http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news/ap/20021125/ap-brown-olympics.html Larry Brown of the Philadelphia 76ers will be the head coach of the 2004 U.S. Olympic men's basketball team, The Associated Press learned Monday. ADVERTISEMENT Brown, who won a gold medal as a player at the 1964 Olympics and was an assistant coach on two prior Olympic teams, will officially get the post Tuesday, two sources with knowledge of the selection said on condition of anonymity. Brown, 62, will guide the team at next summer's Olympic qualifying tournament and the 2004 Olympics in Athens. ``If they asked me to be the coach, it'd be the greatest honor going. If they said they had someone else in mind, I'd respect that as well,'' Brown said last week after the New York Post reported that he was the leading candidate among four nominees. The others nominated by the 10-man selection committee were Phil Jackson of the Lakers, Jerry Sloan of the Utah Jazz and Pat Riley of the Miami Heat. Brown had the most USA Basketball experience of any of the candidates, which no doubt was a significant factor in his selection. Brown was an assistant on Rudy Tomjanovich's staff at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney when the U.S. team survived a scare from Lithuania in the semifinals and went on to win the gold by defeating France. The United States is 109-2 in Olympic history, but the Americans finished a disappointing sixth at last summer's World Championships -- losing for the first time when using NBA players in an international competition. Tracy McGrady, Tim Duncan, Jason Kidd and Ray Allen have already contacted USA Basketball to say they're willing to play in 2003 and 2004. A core group of eight or nine players is expected to be announced by February, with Kevin Garnett, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant expected to be shoo-ins if they accept invitations to play. O'Neal and Bryant ``are two of the best players in our league, without question, and with the way other teams around the world have improved, we need our best players -- but also high-character guys. And I think they fit the bill,'' Brown said. As word of Brown's appointment leaked out after the 76ers beat New Orleans 108-87 Monday night, Philadelphia's Allen Iverson said that playing in the Olympics is a dream of his and playing under Brown there would make it even more special. ``It's a tribute to what he's done for the game. I've enjoyed having the experience of playing for him,'' Iverson said. ``I've always wanted it for myself but now that Coach is coaching I want it for both of us. ``At the end of my career, if I could say that we won an NBA championship and a Gold Medal together, that would be the ending of a great story.'' Iverson jokingly asked Brown if all the 76ers could be selected and experience it as a team. New Orleans' Jamal Mashburn said that while he did not know Brown well, the chance to play for him in the Olympics would be great. ``I like the way he coaches,'' he said. ``You wouldn't want to play for a better coach than Larry Brown.'' Yugoslavia, the world champion, and Greece, the host country, are already slotted in two of the 12 spots in the 2004 Olympics. Additionally, there will be three teams from the Americas region, three additional teams from Europe, one each from Africa and Asia and two from the Oceania region. The cities vying to host next August's Olympic qualifying tournament are Toronto; Mexico City; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Caracas, Venezuela; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. i don't really care about Shaq joining or not anymore, that sucky b****.
Brown is the best choice for the coach job of team USA. He stresses on fundamentals and defense, which are crucial for international games. If Duncan joins the team, it doesn't matter whether Shaq plays or not. This is hands down the best team in the world. C Duncan PF Garnett SF TMac SG Bryant PG Kidd/Stevie
Iverson, Kidd, Francis Kobe, Ray Allen TMAC, Pierce Duncan, Wallace Shaq, Garrnett Thats gonna be a fun team to watch, Probably better then Dream Team One.
That's gotta be good news for Francis...Brown owes Rudy a favor or two for being his assistant on the last team.
I think this is a great choice, and I'm glad that Shaq wasn't allowed to basically choose the coach of the team.
The US Team won't even need Shaq if Duncan is on the team. Just get a couple of defensive minded centers to clog the lane and let the slashers and jump shooters take care of the offense... Think we can make Ming a US Citizen by 2004?
You know, maybe this is sacrilege, but I'm not sure if I'd pick Francis to be on the team even though I want him on it as a fan. I just don't know if his skillsets are the most appropriate given the talent on that team. He does rebound very well, but the team needs point guards who can run the team and guys who can be effective without the ball in his hands. I don't see Stevie fitting either of those criteria, at least not as well as some other guys. But it also depends on who they pick to put on the team. For instance, I wouldn't pick Baron Davis over Francis. Fortunately, it looks like Davis as a member of the USA Losers won't be an option.
Steve be selected for the, because I don't think that Brown likes him. Remember after we killed the Sixers in Steve's second year, when Brown and Franchise were yelling at each other after the game? Steve deserves to make Team USA.
