U.S. team cannot fail on mission to Japan
Aug. 17, 2006
By Tony Mejia
CBS SportsLine.com Staff Writer
Of course, there's no way Germany or Scotland can challenge the United States in football, people. And there's not enough skill in the CFL for the Canadians to compete, not even if they keep Ricky Williams.
So before you immerse yourselves fully in pigskin, keep an eye out on the events in Japan starting in the wee hours of the weekend.
It's rare that basketball would matter in August and September, but if you value American hoops supremacy, there has never been a more important tournament than the FIBA World Basketball Championship.
Japan and Cuba got to this year's World Baseball Classic final, and the Dominicans were considered by many to be the favorites. So baseball isn't exclusively the USA's anymore. Soccer never has been, and too few have ever even cared. More care about hockey, but the greatest moment in the nation's history in that sport is rightly termed a "miracle."
Basketball is America's. Always has been. Yes, a Canadian invented the sport (in Massachusetts), but ever since, the U.S. has been the trend-setter. Kids in Malaysia wear Jordan jerseys. Teams made up of college players used to dominate international competition. Remember the Goodwill Games? After the U.S. felt a chink in the armor, the Dream Team went to Barcelona in 1992 to captivate the globe.
Think about that. Just 14 years ago, the United States was basketball royalty, setting the benchmark for excellence. Remember the routs that transpired when teams took to the court against that first grand collection of NBA superstars? I distinctly remember chuckling at the Angolans.
Sorry, Angola.
A lot of you mocked, too, pointing at the poor sap getting a first-hand view at Magic Johnson's versatility or a Charles Barkley bump in the lane. We'd laugh. Heck, they'd laugh. It was nice to dominate, and it was so thorough and awe-inspiring that even the country getting blown out had fun.
Now, the stranglehold has slipped away. In a sense, it's NBA commissioner David Stern's fault. Obsessed with
globalizing the game, he has helped make other countries competitive. Conspired with them. Taught them tricks of the trade. A Canadian is the current two-time MVP of America's top league, and three of the past five No. 1 picks of the NBA Draft were born overseas.
Of course, what Stern has helped create is great for the game, but that shouldn't mean the United States should surrender its supremacy. That's why this upcoming tournament is so crucial. Humbled at the past two international events, USA Basketball has made a concerted effort to regain its stature as the dominant hoops force in the world. There's a program in place, and the pressure is on to win this, the 2008 Olympics and every single tournament thereafter.
The U.S. has admitted that it has slipped off its perch and has a plan in place to do something about it. This is the true Dream Team II, whether Coach K gets nauseous at hearing that term or not. This is the team that is meant to put things back the way they were. The way they're supposed to be.
There are key figures missing, but the 12 best players available at the moment should be enough. All are part of this new USA Basketball program, the one meant to right wrongs. The right coaches have been picked. The right pieces have been put in place.
How can losing be justified? The only explanation would be that basketball-wise, the U.S. is no longer the superpower it once was. Despite being the innovator, it would be lumped in with all the rest, much the same way American baseball talent now is.
That simply can't be.
I'm not trying to be obnoxious or shortsighted, because I've seen first-hand how good some foreign-based talent can be. That said, at this upcoming event, there should be no team that comes within 10 points of the U.S. Not one.
It's understood that the global game is different from the one the Americans are used to playing. A different-feeling ball will be used. The lane and painted area aren't the same, you can pluck a shot right off the rim, and the 3-point line is closer. So what? That's supposed to be the great equalizer?
Here's what I want to see: Dwight Howard going up and taking a missed free throw right off the cylinder as it's getting ready to carom in, firing a bullet outlet pass to Carmelo Anthony, who hits jackrabbit Chris Paul as he races down and finds Dwyane Wade or LeBron James for a vicious alley-oop. The ball should barely touch the ground. Fear should once again surface on the face of opponents. Awe might be out of the question, but inspiring fear isn't. Shouldn't be, at least.
Not now, when the U.S. has gotten serious about all this.
Who has more physical talent? Nobody.
Think Bruce Bowen, even at 35, wouldn't be a fundamental starter on each of the 23 other national teams currently in Japan? He was the U.S. team's final cut.
Who has more depth? On the rosters of Spain, France and Argentina, there is a host of NBA talent, with each team being led by a recognizable All-Star. Manu Ginobili, honored in 2005. Pau Gasol and Tony Parker were both first-time participants in 2006. There's considerable skill out there, but are you going to tell me anyone will have a better backup point guard than Kirk Hinrich? Either James or Anthony will likely find himself coming off the bench.
King James or 'Melo? That's a little different than Jose Calderon starting ahead of Sergio Rodriguez for the Spanish side, no? For Slovenia, it looks like Rasho Nesterovic will get the nod over Primoz Brezec. Both are NBA starting centers, but yet, that decision kind of lacks the appeal of Elton Brand likely starting ahead of Chris Bosh, doesn't it?
The United States just happens to be the home of the world's top league. There is excellent competition in the domestic leagues in Spain and Italy, but you don't see top prospect Greg Oden investigating how much money he can get from Benetton Treviso or Barcelona. He's staying here, because American basketball is supposed to be the pinnacle. That's why Andrea Bargnani is here, not there. Ditto for Gasol.
It was considered a coup when John Wallace signed in Italy a few years back after running out of options here. Former Bradley star Anthony Parker just signed with the Toronto Raptors after reigning as one of the top overseas-based players for years. Here, he'll be competing for playing time. Scoonie Penn and Maceo Baston, ghosts from NCAA Tournaments past, go overseas and thrive because they can't find work here.
If they can dominate international competition, surely this second Dream Team can, too. That's why they have been given time to train together, to get used to a new rock and different rules. That's why this team has been hand-picked to grow together, chock full of players who are meant to carry the NBA banner for the next decade. Part of that is reminding the world why the best play here.
Greece, despite fielding one NBA player who has yet to step on the floor in a regular-season game, is supposed to be formidable. The European champion focuses on defense and sharing the ball, garnering phenomenal success. If the United States adheres to the same principles, doesn't it seem logical that the Greeks would be in over their heads?
This tournament isn't life or death. You only need to look toward tournament participant Lebanon to put things in perspective there. However, when I see the United States basketball team visiting troops overseas, coming out in fatigues and saluting each other, that does generate a sense of pride. It does so for our armed forces, boosting their morale, giving them a taste of home.
The soldiers we've sent on this basketball-related mission have nowhere near the importance of the ones that fight for the country, but they are fighting for something. The restoration of a reputation is at hand.
The U.S. team is well-equipped and well-trained. Realistically, failure shouldn't be an option. America doesn't want to lose a handle on yet another sport.
http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/9606465