move aside to groom younger players, it's a grand total of 1 position on the team. Looking at the big picture, is that really going to make much of a difference?

Would you feel the same if, say, Sylvia Fowles or Tamika Catching wanted to play in another Olympics?

 

[The CDR-Ret]

Ionescu, Loyd, and Gray are locks. Jackie Young probably makes it at this point as well.

Keep in mind that there is a 3x3 Olympic competition that happens simultaneously. Some guards are more suited for the 3x3 than being in the 5x5 competition.

I am not sure of the coordination of the selection for both...

 

[OldSchooler]

Thanks Nan, I remember that! For some reason it thought USA basketball wasn't going to send amateur athletes to the Olympics anymore but I could have just gotten confused.

1992 was when we started sending pros to the Olympics. We had long accused the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc countries of paying their athletes, so we agreed to vote to scrap the "amateur" requirement. The only non-pro on the '92 Dream Team was Duke's Christian Laettner.

 

[dtbtbtb]

At this point, i don't think DT is one of the best 4-5 American guards in the WNBA, so unless she will go as the 12th player (the veteran to teach the new kids what is that to play for team USA) which i do not see DT wanting (she is way too competitive to be sitting on the bench as a 12th player), then she should not be on the next Olympic team.

 

[From France]

Even if she's competitive, I think DT would be ready to be 12th to share her experience, she 's a player-coach by nature

 

[CL82]

The selection for the team should absolutely be merit based. One of the things that will be considered is "having been there before". Diana Taurasi has been on the Olympic women's basketball team five times before and five times before came home with the gold medal. She understands the process, and the pressures in a way no other candidate does. That has value. It isn't the only thing she brings, by any means, but it is definitely something she brings that no one else has.

Ultimately the selection committee, with the input of Coach Reeves will decide who's worthy of being on the team. There's no doubt in my mind that Taurasi will get very strong consideration, justifiably.

 

[boontonbomber]

Yup. As noted in a more detailed post:
"...the favored style of play and input of the Head Coach has to factor in to some degree. And the U.S.A. has a new coach in Cheryl Reeve. One of her benefits is that she sees the vast majority of these players in the WNBA as head coach of the Lynx."

My apology , but I gave up trying to get thru detailed posts.