Team USA Cuts: OJ Mayo, Gerald Wallace, Tyreke Evans?

• Add a Comment
• x

  Invite a Friend

  Your name:
  Your email:
  Friend name:
  Friend email:
  
  Invite a friend
• Share
• RSS

• riggs Posted: Jul.28 at 9:08 am
  they dont want defense?

• Yesse Posted: Jul.28 at 9:08 am
  Wow.

• Billions Posted: Jul.28 at 9:12 am
  they cut OJ beacuse of that USC fiasco..

• Eboy Posted: Jul.28 at 9:12 am
  Remarkable that three guys that are shoot-first guys aren’t able to make the cut for the squad.

• drosefan13 Posted: Jul.28 at 9:27 am
  I think they should keep McGee. But I see why they are supposedly cutting the other three.

• Lucas Posted: Jul.28 at 9:28 am
  Can’t wait to see Curry in international play!

• Kap Posted: Jul.28 at 9:35 am
  Eric Gordon over OJ Mayo??? Curious

• david Posted: Jul.28 at 9:40 am
  wow. oj mayo>eric gordon
  g wall>granger
  evans>curry

• LDR4 Posted: Jul.28 at 9:46 am
  I figured they would keep Wallace because he can play both the 3 and 4. Coach K has said he wanted players who could play multiple possitions. He is also one of the team’s better rebounders.

• LDR4 Posted: Jul.28 at 9:50 am
  The’ll cut the roster down to 12 after NY so everyone can stop freaking out about the possibility of Gordon making the team. He can play both the 1 and 2. If he makes this cut that would be why.

• Th3_R3al_Chris Posted: Jul.28 at 9:52 am
  Tyreke Evans is the only questionable name of the three. Kevin Durant has more offensive moves than Carmelo Anthony (who, for a few years now, had been considered the most well-rounded offensive player in the league by some analysts). KD can score over anybody at anytime so it’s not like Team USA is going to have any scoring needs.

• chiqo Posted: Jul.28 at 9:54 am
  being a better player doesn’t mean that you will make the squad over us. signed, christian laettner, richard jefferson, michael redd, tayshaun prince, kirk hinrich and shane battier

• DDB Posted: Jul.28 at 9:55 am
  I wonder if Tyreke will come back in a few years when he is one of the top 5 players in the league, or will he just wish them good luck.

• lexluther703 Posted: Jul.28 at 10:02 am
  Coach K really is serious about building a solid USA TEAM and not just collecting talent. OJ and Reke are shoot-first, numbers guys, and Wallace as solid as he is, isn’t as good as the forwards left on the roster. I think Wallace is cut by default, but as talented as OJ and Reke are, there are better defenders(rose, billups), better shooters (curry), and more versatile (westbrook) guards in the mix.

• The Promise Posted: Jul.28 at 10:09 am
  Yeah I disagree on Wallace being cut. He’s a talented player, can do many things on both sides of the court. Evan’s injury may be worse than we know about, who knows, I haven’t heard anything on the extent of it. Kinda glad Mayo is being cut, he has never heard of the word “pass”. Javale Mcgee gotta make the team, that guy is comin on fast, he will compliment John Wall greatly next season.

• ab_40 Posted: Jul.28 at 10:11 am
  evans is injured and wouldn’t know what hit him in international play. wallace is too short and when the zone stagnates their ofense he is a liability because he’s not an option in the post. OJ mayo is plain and simple not good enough and not a good enough fit on this team.

• T-Money Posted: Jul.28 at 10:15 am
  To be fair, Reke didn’t really get a chance to compete because of injuries. OJ Mayo played well but his skillset was duplicated by better players on the team. Crash didn’t seem to want to be there.

• c_cantrell Posted: Jul.28 at 10:22 am
  bad move on cuttin wallace.. dude hits the boards and plays d with twice the effort of everyone else on the team.. team usa would have been a great learning curve for tyreke evans and would have helped him mature into a better all around player.. he will soon be one of the top players in the game.. oj is a solid shooting guard but maybe thats y he got cut (only plays one position).. he can score as good if not better than anyone on the team not named kevin durant.. questionable moves for sure

• Saku 39 Posted: Jul.28 at 10:23 am
  Will Rondo make the team? Him and zone defense does not sound good. Also, I would have kept Wallace instead of Gay because this team needs help on the boards. Gay and Iggy are pretty much the same player anyway.

• Gerard Himself Posted: Jul.28 at 10:32 am
  People shouldn’t be surprised that Evans won’t make it, he’s injured. But I thought Mayo and Wallace had strong showings and would make it. Surprising.

• niQ Posted: Jul.28 at 10:34 am
  Is Melo coming back? If he is then that would be a good reason why Wallace didn’t make it. Cause they would be packed at the SF with Durant, Melo and possibly Granger. I’m glad to hear Curry is not on the bubble, but who knows what the final cuts will look like. And in regards to Tyreke, my only assumption would be cause of his lack of an outside shot. The 2 main things I keep hearing is that they want shooters and defenders so maybe that factored in a lot.

• Allenp Posted: Jul.28 at 10:37 am
  I”m surprised Gordon made it over Mayo. And Mayo is underrated as a defender.

• catface34343 Posted: Jul.28 at 10:42 am
  starters will be
  billups
  curry
  iguodala
  durant
  chandler

• Kap Posted: Jul.28 at 10:44 am
  Remember ’04 when this team got embarrassed because of players like Gerald Wallace who could not shoot worth a damn and were too small to play in post? That is probaly why he is getting cut…

• Kap Posted: Jul.28 at 10:44 am
  Ummm no…Odom is gonna start.

• Kap Posted: Jul.28 at 10:45 am
  My first time agreeing with Allenp on something.

• catface34343 Posted: Jul.28 at 10:49 am
  nah…hes not, they need at least one person to defend the rim, we dont even know if Odom will be in shape by then

• niQ Posted: Jul.28 at 11:07 am
  Anyone see the Boxscore from the White vs Blue game? The main people who dominated were Durant, Gay, Rose and Chandler. Other players who did well were Mayo, Gordon, Curry and Westbrook. Don’t know why Brook Lopez only got to play 13 minutes and McGee only got 9. It’s as if they’re lacking and Big men and don’t care.

• niQ Posted: Jul.28 at 11:09 am
  Billups played horrible shooting 2 for 10. But not so surprised. I’ve had him Fantasy Basketball before and have always been frustrated with his horrible FG%…

• catface34343 Posted: Jul.28 at 11:15 am
  Andre did very well, defense and he ate up the box score

• Morgan Posted: Jul.28 at 11:17 am
  @The_Real_Chris: “KD can score over anybody at anytime ” – did you not get a chance to watch his recent playoff performance?
  @niQ: They didnt give Lopez many minutes as they had already seen enough of him during the week to lock up his spot in NYC, although I dont think he is very well suited to this style of play but they need his size.
  This team will definitely have a harder time then the last US Squad.

• Shem Posted: Jul.28 at 11:20 am
  Mayo’s underated as a defender because he’s a shooter, but I think Gordon is a better defender then Mayo no? He’s definetly more athletic, he s stronger. Only thing is he’s a bit short..

• Jakob Kagel Posted: Jul.28 at 11:27 am
  Why would you take Eric Gordon ahead of OJ Mayo? Mayo is a bigger guard, more suited for the international game, and he is a better shooter….

• Ronald Posted: Jul.28 at 11:28 am
  @Morgan: Don’t blame the Real Chris. For some reason everyone has put Durant on a pedestal. The fact that he’s humble and young seems to have given everyone a false image about his game. Like…saying KD can score better than Melo despite Melo’s strong inside – outside game.
  I’m not too surprised about Tyreke being cut due to his high volume game but Mayo is underrated, but his sub-par performance in the Summer league probably hurt his chances (he didn’t show that he could play both the 1 and 2 and he’s too small to play the 3. Maybe Eric Gordon has shown that he can play the 1?)

• Ronald Posted: Jul.28 at 11:32 am
  And I think everyone puts too much value on size in the international game. There are a lot of good players on other teams that are considered to be undersized in the NBA who do well in under the FIBA rules. Especially the 2 and the 4 position.

• Ronald Posted: Jul.28 at 11:34 am
  Also, Eric Gordon is 6’3 and Mayo is 6’4. They actually have similar builds and shoot similar percentage. Stat wise they are quiet similar. I still think it’s because EG has shown more PG skills than Mayo

• Ali Posted: Jul.28 at 11:49 am
  Looks like Jerry Colangelo/Coach K and staff are looking to take more fundamentally sound players
  over the flash. Can’t knock them for that. It’s
  been proven in the past, USA Basketball get their a**es handed to them when they are all about the flash.

• Allenp Posted: Jul.28 at 12:07 pm
  Mayo is as fundamentally sound a guard as you’ll find in the league, to be honest. Now, Evans and Wallace may have issues, but not Mayo. Gordon is a tad more explosive than Mayo, and possibly a better shooter. But, I’ve always liked Mayo’s pace and poise on the court.

• JTaylor21 Posted: Jul.28 at 12:19 pm
  Ronald and morgan are on point. How can someone who doesn’t have an inside game, struggles to dribble the ball against physical defense and has bad shot selection (KD) be a better scorer than someone who has an equally deveastating inside and outside game (Melo). Like jeezy said “like the boy melo in the paint can’t hold him”. Get ya mind right @the_real_chris

• Ali Posted: Jul.28 at 12:21 pm
  Mayo’s got the hairpin trigger (shoot first mentality). Dude must average damn near 40mins a game and only musters up 2-3 assist per game.

• Charles Kirk Posted: Jul.28 at 12:35 pm
  @ Ali
  Oj’s not a ballhog by any means. If you know anything about the grizzlies you would no that OJ plays off the ball and doesn’t get the ball much. he plays more of a Ray Allen role in the offense. Also, the main complaint that most Grizz fans such as myself have with OJ is that he is passing too much. The system that the Grizzlies play in doesn’t allow that many assists. Most of our guys are best in iso situations hence which is why OJ averages 3 apg. Our PG averages about 5apg.
  Please don’t talk about OJ if you don’t anything about him.

• Allenp Posted: Jul.28 at 1:15 pm
  Mayo settles for the jumper too much, and he’s a tad short to play the two.
  He doesn’t have Wade’s explosiveness, so it’s harder for him to finish at the rim like Wade at 6’4″, so often he makes his moves looking for his jumper. His jumper is nice, but it’s not that nice. If he can transition to the one, I see him and have seen him as a better version of Chauncey Billups.
  He is definitely shoot-first, but that’s his role on that Grizzlies team. I’ve seen him run the one in college, and he knows how to work the clock adn get others involved when it’s needed.
  Bottom line, I like both Gordon and Mayo’s games, but I like Mayo’s better.

• AlbertBarr Posted: Jul.28 at 1:28 pm
  When did ‘reke get injured? What kind of injury?

• Jukai Posted: Jul.28 at 1:46 pm
  OJ Mayo as a better version of Chauncy Billups?
  Allenp is smoking the funny stuff agian.

• larrylegend Posted: Jul.28 at 2:11 pm
  being a good player in the nba, doesn’T mean, u r a good player in fiba play! i would cut gordon, mayo and wallace. thanks.

• T-Money Posted: Jul.28 at 2:35 pm
  Mayo has always wnated to play the 1. He said after his year at USC that Floyd kinda misled him into thinking that he’d play the 1 there. I like his game and he’s very savvy but he’ll never be more than an average 2 because he can’t get to the rim consistently. His future is as a big 1. / KD is reaaaaaalllllllllly nice but he still has ways to go. Watching him trying to create in halfcourt situations vs Lakers was painful times. He threw a few wtf leaners and whatnots. He’ll adjust, he’s just that good but people need to chill before putting him in the Kob/Bron/Wade tier. He’s just below that with Melo, Dwight, Dirk, Chris, Deron and them.

• notblack Posted: Jul.28 at 2:45 pm
  Im always tired of DG geting overlooked he’s almost as good as lebron.

• JACO Posted: Jul.28 at 3:03 pm
  All three are good players that are probably being cut cause of the fact that coach k wants a team not based on names and faces but a team with the best possible chance to win and with that being said I’d rather cut eric gordon rather then OJ but its just my opinion.

• catface34343 Posted: Jul.28 at 3:03 pm
  I hate Lebron, a lot…but I would have to say notblack’s comment was the most ignorant thing i have ever read. Granger is the 5th best SF on that team, let alone almost as good as Lebron…Your dumb

• george w. buckets Posted: Jul.28 at 3:22 pm
  http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/olybb/news/story?id=5417438

• Arek Posted: Jul.28 at 3:29 pm
  Evans got injured that’s why he’s being cut

• brotherwithwisdom Posted: Jul.28 at 3:47 pm
  cosign JACO and catface but granger is like a very very poor man’s lebron.

• chingy Posted: Jul.28 at 3:53 pm
  Co-sign T-Money…OJ needs to play the 1. His ceiling for playing the 2 is not very high due to his lack of athleticism. But I do like the pace he plays with. And KD is one of my fav players and no he’s not yet in the Kobe/Bron/Wade discussion yet. KD needs to be more well-rounded before we start those talks.

• Allenp Posted: Jul.28 at 3:53 pm
  Jukai
  Once again, your reading comprehension has failed you.
  I wrote: “If he can transition to the one, I see him and have seen him as a better version of Chauncey Billups.”
  The first word in the sentence is “if.” As in, potentially.

• Allenp Posted: Jul.28 at 3:57 pm
  I can see folks making the argument that KD is as good a scorer as Melo, and honestly, it’s not THAT stupid. I think Melo might be a smidge better, but I think KD will probably be better eventually.
  As for KD joining the Kobe/Lebron/Wade discussion, well he needs to improve his handle, defense, passing and rebounding before that’s even a possibility.

• ciolkstar Posted: Jul.28 at 4:01 pm
  I’ve been saying it since before last season: Eric Gordon will have a better career than OJ Mayo, no doubt in my mind. He’s a much stronger and more explosive player off the bounce, gets to the line a lot more. While OJ’s pull-up game is deadlier, EG is a far superior catch and shoot type (which is the kind of 3 pt shooting this US team needs desperately)

• The Promise Posted: Jul.28 at 4:04 pm
  My pick for the starting 5: 1.Rondo 2.Iguodala 3.Durant 4.Chandler 5.Lopez

• ciolkstar Posted: Jul.28 at 4:06 pm
  Right now Melo is more effective than KD on the block, but KD has better range and a more consistent J overall. I guess I’ll give Melo the slight edge for now, mostly because of his physical strength, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if KD locks up the title of “best pure scorer in the L” by the ASG next year. Right now they are very close though.

• T-Money Posted: Jul.28 at 4:10 pm
  Everybody knows that KD can get his, he’s at this stage right where we need to see if he can make the game easier for his teammates (which doesn’t necessarily mean racking up huge assists numbers). That’s essentially the difference between Kob/Bron/Wade and Melo. The difference in talent is minimal but the first three can make the game easier for everybody else whereas Melo more or less operates in a vacuum.

• ciolkstar Posted: Jul.28 at 4:10 pm
  Big Rondo fan. But he does not appear to be a great fit on this US team. With so many slashing scoring types, I’d much rather have Steph or Billups available to catch and shoot. Also no way we play both Lopez and Chandler together. I doubt it’ll be our starting lineup but I expect our best group to be something like:
  PG: Steph Curry SG: Iggy SF: Granger/Rudy PF: Durant C: Chandler/Brook

• Jukai Posted: Jul.28 at 4:12 pm
  Allenp:
  I took your word and assumed I misunderstood you, but then you said the same thing.
  If Mayo could SOMEHOW play the one, he wouuldn’t be as good as Billups. Defense, leadership, it’s not there.

• The Promise Posted: Jul.28 at 4:12 pm
  I think this give a good balance of scoring and defensive presence inside, Chandler and Lopez in the frontcourt should own the boards. Let Rondo run the show, he will be throwing lobs for Iggy and setting up pick and rolls/pops for Durant. Curry could be the guy who could come in and give you a spark off the bench with his shooting ability. Gordon, Odom, Gay, Mcghee, and Billups could be the second 5. I think thats their best shot at taking gold, no doubt they have the team to do it, though they are young. Should be an exciting young team mixed with a couple wily vets. Can’t wait to see how it plays out, even if I have to get up at 4 or 5 in the morning to watch some of the games.

• The Promise Posted: Jul.28 at 4:22 pm
  Also you put Rose in the game and tell him to go to the hole as much as possible, he can make some amazing plays at the rim. @ciolkstar yeah Coach K probably won’t put chandler and Lopez in the frontcoart together, but I thought it would be a good idea, the lineup I picked would be a really good defensive team and they would mown the boards and block a lot of shots in the international game. I agree with what you said about Gordon also, I’ve always though Mayo was overrated. And I can see where you are coming from in your argument for who should start. The team does need a PG who consistently knocks down jumpers, Curry or Billups could be that guy. Your lineup poses a lot of matchup problems for the international teams, most of their Sf’s aren’t 6’8″, 6’9″. I still say Mghee needs to see the court the way hes playing right now. When do the games start? Anybody know?

• The Promise Posted: Jul.28 at 4:23 pm
  **own the boards** please excuse the typo there.

• The Seed Posted: Jul.28 at 4:28 pm
  LETS KEEP IT REAL, OJ Mayo should be over Billups and Evans should be over Rondo and Wallace should be over Jeff Green and McGee should be over Tyson Chandler. Team USA officals messed up. Billups is on his last leg with those bad three point attempts, Rondo was exposed in Finals-can’t shoot, Jeff Green doesn’t rebound or defend like Wallace and Tyson is injury prone, so he could be out with an injury soon. McGee can dunk on you and play solide defense inside. BOOK IT!!!

• Allenp Posted: Jul.28 at 4:30 pm
  If Mayo transitioned to the one, I think he could be better than Billups. By transitioned, I mean truly understood how to play the one and did it correctly. Not just play the one sometimes.
  Chauncey’s defense is overrated, honestly. As is his ability to get to the rack, and his shooting percentage isn’t the greatest either. Dude is a leader, to a degree. I mean, that Detroit team was full of talent and they kept falling short because of a lack of leadership. And, while the Denver team improved under Billups, they completely collapsed against the Lakers two years ago because of a lack of poise, and Billups was a serious culprit. Then, they do the exact same thing this year in the first round.
  So, those are my thoughts.

• mike Posted: Jul.28 at 4:40 pm
  @Allenp: It doesn’t really matter what Mayo could potentially be because this team is playing in the present time.

• ciolkstar Posted: Jul.28 at 4:43 pm
  I’m with AllenP here on Chauncey. IMO his numbers have held up better than his game has. He got to the line A LOT last year, mostly on ticky-tack calls he won’t get in FIBA ball. He really helped the 08 Denver team realize their talents but his I feel like he’s now perceived as a caricature of the “wily vet PG” who makes all the right decisions and Ds up. But… he takes a lot of tough shots, doesn’t create in the lane much anymore and would be very inefficient without the huge FT attempt and % numbers. He’s tough on D but no longer has the ability to really stay in front of guys the way Westy/Rondo/Rose can.
  I really think tis team is better off with Rose/Steph and to a lesser degree Westbrook/Rondo/Gordon… And the only guys in that 5 who can really shoot the ball are Gordon and Curry.

• brotherwithwisdom Posted: Jul.28 at 4:45 pm
  @ThePromise i like that lineup alot.

• Charles Kirk Posted: Jul.28 at 5:13 pm
  As a Grizz fan I’m just extremely disappointed for OJ. I was just sure he was gonna make it to New York after the scrimmage. He played so good.

• Overtime Posted: Jul.28 at 5:22 pm
  I dunno what the Seed has been watching.
  McGee is on the rise, now hes healthy, he put in a lot of effort in the summer league and impressed, really wouldnt be surprised if he makes a name for himself by being an energy guy cleaning up Wall’s misses etc

• Allenp Posted: Jul.28 at 5:54 pm
  Mike
  I think in the present time Mayo is better than Gordon. I said that.
  Jukai had a problem with my comment about Billups and Mayo potentially surpassing him.
  Keep up if you’re going to jump in.

• mike Posted: Jul.28 at 6:04 pm
  @Allenp: I think I’ll choose not to keep up in the future as I see your comments aren’t worth my time. You commented on Mayo’s weaknesses then proceeded to state that you like his game better than Gordon’s. It might be worthwhile to actually mention why you don’t like Gordon’s game as much after only detailing Mayo’s flaws.

• Allenp Posted: Jul.28 at 6:40 pm
  ACtually, my comment at 12:07 explained why I liked Mayo better than Gordon. His ability to play with pace and poise, which I think is important in the international game. As I said, Gordon is more explosive, and maybe slightly better than Mayo as shooter, but I prefer O.J.’s demeanor, defense and overall game.
  But, by all means, ignore my comments and never respond to them. I’m quite all right with that.

• mike Posted: Jul.28 at 6:52 pm
  @AllenP: I can see why you’d appreciate his poise considering in the two games Mayo played the 1 consistently in the Vegas summer league he averaged 7.5 turnovers per game. Nice insight though.

• JTaylor21 Posted: Jul.29 at 12:05 am
  Who the hell would put KD at PF and on the block. Dude is 180 pounds with tims on. Don’t think that because coach K played bron at pf a lot in the olympics that he would even entertain the idea of letting KD play PF. That was the reason the redeem team was so good on offense and defense. Because bron was too quick for the forwards guarding him and he could guard both the post and perimeter on D. There’s no one on this current team that posses both qualities.

• JTaylor21 Posted: Jul.29 at 12:11 am
  The redeem team also had wade and bosh beasting coming of the bench. the both were the first and third best players on that team in terms of performance. This team doesn’t have anyone remotely close to both guys of the bench. Maybe DRose can try to play the role of DWade and there’s really no one that can fill bosh’s role due to their lack of big men.

• Jukai Posted: Jul.29 at 12:57 am
  Good job, Mike.
  I don’t like the phrase “if Mayo can learn to play the one”
  What does that mean? Drop his turnovers? Control tempo better? Create, rack up more assists? What in the world does that mean? Yes, if OJ Mayo drops his turnovers, controls tempo better, and racks up more assists, he’d be a ‘true one’ but he needs a boatload of work.. and even THEN he’s not better than Chauncy.
  Chauncy is an overrated offensive player. True.
  Chauncy is NOT an overrated defensive player. Patently false.
  Chauncy is superior in every facet of the game except scoring. That’s the ropes. Even if OJ Mayo miraculously turns around his point guard troubles (which, in fairness, Billups did) he wont have as much control over the game as BIllups has.
  And Billups leadership is not overrated. The 2003 Pistons were a bunch of prissy premadonas who immediately imploded once Chauncy left. It’s miraculous they held together so long WITH Chauncy.

• Grizz Fan Posted: Jul.29 at 3:56 am
  @ Jukai and Mike
  Do not disrespect OJ you guys obviously don’t know what you’re talking about.

• Ali Posted: Jul.29 at 4:29 am
  Like I said previously. Looks like Jerry Colangelo/Coach K and staff are looking to take more fundamentally sound players. No matter how you look at it, Mayo and Gordan are similar players, stats/numbers wise, but Gordon has that PG intangible Mayo doesn’t. Bottom line! No reason to get all bent outta shape, we all know the world has just about caught up with us (USA Basketball). Can’t afford to have another LeBronze slip up in London 2012!

• Anton Posted: Jul.29 at 5:12 am
  Trump fires Mayo, Crash, and Reke after 5 hour boardroom

• total scrotal implosion Posted: Jul.29 at 4:50 pm
  Eric gordon can truly play either guard positions well, and a great shooter off the dribble or spot up, plus he attacks the rim. Great game for fiba, and nba too obviously. Rondos offense will be a liability, but him and westbrook will be taking cookies all tourney long. K and jc have made the right moves. Imagine rudy, kd and granger out there in 4th qtr. You cant help off any of them. I like this team

• CHIEF Posted: Aug.15 at 11:52 am
  Really K? The G-Force is cut?
  Had mad respect for you, but your losing a leader, blocker and rebounder. All are in short supply on your squad. Screw Durant, does he wear jordans? Does he have an impact on the game as far reaching as Wallace? Is his hustle as hard on D as it is when the balls in his hands? The Correct Answer is NO.
  Anyone could redeem with wade,bosh,lebron,Melo,paul,williams,kobe,dwight,amare.
  Have fun proving your coaching “pedigree” without the best out there.
  Starts to feel like you guys are trying to win a final four one of the many shotty duke teams.