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By: Keith Dobkowski, NBA News Writer
There is no questioning that the most athletic basketball players
are from the United States. This is not a pot shot at Dirk Nowitzki
or Carlos Arroyo or Manu Ginobili who are all outstanding
athletes in their own rights. But rather the lone compliment to
hang upon our Olympic Basketball team members.
With a loss to Puerto Rico, who boasts only one NBA Player, and
a close victory over Greece, the USA Olympic Basketball team
looks more vulnerable than any USA Basketball team that has
featured NBA players.
Most experts have placed the United States failures in the 2004
Olympics and pre-Olympic trials on the inability to play an
international game. But as Nike reminds us, “Two points in the
West is two points in the East.” What I have trouble
understanding is that the international game is simply
fundamental basketball.
They are beating us with ball movement, hitting the open man,
and making the open shot. The US Team, which does not have a
true point guard or spot shooter, is playing directly into the
opposition’s hands by trying to play their game. We do not have
Jason Kidd or even the retired John Stockton to run the offense.
And we do not have Reggie Miller or Ray Allen to hit the open
jump shot when Tim Duncan is double and triple-teamed down
low. Therefore we must learn to play to our strengths.
Our strength is athleticism. Our strength is speed. And our
strength is muscle. As any high school coach could tell you, a
team built with these characteristics should be playing an up-
tempo game. A full-court-press on every defensive series and
fast break on every offensive series. The bonus is that a full-
court-press automatically feeds into a fast break offense. Going
to the hole is our strength.
And in the times that the US needs to run a half-court offense, a
pick-and-roll set up should suffice. The strength and size of the
US players would allow the picks to be harder and shield as they
roll to be stronger. Furthermore, the rolling player is headed
towards the basket on a team where jump shots are lacking.
Sending athletic players towards the hoop is always a welcome
idea.
But the lessons already learned from these games and the 2002
World Championships should not be diluted due to a Gold Medal
performance later this summer. The lesson is that NBA basketball
players do not care. If they did, we would have sent our best
team and not a team full of first and second year NBA players
such as Carlos Boozer, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and
Dwayne Wade. In fact, only one player on this current team, Tim
Duncan, would have been sent if our best players went to
Athens. Allen Iverson would have been a borderline selection.
In 1988 after a bronze medal performance in Seoul, the United
States decided to play our best professionals against the World’s
best. With a hall of fame player filling every spot, sans Christian
Laettner who may have been the best college player since Bill
Walton, the 1992 team was full of our greatest basketball
players. The line up included Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley,
Patrick Ewing, David Robinson, Scottie Pippen, Magic Johnson,
Clyde Drexler, Chris Mullin, Karl Malone, John Stockton and Larry
Bird.
This year’s team could have included the likes of Shaquille O’Neal,
Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Tracy
McGrady. If our very best are not interested and do not have the
pride of the 1992 Dream Team, a change in practice is needed.
Why not return to our roots?
Returning to our roots of using amateur players would have a
few distinct effects. One, it would allow more time for a team to
synchronize for the college season ends the first weekend of
April while the NBA season ends in late June. Two, college
players are more coach-able than their NBA counterparts. And
three, reinstating the amateur player rule would help the college
game retain its athletes.
Every year the college game loses its young talent to the money
of the NBA. The opportunity to play for your country in the
Olympics may keep students-athletes an extra year in school.
For instance, Carmelo Anthony, who publicly declared his desire
to play for Team USA, may have spent another year at Syracuse
to have this Olympic opportunity. That decision would have
guaranteed Syracuse a better run at a second national
championship. And Anthony would have secured the number one
pick.
Had amateur players been used this year, instead of having no
real point guard to run the offense, team USA could have chosen
between Jameer Nelson, Ben Gordon, and Devon Harris. Playing
the two would be Josh Childress, who is a slasher like many on
this year’s team, but actually has a jump shot as well. At the
small forward would be Oregon star Luke Jackson who has a
better shot than any player on the 2004 Olympic team. If you
doubt that, look up an article about the Oregon/Colorado NIT
game where Jackson led the Ducks to victory by scoring 29 of
their last 31 points. Emeka Okafor in the middle and a shooter
like Chris Duhon off the bench and the team, while not as
athletically talented, seems more complete.
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