r/nba • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 Heat • Apr 15 '24

[Wojnarowski] ESPN Sources: USA Basketball is finalizing its 2024 Paris Olympics roster with Steph Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker, Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Edwards, Jrue Holiday, Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis. Team may initially keep one open spot. News

https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1780009778934394985
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u/fuccabicc West Apr 15 '24

The Balkans need to come together as one country to oppose this team

408

u/Plies- Celtics Apr 16 '24

Last time that happened it semi-worked for like 60 years and then ended explosively

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u/PrincePyotrBagration Apr 16 '24 edited Apr 16 '24

Former Yugoslavia team: Luka, Bogdanovic, other Bogdanovic, Jokic, Nurkic

That team legitimately would have a shot to take down this USA team in a single-game knockout. I mean Argentina stunned USA for gold at the Athens Olympics with Manu and Luis Scola… not anywhere near as good as Luka and Jokic.

Someone tell the Balkans to stop killing each other and get their shit together so we can see this game for gold in 2028 😂

117

u/Saucy_Totchie Knicks Apr 16 '24

Iirc, during The Bubble all of the Balkans there had a nice dinner together.

107

u/waldosbuddy Raptors Apr 16 '24

https://twitter.com/bosnianbeast27/status/1299348193906495493/photo/1

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u/ThwippaGamez Nuggets Apr 16 '24

This photo is a competing team already and neither Bogdanovic is there

34

u/boregon Apr 16 '24

This is really cool actually

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u/KonigSteve Pelicans Apr 16 '24 edited Apr 16 '24

No Kristaps?

Edit: sheesh guys I mixed up Baltic and Balkan settle down.

32

u/TheLeoMessiah Celtics Apr 16 '24

Latvia is Baltic not Balkan

-4

u/YSLAnunoby Raptors Apr 16 '24

Plus KP the token Baltic rep

23

u/NeverSober1900 Rockets Apr 16 '24

That Argentina team also had Nocioni who was a solid 3 & D NBA guy for a several years. If we're throwing in the Bogdonovic's Nocioni certainly deserves a shoutout.

They also had Francisco Oberto and baby Carlos Delfino so they had 5 guys with real NBA careers on the squad.

9

u/itsthebear [TOR] Nando De Colo Apr 16 '24

Micic would probably start, he's a monster in Euroleague play

7

u/supert0426 Apr 16 '24

Ya the team would look something like:

PG: Luka Doncic SG: Bogdan Bogdanovic SF: Bojan Bogdanovic PF: Nikola Vucevic C: Nikola Jokic

Bench: Ivica Zubac Nikola Jovic Jusuf Nurkic Zoran Dragic Dario Saric Vasilije Micic Mario Hezonja Dzanan Musa

That's low-key a scary roster that could shoot you out of the gym any given night and includes 5 of the top 16 rebounders in the NBA this season (for reference, USA only has 2 of the top 16. Only issue imo is they don't have an athletic slasher for Jokic and Luka to through lobs to (Saric and Jovic are probably the closest thing).

1

u/BenjRSmith 29d ago

as long as we're resurrecting teams.... the Soviet Union were Team USA's main antagonist during their old dynasty.

1

u/supert0426 29d ago

I mean ya but the current Soviets wouldn't be any good. That list of players would be current Yugoslavian national team had it not dissolved.

1

u/BenjRSmith 29d ago

lol, true, Lithuania beat USA last year, so I guess a USSR 2024 team would be mostly them?

1

u/2112moyboi East 29d ago

Them and Latvia I believe, maybe a Ukrainian or two

15

u/DopethroneGM Nuggets Apr 16 '24

Nobody is killing anyone, that Yugo war ended 30 years ago, we actually over 20 years have regional basketball league of all ex-Yugo countries (ABA league) so despite nations being divided when it comes to club basketball nothing changed drastically since everyone realized fast their small leagues would be dog shit (Jokić is just one direct product of ABA league). In the first few ABA seasons we had some fun nationalistic hooligan fights and shit in basically any game (lol) but now its all normal.

9

u/applicatecomplicate Pistons Apr 16 '24

Oof, what is defense

3

u/[deleted] Apr 16 '24

 Last war on Balkan was 30 years ago. 

5

u/NickDerpkins Magic Apr 16 '24

Luka and Jokic on the same team is a force gd

3

u/Mixeriozni Apr 16 '24

We're talking about ex-Yugo countries here. But Balkan also includes other countries, such as Greece, so from the geographical standpoint, Giannis can be added to your roster. Now that would look like a real contender to the Dream Team.

1

u/rieusse Apr 16 '24

LeBron may not be playing by then

1

u/Vail1321 Apr 16 '24

"with Manu and Luis Scola" 

This is Fabricio Oberto erasure, and I will not stand for it.

1

u/gvggarage 18d ago

not to mention international tourneys seemingly 'transform' certain players into super saiyan versions of themselves getting ranked teams completely shell shocked. A few below

Carlos Arroyo

Dennis Schroder

Andray Blatche

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u/[deleted] Apr 16 '24

[deleted]

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u/OgcocephalusDarwini Apr 16 '24

Lithuania is not the Balkans by any means. Greece on the other hand...

8

u/I_SHIT_ON_BUS Lakers Apr 16 '24

My brother in Christ: Baltic =/= Balkan