USA Basketball Gears Toward Gold
Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd Lead America in the Upcoming Olympics
Despite the recent fallbacks for USA men's basketball, there is a lot to look forward to from them in the future.
It's unfair to criticize Team USA too much for its recent disappointments against international competition. Yet, the world seems to view Team USA as more of a joke than a powerhouse.
Excuses aside, consider that in the 2002 FIBA World Games, which is considered the downfall of USA men's basketball, an increasing number of America's top stars declined to participate. As a result, the team that was crafted out of mostly second tier players and didn't feature much balance in terms of skill set. As a result, the team finished a surprising sixth place.
It wasn't much better at the 2004 Olympic Games. The disappointing finish in 2002 prompted several NBA stars to partake in the international competition and the star team cruised to first place in the 2003 preliminaries (which determines where teams are ranked for the Olympics). They even defeated the eventual Gold medal winner, Argentina, by a sum greater than 30 points. However, the dominant team that competed in 2003 could not stay together for various reasons. Some players were pressured by NBA owners to sit out because of the high risk for injury (these players were, after all, huge investments for NBA team owners). Other players feared for their safety against Turkish citizens who hated Americans. Only two of 12 players decided to play (Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson), which forced Team USA to throw a team together at the last minute. Keep in mind that that team was comprised of mostly rookies and young prospects and had about two weeks to prepare. Its competition, on the other hand, typically played with each other year-round. Moreover, it's important to realize how different the international game is compared to the NBA. The ball is smaller than the one used in the NBA and the rules are significantly different. For instance, teams can play a full-up zone, while the NBA's version of a zone is more like a loose man-to-man. Players can also goal tend and hand checking is much more acceptable.
The most recent version of Team USA was featured at the 2006 FIBA World Games in China last year. The team did very well considering the limited time it, but fans were still disappointed in the third place finish. Yet, if not for one bad game against Greece, Team USA would have had a great chance to win Gold.
Fans need to realize a few things:
- Team USA has significant disadvantages against international competition, just as international players have significant disadvantages adjusting to basketball in America.
- International competition is not what it used to be. Some of the greatest NBA stars are foreign-born players and that's a very good thing for the sport.
- Team USA is seeing more commitment from the younger stars, which is very exciting.
Ultimately, USA's recent struggles could be a great thing for basketball in America. Face it, American players have gotten complacent and have neglected to train in the fundamentals of basketball. Over-relying on athletics hasn't proved that successful against international competition and hopefully the recent disappointments will spark younger players to focus more on perimeter shooting and the fundamentals of the game.
The current USA squad features a great balance of superstars, like Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd and Lebron James, but also features role players, like Tayshaun Prince and Antawn Jamison, who will be important in doing the little things important to winning.
It's easy to say that international competition has fully caught up America. Yet, had USA put its best players on the court in 2002, 2004 and 2006, things might have been much different.
The ideal USA team might include some combination of the following players:
FC. Tim Duncan
F. Chris Bosh
F. Elton Brand
FG. LeBron James
FG. Paul Pierce
PG. Jason Kidd
PG. Chauncey Billups
PG. Allen Iverson
G. Kobe Bryant
G. Ray Allen
G. Michael Redd
G. Dwayne Wade
However, with what's on the table to work with, USA is doing the right thing in filling the team gaps with players who can fill roles. Expect exciting things from Team USA in the upcoming international competitions.
