Carp on the DL, the Wildcard hunt, and TEAM USA...

Well Carp is back on the DL. He lasted 3 starts, or maybe 2 and 1/2. The injury doesn't appear to be serious, and really you would expect him to have a hiccup or two after missing over a season and a half of baseball. Let's hope he gets back soon.

We are managing to stay in the wildcard hunt because of some great starting pitching. Wellemeyer has put in a couple of great starts, Pinero is finally showing some of his 07 pitching form, and Looper has turned in several good starts in a row. Lohse got beat up a time or two, but he has still been solid. Right now we are 2 games back of the Brewers and 2.5 games ahead of the NL East teams for the wildcard spot. If we can get Wainwright healthy, Carpenter back throwing the way he did for those 3 games, and our offense going (a healthy Ankiel)... that is a lot of IFS, but you get the point. We've got a shot!

But what I want to talk about today is the Olympics. I love the Olympics. It doesn't matter what sport is on. I'll watch everything they put on TV. I'll even admit that during the Olympics that I don't follow the Cardinals as close as I should! I just think all the hoopla that surrounds the Olympics, and some of the sports are stuff you don't see any other time (team handball, all the swimming stuff, beach volleyball, etc.) so I eat it up when the Olympics are on. I've really enjoyed Michael Phelps 7 gold medals. Hopefully he can make it 8 tonight. The 100 relay race was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Then the 100 butterfly, where Phelps won by .01 seconds, I'm not even gonna lie, I jumped off the couch for that one! It was pretty cool to watch. The gymnastics stuff has been really cool, and there is NO WAY those Chinese girls are 16. Come on!!! But my favorite thing to watch, the thing I get up at 7 am for everytime they play, is TEAM USA Basketball....

I called it before these Olympics started, that this might be the best team we've sent since '96. They aren't as good as the Dream Team (92) or as the '96 team that had a great front line, but this team has several future Hall of Fame players, and they have been together for more than 2 years. In particular, I think we are seeing two of the greatest ever players (Kobe & Lebron) who are definitely in their prime. I also said that I thought Dwight Howard and Chris Paul would go down as "all time" type of players, and are just entering their prime. Jason Kidd is a Hall of Famer, but is on the downhill slope of his career. Carmelo Anthony and Dwayned Wade are also both potential Hall of Famers, depending on how the rest of their career plays out. Michael Redd (3 point specialist), Deron Williams (3rd point guard), Carlos Boozer (backup forward), Tayshaun Prince (defensive specialist), and Chris Bosh (backup big man) were all added to the roster to fill specific needs. I detailed all of this in an earlier post, so let's see how my prediction panned out.

First, let's just talk about the guys that haven't played. Jason Kidd hasn't played very much, as anticipated, but he has played okay when he has been in there. Carmelo hasn't been as good as his usual self, but he hasn't been bad either. Redd, Prince, and Boozer really haven't played much. Okay, now for the guys that are playing, the "8 man rotation."

Lebron James: He has been phenomenal. When Lebron came into the NBA as an 18 year old kid he was 6'8 and 230 lbs. They said he is 6'9, 260 lbs now! The guy is so fast, so strong, and so explosive off the floor. When he gets the ball in the open court it just isn't fair. But all of that aside, Lebron is playing really hard. He is doing it at both ends, he is crashing the boards, and it is just scary how good he is playing.

Dwayne Wade: Welcome back! What else can you say about the 2006 NBA Finals MVP? He has arguably been the best player on the team, leading them in scoring and steals. He looks so quick and explosive, so you know he is finally healthy. It is just great to see him back on the floor, and watching him play you almost forget that just a year ago he was considered one of the 5 best players in the league.

Chris Bosh: The surprise of the team, he has been their best inside player. His quickness and defense, especially because all the international teams try to pick-and-roll us to death!!!! has been incredible. A lot of times they have just let him switch out onto the point guard, and he has played it beautifully. The way he runs the floor and plays defense have made him a big addition to this team.

Chris Paul: How good has this guy been? I love the comment that Doug Collins made, "Chris Paul has a free pass into the lane." So true! He is just so quick, so creative, and he has the ball on a string. His defense has been really good, too. If he develops a solid jumpshot, watch out. You can't guard him now! Imagine if he gets that solid jumper and/or midrange game??? Scary...

Kobe Bryant: He has played okay. That is really all you can say about Kobe. He was supposed to be the stopper on guys. Well, his defense has been okay, but I've seen him get beat a lot, too. His 3 point shooting has been horrible. He is scoring on a lot of transition plays and dunks. Some of that is his doing, but a lot of that is because of good team defense. He certainly hasn't been the team's best player, and he certainly doesn't look as quick, strong, or explosive as Wade or James. But with so much talent on the roster, teams can't key in on Kobe, and he has found his spots in games to do his thing. Overall, I've been a little disappointed with him.

Carmello Anthony: Carmello has rebounded okay, and he isn't playing "bad," he just isn't playing as good as he has previously for TEAM USA. I think he got off to a slow start, and when other guys are playing great (Lebron, Wade, Paul) you can't expect him to keep averaging 20 a game. In the game vs. Spain (currently in progress) he is on fire, and as I said before, he has had some decent games already. I think Carmello is out of position at the "4 spot" because he is undersized and can't guard the post. But he helps us in transition, as this team is really getting out and running, and he is hard for their "4 man" to guard because he can step out and shoot/drive/pass so well. In this game vs. Spain, where Carmello has hit five, three-pointers already, you see how much he can help us when he plays well.

Deron Williams: He has played really well, and played a lot! His defense has been really good and he has played well on offense. A lot of people questioned him making the roster, simply because "why do you take 3 point guards?" Well as it is obvious now that Kidd isn't the same player he used to be, Williams selection might be a big difference maker on this roster. I've been really surprised and pleased with how well he has played.

Dwight Howard: This is the guy I've been most disappointed with. Now I'll say this, I'm a big Dwight Howard fan. I think he is a stand up guy, he plays pretty hard, and he is still young! Also, when you get an "all star" type of team, where there are so many good players, the big guys will often times get left out. On this team in particular, where the perimter guys are SO GOOD (Paul, LeBron, Wade, Kobe), a big guy might get left out. ON TOP OF THAT, the trapezoid lane makes it harder on big guys and forces them to use shots with touch. Howard is a dunker, the best rebounder in the NBA, and a great shot blocker. So his offense suffering is not a big deal. I just can't BELIEVE some of the dumb stuff he is doing out there! The goal tending plays, the silly-stupid-WHATAREYOUTHINKING fouls... But Howard should be an NBA rookie heading into this season. Keep that in mind! The guy is one year older than North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough. For him to be playing against the best big men in the world shows you how good he can be!

But this team is playing hard, they are playing together, and the coaches have done a fantastic job. I think we'll win the gold. But I think we'll be EVEN BETTER in 2012 if the people that run USA Basketball get some of these guys to commit again. James, Wade, Anthony, Paul, Williams, Bosh, and Howard are young enough to return. Kobe will be 34 (too old), Kidd will be retired, Redd, Prince, and Boozer will be replaced. When you think about some of the really, really good young players in the NBA now that could be added to that core group of players we have... Derrick Rose, Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Tyson Chandler, etc... It is exciting to think about. Most important, it is good to see our team playing hard and playing right. I couldn't take another "Starbury" experience!!! As I sign off, we are crushing Spain 104-71. USA-USA-USA-USA....