KoriEllis
09-07-2004, 09:38 PM
Too Much Finger Pointing
Mike Maniscalco – Clear Channel, Richmond
www.wtev.com/sports/comme...151B6E7A22 (http://www.wtev.com/sports/commentary/story.aspx?content_id=EA8AD7AD-A366-4A73-9C88-2D151B6E7A22)
The United States Men’s basketball team made up of NBA players brought home the bronze medal. That statement should ignite debate on which is the bigger Olympic moment, USA defeating the Soviet Union in Ice Hockey in 1980, or this years US hoops team being beating by…wait they were beaten three times, and they were beaten in the prelims because, and here is where it gets tricky.
Everyone seems to have someone to blame for why this team played so poor. I don’t want to finger point, but I do want to figure out how a team that had only lost twice in over forty years lost three times at one Olympic games.
First up are the players on the team, a young bunch, that didn’t know how to play team basketball.
Every player that represented the Red White and Blue is the man on his team, never asked to set screens and just rebound for the good of the squad. This team lacked the fundamentals it took to play International Basketball.
The word International is key there, because talent wise, no team in the tournament could match up with the US, but there was a weakness. International players do all the little things well, leave them open for a three and you can count it, they converge on defense, rebound set picks for one another and all of them, repeat all of them hustle.
The USA had talent, while they did lack a pure point guard, this team had good players, I was so sick of hearing, this team doesn’t have a shooter on the roster, if you are in the NBA, you should be able to make a wide open jumper, something this team failed to do.
Unfortunately this team came together too late to figure out how to play well, and it just seemed like Tim Duncan, Carlos Boozer and Allen Iverson were the only ones trying to involve their teammates. After some thought these are not the ones to blame, they played as hard as they could and give the ones who went credit, they wanted to be there!
Up next: the players who turned down the invite to play for Team USA. A short list, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Shaquille O’Neal, Jason Kidd, Mike Bibby, Vince Carter, Elton Brand, Kenyon Martin, Jermaine O’Neal, Ray Allen…that’s the short list. I know that the NBA season is long and some players actually had legit excuses, but it should be an honor that the US wants you, and to show the world how you play.
Instead, it is an inconvenience for these few; a distraction not worth the time and these NBA players should be ashamed, because the group coming home with the bronze will have to answer the questions of why bronze...I’d rather answer that question rather why didn’t you go?
Next Larry Brown and the coaches, this is the man who had an entire NBA team believe in the team concept, yet he couldn’t get 12 guys to come together for the nation? Brown looked out of his element, at times not understanding the rules, sticking with some players too long, and not giving others the opportunity to prove they could make a difference. In Larry Browns defense, he had to play the cards that were deal, he just didn’t bluff well enough with them.
USA Basketball and the selection committee it’s time for their lumps, this was an uneven team at best and that fault lies on the committee’s shoulders, no point guard as eluded to earlier, rejecting players that wanted to play like Ron Artest and not listening to Larry Brown.
When 2008 rolls around, hopefully the people picking the team will look at what the international teams have done, which is balance a team, with point guards and shooters and guys who do the dirty work down low, if not just send the college kids.
I’ll admit there were lots of reasons not to like this team, but people actually were cheering against the Americans, and it just shouldn’t be that way. The NBA has brought this upon USA Basketball, and the USOC has let it get to the point where money controls the games and sometimes the competitors. So with all this blame to go around I do hope that when the games of Beijing are here we only see one digit, and that is the one signifying that the US is number one, so to all involved parties, you have four years to figure it out.
Listen to ”The Mike Maniscalco Show” every Monday through Friday from 3pm to 7pm on Sports Radio 910 (910am). Email him at [email protected] and look for his column on Richmond.com every Tuesday.
Mike Maniscalco – Clear Channel, Richmond
www.wtev.com/sports/comme...151B6E7A22 (http://www.wtev.com/sports/commentary/story.aspx?content_id=EA8AD7AD-A366-4A73-9C88-2D151B6E7A22)
The United States Men’s basketball team made up of NBA players brought home the bronze medal. That statement should ignite debate on which is the bigger Olympic moment, USA defeating the Soviet Union in Ice Hockey in 1980, or this years US hoops team being beating by…wait they were beaten three times, and they were beaten in the prelims because, and here is where it gets tricky.
Everyone seems to have someone to blame for why this team played so poor. I don’t want to finger point, but I do want to figure out how a team that had only lost twice in over forty years lost three times at one Olympic games.
First up are the players on the team, a young bunch, that didn’t know how to play team basketball.
Every player that represented the Red White and Blue is the man on his team, never asked to set screens and just rebound for the good of the squad. This team lacked the fundamentals it took to play International Basketball.
The word International is key there, because talent wise, no team in the tournament could match up with the US, but there was a weakness. International players do all the little things well, leave them open for a three and you can count it, they converge on defense, rebound set picks for one another and all of them, repeat all of them hustle.
The USA had talent, while they did lack a pure point guard, this team had good players, I was so sick of hearing, this team doesn’t have a shooter on the roster, if you are in the NBA, you should be able to make a wide open jumper, something this team failed to do.
Unfortunately this team came together too late to figure out how to play well, and it just seemed like Tim Duncan, Carlos Boozer and Allen Iverson were the only ones trying to involve their teammates. After some thought these are not the ones to blame, they played as hard as they could and give the ones who went credit, they wanted to be there!
Up next: the players who turned down the invite to play for Team USA. A short list, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Shaquille O’Neal, Jason Kidd, Mike Bibby, Vince Carter, Elton Brand, Kenyon Martin, Jermaine O’Neal, Ray Allen…that’s the short list. I know that the NBA season is long and some players actually had legit excuses, but it should be an honor that the US wants you, and to show the world how you play.
Instead, it is an inconvenience for these few; a distraction not worth the time and these NBA players should be ashamed, because the group coming home with the bronze will have to answer the questions of why bronze...I’d rather answer that question rather why didn’t you go?
Next Larry Brown and the coaches, this is the man who had an entire NBA team believe in the team concept, yet he couldn’t get 12 guys to come together for the nation? Brown looked out of his element, at times not understanding the rules, sticking with some players too long, and not giving others the opportunity to prove they could make a difference. In Larry Browns defense, he had to play the cards that were deal, he just didn’t bluff well enough with them.
USA Basketball and the selection committee it’s time for their lumps, this was an uneven team at best and that fault lies on the committee’s shoulders, no point guard as eluded to earlier, rejecting players that wanted to play like Ron Artest and not listening to Larry Brown.
When 2008 rolls around, hopefully the people picking the team will look at what the international teams have done, which is balance a team, with point guards and shooters and guys who do the dirty work down low, if not just send the college kids.
I’ll admit there were lots of reasons not to like this team, but people actually were cheering against the Americans, and it just shouldn’t be that way. The NBA has brought this upon USA Basketball, and the USOC has let it get to the point where money controls the games and sometimes the competitors. So with all this blame to go around I do hope that when the games of Beijing are here we only see one digit, and that is the one signifying that the US is number one, so to all involved parties, you have four years to figure it out.
Listen to ”The Mike Maniscalco Show” every Monday through Friday from 3pm to 7pm on Sports Radio 910 (910am). Email him at [email protected] and look for his column on Richmond.com every Tuesday.