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Fri. Aug 27, 2004

Wake Up, Dream Over

I wrote This Team’s No Dream a week and a half ago, because this outcome seemed all but certain, even then: “Argentina ends U.S.’ chances at gold with ease.”

Beaten by a team that’s never won a medal. Beaten by eight points, never closer than six behind, not even fouling at the end to slow the clock and give them even a slim chance of comeback. Beaten like they had no heart.

Simply beaten.

I’m reminded of a recent quote from Chuck Klosterman: “I don’t care if ‘the world is catching up,’ or if Del Harris is coaching China, or if the best point guard in the NBA is often a Canadian who resembles the second guitar player from a Drive-By Trucker tribute band. This is just about the only thing we have left, and now we clearly don’t even have this. Even if we somehow bounce back and win the gold, it’s over for us as a nation; this is like when the Spanish Armada got iced in 1588. We might as well start caring about soccer.”

Soccer, indeed. The ladies on the USA soccer team wanted the gold, bad, and they got it. When they were passing out “heart” for these Games, the NBA players must’ve been busy talking on their cell phone with their agents, and the women’s soccer team doubled up.

“Dream Team 2004” has been a disaster, and a lot of ink will be expended on their autopsy. But this team was obviously flawed in its composition from the beginning. When many of the “big stars” of the NBA turned down invitations from USA Basketball to play in these Games, they didn’t handle it wisely. Like they wanted to win. Apparently, they wanted to market, so they looked at who their young rising stars were in the NBA, and filled the remaining slots with them. This resulted in an overly young team with too many small forwards who excel at slash-and-dash street ball that doesn’t translate well to international rules, no real point guard, and no effective perimeter shooters.

And looked at what they’ve ended up “marketing”: the end of US dominance of international basketball.

A team like that could possibly have overcome their shortcomings given enough time and some good coaching, but instead they had a handful of practice sessions and a handful of exhibition games during a couple of weeks in Europe. And it seemed clear in the game with Argentina, this was not a well coached team, or maybe even a coachable team. I sure don’t put all the blame on Larry Brown, but he never seemed to connect with his players with much other than anger, so he may not have been the right choice.

Others will use this as occasion to call for a return to the days of “amateurs only.” Amateurs who would have been beaten just as badly, as this wasn’t the result of just a flawed team of pros, it is also clear the level of “World Basketball” has risen considerably.

I place the blame at the feet of USA Basketball, for two reasons. One, they did not do enough to establish that playing for the US in the Olympics is an honor, and a proud tradition to be upheld by the best we have to offer. They did not create an environment where the players might feel some obligation to contribute (and clearly, someone like Shaq isn’t going to be motivated by money, you’ve got to appeal to pride).

Perhaps this ugly debacle has insured it will be different next time, when the Olympics come calling. USA Basketball damn well ought to be able to motivate the best of 2008 to go get back the gold. And they should have done a better job of convincing our best to retain it, this time around.

But they didn’t. And then they filled the empty slots without regard to building a real team, composed with a real chance at winning. They figured even with the second choices, it would be a cakewalk. That attitude trickled down in the players. Back on August 2, “Carmelo Anthony has already boldly predicted a gold medal, while James said he isn’t concerned about upholding the American’s 24-0 mark.” I just watched LeBron James add in a post-game interview, “No, I’m not disappointed … that’s a strong word.”

And that’s just the problem. They weren’t “concerned.” They’re “not disappointed.” This team turned that “0” into a “3,” and they’re not done yet.