KoriEllis
08-11-2003, 05:44 PM
O'Neal, Brand looking for redemption with Team USA
SportsTicker
sports.espn.go.com/sports...d=19350539 (http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/gen/wire?messageId=19350539)
By Chris Bernucca SportsTicker Pro Basketball Editor
NEW YORK (Ticker) - The FIBA Tournament of the Americas starts August 20, and no one is more impatient than Jermaine O'Neal. Except maybe Elton Brand.
O'Neal and Brand are the most prominent holdovers from last year's American entry that finished an embarrassing sixth in the World Championships. On some level, they are a bit surprised to be here. But given a second chance, they plan on making the most of it.
"The first thing I thought was to redeem, not only my country, but myself," said O'Neal, the All-Star power forward of the Indiana Pacers. "Get a second opportunity to really show people."
"I was hoping I was going to get invited back and I did," said Brand, a power forward who recently re-signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. "I'm not going to let that happen ever again."
O'Neal and Brand both have found an unappealing way to become part of basketball history. Along with fellow returnee Nick Collison of the Seattle SuperSonics, they were on the first American team comprised of NBA stars to lose in international competition.
This wasn't the 1972 Olympics, where the loss could be blamed on referees. Or the 1988 Olympics, where the rest of the world's professionals finally caught up to America's amateurs. On its home soil, Team USA lost not once, not twice, but three times, hearing boos in their homeland as Americans turned against them.
"It was very tough, mentally challenging," Brand admitted. "We gave up (in) the last two games and didn't play hard. It was very sad. I still think about that."
"It was even more brutal for me because it was in Indianapolis, where I play my NBA games at," O'Neal said. "It was very, very disappointing."
The poor performance forced USA Basketball to re-evaluate its entire process, from preparation to player selection. Brand felt last year's group had an unprofessional approach, while O'Neal thought some players may have blacklisted themselves with their behavior on and off the court.
"A lot of teams take the World Championships seriously, and obviously we didn't take it as such," Brand said.
"I think a couple of people probably won't ever play because how they publicly went about discussing how we lost," O'Neal sad. "I think the committee understands the type of things that I have and that I want for this country."
NBA senior vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson, who also serves as USA Basketball's Senior National Team committee chairman, maintained that no player on last year's team was eliminated from consideration.
Jackson indicated that several factors went into extending invitations to O'Neal and Brand. Among them were the team's need for frontcourt size, their desire to play for their country while others declined, and their previous experience.
"I definitely waned to be on the team, even though it was tough for me, because I played the last two years in the summer," said O'Neal, who was a member of the 2001 Goodwill Games team.
"I accepted right away, especially after what happened last year," Brand said.
The World Championships still eat at several members of this year's squad. Collison, a deep reserve on both teams who has yet to play his first NBA game, said he has heard O'Neal and Brand talk about settling the score.
Team USA assistant Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs did not want to make any comparisons between the teams. But Popovich was an assistant on last year's squad and has made his thoughts known to the players, doing so again Monday.
"He won an NBA championship this year, but he still thinks more about the loss in Indianapolis and how hard that was to take, almost an embarrassment," Collison said. "It really is not a good thing, and (you have to) make sure guys have to take it seriously from day one."
Collison played his college ball at Kansas, which is part of the direct lineage of the origins of the game. Although he played a blameless role in last year's debacle, he still is shamed by it.
"It might be a little harsh and other countries might see it as disrespect if we feel embarrassed by losing to them," he said. "But we invented the game and we've always been on top, so the first team to get knocked off - and to get knocked off that many times - I think has stuck with a lot of people."
It certainly has stuck with Brand and O'Neal, who have to make sure not to allow their inner rage interfere with the goals of the team. Brand already is checking his ego at the door.
"I would want to go out there and be like, 'These guys can't stop me,'" he said. "But it's a team thing. We're gonna play hard and try to send a message."
However, if you see O'Neal or Brand running the floor a bit faster, banging the boards a bit harder, or punk-dunking some poor overmatched foe, you'll know where it came from.
"I think it's definitely personal," O'Neal said. "It's gonna be a different story this year."
SportsTicker
sports.espn.go.com/sports...d=19350539 (http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/gen/wire?messageId=19350539)
By Chris Bernucca SportsTicker Pro Basketball Editor
NEW YORK (Ticker) - The FIBA Tournament of the Americas starts August 20, and no one is more impatient than Jermaine O'Neal. Except maybe Elton Brand.
O'Neal and Brand are the most prominent holdovers from last year's American entry that finished an embarrassing sixth in the World Championships. On some level, they are a bit surprised to be here. But given a second chance, they plan on making the most of it.
"The first thing I thought was to redeem, not only my country, but myself," said O'Neal, the All-Star power forward of the Indiana Pacers. "Get a second opportunity to really show people."
"I was hoping I was going to get invited back and I did," said Brand, a power forward who recently re-signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. "I'm not going to let that happen ever again."
O'Neal and Brand both have found an unappealing way to become part of basketball history. Along with fellow returnee Nick Collison of the Seattle SuperSonics, they were on the first American team comprised of NBA stars to lose in international competition.
This wasn't the 1972 Olympics, where the loss could be blamed on referees. Or the 1988 Olympics, where the rest of the world's professionals finally caught up to America's amateurs. On its home soil, Team USA lost not once, not twice, but three times, hearing boos in their homeland as Americans turned against them.
"It was very tough, mentally challenging," Brand admitted. "We gave up (in) the last two games and didn't play hard. It was very sad. I still think about that."
"It was even more brutal for me because it was in Indianapolis, where I play my NBA games at," O'Neal said. "It was very, very disappointing."
The poor performance forced USA Basketball to re-evaluate its entire process, from preparation to player selection. Brand felt last year's group had an unprofessional approach, while O'Neal thought some players may have blacklisted themselves with their behavior on and off the court.
"A lot of teams take the World Championships seriously, and obviously we didn't take it as such," Brand said.
"I think a couple of people probably won't ever play because how they publicly went about discussing how we lost," O'Neal sad. "I think the committee understands the type of things that I have and that I want for this country."
NBA senior vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson, who also serves as USA Basketball's Senior National Team committee chairman, maintained that no player on last year's team was eliminated from consideration.
Jackson indicated that several factors went into extending invitations to O'Neal and Brand. Among them were the team's need for frontcourt size, their desire to play for their country while others declined, and their previous experience.
"I definitely waned to be on the team, even though it was tough for me, because I played the last two years in the summer," said O'Neal, who was a member of the 2001 Goodwill Games team.
"I accepted right away, especially after what happened last year," Brand said.
The World Championships still eat at several members of this year's squad. Collison, a deep reserve on both teams who has yet to play his first NBA game, said he has heard O'Neal and Brand talk about settling the score.
Team USA assistant Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs did not want to make any comparisons between the teams. But Popovich was an assistant on last year's squad and has made his thoughts known to the players, doing so again Monday.
"He won an NBA championship this year, but he still thinks more about the loss in Indianapolis and how hard that was to take, almost an embarrassment," Collison said. "It really is not a good thing, and (you have to) make sure guys have to take it seriously from day one."
Collison played his college ball at Kansas, which is part of the direct lineage of the origins of the game. Although he played a blameless role in last year's debacle, he still is shamed by it.
"It might be a little harsh and other countries might see it as disrespect if we feel embarrassed by losing to them," he said. "But we invented the game and we've always been on top, so the first team to get knocked off - and to get knocked off that many times - I think has stuck with a lot of people."
It certainly has stuck with Brand and O'Neal, who have to make sure not to allow their inner rage interfere with the goals of the team. Brand already is checking his ego at the door.
"I would want to go out there and be like, 'These guys can't stop me,'" he said. "But it's a team thing. We're gonna play hard and try to send a message."
However, if you see O'Neal or Brand running the floor a bit faster, banging the boards a bit harder, or punk-dunking some poor overmatched foe, you'll know where it came from.
"I think it's definitely personal," O'Neal said. "It's gonna be a different story this year."