Colangelo offically names Kobe apart of Team USA

JMon348 wrote:PHOENIX -- Kobe Bryant plans to play for the U.S. team at this year's world basketball championships and the 2008 Olympics.
Bryant


Bryant gave an emphatic nod to joining the U.S. team in a meeting Friday with the head of USA Basketball, Jerry Colangelo.


"I had a previous conversation with him and we said we would meet again when he came to Phoenix," Colangelo said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "He's really excited about it. He's really kind of juiced about representing the United States. He had some great things to say about the opportunity."


Bryant was in town for the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Phoenix Suns on Friday night.


Bryant joins LeBron James as the two players who have been publicly named to the 20-man U.S. roster that will report to a training camp in Las Vegas this summer, then travel to a series of exhibition games in China and South Korea before taking part in the world championships in Japan.

"I think he's done a great job of positioning himself in terms of his persona and conduct," Colangelo said. "In representing his country, he can expand on that."


Colangelo called Bryant "one of the one or two most prolific, dominant players in the game right now. If you can field a team with someone of his caliber, that's a pretty important step."


"He's almost unstoppable in terms of his performance," Colangelo said. "There's a competitiveness about him that kind of wills his teams to wins."

Duke's Mike Krzyzewski will coach to team.


Bryant's decision was first reported Friday afternoon by The Rocky Mountain News.




So Here's the official roster:

PG-
SG-Kobe Bryant
SF-Lebron James
PF-
C-

DMK wrote:IMO it should go like this...

Shaquille/Duncan/Howard
KG/Amare/Brand
Lebron/Tmac/Marion
Kobe/Wade/Pierce
Bdiddy/Kidd/AI/

That would be my team for Dream Team III....

Arizona Republic: Kobe Bryant has made his intentions known for a while. He wanted to play on the U.S. Olympic team. Friday, he made it official.

Bryant told men's national team managing director Jerry Colangelo he was more than willing to represent USA Basketball. Even more, he would play point guard if that were where he would be needed.

"Oh, man, hell yes, I'm excited," Bryant said before Friday's game against the Suns at US Airways Center. "I'm excited to be an Olympian and represent our country. . . . I'm just looking forward to getting over there."

Bryant said the three-year commitment works out well for him. He grew up watching his father play overseas. That's how he learned to play. Plus, he's in his prime, leading the NBA at 34.7 points per game. And he's ready for the challenge.

"Whatever (my role) is, I'm down for it," he said. "I've played on teams that have won three titles and I played a supporting role. On this (Lakers) team, I'm the No. 1 guy. But I really do not care about my role."

His coach didn't seem so excited. Lakers coach Phil Jackson applauded Colangelo's approach. But he worries about the toll it will take on NBA players, particularly those playing deep into the playoffs.

"The Olympics is a daunting thing," Jackson said. "We have to face the fact that (by doing it this way) we'll cut our players short a little bit."

By that, he meant their careers. But Bryant didn't seem fazed.

"I've got a feeling that I'll be the veteran, the old dog on the team," he said.

He knows it won't be easy. He knows the international game has caught up. They no longer will be the Dream Team, looked at by opponents with awe.

"Guys in Europe growing up idolized Magic (Johnson,) idolized Michael (Jordan), idolized Charles (Barkley,)" he said. "Now everybody's pretty much the same age. Now they don't look at us and (whisper), 'That's Kobe Bryant.' Now they look at us and say, 'You know what? We can go at these guys.' "

Which is why he thinks it will take a team effort to bring back the gold medal.

"I'm just looking forward to going out there with a collection of talent and focus on dismantling the opposition," Bryant said. "That's really going to be most enjoyable thing, breaking down our opponent and collectively tearing them apart."

OC Register: When Bryant told The Register on Dec. 23 that he was chosen for the next national team, he became the first player publicly identified. It was formally announced Friday by Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo.

Bryant is looking forward to time in Asia, where he has visited, saying: "I love the culture over there; I love the people over there."

DMK wrote:IMO it should go like this...

Shaquille/Duncan/Howard
KG/Amare/Brand
Lebron/Tmac/Marion
Kobe/Wade/Pierce
Bdiddy/Kidd/AI/

That would be my team for Dream Team III....

SI: Bryant joins LeBron James as the two players who have been publicly named to the 20-man U.S. roster that will report to a training camp in Las Vegas this summer, then travel to a series of exhibition games in China and South Korea before taking part in the world championships in Japan.

There will be a training camp again next year, followed by another round of training and exhibition games in 2008 leading up to the Beijing Olympics.

"It's going to be fun, it's going to be challenging," Bryant said. "I'm just looking forward to getting over there."

Bryant had been expected to take part in the Athens Olympics in 2004 but withdrew to deal with a sexual assault case against him in Colorado.

"It was very disappointing so I just try not to think about it too much," Bryant said of not being able to play in Athens. "I just let it go. Everything happens for a reason, and this for whatever reason is the time for me to be on the team."

The charge against him ultimately was dropped and Colangelo complimented Bryant's behavior since then.

"I think he's done a great job of positioning himself in terms of his persona and conduct," Colangelo said. "In representing his country, he can expand on that."

While Bryant is a scoring machine with the Lakers, he will have no qualms about reducing his role on the U.S. team, Colangelo said.

"I think Kobe Bryant is a player with enough moxie to go along with his talent that he'll adjust to whatever his role is," Colangelo said. "In fact, that's exactly what he said today."

Duke's Mike Krzyzewski will coach to team.

"I think it's great what he's doing," Bryant said of Colangelo's efforts. "He's establishing right now the attitude and mindset as a team going in. Having Coach K and selecting the players carefully and doing his due diligence, I think it just sets the tone for what we're trying to accomplish."

ahaider15 wrote:With Kobe and Lebron hopefully Kobe can convince some of them to go to the Lakers

purple_and_gold_fever wrote:

ahaider15 wrote:With Kobe and Lebron hopefully Kobe can convince some of them to go to the Lakers

lebron in LA 2007

verde wrote:i hope those exhibition games will be televised in the US this summer.

watching kobe & lebron play for the same team = better than sex.

i think lebron will get a lot better just by playing with kobe also. seeing how he practices, warms up for games, and gets himself mentally focused....etc.