Thank you Lebron. We appreciate it Kobe. Gracias Dwyane. In addition to their personal superiority on the basketball court, these superstars and a host of others, by choosing not to participate in the FIBA World Championships, provided NBA fans with the pleasure of seeing the next generation of all-stars grow before our eyes.
When all the faces of the 2008 gold medal-winning Olympic team decided to take this summer off it angered many and raised questions as to whether this new group of youngsters could even bring home a bronze. Although it wasn’t the goal of James and company to bring out new levels of skill and confidence in the guys they’ll be facing off with for years, that’s exactly what happened.
It was one thing for the team to buy into Coach K’s style for the two-week tournament and bring home the first-place trophy, but now practically every single player who was part of that team is playing the best basketball of their life. The NBA is a league driven by superstars and the FIBA experience seems to have created a few new ones.
This is the roster from that team:
Guards – Derrick Rose, Chauncey Billups, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Eric Gordon
Forwards – Kevin Durant, Lamar Odom, Rudy Gay, Danny Granger, Andre Iguodala
Centers – Tyson Chandler, Kevin Love (not a true center but acted as one)
All but two of those players (Billups and Odom) are under 30 years old, many under 25. Maybe the most impressive this season has been…
Derrick Rose
Probably the second best player on the team during the world championship tournament, behind Durant, Rose has absolutely exploded this year and is legitimately challenging Chris Paul and Deron Williams for the title of best point guard in the league.
He has upped his scoring average 4.3 points since last season. While there was a similar, four point scoring differential between his first and second years, this season he is also averaging 2.1 more assists than last year and nearly one more rebound.
With the Bulls biggest off-season acquisition, Carlos Boozer, just now easing himself back into the lineup after missing the first 15 games with a broken hand, Rose has lead the team to a 14-8 record.
Rose may be the perfect example of what playing with, and against, the best players in the world can do for a player’s confidence. He’s attempting 4.2 three-point field goals this season compared to less than one in his first two seasons and shooting nearly 15 percent higher from long distance than last year.
While Rose’s career has been on the rise basically since he entered the league, a third season jump in statistics like the one he’s experience is far from typical.
Out on the west coast, another third-year player is showing similar improvement. Someone that Rose has been tied to since their years as high school All-Americans…
Eric Gordon
Blake Griffin has been stealing most of the headlines for the Clippers, but Gordon has been almost equally as impressive. Benefiting from not having to divert to Baron Davis for most of the early part of the season, Gordon is currently tied for sixth in the league in scoring and is racking up nearly eight points per game more than he did in his first two campaigns.
Clippers fans have to be pleased with the dynamic duo they will hopefully be able to watch for many years to come. Gordon has always been stronger than most players his size when taking the ball to the hoop, but this year he has turned it up another notch. He has been inviting contact, nearly doubling his career free throw attempt numbers.
Maybe most impressive is the fact that Gordon has been able to score so plentifully without being able to really find his stroke, connecting on only 27.0 percent of his threes. His scoring average could easily jump a point or two more when his shooting touch comes around.
Gordon has also shown a more well-rounded game this season, averaging career highs in rebounds, assists and field goal percentage.
The Clippers continue to struggle, but Gordon and Griffin have been two very bright spots. Who knows what Griffin could have done as a member of the Team U.S.A.
Joining Rose and Gordon in a bid to be called one of the best young guards in the league is…
Russell Westbrook
One of the only players from the world championship team whose numbers are actually down (although only minimally) this season is the tournament’s MVP Kevin Durant. Oklahoma City has managed to remain contenders though due to the great point guard play of Westbrook.
Westbrook’s scoring average has jumped 7.5 points this year along with increases in assists, rebounds, steals and all three shooting percentages.
With Durant and Jeff Green struggling through injuries, Westbrook has been the team’s one consistent leader. In fact, he hasn’t missed a game in his two-plus years in the league.
Like Gordon, one of Westbrook’s strengths has always been taking the ball strong to the rim, but his mid-range and three-point jump shots have improved greatly since the end of last season.
Expectations were heaped on the Thunder this year, including Durant MVP chatter as well as the potential to earn the number two seed in the Western Conference. The team has suffered through a couple of hiccups early, but Westbrook is one piece exceeding all preseason hype.
While these three guards are doing their best to run their teams, one big man from the FIBA team is cleaning glass at a legendary pace. Westbrook’s UCLA teammate…** **
Kevin Love
Although Love’s role on the world championship team was limited there has to be something to be said about the experience, because this year he has become THE best rebounder in the NBA. It’s really not even close (Blake Griffin might have an argument).
Love is averaging over three rebounds more than anyone in the league, including two-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard, despite the Timberwolves not giving him the minutes he deserved early in the season. Maybe they were worried he had played too much basketball over the past year. His opponents should be the only ones worried because there aren’t many second-chance opportunities to be had when Love is on the floor.
Love has recorded 15 or more rebounds in ten straight games including three 20+ performances, all the while scoring over 20 points in all but one of those contests.
His most impressive effort however was a game earlier in the year against the Knicks. Love became the first player to record at least 30 points and 30 rebounds in a game since Moses Malone in 1982, tallying 31 of each, including 15 rebounds in the third quarter alone.
If his pace continues he will become the first player since Ben Wallace in 2002-03 to average over 15 rebounds per game, and is also top 20 in the league in scoring.
Though maybe not at the level of these four, other members of the team are also showing drastic improvement since last season. From Stephen Curry to Rudy Gay to Tyson Chandler, Coach K seems to have taught everyone their own ways to improve their game. Or maybe it’s the famous L.A. pick-up games that so many of these players take part in over the summer. Either way there’s something to be said for how great all these guys are playing with basically no extended periods of rest in the past 14 months.
So, Lebron, Kobe, Dwyane, Dwight, Melo and all the rest; feel free to go back to the national team for the all the glory of the 2012 Olympics, but just know that you’re going to have to beat out these players for your spot. That may have sounded ludicrous six months ago.