why does usa basketball suck so much??

[yellows2k]

ok, i havent been following the sport for years now. anything info i get is from the news or whatever i come across in the papers or something posted on forums.
one image that stood out for me just as i left the game was the disgusting display when usa basketball put together a bunch of no names for the world championships and ended up getting bronze.

my brother tends to believe that when shawn kemp was in dream team 2, that was the start of the decline, but at least they won.
i remember being a staunch advocate of usa basketball when the original dream team played, and i said that no country would touch them for many years to come. how wrong i was.
im glad i no longer follow the game today, thats so i dont have to defend how embarrassing they are to the game.

 

[mickimouse24]

embarrassing to the game?.......um no......the usa actually set the bar.........thats why other countries are so much better. the american basketball system is off the charts, usa basketball is the best in the world by far.........i think you just embarrassed yourself BIG time but making a thread about this.........i think the best part about the usa program is they have learnt from their mistakes in the past (04 olympics/02 world champs) and are back at the top of the mountain...if you dont like they way they play thats your problem....but they are not embarrassing....i could watch them play all day

 

[Allstar cards inc]

Another thing to keep in mind is that some FIBA rules (used for Olympics, World Champs etc) vary greatly to NBA rules and sometimes the US team has struggled to come to grips with the differences.
And most international teams play under these rules everyday in their domestic comps.

 

[mickimouse24]

well when you think about it....with all the rule changes... the usa nba players have done a fantastic job with adjusting...but it isnt THAT much different... i think for example an international rule would be a major advantage for the usa is "the ball on the rim"...you can tap it it off....or throw it down.....

but i really think they should bring the jump ball back....(which would end up being yet another advantage for the usa cause they can jump so easy)
also...do they have defensive 3 second violations in fiba basketball?? or a 5 second back down rule??

i think the fiba rules are easier for them...also the 3 point line is closer...and the paint isnt as big...

 

[mickimouse24]

haha fantastic.......as soon as i say all that the usa just lost today haha.....but but....i still think they are # 1......5 of their players are 22 or younger so i see this as a "learing" curve....i think they should keep this team together and see how they go in 2008

 

[WoobieZarz]

I still don't think that Team USA is all that...

THese days, they are more about flashy dunks, and long range brick. Gone are the back door screens, post up & kick outs, high screen & rolls, etc...

If Team USA keep this up, they will continue to finish with Bronze...

 

[Trey]

Dream team 1 had the ability to pressure you all game long.

team USA 06 only chose to pressure the ball late in the game...it cost them...they suck.

That clippers draft pick, the big black greek guy is awesome!

 

[cp3]

Did the clippers draft him????

 

[yellows2k]

mickimouse, i made my post after reading that they got the bronze, AGAIN. u obviously posted after me, but didnt hear the news about how crap usa basketball is.

i say they are embarassing because usa invented the game, i defended how great they were when i was grwoing up, and now they just plain suck balls. honestly, the international rules should favour them so much, yet they cant get it done.

as far as watching them play all day, i could watch the highlight reels, just not the way they play

 

[MetallicA']

their form at the Worlds over the entire existence of the competition hasnt been great. Yugoslavia have more gold medals than them for one 5-3 For a country that invented the game and boasts the best basketball leauge in the World they should be beating these european teams. But all they have to do to fix it is include players like Kobe, Shaq, Amare, KG, Kidd, Carter and keep Bron, Melo and Wade
Also how did the Philippines win a bronze medal lol

 

[mattyj]

they havent won the bronze yet....have they????

when usa basketball put together a bunch of no names for the world championships and ended up getting bronze.

Bunch of no names? LeBron, Wade, Paul, Dwight Howard are no names????

 

[mattyj]

and american didnt invent basketball!!! the canadians did!! james naismith was a canadian

 

[MetallicA']

no they havent and they have a tough matcg for that Bronze medal, "Argentina."

 

[cath15]

i agree the americans have awesome talent , but its individual , you only have to watch them play its one off basketball, from the point to the post or the wing then that guys takes on his man, quite boring actually well thats not really true, its grea to watch the dunks, i think they have played well for most of the tournament bu they need to play a team game more, i really enjoyed watching the greeks play they played a great game, with bits of indivual brilliance mixed with a great team game, the americans need to realise the rest of the world has caught up to them they can no longer play this type of basketball and expect to win all of their games, they need to actully play a team game, just as dr naismith envisioned when he created the game, after all there is no "i" in team

 

[IfIcouldbelikeChauncey]

USA needs a couple of shooters if they are ever gonna do any good in international comp. Wade, Carmelo and LeBron are all great scorers but they can be streaky from the outside. Imagine those guys creating and kicking the ball out to Michael Redd.

 

[geelongfan]

its also important to remember that when the original dream teams played..the quality of the international game was lacking SUBSTANTIALLY

as mentioned previously, this is a very young usa team, and is lacking veteran players like kobe and redd (which will both be in the '08 olympics)..

greece has had the same international team for a long time now and are much older as a group than the usa..
the rules are different, but once the core group of the usa hit about 25-29..they will be unstoppable..

the good dream teams had guys in their prime (jordan and charles were like 27, magic and bird were nearing the end of their careers), so once we see dwight, melo, james, hinrich, bosh, wade in a few years time surrounded by a veteran kobe and brand..
watch out for the domination

 

[bargey]

It's pretty simple. None of them are used to playing against a zone, they're all used to 1 on 1. The best players in the NBA are the best 1 on 1 players, so they get to the world champs and the D just collapses on them, and because they don't take any three point shooters they struggle. They should have picked a team with a couple of Steve Kerr type players in it, guys that just don't miss when left alone from outside, if they did that they would absolutely dominate, cause the D couldn't collapse on the guys driving to the hole without getting kicked in the teeth by the guns on the perimeter.

 

[ljandkg]

Agreed Bargey - also it seemed obvious to me that the Greeks decided they had the depth to foul anyone who drove to the hoop and send them to the line. So while they ran the pick and roll and either got 2 or 3's the US were getting 1 as Lebron/ Wade/Anthony tanked their freebies - it worked a treat.

I am also looking forward to the Argie/US bronze game as Ginobili dominates that team and will be interesting to see how he goes against the yanks...

 

[yellows2k]

mattyj, not this world championships, the one where they had the lockout and put togethter the cba allstars that went to the world championships.

also, in regards to the bronze, i assumed and hoped that the usa were playing for the bronze and should at least secure it, but its a situation where they have embarrassed themselves and might as well not bother to play for it as they dont deserve it.
i would go so far as to boo them if they stand up on the podium and receive their 2nd place losers medals. i hope they feel proud

 

[ljandkg]

Geez - where's the hate coming from? They tried....you're not from Canada are u??