USA Basketball

[Watchdog]

It seems as though the rest of the world is catching up quickly. Despite the losses in International play, I still think the US is the best basketball nation in the world. Many top players have not attended and I think a good outside shooter like Ray Allen would make a difference.

US basketball is where Canadian hockey was in the late 60s or 70s. Way back in the 50s and earlier, Canada could send a good amateur club to play internationally and beat everyone. Over the years that started to change and the 72 Super Series with the Soviets really opened everyone's eyes. Yes we won that series, but with a good bit of luck. Being the 70s, hockey violence was really bad and if not for Bobby Clarke's inexcusable unsportsmanlike act in breaking Kharlamov's ankle, the Russians might have won. So many little things could have turned that series into a Russian victory.

Although Canada remained the most successful country in international play when all the best players were present, a Canadian victory was no longer assured. In the 90s Canada realized that we couldn't just send an all-star team and expect to win. Role players were needed and we had to send a "team" not a collection of stars.

I think this is where the US is now for basketball. Team selection won't automatically be the best individual players. Team USA could really use a player like Voshon Lenard right now. He's nowhere near one of the best 50 players in the NBA, but his outside shooting would really make a difference.

The present teams's losses and difficulties in breaking down a zone defence will surely mean that the US will carry at least one, and more likely two excellent outside shooters to future tournaments.

The Bulls won 3 championships with John Paxson and 3 more with Steve Kerr. These guys were limited in overall basketball skills, but they could knock down the open shot when Jordan was double teamed and it provided for some easy buckets. Now when Tim Duncan gets double teamed, no one is hitting that open shot.

All in all, this is great for international basketball. Although it was fun to watch the original Dream Team, this makes the games more competitive and meaningful.

I sure hope the NBA adopts a US vs. the World format for the All-Star game, that would be fun. The NHL had the North America vs. the World format for years and it made things more interesting, until the most recent season when they switched back to the old format for some variety and to keep things interesting.

 

[KR...]

I think the the Dream Team idea is over or it should be. They should just send whoever wins the NBA championship. Let's face facts, The Pistons would had kicked everyone's ass. Besides they are the world champs

Might as well prove it

 

[sacd lover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KR... I think the the Dream Team idea is over or it should be. They should just send whoever wins the NBA championship. Let's face facts, The Pistons would had kicked everyone's ass. Besides they are the world champs Might as well prove it

That would be cool to send the NBA champ. Imagine if they lost though. I doubt the NBA would ever even consider risking the loss of prestige as "the best in the world".

 

[EyeAmEye]

Team USA is a mish-mosh of talented, but not team players. Iverson is a great athlete, but not a team player, and an awful perimeter shooter. Marbury has a history of teams improving after he departs. James is unproven and too young, maybe a few more years experience to flesh out. Anthony is another example of a non-team player. Duncan is the only player on the team that knows how to play a team game, street basketball may be exciting, but it never beats a well organized squad, and team USA is all about street basketball. I'm having fun watching this squad of egos get their butts handed to them on a platter, they may actually learn something about non-selfish play.

 

[EyeAmEye]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KR... I think the the Dream Team idea is over or it should be. They should just send whoever wins the NBA championship. Let's face facts, The Pistons would had kicked everyone's ass. Besides they are the world champs Might as well prove it

Great example of how you don't need a "superstar" to win. The Pistons were a team of good players that worked well together, which you couldn't say of selfish players like Kobe and Shaq. The Pistons would have faired far better in international competition than the current "dream team", which is a sham.

 

[Watchdog]

You could send the Pistons as a team and they'd play much better. But you'd have to find replacements for Mehmet Okur and Darko. Though neither is a "core" player and Okur has left.

If last year's champs, the Spurs, went then you'd have to replace guys like Turkoglu, Parker and Ginobilli, the latter two very much "core" players.

It will take time, but eventually every NBA roster will include foreign players who are important parts of the "core" team. It's happened in the NHL. Before more than 95% of the players in the NHL were Canadian, but now I don't think you could name an NHL team that didn't have non-Canadian players as part of the core of the team.

 

[Iron_Dreamer]

Well, I get sick of hearing people compare this team to the original dream team. That was truly a "dream" team, practically an all-HOF team, I mean we had Jordan, Hakeem, the Admiral, Bird, Magic, Barkley, Stockon/Malone, etc. There was at least on guy on that team who was arguably the best ever at his position, and at least two to four who could be argued as the best player ever, not to mention the consensus pick, his Airness.

The current team is not even the all-NBA team, they wouldn't even beat the west all-stars. No Shaq, Kobe, Tracy, Garnett, Kidd, etc. Even just Shaq would have so radically changed this team. I mean we have one freakin' center, one! Based on the differences, nobody should have expected this team to dominate like in '92. The best player on the current team, Duncan, is arguably no better than the "worst" player on the '92 team.

I don't have any problem with sending the NBA guys over there, but if we want to make a big deal of it, we damn well better send the best we've got, and this team sure ain't it. We didn't send the best, we sent the rest, and we should expect to pay the consequences.

On the "team" front, it would be pretty cool to send the NBA champs, though I don't know if any particular orginization would want to open themselves up to that much risk, injury-wise, for their following season. I do think we'd have been better off with the Pistons than our current, all-inexperieced (save Duncan) team.

Oh well, I could really care less how they do, I mean by sending this team over there we really were asking for it. At least it is fun to watch the Iraqi footballers!

 

[KR...]

In such cases those players would be replace with players that the coach feels should replace them, it could be all-stars that have a simliar style or would fit in well with the team.

 

[KR...]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer At least it is fun to watch the Iraqi footballers!

Yes, those games sure are fun to watch, and they won again today.

 

[Sultan165]

I think its pretty clear that this team does not know how to play against a zone defense. Most of the players on this team played only a year or two in college and a couple skipped college all together. If I'm not mistaken, Duncan is the only guy on the team who played 4 years of college. The part that really surprises me is that we can't seem to defend anyone. We have the athleticism to play a pistons style of defense. Yes, I know they didn't have the time to develop the proper chemistry, but we give up an awful lot of 3s to everyone. I figure we should have enough speed to keep up with teams on the perimeter. Since we pretty much can't hit any of our own treys, hopefully Brown can devise something to prevent everyone else from hitting theirs.

 

[elrod-tom]

I hear a lot of folks talking about how the Pistons would do well here. I think that's true...largely because they played together in a system that works for a period of time.

To paraphrase Herb Brooks, all-star teams fail because they rely on individual talent. Not only has this "Dream Team" not played together for a long period of time, but it's also not the best group of all stars. There are an awful lot of very good players (including two Pistons) that turned down the opportunity to play this time. It's not a surprise to me that they're having problems.

Gotta love Allen Iverson...what a team player.

 

[eyeteeth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Watchdog Being the 70s, hockey violence was really bad and if not for Bobby Clarke's inexcusable unsportsmanlike act in breaking Kharlamov's ankle, the Russians might have won.

Hey, don't mention my childhood hero in the same statement with a primadonna, non-contact

sport like basketball.

Sure he was a demon from hell, but that's not all. Why do you think he was voted the league's most valuable player three times in 1973, 1975, and 1976?

Because he was the most determined, hardest working, never say die, grateful to bleed profusely, do absolutely anything to win, unstoppable player I've ever seen in any sport (and a diabetic to boot).

HAIL DEMON CLARKE!!!

The captain holds The Stanley Cup, the world's greatest trophy, all other trophys being uninspiring, delicate trinkets!

 

[eyeteeth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyeteeth grateful to bleed profusely

For the team, not just himself. That's why he was the captain.

 

[LobsterSan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron_Dreamer Well, I get sick of hearing people compare this team to the original dream team. That was truly a "dream" team, practically an all-HOF team, I mean we had Jordan, Hakeem, the Admiral, Bird, Magic, Barkley, Stockon/Malone, etc.

I'm in total agreement. "Dream Team I" was simply an amalgamation of the most amazing talent and basketball godliness ever to put on a pair of Nikes. It was like when you chose the HOF team in those early 90's NBA Sega Genesis games and put them up against the LA Clippers (of the early 90's). It was like watching the Harlem globetrotters beat up on whatever community center team was chosen to be embarassed that day. Man, I miss the basketball that I grew up on.

That first (and in my opinion, the only) Dream Team was simply amazing, and I believe they were the spark that got more of the world interested in basketball. The competition has gotten better in that timespan, and perhaps NBA players have become more egotistical without the skills to back up the attitude. The thing that annoys me, and makes me want to root against the current "Dream Team", is that we made no consideration to put together the finest team that the USA had to offer. It's like we decided we were the best without even sizing up the competition, and so we decided not to even give a half-effort. For that, we deserve every painful loss that we will incur during these 2004 summer olympic games.

Chuck Daly, head coach of the 1992 Barcelona Dream Team I, made the following remarks (as found in this article):

"Finally there will come a day -- I'm not saying it will happen anytime soon, mind you, but it's inevitable that it will happen -- that [the world] will be able to compete with us on even terms. And they'll look back on the Dream Team as a landmark event in that process."

That day has come, 12 years down the road.

 

[purk]

I hate to see U.S. loss yesterday, but at least all of them showed up to play. Unlike those selfish bastards who declined the invitation and choosed not to represent their county. Shaq, T-max, Jason kid, Kobe, and Garnet should be ashame of themselves.