I've watched 2 of the 4 US Olympic basketball games, and I am in inner turmoil. My patriotism and love of basketball are clouding my judgement. Why does everyone think the US team is losing?
I agree that a more complimentary team could have been put together... but these are still some of the most highly regarded players in the league. Why can't they shoot? It think that would be a vote for "fundamentals" or "out of element".
I think they might not win the "gold medal", but have a really high potential to capture the "gold brick"... The can't hit an open 15 footer... They can't give the ball to Tim Duncan because the defense, without a perimeter threat, can just hang inside... And I mean the whole freakin' team... now the perimeter players can't drive to the hoop because the entire defense is swarming under the basket like sharks. It's truly pathetic. Some may say this is due to the fact that the world is getting better. Well it's true that they are, but man. Come on... Holy H son of the mother of god bless america you should hit an open 15 foot jumper.... a completely and utterly uncontested 15 foot jumper. Not just one... but a whole freakin' game's worth. Maybe we should make this something we should look for in a player or two for future Olympic teams.
Besides Duncan - who's really highly regarded as a player now? All of them come with big holes in their games, that are pretty widely discussed. The team was poorly constructed.
Because whoever built the team is dumb and should be fired. I mean no shooters at all? Come on, atleast put Cat on there he can shoot the midrange to three point range shot and play better D then anyone they got a on the perimeter.
Didn't Magic recently say in an interview with Larry the doodoo Bird that " basketball is a white man game and always will" ?
"Because whoever built the team is dumb and should be fired." You can blame Stu Jackson for that. Surprise! He's also failed while with the Knicks, Grizzlies, and as the Stern's right hand man. How this guy gets paid to do anything is beyond me, he's as incompetent as Scott Layden.
in the options, you keep on stating "nba players" instead of American players. this is a huge error. NBA players are LEADING their teams for the most part: Gasol, Yao, Arroyo, etc...these are NBA players that are very successful and proving that the NBA has the most talented players. If Peja/Vlade were on Serbia/Montenegro - they'd be leading that team as well.
I agree with Puedlfor, the biggest reason is we sent the wrong players. Even without sending Kobe/Tmac/Garrnett/etc, this team still could have been constructed a lot better. A winning team needs to excel in at least one area and be at least good/average in all other areas. Team USA excels at open court and rebounding, but is horrible in defense, outside shooting, and free throws. The double whammy here is that one of their strengths, being out in the open court, can be neutralized by taking care of the ball from the opponent or fouling USA players right when the fast break starts. And what good is it to have the other team be over 5 team fouls when you can't make your FT? This team is just way too flawed to win the gold. I really don't understand how the US lets these teams shoot so much 3 pointers. I just feel like the Team USA doesn't take the other team's 3 point threat that seriously. The interesting thing is how much better would this team be if there was just one good shooter, such as a Sam Cassell?
I don't buy that the talent gap has closed THAT much. Our elite players would still thoroughly destroy anyone else: Shaquile O'Neal Kevin Garnett Tracy McGrady Kobe Bryant Jason Kidd Holy cow. That would be an upgrade over every starter except Tim Duncan. Can any of the other countries boast that their five best players aren't out there? The first two Dream Teams spoiled us. We can't expect to continue to beat the opposition by 30+ points every game just because we are the USA. We have to send the best of the best to have that kind of success. Now, that doesn't let the selection team off the hook. There was still adequate talent available to fill a gold medal team. As everyone else has said, since we're not going to able to smother everyone else with talent, we should've sent a working TEAM. I guess it's good that the young guys are getting some experience out there though. Four years from now, LeBron should really be tearing things up.
I guess lack of fundamentals / out of element would describe this team well. But any americans we send from the NBA would be out of element because they don't play as much with zone defense and aren't used to the international rules. Are 3 pointers considered a fundamental is my honest quesiton? Although it may only be 20 feet out, thats still not a given though it should be for professionals. Free throws and lay ups I'd call more fundament than anything. If we were missing medium range jumpers then I'd chalk that up to fundamentals but thats just my opinion.
I voted for 'not motivated', and while I think that's certainly a factor, I think the majority of the blame needs to be laid at the feet of Larry Brown: <ol><li>Telling the selection committee to ask Okafor instead of a shooter? Larry.</li><li>Going back to Richard "0 for 21 minutes against Greece" Jefferson again and again and <strong>again</strong> while Lebron, who seems to make the rest of the team better when he's on the floor, sits and sits and <strong>sits</strong>? Larry.</li><li>The inability to coach at the end of high-pressure games? (The meltdown against Lithuania complete with bonehead plays on offense in the last minutes, the end of Game 2 of this year's finals?) Larry <strong>again</strong>.</li></ol>Someone much smarter than me pointed out that it's not a big deal when big-name tennis pros get knocked of the Olympic tournament because everyone knows that the Olympics aren't a major focus for tennis players the way that the Grand Slam tournaments are. Similarly, the Olympics aren't as important to NBA players as the NBA season is: for basketball players, you make your name and your money at the NBA level, and the Olympics are at best secondary. Recognizing that, if USA basketball wants their teams to be competitive, they should find a coach better suited to managing the psychology of NBA players over the short term. Larry Brown, with all his college-coach-style focus on "the system" and "playing ball the right way" likely isn't the right guy to turn a pack of alpha wolves into a team in three weeks flat.
All of them are struggling big-time with their confidence. They're not used to playing only half the game, not getting the majority of the shots and plays called for them, and probably not used to being left so ridiculously wide open. Shawn Marion, as ugly as his shot is, is actually a pretty decent shooter in the NBA. Same with Jefferson. The international style and makeup of this team have made them look far inferior than what they really are. That's why its important to have true role players on the team, guys who can come off the bench cold and bomb 3's or provide hustle and energy on defense. Hell where's Steve Kerr when you need him?
