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OWNED!!!!!
hmm... Whottt, what do you say now?
OWNED!!!!!
I like Leiva's skills, but he lacks intensity and character. Román Gonzalez is less talented, but plays with a lot more of intensity. Also we should see how Matias Sandes do, he was the best player of the U-21 Squad. The good thing is that there are many options, and a year to see how they do with their clubs.
WTF, did Argentina just beat the US with their scrub lineup?
They need some steroid testing down there.
LOL, its the mate I tell you! You guys should start drinking mate.WTF, did Argentina just beat the US with their scrub lineup?
They need some steroid testing down there.
Team USA's Noel Felix is surrounded by two
Argentines in the U.S.'s 84-67 loss Wednesday.
Lol, it's all in the mate, however a mate overdose could bring an unpleasant feeling!
back to the issue USA Basketball must understand the basic rules ...1) Need time to develop a Team, 2) Need to Practice ... 3) Need FIBA's experience
This USA Team looks good, but need more time; besides that, this tournament is becoming Crazy
Panama is doing a good job, BRA (my previous candidate) has some trouble ... Venezuela looks really good.
FIBA
Classic
haha man am i lucky or what! i can watch this tournament! (not live though) im watching argentina whoop USA right now
Argentina 78 - Venezuela 60
We are on the semi-finals.
Are Scola and Oberto playing?
Look at post #78 in page 3 of the thread.
Yes, we are. Venezuela is also qualified for the World Championships. Now the three remaining spots will be decided. Surely Brazil and USA will qualify too, and the other one remains open for three different teams.
Thanks. Losing to Argentina w/o their main players doesn't look too good.
Will USA ever learn?
Let's put things in perspective.
Results:
ARG 78
VEN 60
----------------------------------------------------------
URU 77
USA 91
----------------------------------------------------------
PUR 55
PAN 74
---------------------------------------------------------
DOM 72
BRA 80
---------------------------------------------------------
Standings:
1. Argentina (W 5 L 1)
2. USA (W 4 L 2)
=. Brazil (W 4 L 2)
=. Venezuela (W 4 L 2)
5. Panama (W 3 L 3)
6. Puerto Rico (W 2 L 4)
=. Dominican Republic (W 2 L 4)
8. Uruguay (W 0 L 6)
Green: Qualified for World Championships
Red: Eliminated
So, there's just one spot left, to be decided between Panama, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, with just one gameday left.
Tomorrow games:
Panama vs. Uruguay
Brazil vs. Argentina
USA vs. Puerto Rico
Venezuela vs. Dominican Republic
do you agree with this article?
http://www.sportsline.com/collegebas.../story/8793858
[QUOTE]Blame for USA's struggles squarely with NBA
Sep. 1, 2005
By Gregg Doyel
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Don't blame college basketball. Tempting as it may be, don't blame high school or AAU ball, either.
We've all come to grips with the idea that USA Basketball is no longer an international superpower, but four news items from August suggest the problem is not what happens to U.S. players in high school or college. The problem is what comes later.
No offense to Kris Lang, but minor leaguers shouldn't be representing USA Basketball in major compe ions. (AP)
The problem is the NBA. Can't say it any plainer than that. Here's the proof.
News item No. 1: Pacers sign Sarunas Jasikevicius to three-year deal.
What it means: Players get better overseas.
How we know: After two years of American high school (Solanco High in Quarryville, Pa.) and four years of American college (Maryland), Jasikevicius was so good that he went undrafted in the 1998 NBA Draft. He played in Lithuania, Slovenia, Spain and Israel, developing his game to the point where he torched the United States for 28 points in Lithuania's victory in the 2004 Olympics. Now 29, Jasikevicius was one of the more hotly pursued guards of this past offseason.
News item No. 2: Shammond Williams signs with Barcelona.
What it means: Players don't necessarily get better in the NBA.
How we know: When he played for North Carolina, Williams was superior to Jasikevicius. They played in the ACC from 1994-98, and Williams scored nearly 500 more points. He made second-team All-ACC (Jasikevicius didn't even make the third team), then was drafted early in the second round by Chicago. While Jasikevicius was making his bones in Europe, Williams was playing for six NBA teams in four years. To recap: Since 1998, Jasikevicius has progressed from a European player to an NBA player, while Williams has regressed from an NBA player to a European player.
News item No. 3: U.S. collegians go combined 19-1 overseas.
What it means: The older the players get, the worse USA Basketball gets.
How we know: In both worldwide events for college-age players this summer -- the World University Games in Turkey and the Under-21 championships in Argentina -- the United States had the best team. Meanwhile, the past two major U.S. teams featuring NBA players (at the 2002 World Championships and 2004 Olympics) went a combined 11-7, finishing sixth and third.
In August the Americans won the gold medal at the World University Games and should have won gold at the Under-21 event in Argentina. In Turkey, the United States went 8-0 with an average victory margin of 30 points. The Americans were nearly as dominant in Argentina (average score: 101-78), but got caught underestimating Canada in a 93-90 overtime loss. Although the Americans finished with an U-21 tournament-best 11-1 mark, including two wins against gold medalist Lithuania, the United States placed fifth because of its ill-timed loss to Canada.
News item No. 4: U.S. about to be eliminated from World Championships.
What it means: NBA veterans have zero interest in representing America.
How we know: The U.S. team that has lost three of its past four games at the World Championships qualifier this week in the Dominican Republic consists entirely of minor-league pros. Without any of the top 250 players from this country, the United States is close to elimination from a qualifying event.
To recap:
When they're in high school and college, U.S. basketball players are the best in the world. After U.S. players leave college, the world catches up.
It's a matter of economics and desire. A player making $800,000 in Spain will bust his tail to become a $10 million player in the NBA. A $10 million player in the NBA doesn't have to bust his tail.
And he's not about to bust anything for free. With NBA salaries blowing up after the 1992 Dream Team set what should have been the standard for USA Basketball, the average NBA star has become too rich, too coddled -- too cautious? -- to play for USA Basketball. Mike Bibby, Shaquille O'Neal, Jason Kidd, Kevin Garnett, Kenyon Martin, Richard Hamilton and Elton Brand cited injuries, security concerns or manicure appointmentswhen they declined to play for the United States in 2004. Paul Revere, they ain't.
The illness of USA Basketball has other symptoms, too. The choice of Olympic coaches could be better. The people who choose the team could be smarter. Lots of issues need addressing, but consider this a starting point for the lords of USA Basketball, who happen to double as the lords of the NBA:
Don't waste your time looking at college and AAU ball. Look at your own damn game.
...i think he missed one thing. Kobe has promised to play in the World or olympics, he's just waiting for the call.
and U.S.A. has just earned a spot.
What the is he talking about? The USA clinched the berth in the World Championship by winning Thursday.News item No. 4: U.S. about to be eliminated from World Championships.
What it means: NBA veterans have zero interest in representing America.
How we know: The U.S. team that has lost three of its past four games at the World Championships qualifier this week in the Dominican Republic consists entirely of minor-league pros. Without any of the top 250 players from this country, the United States is close to elimination from a qualifying event.
Also, does he not understand that the World Championship team will be made up of primarily NBA players -- this was just the team that was put together for the Qualifiers.
He chose a couple players, and made a case. Not enough data.
Too many other cases were great collegians don't make it in the NBA (they don't "get worse", they just weren't good enough for NBA), and plenty of US players go to Europe never to come back to NBA.
What was this guy thinking when he wrote that?
Today:
Argentina 71 - Brasil 60
EEUU 83 - Puerto Rico 85
Interesting...
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