Why didn't Duncan represent his country in '08?

[SuperCam]

From my understanding he had some kind of season ending surgery in 2000 so couldn't represent the US of A in Sydney. Understandable of course.


2004 was a debacle, and Duncan, as the best player on the squad and team captain, should never have let a bronze happen. There's no sugarcoating it, but third place in basketball, a sport invented by Americans and played by Americans for decades before anyone else, with the best talent pool in the world, should absolutely 100% have never happened. But at least he played.

Why was he not playing in 2008 in Beijing? He was only 32 years old and was not injured at the time from what I can find. He had only played 34mpg the previous NBA season. What's the deal? Surely after being absolutely humiliated -- and by extension humiliating the entire country -- four years earlier, he should have had the patriotic drive to redeem himself and this great nation, right? I can't think of a single valid reason not to represent this great nation in the ultimate competition when our pride was on the line in the worst way, such as when Robinson came back in 1992 to redeem himself for the embarrassment that was the '88 bronze. LeBron, Wade, and Melo all did it.

I dare say this was unconscionable despite the success the USA team saw that year, and will surely go down as the biggest black mark on his legacy. This country has given everything to Mr. Duncan. Because of american basketball, and particularly the NBA, Tim Duncan is now a very rich and very famous, widely respected individual. His children, grand-children, and great-grandchilden will never know strife or struggle because of what American basketball has has provided him a chance to earn. In fact, it is America's stabilizing influence and innovation over the last two centuries that has allowed professional sports to blossom anywhere in the world. Without the NBA and America, Mr. Duncan would be living his life as an inconsequential, poor sugar farmer tolling the fields in the Virgin Island hot summers. The least he could have done is make America right again the eyes of the international basketball community after '04.

[horsielove]

:lobt::lobt::lobt::lobt::lobt::lobt2:

[Russ]

Because "FIBA sucks . . ." (according to TD).

[moisaenz]

got to give the troll his reply..

[Sean Cagney]

FIBA SUCKS rings true to him as said above, there is your answer. At the end of the day honestly most remember :lobt2: more than an Olympic Gold, ask Barkley and Malone if they would trade that Gold for a ring.

[SuperCam]

If FIBA sucks so much, why did Duncan participate in '04? Why did the Admiral participate in three olympics? Surely he could look past his distaste of FIBA to help redeem the United States. I am disappointed if that is the reason he actually gave, and not just spursfan rationalization.

[Sean Cagney]

If FIBA sucks so much, why did Duncan participate in '04? Why did the Admiral participate in three olympics? Surely he could look past his distaste of FIBA to help redeem the United States

How would he know FIBA sucks if he didn't play before 04 in the Olympics? You have to play to know it sucks. What does the Admiral have to do with Duncan? Obviously he enjoyed going to play for the Olympics. He does what he wants wins rings, fuck it I could care less about the rest.

[SuperCam]

How would he know FIBA sucks if he didn't play before 04 in the Olympics? You have to play to know it sucks. What does the Admiral have to do with Duncan? Obviously he enjoyed going to play for the Olympics. He does what he wants wins rings, fuck it I could care less about the rest.

He played in FIBA in 1996 in the U22 world championship

[daslicer]

This cat troll is a wannabe Harlem. He's trying too hard.

[Arcadian]

I dont know, but he easily could have. He simply chose not to.

Why didnt Kobe, Shaq, or Garnett participate in 04? They, along with Tim, were the best players on earth at the time. We can just as easily ask that question.

[SuperCam]

Shaq and Garnett had already won gold medals for team USA in previous olympics. And Kobe of course was busy discussing with his lawyers how to get away with rape.

I'm not here to excoriate Duncan, I just want answers that isn't spursfan :downspin:

[RayTdropout]

Does suck about that bronze. Gold would have looked nice on the resume. Sigh

[Sean Cagney]

Does suck about that bronze. Gold would have looked nice on the resume. Sigh

It would have made his resume basically flawless, but 5 rings will just have to do for now man..... I am sure that is more than most would ever dream of and then some.

[31kungodt]

Officiating and health. And frankly you cant blame him. But I would also add cohesion and direction. That 04 team was lucky to even win bronze. I remember Iverson and Marbury being too happy about themselves.

[Mikeanaro]

The Virgin Islands?

[Mikeanaro]

FIBA SUCKS rings true to him as said above, there is your answer. At the end of the day honestly most remember :lobt2: more than an Olympic Gold, ask Barkley and Malone if they would trade that Gold for a ring.
Barkley would trade his Gold medals and his refrigerators for a ring.
Malone would give the Gold medals and his 12 year old girls for a ring, well maybe not all the girls :lmao

[dweaver99027]

Lol at Tim being a 'sugar farmer' if he didn't have basketball.

[Man In Black]

Just for the sake of clarity, the US Virgin Islands is his Home Country.


Because he's not allowed to. FIBA rules state that once you play for a Senior National Team, you can no longer play for any other Senior National Team. Since he started playing with the US Senior Team in 1996, that sealed his choice.
http://a.espncdn.com/oly/columns/stein_marc/1594477.html
Learn damnit...learn.

[Man In Black]

Oh and fuck those guys in 2008. They simply chose not to play in 2004 citing all kinds of reasons except for Kobester who was dealing with his mistakes of the past in Golden, Colorado.

[kobyz]

He didn't really want to be at the 2004 team also, he agree only cause Pop who was in the coaching stuff beg him, another way of how Pop damage Tim over the years, Tim played there with no passion, with a messed up team and organization at the time, that even in fiba 2006 World Cup team usa failed to win gold...

[T_L_P]

Tim represented his country, while the other stars pussied out because of "terrorism" threats.

[Spurtacular]

I'd like to see Timmy playing for The Virgin Islands, tbh.

[SPURt]

The Admiral brought his country gold twice in his prime years playing with NBA players. I guess he has the more complete resume :stirpot:

[Biernutz]

here are some NBA stars who never suited up for any games.
What a bunch of assholes.......

Elgin Baylor
Elvin Hayes
Wilt Chamberlain
Ralph Sampson
David Thompson
Pete Maravich
Bill Walton
Kareen Abdul-Jabbar

[T_L_P]

The Admiral brought his country gold twice in his prime years playing with NBA players. I guess he has the more complete resume :stirpot:

Youre a salty Duncan hater. Pathetic

[Obstructed_View]

Duncan has been plagued his whole career by foul trouble due to his inability to set a screen. It's one reason the Spurs have run almost no pick and roll during his entire career, because they have to try to keep him on the floor. The coaching staff in the Olympics insisted on running pick and roll, something Duncan is terrible at, and he was constantly on the bench in foul trouble. That Olympic team had some of the best outside shooters in the history of the game, and Duncan could have feasted in the post with the spacing they provided if only they hadn't tried to run off Duncan's picks.

[SPURt]

Youre a salty Duncan hater. Pathetic
http://i.imgur.com/KVNzD.jpg

[Dex]

Duncan has been plagued his whole career by foul trouble due to his inability to set a screen. It's one reason the Spurs have run almost no pick and roll during his entire career, because they have to try to keep him on the floor. The coaching staff in the Olympics insisted on running pick and roll, something Duncan is terrible at, and he was constantly on the bench in foul trouble. That Olympic team had some of the best outside shooters in the history of the game, and Duncan could have feasted in the post with the spacing they provided if only they hadn't tried to run off Duncan's picks.

...not sure if you forgot the blue?

[YGWHI]

Since 2006 the Spurs' players don't make Team USA. Colangelo wouldn't allow it.

[Obstructed_View]

...not sure if you forgot the blue?
I figured I couldn't have been more obvious so it wasn't needed.

[RD2191]

Why is OP a cat loving faggot?

[urunobili]

The Admiral brought his country gold twice in his prime years playing with NBA players. I guess he has the more complete resume :stirpot:
Yet he won bronze in 1998 when he was the go to player on the squad...

[Dex]

I figured I couldn't have been more obvious so it wasn't needed.

Just wanted to make sure we didn't need to get the looney bus over to your place. :lol

[SuperCam]

So no one really knows the reason behind Duncan's unpatriotic decision. What a shame.

[RD2191]

Why is OP a cat loving faggot?

[Dex]

So no one really knows the reason behind Duncan's unpatriotic decision. What a shame.

Seems pretty basic to me. He had a terrible experience in 2004 due to being stuck with a shitbin of teammates and constantly being glued to the bench by skewed officiating, all of which contributed to a humiliating defeat for the Dream Team. He pretty much swore off FIBA after that, and he has stuck to his guns.

Duncan would rather be spending his offseason with his kids, banging Vanessa, and nerding it up with paintball and video games anyways, so pretty sure he could care less about going for that gold.

[SPURt]

Yet he won bronze in 1998 when he was the go to player on the squad...
First off, I was being sarcastic. At the same time, a young Sabonis is pretty tough. Sabonis was on the USSR team that won that game. He'd be a pro since 81 and was 24. I'd also venture to say Tim's Olympic loss was more talent heavy.

[SuperCam]

Iverson
Marion
Odom
Boozer
Wade
Lebron
Melo
Jefferson
Amare
+
Captain Duncan


smh how does that collection of talent get its asses kicked by manu, scola and N:lolcioni

[cool cat]

a sport invented by Americans

:nope

[Obstructed_View]

Just wanted to make sure we didn't need to get the looney bus over to your place. :lol

No, definitely not. You might blow the dust out of your sarcasm detector. :)

I always laugh at people that pretend not to notice that Duncan was targeted by the refs during the Olympics. In addition to the screens and reach ins, apparently Duncan forgot how to play in the post without travelling.

[spurs10]

Yeah there is a lot of honor having player's whose salaries together equal a quarter of a billion dollars play a team's whose country's entire national wealth doesn't match that. The shame.....

[Obstructed_View]

:nope

Naismith became a US citizen. It's a safe bet that most of the people at Springfield college who helped him develop the game were Americans.

[Sean Cagney]

Barkley would trade his Gold medals and his refrigerators for a ring.
Malone would give the Gold medals and his 12 year old girls for a ring, well maybe not all the girls :lmao
:lol

[Proxy]

No one actually cares about olympic basketball

[el contusione]

From my understanding he had some kind of season ending surgery in 2000 so couldn't represent the US of A in Sydney. Understandable of course.


2004 was a debacle, and Duncan, as the best player on the squad and team captain, should never have let a bronze happen. There's no sugarcoating it, but third place in basketball, a sport invented by Americans and played by Americans for decades before anyone else, with the best talent pool in the world, should absolutely 100% have never happened. But at least he played.

Why was he not playing in 2008 in Beijing? He was only 32 years old and was not injured at the time from what I can find. He had only played 34mpg the previous NBA season. What's the deal? Surely after being absolutely humiliated -- and by extension humiliating the entire country -- four years earlier, he should have had the patriotic drive to redeem himself and this great nation, right? I can't think of a single valid reason not to represent this great nation in the ultimate competition when our pride was on the line in the worst way, such as when Robinson came back in 1992 to redeem himself for the embarrassment that was the '88 bronze. LeBron, Wade, and Melo all did it.

Basketball was invented by a Canadian (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian) Dr. James Naismith (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Naismith).. Typical american taking credit for everything.

[dweaver99027]

No one actually cares about olympic basketball That's why it's filled with amateur ballers and the arenas are empty. Goes without saying.

[Clipper Nation]

OP is a faggot who chose homelessness over giving up their pet cats.

[Josh810]

I'm not here to excoriate Duncan, I just want answers that isn't spursfan :downspin:Then why would you come here, dumbass?

[SuperCam]

Then why would you come here, dumbass?


Because I wanted to know if Spursfan had an actual explanation for Duncan's unpatriotic decision that wasn't typical :cry"FIBA suckz":cry apologist crap

[GSH]

Maybe because the U.S. Virgin Islands didn't field a team?
Maybe because his son was born before the season started, and he'd been playing ball and hadn't seen him enough?
Maybe because Grand Theft Auto IV had just come out?
Maybe because he'd been kicked out of an NBA game for laughing, and was in no mood for more bullshit from FIBA?


No, dipshit, he told Colangelo, way back in 2006, his exact reason for not playing: "I have no interest in that."
That's it. He didn't wanna. And apparently he just didn't give a fuck that in 2015 you would still be pissed about it.

[Sean Cagney]

The Admiral brought his country gold twice in his prime years playing with NBA players. I guess he has the more complete resume :stirpot:

He never rang before Duncan came to SA and took over the reigns so.... I am a huge D Rob fan too but no.

[GSH]

You know, not much surprises me anymore. And I don't get pissed off about nearly as much anymore. But Duncan is one of the best to ever lace 'em up and step onto a court. A guy who has brought San Antonio and Spurs fans championships, and great basketball memories since the day he was drafted. A guy who is one of the oldest players in the league, and STILL can put a team on his shoulders and take them deep into the playoffs. And YOU are going to call him out about winning bronze in the Olympics? You fucking little snail darter.

[DDUBB1770]

Americans didn't invent basketball you ass!!! Try canada!!!

[SPURt]

In the multiple threads about D Rob vs Duncan people constantly pay homage to Duncan being competitive. But that Olypmpic team lost there first game to Puerto Rico by 19 points with AI, Lebron, Melo, Wade and Duncan on board. It's not like they lost only to Argentina's golden team.

Forget Robinson, would Jordan be ok with that? Everyone talks about Duncan's competitiveness, but Jordan would have been killing his teammates after setting the record for worst Olympic loss in Men's basketball history to Puerto Rico. Embarrassing. This isn't to single out Duncan. To be fair, David and Jordan were on better Olympic teams playing worse teams. Duncan should be in the top three all time NBA player debate, but this Olympic debacle was awful.

[Dex]

Everyone keeps bringing up that Lebron, Melo, and Wade were on that team without mentioning that they were still basically rookies at that point. They had each only been in the league for a year, were under or barely 20 years of age, and spent most of the time on the bench as the coaching staff decided to go with more known commodities. Lets not try to act like they had prime Lebron and DWade out there.

Unfortunately, the commodities the coaches chose to use instead were chuckers like Marbury and AI, overrated players like Marion and Okafor, and fucking Dick Jefferson. Couple that with the fact that Duncan could hardly move in the paint without picking up a foul, and it's no surprise that team couldn't get it done.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

lol cum newton
lol fiba

2004 was lost because TD was the only good player who wasn't injured or just coming off his rookie season. That was the year most of the American stars pussied out for no particular reason whatsoever. (Kobe, Shaq, Garnett, Carter, McGrady, Pierce, Allen, Kidd, and others who could have easily helped us win gold that year)

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Everyone keeps bringing up that Lebron, Melo, and Wade were on that team without mentioning that they were still basically rookies at that point. They had each only been in the league for a year, were under or barely 20 years of age, and spent most of the time on the bench as the coaching staff decided to go with more known commodities. Lets not try to act like they had prime Lebron and DWade out there.

Unfortunately, the commodities the coaches chose to use instead were chuckers like Marbury and AI, overrated players like Marion and Okafor, and fucking Dick Jefferson. Couple that with the fact that Duncan could hardly move in the paint without picking up a foul, and it's no surprise that team couldn't get it done.
+1

[Obstructed_View]

Basketball was invented by a Canadian (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian) Dr. James Naismith (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Naismith).. Typical american taking credit for everything.
First line from what you linked:


James Naismith (November 6, 1861 – November 28, 1939) was a Canadian American sports coach and innovator.

He became a US citizen. That makes him an American.

[Obstructed_View]

Everyone keeps bringing up that Lebron, Melo, and Wade were on that team without mentioning that they were still basically rookies at that point. They had each only been in the league for a year, were under or barely 20 years of age, and spent most of the time on the bench as the coaching staff decided to go with more known commodities. Lets not try to act like they had prime Lebron and DWade out there.

Unfortunately, the commodities the coaches chose to use instead were chuckers like Marbury and AI, overrated players like Marion and Okafor, and fucking Dick Jefferson. Couple that with the fact that Duncan could hardly move in the paint without picking up a foul, and it's no surprise that team couldn't get it done.

There were no shooters on that team, and Duncan was mobbed. I've never seen anything like it. I made the suggestion at the time that they should have put Duncan out on the three point line since he was the best outside shooter on the roster.

[Horse]

If FIBA sucks so much, why did Duncan participate in '04? Why did the Admiral participate in three olympics? Surely he could look past his distaste of FIBA to help redeem the United States. I am disappointed if that is the reason he actually gave, and not just spursfan rationalization.

You suck end of story.

[UZER]

Scraping the bottle of the barrel with Olympic trash talk.

[Bynumite]

The shame that came from the epic 04 olympic choke was too much for the faggot to handle so he exiled himself from future international play.

2004 US team was unbelievably stacked too but the cuck failed his country as a player and leader. Then he just quit.

[Sean Cagney]

The shame that came from the epic 04 olympic choke was too much for the faggot to handle so he exiled himself from future international play.

2004 US team was unbelievably stacked too but the cuck failed his country as a player and leader. Then he just quit.
LOL unbelievably stacked, you mean before Lebron was the player he became and a bunch of rookies like Wade? Iverson and Marbury as well who did not fit the international style of play? That was the worst damn team put together as far as construction goes, period. I think Odom was even on the team for Gods sakes. Stacked :lol.

Put Kidd, Shaq etc. on that team and they win the Gold IMO. Kobe obviously could not play from the trial but the others backing out was a bitch move IMO.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Tim's 'country' is the San Antonio freaking Spurs.


International tournament play is a business, a league, like the NBA these days.