USA Basketball / NBA

[UncleKyle]

Anyone else find USA's loss yesterday suprising? OR did anyone really care? I for one hardly watch the NBA much anymore with the exception of the past season when I caught a Pistons game in the early season and kept up with them all year. (Former UK player Tashaun Prince is the man) The Pistons play basketball how it was meant to be played. They remind me of the team basketball and the defense like my Tubby Smith coached UK team plays.

BUT this USA Basketball "where is my paycheck" team is just sad. I'm almost ashamed. And what's even worse is 4 of the best players in the world (Shaq, Kobe, T-Mac, KG) didn't even show up. Where is the national pride, the TEAM, and the defense? Another loss by the team might end up having a silver lining and be a wake up for the NBA. After watching the pieces on sportscenter this morning about the last true dream team, it makes me long for the days of Jordan, Magic, Barkley, and Bird. Those guys knew how to win. These days all these guys know how to do is endorse a check.

 

[UncleKyle]

whoops double post

 

[dzneelvr]

I have to jump in and give the team the support it deserves. these guys are the ones who DID take on the challenge and responsibility of representing the USA in the Olympics when other (so called "stars") players were either too self-absorbed or too "busy" to bother.
So what if they lost, the Olympics effects athletes in all sorts of ways and they may have been nervous, fatigued, or just plain out-played.
Good job to the other team. No one thought the US hockey team could win gold in Lake Placid either. I love the underdog.

I am proud of the team for playing in the Olympics and showing good sportsmanship.
GO USA.

 

[workinggal]

I don't think pros should be in the Olympics. It takes away from what the Olympics should be.

 

[Peter Pirate]

good sportsmanship? I thought they whined and cried like spoiled brats the whole way not to mention the insufferable trash talking.

 

[DukeStreetKing]

Originally posted by workinggal
I don't think pros should be in the Olympics. It takes away from what the Olympics should be.

I've been saying this for a long time. The pros have enough money to buy their own medals. Give the college athlete who's working his butt off a chance at some glory.

But on the flip side, the amateur athletes all have endorsments and sponsorships, so what is an amateur athlete anymore, anyway?

 

[Grog]

This past season was the first in a long time that I didn't watch a single minute of any NBA game. The NBA has become a joke. It's all about who can get the most endorsments, wear the most "bling-bling", and have the biggest posse. Coaches have been reduced to the role of babysitters.

 

[UncleKyle]

Originally posted by Grog
Coaches have been reduced to the role of babysitters.

This is why I don't think Coach K, Roy Williams, or Tubby Smith will ever coach in the NBA. Players can get a coach fired quicker than they can hit a jump shot. The NBA has become more Hollywood than anything, it's a show with A list, B list, and C list players/actors.

 

[Galahad]

Originally posted by workinggal
I don't think pros should be in the Olympics. It takes away from what the Olympics should be.

Originally posted by Peter Pirate good sportsmanship? I thought they whined and cried like spoiled brats the whole way not to mention the insufferable trash talking.

I agree. I am a huge basketball fan, but I've not been the least bit interested in Olympic basketball since the pros started going (especially since they give such a half hearted effort).

 

[GaTech]

I'll start with, I know everyone has bad days but that was terrible, and I give all the credit in the world to Puerto Rico.

The 2 things that stand out the most with this "team" are 1) they can't make a shot from 15-18 feet to save their lives and 2) they don't move well without the ball. Puerto Rico packed it in around Duncan and dared us to make 15-18 foot jumpers. We had wide open shots all day and they just clanked off the iron one after another.

 

[Bob Slydell]

Originally posted by UncleKyle
This is why I don't think Coach K, Roy Williams, or Tubby Smith will ever coach in the NBA. Players can get a coach fired quicker than they can hit a jump shot.

Well then, they'd be holding onto their jobs forever, seeing how there's not a single NBA player who can hit a jump shot to save their lives. That, along with the fact that you can't create a team in two weeks and that the other countries have been practicing together a lot longer.

The original Dream Team wasn't necessarily anymore of a "team" than this US team -- they were just way, way better than anyone else individually. The world's caught up with them now.

 

[hydster]

Well I hate to see the USA lose anything BUT I was glad that they lost yesterday!

The problem with teams like this is they are all now too young and selfish to know how to play as a team! It's all about them not about the team as a whole!

When the "dream" team was assembled it was "old school players" who didn't let ego's get in the way of winning a game! The older players Bird, Johnson, Stockton, Barkely, Malone, Pippen, Robinson and Jordan knew that in order to win they had to play unselfish and as a team!

It seems now in the NBA these "boys" are too concerned with how they look individually than how they look as a team and that is sad! The good years of basketball are behind us...now all we have to look forward to is over inflated egos, paychecks and a bunch of guys who think they deserve everything and can treat anyone like dirt under their feet including coaches, fans, refs....every year they get worse!

I do have to say I was YELLING for my little "Utah Puerto Rican" yesterday! GO CARLOS ARROYO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Heidi

 

[swanmom]

Bunch of prima donnas who've never been really 'challenged' in their lives - expecting everything to come to them. Very little work ethic or true grit among them. The only thing that gave me pause was dsneelvr's comment that 'at least these guys were the ones who were willing to go.' So, I'll give them that but I still think it's because they ASSUMED they'd come home with a medal to add to their bling-bling.

 

[cynsaun]

Originally posted by hydster
Well I hate to see the USA lose anything BUT I was glad that they lost yesterday!

The problem with teams like this is they are all now too young and selfish to know how to play as a team! It's all about them not about the team as a whole!

When the "dream" team was assembled it was "old school players" who didn't let ego's get in the way of winning a game! The older players Bird, Johnson, Stockton, Barkely, Malone, Pippen, Robinson and Jordan knew that in order to win they had to play unselfish and as a team!

It seems now in the NBA these "boys" are too concerned with how they look individually than how they look as a team and that is sad! The good years of basketball are behind us...now all we have to look forward to is over inflated egos, paychecks and a bunch of guys who think they deserve everything and can treat anyone like dirt under their feet including coaches, fans, refs....every year they get worse!


Heidi

You took the words right now of my mouth!

 

[hydster]

cyansun--glad to know I"m not alone in feeling this way! Just watching the poor sportsmanship at the end of the game yesterday and all the whining and protesting was sad! I don't remember seeing anything resembling that in dream teams past....but then dream team's past played mostly for the love of the game not for the love of the almighty $$$$$$!!

Heidi

 

[Bob Slydell]

Originally posted by hydster
cyansun--glad to know I"m not alone in feeling this way! Just watching the poor sportsmanship at the end of the game yesterday and all the whining and protesting was sad! I don't remember seeing anything resembling that in dream teams past....but then dream team's past played mostly for the love of the game not for the love of the almighty $$$$$$!!

Heidi

Well, let's not make the original Dream Team out to be these holier-than-thou ambassadors of the sport or anything. I mean, I seem to remember the big "contraversy" surrounding the team was that a number of them didn't want to wear the official team uniform tops on the medal stand.

Why? Because they had the Adidas logo on them and many of the players were under contract with Nike and other shoe companies.

They didn't walk in the Opening Ceremony -- heck, they didn't even show up to the Olypmics until a couple days before their games started. And when they did, they didn't stay in the Olympic Village, rather they stayed at plush hotels.

So let's not revise history here -- the original Dream Team was the most dominant team ever put together, but they weren't exactly doing it purely for the love of the game and they certainly weren't doing it for the love of Olympic competition.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

Anyone else find USA's loss yesterday suprising? OR did anyone really care? I for one hardly watch the NBA much anymore with the exception of the past season when I caught a Pistons game in the early season and kept up with them all year. (Former UK player Tashaun Prince is the man) The Pistons play basketball how it was meant to be played. They remind me of the team basketball and the defense like my Tubby Smith coached UK team plays.

well I honestly can't say that I've seen more than 2 minutes of an NBA game for about 3 years now but I sure can't recall seeing any NBA team putting up much of a defense. Heck, it 1/2 the time it seems like only 2 or 3 of them even bother to run to the other side of the court to pretend to play defense. At least that's the way it looks on Sports Center.

I think that most of the top college players would probably have a better feel for working against a Zone defense and being able to hit perimeter shots --- absolute necessities in the International Game.

No, I wasn't surprised to see them lose. I have no doubt that the USA is still the home of the most raw talent. But the rest of the world has improved and for any USA player to think they are just going to walk out there and make it look like the Slam Dunk contest is just ignorant and wrong.

 

[airhead]

Its wrong. I watched the game,they stunk.

 

[DISshopkeeper]

I stand to profit in all of this. I bet DS17 that the US team would NOT win gold. He could see no reason why they wouldn't! LOL!

I am not a basketball fan, but DH used to be. He gave up on the NBA YEARS ago. Latralle Spreewell (I am SURE I messed up tat spelling!) was the FIRST thing to turn him off.

Then Iverson came to Philly....

But didja catch Iverson's comments following the opening ceremonies? I was really surprised. Paraphrased: He couldn't figure out why the other NBA players wouldn't go to Greece. He considered it an honor to represent his country. Called it a lifelong dream and said he was there in tribute, not only his country but all his past coaches and team-mates and his family and friends.

And he didn't appear to be reading from a tele-prompter!!!

 

[Patch'sD]

I hope this sends a message to the NBA. For years the NBA has focused on the High Scoring Offense and "Me" Ball antics of the Street game. Where it has done some serious dammage to the Game of Basketball. It no longer about the team it is more concerned about the individual. This has filtered it's way down to the College and High School Level where the game has become so tainted. Coaches fired becuase they don't get along with the Star. How can Levar (sp) Burtan learn the team concept jumping from High School to Pro Ball. Soon the NBA will be drafting kids from their Junior Year in High School to get the jump on the other teams. It was delightfull to see Detroit's Defense take on on Four NBA All-Star starters and kick some butt. Now you see the rest of the World Kicking NBA butt.