So, this is very likely not necessary whatsoever, but I've recently been thinking about the possibility of splitting Team USA into 8 different squads. The splits would be done regionally. My hope would be that it would increase entertainment value internationally having American stars going against each other every summer, and it could possibly have the effect of putting pressure on those stars to participate in international basketball. I'm sure there are far more negative consequences that would stem from this, like increasing regionalism, animosity with other FIBA Americas nations whose slots would be taken in the national tournaments, and countless other consequences I'm certainly forgetting. So honestly, I'm not suggesting this as an idea to be considered legitimately. It's merely a project I undertook to scratch my curiosity-itch.
To make the regional splits fairly even, I used census data by state to make eight regions with population numbers roughly equivalent to an eighth of the entire United States population. Granted, doing that while grouping only bordering states is supremely difficult. So I created a 12.5% (1/8) allowance in variance. So although some of the regions include far more states total and others far fewer, I assure you that the population available to be selected from is relatively the same region to region.
Now, I compiled the rosters using birthplace data from basketball-reference.com (shoutout: thanks for helping me out on a lot of personal projects without realizing it!). The qualifications I used for each roster were the same: a player could not be eligible for inclusion unless they were under the age of 35 (as of the beginning of August) and have played at least 1500 minutes in the NBA. So this excluded Mason Plumlee, even though he's on the actual Team USA roster this summer. The rosters I actually put together included only twelve players (just like national teams are required to for FIBA), so I aimed to include the best 12, although in some cases, it was more accurately the best 8 or 9, and then 3 or 4 players whose skillsets were most necessary for the squad.
Without further ado, here are the squads -
Pacific United States (California & Hawaii):
PG - Russell Westbrook
SG - James Harden
SF - Paul George
PF - Kevin Love
C - Tyson Chandler
Bench - Klay Thompson
Bench - Kawhi Leonard
Bench - Brook Lopez
Bench - Jrue Holiday
Bench - DeMar DeRozan
Bench - Damian Lillard
Okay, this is easily the most stacked team I made, and it's pretty much just the All-California All-Stars (Hawaii, you gave me absolutely nobody. Ceballos?!?! I can't use him!). Worth noting - All but Lopez and Holiday are currently on the USA's 2014-16 National Team Roster. That is significant. Just goes to show how huge of a basketball state California truly is.
West United States (Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico)
PG - Isaiah Thomas
SG - Mario Chalmers
SF - Jamal Crawford
PF - Terrence Jones
C - Spencer Hawes
Bench - Nate Robinson
Bench - Mike Miller
Bench - Avery Bradley
Bench - Rodney Stuckey
Bench - Terrence Ross
Bench - Ronnie Brewer
Bench - Luke Ridnour
In stark contrast to the team before, this squad has ZERO players currently on the 2014-16 USA roster. In what is essentially a regional all-star squad, there are at least six players you would never want to see playing for Team USA, even as scout team members. Just put it this way: When your "Big Three" is Isaiah Thomas, Jamal Crawford, and Terrence Jones, you should not be competing against squads like the Pacific team.
Central United States (Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska)
PG - D.J. Augustin
SG - Wesley Matthews
SF - Jimmy Butler
PF - Blake Griffin
C - LaMarcus Aldridge
Bench - Chris Bosh
Bench - Joe Johnson
Bench - Paul Millsap
Bench - Gerald Green
Bench - DeAndre Jordan
Bench - Greg Monroe
Bench - Thaddeus Young
This isn't the strongest team out here, but it is pretty solid. It has one obvious strength, and that is in its' size. Taking four frontcourt All-Stars (Griffin, Aldridge, Bosh and Millsap), and then adding three more very talented bigs (Jordan, Monroe, and Young) makes this a very difficult team to perform well against. That being said, the wing and guard situation on this team is not on par with other teams, particularly the Mid-Atlantic team, but we'll get there later.
North United States (Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana)
PG - Derrick Rose
SG - Dwyane Wade
SF - Andre Iguodala
PF - David Lee
C - Anthony Davis
Bench - Bradley Beal
Bench - Gordon Hayward
Bench - Tony Allen
Bench - Shaun Livingston
Bench - Zach Randolph
Bench - Mike Conley
Bench - Jeff Teague
One thing I found interesting while researching this team is how many of the guys that appeal to the grind-it-out Grizzlies mentality come from this area. Four of the six most important players on this year's Grizzlies come from this area (Courtney Lee is from this region as well, I just didn't see room for him on the roster). That, accompanied with the contributions of the city of Chicago to this list - that's the starting PG, SG, and C, and Tony Allen too - was the most interesting take-away from this extremely talented team.
Midwest United States (Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania)
PG - Kyle Lowry
SG - Stephen Curry
SF - Tyreke Evans
PF - LeBron James
C - JaVale McGee
Bench - Markieff Morris
Bench - Jared Sullinger
Bench - Kevin Martin
Bench - DeJuan Blair
Bench - Dion Waiters
Bench - Wilson Chandler
Bench - Draymond Green
My biggest regret from this project is the naming of these regions. Pittsburgh may be included in the Midwest, sure, but Philly most definitely is not. So seeing Kyle Lowry as the first name on the Midwest US team just feels wrong, because Lowry's game so perfectly summarizes the mentality of that city. Also in need of clarification: Stephen Curry grew up in Charlotte, went to school in North Carolina, I know. But according to basketball-reference.com, which is the only website I used for player birth data, Curry was born in Akron, OH. So this is the team he gets put on. Sidenote: I might like Markieff Morris too much....
Northeast United States (New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine)
PG - Kemba Walker
SG - Lance Stephenson
SF - Carmelo Anthony
PF - Kenneth Faried
C - Joakim Noah
Bench - Andre Drummond
Bench - Danny Green
Bench - Tobias Harris
Bench - Taj Gibson
Bench - Michael Carter-Williams
Bench - David West
Bench - Gerald Henderson
Great team right here. The bench starts to get a little bit thin near the end, but this is a really solid team top to bottom. It would be interesting to see Joakim and Carmelo work together after they were so close this summer. Kemba, Faried, and #BornReady (because that's the only way to refer to Stephenson now, apparently) fill out a solid starting lineup. Bring in Drummond and NBA Champion Danny Green off the bench, and that alone is enough to beat most FIBA teams.
Mid-Atlantic United States (Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina)
PG - Chris Paul
SG - Deron Williams
SF - Rudy Gay
PF - Kevin Durant
C - John Henson
Bench - Rajon Rondo
Bench - John Wall
Bench - J.J. Redick
Bench - Victor Oladipo
Bench - Jeff Green
Bench - Ty Lawson
Bench - O.J. Mayo
So remember how the Central US squad had so much frontcourt depth, but no backcourt depth? This squad has the opposite problem. Their ONLY big man is John Henson. Other than that flaw, this is a great team. The fact that two of the three best players in the NBA are on this roster alone is enough to validate the abilities of this squad. Having Deron Williams, Rondo, Wall and Lawson (and, really, Oladipo and Mayo) as ball-handlers makes this team really difficult to face. They would essentially be going up-tempo the whole game, and having one of the best shooters in the NBA (Durant) leading that charge makes this one of the most daunting lineups the US could offer.
Southeast United States (Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi)
PG - Eric Bledsoe
SG - Monta Ellis
SF - Chandler Parsons
PF - Josh Smith
C - Dwight Howard
Bench - Brandon Knight
Bench - DeMarcus Cousins
Bench - Trevor Ariza
Bench - Al Jefferson
Bench - DeMarre Carroll
Bench - Larry Sanders
Bench - Jodie Meeks
This might be one of the most complete squads available to the US. Granted, the end of the bench is a bit iffy, but the frontcourt depth provided by the inclusion of J-Smoove, Dwight, Boogie and Big Al; combined with the backcourt abilities of Bledsoe, Ellis, and Knight makes for a frighteningly good squad. Add in Parsons and Ariza on the wings (the Rockets last two starting SFs, mind you), and this might be the second best team in the United States.
If this interests you, feel free to comment your opinions on the rosters, or the premise overall, or anything presented in this article, and maybe someone could look into how these teams would actually perform in a game situation. (maybe on a 2K simulation?) Merely suggestions, of course.