USA basketball

[Got Philk?]

I consider myself a basketball fan, but what I am watching here on t.v. is embarrasing. I'm tired of watching America's "best basketball players" go out on the floor and shoot up bricks while the other team can take the ball down the floor and score at will because of our horrid defense. USA just stands there like, "what just happened?"

I love the USA, but give me Peja Stojakovic's jumper any day over the overrated dunk.

 

[Chizip]

this is the one olympic sport i hope usa loses. it just goes to show what a sham the nba really has become.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

this is absolutely pathetic... puerto fricken rico???? you could find 10 college teams that could beat puerto rico. larry brown's very own detroit pistons could beat puerto rico... and they're getting blown. this is an absolute disgrace.

don't let a single one of these fuckers back into the country... make them live in greece for a year.



that being said... sure would be nice to see kidd, garnett, t-mac and shaq instead of lamar odom and iverson... but it's still pathetic.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

as someone who's trying to make a living coaching american basketball, i'm fucking embarassed and pissed off beyond belief.

 

[u2popmofo]

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

allen iverson- "maybe i should go to practice more often."
tim duncan- "maybe i should kill allen iverson"

 

[u2popmofo]

Seriously, did any of you see Iverson walking in at the Opening Ceremonies? He was acting like he was God's gift to planet Earth. My, how the tables have turned.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

the fact that they let allen iverson on this team is a joke... he's a disgrace to the colors he wears. i'm still disgusted by this... america lost in basketball in the olympics only twice with college players, and one of those times was the fluke russian game where the refs screwed them...

puerto rico isn't even a friggin' country, for pete's sake...

has the world caught up to us? there's a little bit of that in there... but they couldn't close the gap that quickly... i mean it's not like an eastern european team beat us... friggin puerto rico did. the biggest problem with american basketball isn't that the world has caught up, it's that a generation of players do not know how to play the game... it's all dunks and crossovers and shot-first pass-second... it's bullshit and it drives me crazy... argh

 

[Justified]

this is the one olympic sport i hope usa loses. it just goes to show what a sham the nba really has become.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

it just goes to show what a sham the nba really has become.

yet the nba still destroys the nhl in the ratings...

 

[Justified]

College Bball is 1000 x's better than the NBA.

 

[DaveC]

Good on 'em I say.

USA Basketball has gotten wayyyy too cocky over the years since 1992. They need a good wake-up call to show that your Olympic basketball players actually need to take it seriously.

I for one, am glad.

I predict no better than Bronze for this team.

PS: Headache, I don't really see how this is so terrible...maybe it will inspire USA Basketball to work harder to make sure it wins next time and therefore raise the quality of the game in general.

 

[u2popmofo]

College Bball is 1000 x's better than the NBA.

I've never liked college basketball. But then again it could have been because the school I went to was awful at it.... I think the only game they won my freshman year was in a scrimmage against the other half of the team. Actually, that was a loss too now that I think about it.



Back to the suject,

Puerto Rico's estimated population:

4 million


United States estimated population:

276 million


Love those odds

 

[AvsGirl41]

In 10 years, we will all enjoy reliving this as Disney's "Underdogs" with Andy Garcia as the inspiring Puerto Rican Olympic coach.

"I am sick of hearing what a good team the Americans have!"

 

[Got Philk?]

as someone who's trying to make a living coaching american basketball, i'm fucking embarassed and pissed off beyond belief.

Do me a favor and work on shooting. More importantly, defense. Hey, I still appreciate coaches in America. Keep doing what you're doing. It is appreciated.

 

[Got Philk?]

that being said... sure would be nice to see kidd, garnett, t-mac and shaq instead of lamar odom and iverson... but it's still pathetic.

"PS: Headache, I don't really see how this is so terrible...maybe it will inspire USA Basketball to work harder to make sure it wins next time and therefore raise the quality of the game in general."


I hope Kidd/Garnettt/T-mac/Shaq are watching. I kind of hope we don't win any medal so we don't take the world of basketball so lightly anymore. The world isn't scared of our basketball anymore.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

you can't teach defense... defense is about heart and desire. even the most deceptive zone doesn't work for shit if the players don't put in the effort to make it work.

as for shooting... bad shooting is an epidemic in american basketball. guys who were D3 players 5 years ago are now getting D1 scholarships because they can knock down an open jump shot. it's pathetic.

PS: Headache, I don't really see how this is so terrible...maybe it will inspire USA Basketball to work harder to make sure it wins next time and therefore raise the quality of the game in general.

they said that when they lost 3 games at home in the world championships of basketball 2 years ago... and when they lost to italy... and when they needed a half court shot to beat germany...

i get so pissed off at stuff like this because basketball is a big part of my life... i was talking to a good friend of mine the other day who's an assistant coach at the university of hartford. he was telling me how he went to work at a camp out in chicago where 25 of the top recruits in the nation were... guys who are going to the nba, carolina, duke, uconn, etc. etc. they spent the entire camp on fundamentals... stuff that i teach 5th graders at camp... and many of the players STRUGGLED with them. but ask them to dunk, and woo wee could they put on a show. it's pathetic... basketall in america is slowly but surely killing it's self. and this is just another step down the toilet...

but in case i missed my point on why exactly this is a big deal, i'll let the numbers talk...

United States Basketball Olympic Record with College Players: 85-2
(and 1 of those loses was the controversial gold medal game with russia in which the game was over, but somehow wasn't)

NBA Olympians Record in '92, '96 & 2000 Olympics: 24-0

2004 Olympic Team: 0-1

America had a .981 all time winning percentage in olympic play comming into this game... that's why this loss is absolutely terrible. it spots out the fundamental flaws in american basketball. the detroit pistons could beat puerto rico, but a team of "all stars" can't... it's because even these "all stars" don't understand the basic shti simple fundamentals of the game... it's pathetic.

 

[Got Philk?]

I might have to disagree somewhat. In high school, we made it to the state championship simply because of defense. (we lost to a team with Nick Collison of Kansas and 2 other D1 players who went to Creighton) We could not shoot at all. I remember winning games 39-36 consistantly. Our help man to man defense sometimes confused teams into thinking we were in a zone.

Anyway, I will say it takes a certain mindset from the players, but you can teach things such as help defense, where to go on and off the ball etc.



USA needs a player like Chris Mullin.

 

[DaveC]

they said that when they lost 3 games at home in the world championships of basketball 2 years ago... and when they lost to italy... and when they needed a half court shot to beat germany...

i get so pissed off at stuff like this because basketball is a big part of my life... i was talking to a good friend of mine the other day who's an assistant coach at the university of hartford. he was telling me how he went to work at a camp out in chicago where 25 of the top recruits in the nation were... guys who are going to the nba, carolina, duke, uconn, etc. etc. they spent the entire camp on fundamentals... stuff that i teach 5th graders at camp... and many of the players STRUGGLED with them. but ask them to dunk, and woo wee could they put on a show. it's pathetic... basketall in america is slowly but surely killing it's self. and this is just another step down the toilet...

but in case i missed my point on why exactly this is a big deal, i'll let the numbers talk...

United States Basketball Olympic Record with College Players: 85-2
(and 1 of those loses was the controversial gold medal game with russia in which the game was over, but somehow wasn't)

NBA Olympians Record in '92, '96 & 2000 Olympics: 24-0

2004 Olympic Team: 0-1

America had a .981 all time winning percentage in olympic play comming into this game... that's why this loss is absolutely terrible. it spots out the fundamental flaws in american basketball. the detroit pistons could beat puerto rico, but a team of "all stars" can't... it's because even these "all stars" don't understand the basic shti simple fundamentals of the game... it's pathetic.

Precisely. And that's why this isn't the end of the world. It's one loss in a preliminary round game. And if it finally inspires USA Basketball to start teaching the fundamentals better, then isn't it for the best in the long run?

 

[Chizip]

i think the embarrassment of what happened at indianapolis in the world basketball championship would have been a wake up call, apparently not. i just think the nba players today dont really even care that much, as long as they are getting their millions of dollars.

its a different type of player today, do you think michael jordan, bird, magic, or even barkley would let that happen, no way. they had a desire to do anything to win that is lacking in players today.

and so what if the nba gets better ratings that the nhl, bowling, poker, and arena football beat the nhl in ratings too. the nba is a very bad brand of basketball right now, as shown by the world championship and now this debacle.

 

[u2popmofo]

i think the embarrassment of what happened at indianapolis in the world basketball championship would have been a wake up call, apparently not. i just think the nba players today dont really even care that much, as long as they are getting their millions of dollars.

its a different type of player today, do you think michael jordan, bird, magic, or even barkley would let that happen, no way. they had a desire to do anything to win that is lacking in players today.

I totally agree

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

I might have to disagree somewhat. In high school, we made it to the state championship simply because of defense. (we lost to a team with Nick Collison of Kansas and 2 other D1 players who went to Creighton) We could not shoot at all. I remember winning games 39-36 consistantly. Our help man to man defense sometimes confused teams into thinking we were in a zone.

Anyway, I will say it takes a certain mindset from the players, but you can teach things such as help defense, where to go on and off the ball etc.



USA needs a player like Chris Mullin.

let me rephrase... yes... you can teach defense... obviously. defensive rotation, ball-you-man, positioning away from the ball... all things that can be "taught." but you can teach a person every damn thing ever said or written about defense... it still comes down to who's got the balls to D up.

 

[zoney!]

I might have to disagree somewhat. In high school, we made it to the state championship simply because of defense. (we lost to a team with Nick Collison of Kansas and 2 other D1 players who went to Creighton) We could not shoot at all. I remember winning games 39-36 consistantly. Our help man to man defense sometimes confused teams into thinking we were in a zone.

A few suggestions for you home state's basketball program:

Shot clocks and three pointers!


(just joking)

 

[Got Philk?]

A few suggestions for you home state's basketball program:

Shot clocks and three pointers!


(just joking)

Haha! We probably broke 50 every once in a while. But good call!

Steve Kerr on ESPN says "It is more important to win a NBA Championship than a medal at the olympics."

 

[Clark W. Griswold Jr]

The fact that the US can no longer lure its best players is proof that the Olympics have worn out their welcome in the NBA. The NBA players lack interest in the "team" concept, and the college players lack experience as well as physical maturity.

If the USOC wants a competitive team they need to look harder at the American players that play professionally in Europe. Even though they are not quite gifted enough to play in the NBA, they are often among their Euro team's best players. They also are team players with loads of experience in the International game.

Take Pete Lisicky for example. Very solid college player at Penn State. Not quite quick enough for the big time, so he makes a living running hoops in a Euro league. Is he in AI's class? No way, but he's smart and can shoot the bejeepers out of the ball from distance. Plenty of other players like him to choose from at any given time.

Great idea, but the USOC will never do it.

Why? Because nobody in America knows who the F#ck Pete Lisicky is!! The USOC knows this and cannot market a team of no names. So in the name of marketing, they would rather lose with lazy millionaires than give the job to the most qualified.

 

[stammer476]

Sorry I've been absent from the discussion here. I momentarily forgot about PEUP, plus I've probably been too upset with our team to be able to respond intelligently. But after our defeat of Australia when we actually played like USA basketball for two quarters, I'm ready to dive in.

So in all of this mess, the thought that's been on my mind is: what the heck is David Stern doing? Doesn't he have some kind of power to make sure our nation isn't disgraced with a crappy team? Well, I finally heard an intelligent theory as to why he's letting our national team get embarrassed.

One of the biggest hurdles to getting international players to come to the NBA is their intimidation of the American game. They saw the '92 team and still fear shadow of Shaq, Garnet, T-Mac, etc. and don't think they can compete here. They'd rather win Euro championships than struggle to make an NBA team. Thus, the only international players we see on our courts are national superstarts back home.

However, if the USA Basketball teams starts stinking it up, that perception will change. More international players will flux into league, realizing that they do have the skills to compete in the American league. When those players play here, their home countries will tune in to watch, buy more jerseys, drink more gatorade, etc. and suddenly the NBA is a worldwide marketing machine. All in all, Stern gets more $$$$.

So basically, it all comes down to greed (surprise!). Stern wants us to lose so he can market his game to the world. From a marketing standpoint, it's pure genius. From a national standpoint, it's a disgrace. Unfortunately, it's all about the Benjamins.

Just a theory, but something worth thinking about.

 

[MySuicidalTurtle]

They have been playing it all on NBC. . .why didn't they do that for gynnastics, swimming, or anyof the others?

WAW.

 

[u2popmofo]

Yet another U.S. loss today.

Let's go back to college players next time.

 

[MySuicidalTurtle]

Sounds good to me.

 

[HeartlandGirl]

Agreed.