Rudy Gay added to Team USA roster

#4
That's a very solid point. it kind of pushes USA back in the direction of playing small ball. Plus as a Kings fan, it's almost too good to be true to think we might have 2 guys on the roster
 

Bricklayer

Don't Make Me Use The Bat
#6
I hope the addition of Rudy Gay does not come at the expense of DMC.
Yep, that would be the only concern. Gay is there because Coach K couldn't play junkball with the guys he had left. Rudy arrives, now he can go back to it, although you would hope the gap from Durant to Gay would be enough to still realize the need for big man talent rather than just a glorified gopher.

Actually would not be 100% thrilled with it chemistrywise for us either if Gay pops in with a week to go and suddenly took Boogie's spot. On th other hand if they both go together could be great for our team chemistry, although you will have to be watching the FIBA games with your fingers crossed about injuries.
 

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
#8
I hope the addition of Rudy Gay does not come at the expense of DMC.
I don't think it changes things really. Gay is the closest thing to George/Durant that Team USA could grab at this point so they did. And he'll almost certainly be playing that same role of a stretch 4. Cousins will or won't make the team for the same reasons that he would have with Durant still in the fold.

Now, if for some reason Colangelo and Coach K suddenly said, "crap, we've got to scrap our entire strategy and start fresh" then maybe Cousins chance to make it increases because they go with a more conventional offensive strategy. But in reality that was never going to happen. Having bigs that can shoot is almost a must for international ball, especially when the trapezoidal paint area and zone defense rules make it much more difficult for a dominant post player without shooters around him.
 
#9
I think you just have to look at as Cousins vs Plumlee, Farried, Drummond and not as Cousins vs Gay. If Cuz doesn't make the team it's because they chose to go with a different style of big man and not because Rudy was added
 
#10
They lost George AND Durant, so even with Gay on the team, maybe they still go with a conventional lineup. Because if you play Gay at the 4, who do you play at the 3? It would either have to be James Harden or someone mediocre like Hayward or DeRozan who should probably be cut
 
#11
They lost George AND Durant, so even with Gay on the team, maybe they still go with a conventional lineup. Because if you play Gay at the 4, who do you play at the 3? It would either have to be James Harden or someone mediocre like Hayward or DeRozan who should probably be cut
Parsons? Klay Thompson? Apparently DeRozen has impressed in camp (I luckily missed the second half of the scrimmage).

If they're adding Gay to replace Durant, it would be for the same small 4 role.
 
#12
Not sure if as a Kings fan that I am EXCITED to have two Kings players represent Team USA, or more CONCERNED given what we've seen with Paul George of the Pacers... I am very happy Team USA recognizes our two biggest talents, but then I REALLY don't want to hear a report saying they've gotten hurt and it will affect our season. Thoughts?
 
#13
You can't always be thinking like that though. Otherwise you could say "omg i don't want my players training in the off season because they might get hurt". Unfortunately it's just part of the sport. It could happen at practice, shooting in the gym, walking down the stairs for brunch, etc. Plus let's be honest, we aren't going to be competing for a championship next year so as much as it would suck to see any of our players hurt, it's not like it's killing our championship hopes
 
#14
I totally agree with you. The downfall is what if we lose our two biggest stars on the team? The upside of this is that we get national attention or recognition. I wouldn't want to see my two biggest stars on the team get a severe injury like the one that Paul George got though. I am excited though that we can actually get the national recognition we deserve as well as maybe recruit some players from this opportunity.
 
#16
Not sure if as a Kings fan that I am EXCITED to have two Kings players represent Team USA, or more CONCERNED given what we've seen with Paul George of the Pacers... I am very happy Team USA recognizes our two biggest talents, but then I REALLY don't want to hear a report saying they've gotten hurt and it will affect our season. Thoughts?
We should take this calculated "risk". No doubt, the benefits outweigh the chance of any negatives
 
#17
They lost George AND Durant, so even with Gay on the team, maybe they still go with a conventional lineup. Because if you play Gay at the 4, who do you play at the 3? It would either have to be James Harden or someone mediocre like Hayward or DeRozan who should probably be cut
They could go 'big' at the 3 with Parsons, or they might just play two shooting guards together
 
#18
I totally agree with you. The downfall is what if we lose our two biggest stars on the team? The upside of this is that we get national attention or recognition. I wouldn't want to see my two biggest stars on the team get a severe injury like the one that Paul George got though. I am excited though that we can actually get the national recognition we deserve as well as maybe recruit some players from this opportunity.
just gotta get the injury thoughts out of your head and enjoy the situation
 

hrdboild

Moloch in whom I dream Angels!
Staff member
#20
Wow, first the Vegas Summer League now the world. Kings of summer? I think so!

Think about how happy we were that McCallum, McLemore, Stauskas, and Moreland had a few weeks to play together and get comfortable as a team and also have the experience of winning something to feel good about going into next season. Now we might get the same chance with the other key pieces of our roster. If both Cousins and Gay make the final USA roster (and why would Gay even be there if he wasn't expected to make the final roster) this couldn't have worked out better for us. It's not likely our season will extend to the post-season this season in a Western Conference that promises to be as tough as ever. So why not have our 2 stars build some more chemistry and stay in playing shape against some good international competition?
 
J

jdbraver

Guest
#21
As bad as it sounds Kings have to capitalize on the misfortune of others. We need positive exposure badly.
 
#23
I just don't see this addition of Rudy to Team USA as a threat to Cousins.
In fact, I almost mentioned this, but in the training camp that they televised (Last Tuesday or Wednesday) I saw Rudy there talking with Cousins, Coach K, and the other Team USA teammates.
So he obviously has a good relationship with Team USA from his days playing there previously.

With all the talk that has been out there regarding the ridiculous notion of taking Plumlee over Cousins, I don't see how Colangelo invites Cousins' teammate as a late addition then shafts Cousins in the process. That just smacks of very bad taste.

In fact, having Rudy on the roster instead of Durant should increase Cousins' chances of making the roster (if there was any doubt in the first place) just due to the chemistry that they would have together.

And if we actually went into the World Cup with two participants from the Kings that would be fantastic. There is always the injury concern, but that will always exist to any player working out in the off-season. If both Rudy and Cousins end up contributing to a gold for Team USA, that combined with the rookies winning Summer League, would basically bring all the players into training camp on a mission to continue the winning that took place in the off-season, and that is what I'm hoping to see coming out of training camp to start the regular season.
 
#24
Awesome for Rudy. It will be some nice extra time for him to work with Cousins (if he makes it) and can be great in terms of just getting him some more playing time on a high level.
 

Glenn

Hall of Famer
#26
I just don't see this addition of Rudy to Team USA as a threat to Cousins.
In fact, I almost mentioned this, but in the training camp that they televised (Last Tuesday or Wednesday) I saw Rudy there talking with Cousins, Coach K, and the other Team USA teammates.
So he obviously has a good relationship with Team USA from his days playing there previously.

With all the talk that has been out there regarding the ridiculous notion of taking Plumlee over Cousins, I don't see how Colangelo invites Cousins' teammate as a late addition then shafts Cousins in the process. That just smacks of very bad taste.

In fact, having Rudy on the roster instead of Durant should increase Cousins' chances of making the roster (if there was any doubt in the first place) just due to the chemistry that they would have together.

And if we actually went into the World Cup with two participants from the Kings that would be fantastic. There is always the injury concern, but that will always exist to any player working out in the off-season. If both Rudy and Cousins end up contributing to a gold for Team USA, that combined with the rookies winning Summer League, would basically bring all the players into training camp on a mission to continue the winning that took place in the off-season, and that is what I'm hoping to see coming out of training camp to start the regular season.
I've been taking care of other issues in the last few weeks so don't know what has been addressed. The Kings difficulty going forward is much like Boogie's. The Kings need a positive reputation. We won Summer League. This is not a big deal but it is a piece of the reputation puzzle. As no one on the Kings made the 1st or 2nd team, it points a finger directly at Corbin and Jent. Now if Cuz and Rudy make the team, another piece of the puzzle has been found and this is a rather large piece. These are two likable guys who like each other and can act as emissaries for the Kings. They can tell those wishing to listen that going to Sacramento isn't the end of the world. THIS IS IMPORTANT. It would be nice if they could recruit a specific person but at the least there will be an aura of positiveness about the Kings floating about the USA Team. This is worth a risk of an injury. This very well can be the year "Sacramento as craphole" ceases to be a big issue except for those who simply like bigger cities. We know Vivek is a great man and now a few of the best players in the NBA will learn the same. Malone will get a better reputation. I doubt if I said anything different than Uncia03 but let's look at the big picture.

This is becoming a very good summer. Let's have roughly 1/7 of Team USA be Kings. Let's have a King on the basketball court as much as possible.
 

Tetsujin

The Game Thread Dude
#27
Not sure if as a Kings fan that I am EXCITED to have two Kings players represent Team USA, or more CONCERNED given what we've seen with Paul George of the Pacers... I am very happy Team USA recognizes our two biggest talents, but then I REALLY don't want to hear a report saying they've gotten hurt and it will affect our season. Thoughts?
Well, our players could get injured walking down the stairs at their homes so we should ban them from living in two-story homes. Also, a negligent chef could mistake the rat poison for salt and inadvertently murder one of our players so we should probably keep them from eating as well. And beds? What if someone rolls off in the dead of night and breaks his elbow?

Everything is dangerous in some form of the other. My advice? Stop worrying and just enjoy the show.
 
#28
Another reason i think it would be AWESOME if they both made it is more bonding between Rudy and Cuz. We all know DMC loves Sac and he says he is committed to staying here and turning this team into a contender. the closer he and Rudy become, and the more on court chemistry they get, the better chance we have of convincing Rudy to stay here long term
 
#29
Well, our players could get injured walking down the stairs at their homes so we should ban them from living in two-story homes. Also, a negligent chef could mistake the rat poison for salt and inadvertently murder one of our players so we should probably keep them from eating as well. And beds? What if someone rolls off in the dead of night and breaks his elbow?

Everything is dangerous in some form of the other. My advice? Stop worrying and just enjoy the show.
We should probably ban them from driving or riding in cars as well. And flying in air planes
 

Spike

Subsidiary Intermediary
Staff member
#30
You absolutely can't worry about injuries. If they're going to happen, they're going to happen, unless you're on the couch eating Cheetos. Maybe that's what KD (or his agent) didn't understand. But I digress.
As macabre as it may seem, I'd rather a player get injured playing for the stars and stripes than something like the Drew League. DRose is probably the only one I'd forgive for being skittish, yet he's there.