Agreed. Jaylen > Booker.

Go Bears!

Cal reppin' in the parade.

Massive pop as Leon Powe rides by hoisting the 2008 championship trophy. pic.twitter.com/juqvoqF54o

— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) June 21, 2024

My guess is Kerr & Team USA decided there were too many chiefs and not enough workers. This has been problematic in the near past, so taking Derrick White who would relish his secondary (and most likely tertiary) role, as opposed to asking Jaylen to play in a fashion he isn't accustomed.

one thing I notice is Ant man has a Jordan-sized ego

75bear said:

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My guess is Kerr & Team USA decided there were too many chiefs and not enough workers. This has been problematic in the near past, so taking Derrick White who would relish his secondary (and most likely tertiary) role, as opposed to asking Jaylen to play in a fashion he isn't accustomed.

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Jaylen seems like exactly the kind of guy that should play on Team USA. He's willing to put aside his ego and do what the team needs him to do. Look at what he has done in Boston. He stepped aside and let Jayson Tatum be the face of the franchise, but steps up in the big games' biggest moments (while Tatum disappears). Moreover, Jaylen's a hard worker and incredibly smart. He'll pick up whatever the coaches want him to do.

His Team USA snub is likely the result of the stars on the team not wanting to get "Tatumed" and be shown up by Jaylen. That is, they don't want to have Jaylen be named the MVP (however unofficially) of Team USA when they're supposed to be the NBA's premier superstars (based on their All-NBA status). In short, it's a matter of protecting their territory and marketability at the expense of Jaylen.

There's zero doubt that Team USA would be better with Jaylen instead of Derrick White.

It's a very very bad look. The party line of Team USA wanting to "build the most cohesive team" is a total crock. Even if that were possible--which it's not--that's not what the Olympics are about. I'm guessing that the vast majority of people are like me--they want to see if our collection of acknowledged superstars can crush other nations' superstars. As many have already said, there is just no way that JB is NOT one of the top ten US superstars, by any metric you might want to use. At least with the Alex Morgan snub, you could at least plausibly argue that she's enough past her prime to make her a liability (I wouldn't argue that, but it's at least plausible). There's zero good faith argument out there to leave Jaylen off.

TummyoftheGB said:

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It's a very very bad look. The party line of Team USA wanting to "build the most cohesive team" is a total crock. Even if that were possible--which it's not--that's not what the Olympics are about. I'm guessing that the vast majority of people are like me--they want to see if our collection of acknowledged superstars can crush other nations' superstars. As many have already said, there is just no way that JB is NOT one of the top ten US superstars, by any metric you might want to use. At least with the Alex Morgan snub, you could at least plausibly argue that she's enough past her prime to make her a liability (I wouldn't argue that, but it's at least plausible). There's zero good faith argument out there to leave Jaylen off.

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Especially when you take his teammates who play a similar position instead. It is going out of their way to snub him.

dimitrig said:

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75bear said:

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My guess is Kerr & Team USA decided there were too many chiefs and not enough workers. This has been problematic in the near past, so taking Derrick White who would relish his secondary (and most likely tertiary) role, as opposed to asking Jaylen to play in a fashion he isn't accustomed.

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White is exactly the type of player you want on this team. Defense-first, playmaker, willing to do whatever is asked of him.

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For my money, I'd take Jaylen over Derrick White, even on defense. He shut down Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic in the Finals, especially in the biggest moments. Derrick White is an excellent defender, no doubt, but Jaylen is able and willing to lock down the best offensive players on opposing teams. He just doesn't get as much credit for doing so. There's no doubt in my mind that Jaylen would bring the same defensive tenacity to the Olympics and stymie the US's opponents' best players.

There is nothing Derrick White provides that Jaylen Brown can't match or better. Jaylen was intentionally snubbed by Team USA. The only question is why. But in no rational world is Jaylen not a better fit for Team USA than Derrick White.

dimitrig said:

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01Bear said:

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dimitrig said:

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75bear said:

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My guess is Kerr & Team USA decided there were too many chiefs and not enough workers. This has been problematic in the near past, so taking Derrick White who would relish his secondary (and most likely tertiary) role, as opposed to asking Jaylen to play in a fashion he isn't accustomed.

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White is exactly the type of player you want on this team. Defense-first, playmaker, willing to do whatever is asked of him.

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For my money, I'd take Jaylen over Derrick White, even on defense. He shut down Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic in the Finals, especially in the biggest moments. Derrick White is an excellent defender, no doubt, but Jaylen is able and willing to lock down the best offensive players on opposing teams. He just doesn't get as much credit for doing so. There's no doubt in my mind that Jaylen would bring the same defensive tenacity to the Olympics and stymie the US's opponents' best players.

There is nothing Derrick White provides that Jaylen Brown can't match or better. Jaylen was intentionally snubbed by Team USA. The only question is why. But in no rational world is Jaylen not a better fit for Team USA than Derrick White.

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Jaylen needs the ball in his hands.

He also has a tendency to disappear for long stretches.

White is a better long distance shooter and a MUCH better free throw shooter.

But you are missing my point. Jaylen is a better basketball player. Everyone knows that. White can contribute without the ball in his hands and he can take over point guard duties if needed as well. White is a perfect fit for a team full of stars as he showed playing with Boston.

Why not take Jaylen over Jrue Holiday or Anthony Edwards?

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Because it was Kawhi Leonard who was beibg replaced. Kawhi Leonard's a wing scorer and defender. That's Jaylen Brown. Kawhi was not a point guard. It made zero sense to pick White to replace Kawhi instead of Jaylen Brown. This wasn't a basketball decision; it was personal.

dimitrig said:

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01Bear said:

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dimitrig said:

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01Bear said:

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dimitrig said:

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75bear said:

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My guess is Kerr & Team USA decided there were too many chiefs and not enough workers. This has been problematic in the near past, so taking Derrick White who would relish his secondary (and most likely tertiary) role, as opposed to asking Jaylen to play in a fashion he isn't accustomed.

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White is exactly the type of player you want on this team. Defense-first, playmaker, willing to do whatever is asked of him.

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For my money, I'd take Jaylen over Derrick White, even on defense. He shut down Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic in the Finals, especially in the biggest moments. Derrick White is an excellent defender, no doubt, but Jaylen is able and willing to lock down the best offensive players on opposing teams. He just doesn't get as much credit for doing so. There's no doubt in my mind that Jaylen would bring the same defensive tenacity to the Olympics and stymie the US's opponents' best players.

There is nothing Derrick White provides that Jaylen Brown can't match or better. Jaylen was intentionally snubbed by Team USA. The only question is why. But in no rational world is Jaylen not a better fit for Team USA than Derrick White.

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Jaylen needs the ball in his hands.

He also has a tendency to disappear for long stretches.

White is a better long distance shooter and a MUCH better free throw shooter.

But you are missing my point. Jaylen is a better basketball player. Everyone knows that. White can contribute without the ball in his hands and he can take over point guard duties if needed as well. White is a perfect fit for a team full of stars as he showed playing with Boston.

Why not take Jaylen over Jrue Holiday or Anthony Edwards?

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Because it was Kawhi Leonard who was beibg replaced. Kawhi Leonard's a wing scorer and defender. That's Jaylen Brown. Kawhi was not a point guard. It made zero sense to pick White to replace Kawhi instead of Jaylen Brown. This wasn't a basketball decision; it was personal.

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What evidence do you have of that?

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Who was the Eastern Conference Championship MVP? Was it Derrick White or Jaylen Brown? Who was the Finals MVP? Jaylen or White? Who is the better player, Jaylen or White?

About the only area where White is demonstrably better than Jaylen is free throw shooting average. But Jaylen's much better at getting to the basket, playmaking, and also in the midrange game.

Some may argue that White's a better defender. They'll point to his All-NBA Defense Team selections. However, even Derrick White pointed out that Jaylen Brown should've been selected for the All NBA defensive teams this year.

In short, Jaylen Brown is either equal to or superior than Derrick White in every conceivable aspect of basketball other than free throw shooting. While making free throws is important, it's not more important than being a playmaker, being able to get to the basket at will, etc.

In short, there is no legitimate basketball reason for keeping Jaylen Brown off Team USA if the choice is between him and Derrick White, especially as a replacement for Kawhi Leonard.

dimitrig said:

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01Bear said:

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dimitrig said:

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75bear said:

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My guess is Kerr & Team USA decided there were too many chiefs and not enough workers. This has been problematic in the near past, so taking Derrick White who would relish his secondary (and most likely tertiary) role, as opposed to asking Jaylen to play in a fashion he isn't accustomed.

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White is exactly the type of player you want on this team. Defense-first, playmaker, willing to do whatever is asked of him.

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For my money, I'd take Jaylen over Derrick White, even on defense. He shut down Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic in the Finals, especially in the biggest moments. Derrick White is an excellent defender, no doubt, but Jaylen is able and willing to lock down the best offensive players on opposing teams. He just doesn't get as much credit for doing so. There's no doubt in my mind that Jaylen would bring the same defensive tenacity to the Olympics and stymie the US's opponents' best players.

There is nothing Derrick White provides that Jaylen Brown can't match or better. Jaylen was intentionally snubbed by Team USA. The only question is why. But in no rational world is Jaylen not a better fit for Team USA than Derrick White.

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Jaylen needs the ball in his hands.

He also has a tendency to disappear for long stretches.

White is a better long distance shooter and a MUCH better free throw shooter.

But you are missing my point. Jaylen is a better basketball player. Everyone knows that. White can contribute without the ball in his hands and he can take over point guard duties if needed as well. White is a perfect fit for a team full of stars as he showed playing with Boston.

Why not take Jaylen over Jrue Holiday or Anthony Edwards?

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They weren't kicking anyone off to add someone, so that is a red herring. "Disappears for stretches"? Immaterial on an All-Star team. That is also inconsistent with "needs the ball in his hands."

No way White deserves a spot (and know that is a huge part of being part of Team USA) over Brown. Somewhat different skill sets, but they play essentially the same position (same as Kawhi Leonard who was being replaced) so no excuse there. Moreover, they are teammates. It was clearly a snub in that they had to know it would be perceived as a snub when they did it.

To have 3 Celtics on Team USA but no Jaylen Brown is a slap in the face. I get that they might have wanted to go more role player/defensive but there are plenty of other options than Derrick White.

Maybe it's because Jaylen actually has a brain and has questioned our country's policies and ugly history.

BC Calfan said:

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To have 3 Celtics on Team USA but no Jaylen Brown is a slap in the face. I get that they might have wanted to go more role player/defensive but there are plenty of other options than Derrick White.

Maybe it's because Jaylen actually has a brain and has questioned our country's policies and ugly history.

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I doubt your last sentence is true, because Steve Kerr is the Head Coach.

75bear said:

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BC Calfan said:

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To have 3 Celtics on Team USA but no Jaylen Brown is a slap in the face. I get that they might have wanted to go more role player/defensive but there are plenty of other options than Derrick White.

Maybe it's because Jaylen actually has a brain and has questioned our country's policies and ugly history.

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I doubt your last sentence is true, because Steve Kerr is the Head Coach.

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FWIW, Steve Kerr's son Nick was Jaylen's teammate at Cal with Steve attending a lot of our games.