Mike Monroe: Team USA pays for Coach K's idiotic decision

[T Park]

with Jim Boeheim as assistant #1. You could fill out the coaching staff with members of Spurstalk and be set.

He was the number 1 assistant.

With D'Antoni and Mcmillan

two pretty good NBA coaches. Of course McMillan is a good defensive coach.

[Kori Ellis]

As a foreigner, I don't care about what he has done with Duke and I'm quite neutral but this K guy has been horrible on this tournament. Some example :

1) Third quarter of the Greece game : USA are -6 at the half and he wait to be at -16 to take a Timeout .

2) As said before, he hasn't used Dwight Howard in the second half while he was playing great in the first half.

3) At the press conference, he has called Greek players by their jersey number and not by their name. Either he is lazy as or he thought that USA was way better than other countries but he hasn't really scouted Greece that was one of the best team in the world.

4) A defense based on steal and on cuting passing lanes . Maybe it works in NCAA against 20 years old players but if this guy had a clue about world BB, he would have known that there are some teams like Greece that take care of the ball with solid ballhandlers.

Good analysis of his mistakes.

Also his crazy shuffle of the lineup in the 4th quarter of the Greece game was ridiculous. Shuffling players in and out aimlessly is going to help anything when you are trying to win a game.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

He was the number 1 assistant.

With D'Antoni and Mcmillan

two pretty good NBA coaches. Of course McMillan is a good defensive coach.

Boeheim was the #1 on paper only. The main assistant with any influence for Team USA was D'Antoni.

If Nate is such a good coach, how come he didn't chime in when Team USA was getting shredded by the pick and roll?

There was absolutely nothing resembling a zone offense run by Team USA. Just isos and jacking up threes whenever teams sprung the zone on them.

That tells me Boeheim didn't have any input on the team's offense, because the man knows the zone forwards and backwards on both ends of the court.

[polandprzem]

I tell you one thing. VS Greece they had no offense.
There were few gives and goes and screenrolls inside. But that's it.
How come more athletic americans couldn't use that adventage? (fastbreaks)

And again. Krzyrzewski, D'Antoni and Boehim had a history with zones. I do not undrestand why the americans weren't prepare the right way.

[ChumpDumper]

4) A defense based on steal and on cuting passing lanes . Maybe it works in NCAA against 20 years old players but if this guy had a clue about world BB, he would have known that there are some teams like Greece that take care of the ball with solid ballhandlers.

That was the height of arrogance and disrespect IMO, and was simply an extension of the "dominate with athleticism" mentality that led us to earlier defeats. It's as if they thought the rest of the world would Beno away the ball if they just ran at them and said "Boo!" Once a team knew how to get past halfcourt, the USA's defense was practically nonexistent.

[mabber]

That was the height of arrogance and disrespect IMO, and was simply an extension of the "dominate with athleticism" mentality that led us to earlier defeats. It's as if they thought the rest of the world would Beno away the ball if they just ran at them and said "Boo!" Once a team knew how to get past halfcourt, the USA's defense was practically nonexistent.

Reminded me of defenses on pre-Avery Mav teams.

Maybe the USA will finally get it now. I too think they fell back into that "how can we not win since we have the more athletic players" mode. They talked a good game going into the tryouts, then they cut Bowen. They played a little bit more pressure defense (college type that the pro's on the good teams ate up) but in the end nothing really changed. Coach K basically just hoped that LeBron, Wade & Melo would be good enough offensively to win the gold. I don't blame the players at all. This one is entirely on the coaching staff.

[Kori Ellis]

The whole time I was watching the USA games, it reminded me of when I watched the All-Star Game practices. In the All-Star game, they just run "summertime" as Pop calls it. Which basically means just freestyle or ISO's for whoever has the ball after the intial pass. It was kind of disgusting after all the preaching by Colangelo, Coach K, etc. about preparation, there were no plays. Even if they called a timeout and ran a play, it was just a ISO up top for one of the big 3.

Lame.

[pjjrfan]

Well, Mike Monroe makes some valid points and I don't think he was saying that Bruce would have made a difference in that game, but that his prescense on the team would have made a diffenrence on the mindset and focus of the USA team. And I think he is correct in his assumption. I have nothing against Coach K, but obviously when he questions Bowen's ability to guard quick players he has no idea what Bruce is all about. Most times when you talk about great defenses you talk about chemistry, tenaciousness and toughness. Bruce would have helped bring all those qualities to this team. I think that in the end, Coach K still settled for an all-star team.

[GrandeDavid]

It sounds as if Bruce Bowen never got a completely unbiased shot at making this team. That is ultimately on Coach K. But nobody is perfect and at least Team USA salvaged third place over a high quality team in Argentina.

[boutons_]

"lame"

All-star 1-on-1/urban street ball and disruptive defense worked on ty teams (aka uncompettive filler invited to draw their countries' veiwers and promote basketball), but it failed on compe ive teams.

[TDMVPDPOY]

cry me a river?

sumwhere in south africa, bruce bowen looms in the shadow

[mabber]

The whole time I was watching the USA games, it reminded me of when I watched the All-Star Game practices. In the All-Star game, they just run "summertime" as Pop calls it. Which basically means just freestyle or ISO's for whoever has the ball after the intial pass. It was kind of disgusting after all the preaching by Colangelo, Coach K, etc. about preparation, there were no plays. Even if they called a timeout and ran a play, it was just a ISO up top for one of the big 3.

Lame.

If it really matters to the US, they'll figure it out and win the Olympics in 2 years. It's not like they still don't have the best players (just not the best team(s) yet). I'm still not convinced that it really matters to them. I really don't think the majority of NBA basketball fans really care about it as well. Americans (I being one) are very arrogant so it will only take the some of the foreign players, fans to start saying that maybe the USA is not the best in basketball anymore for them to really care about. Yes, the players and coaches are saying things that make it sound like it really matters to them but I think it's still just talk.

[TheSanityAnnex]

Miller was essential to this team because he can do what a big man needs to do in international ball: pass & shoot.

Bowen can defend, that is all. He has no shot, he wasn't needed. End of story.

[Kori Ellis]

Miller was essential to this team because he can do what a big man needs to do in international ball: pass & shoot.

Bowen can defend, that is all. He has no shot, he wasn't needed. End of
story.

If Miller was essential, why didn't he play?

I don't even think Bowen was that essential on the court, but I think his presence, leadership, focus and professionalism would have helped in regards to the maturation of the team.

[TheSanityAnnex]

If Miller was essential, why didn't he play?

I don't even think Bowen was that essential on the court, but I think his presence, leadership, focus and professionalism would have helped in regards to the maturation of the team.

I couldn't tell you why he didn't play? I didn't give two s about this tournament and didn't watch a game this year. But I know how international ball is played and Bowen would not have had that much of an impact. He is too one dimensional. And I like Bowen too.

I still think Artest should have been on the team.

[Kori Ellis]

I couldn't tell you why he didn't play? I didn't give two s about this tournament and didn't watch a game this year. But I know how international ball is played and Bowen would not have had that much of an impact. He is too one dimensional. And I like Bowen too.

I still think Artest should have been on the team.

Artest = Too risky.

Can't send mental players on international ground

[TheSanityAnnex]

Artest = Too risky.

Can't send mental players on international ground

That is the fun part of it. Many more people would tune in just to see if he'll blow up.

Who ing cares if it is a risk. Did we win gold without him?

[spurschick]

"We're still on top. We still have the best players in the world and we're gonna prove that next summer (at the FIBA Americas Championship)."
USA's Carmelo Anthony promises his team will be back


I'm sorry, but Carmelo Anthony really gets on my last nerve. There is nothing wrong with team pride and I expect them to have confidence going into next summer, but his delivery sounds very arrogant.

[TheSanityAnnex]

"We're still on top. We still have the best players in the world and we're gonna prove that next summer (at the FIBA Americas Championship)."
USA's Carmelo Anthony promises his team will be back


I'm sorry, but Carmelo Anthony really gets on my last nerve. There is nothing wrong with team pride and I expect them to have confidence going into next summer, but his delivery sounds very arrogant.

He does speak the truth.


A couple more tweaks to this roster (chemistry) and they should kill the Olympics.

[mabber]

"We're still on top. We still have the best players in the world and we're gonna prove that next summer (at the FIBA Americas Championship)."
USA's Carmelo Anthony promises his team will be back


I'm sorry, but Carmelo Anthony really gets on my last nerve. There is nothing wrong with team pride and I expect them to have confidence going into next summer, but his delivery sounds very arrogant.

And you're surprised by his arrogance (called confidence when Manu talks like this about his Argentina team-lol)? This is why they still may not get it. The players probably think it was just a fluke that they lost.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Miller was essential to this team because he can do what a big man needs to do in international ball: pass & shoot.

He was so essential he saw significant time in the Greece game. Good ing call Kings troll.

[TheSanityAnnex]

I'm not the ing coach now am I? How essential was Bowen?

He was so essential he saw significant time in the Greece game. Good ing call Kings troll.

[polandprzem]

Third fluke in a row

[dbestpro]

Brad Miller is so important that the Kings were trying to figure out a way to unload him after the season, but could find no takers. Yes he's the best the NBA could find. Coach K is a great college coach and has done an excellent job with the media and refs at the college level. To recognize how well he really coaches you can just look at all the blue chip recruits who became superstar NBA players. Why there's Grant Hill and... and.... and... wel there was Grant Hill.

K is right about one thing. The USA team needs to learn how to play as a team in international play. First, they need a coach who knows the international game, players included.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I'm not the ing coach now am I? How essential was Bowen?

Moreso than Coach K ever could know, but then again you're talking about the HC who didn't think Bowen could guard Carlos Arroyo either.

Coach K = Coach Clueless.