How I Would Rebuild Men's Team USA Basketball Aug 28 '04    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet The Bottom Line it's like my 9/11 commission report, but, uhh, it's not quite that important. still, this is how we should rebuild the great tradition that is usa basketball. And, in the 2004 Olympic men's basketball tournament, Team USA wins the - the... Bronze Medal? Huh? Since NBA players were allowed to play on the USA Olympic Team starting in 1992, this controversial country has been dominant. Why shouldn't it be? Within the USA is far and away the best professional basketball league on Earth and within that league, the best players are American. These guys the Americans are playing against are second-rate NBA players at best; stars in the inferior European leagues at worst. Hell, in this 2004 Olympics, the USA threw together an obviously flawed team, who only had a few weeks to practice together, who had very minimal international basketball experience, and they still won a medal. Talk all you want about the world catching up in skills but that Men's Basketball Gold Medal is the USA's to lose. And this year, they lost it. So, what do they do now to get it back? To truly reinstate USA dominance and pride into men's basketball?Simple. Here's an outline for you: 1. Accept that Bronze Medal with joy, pride, and dignity. 2. Re-evaluate the current team; don't just trash the roster because they may or may not have underachieved. 2.5. Determine what it is you're looking for in players to go on the USA Basketball Team. 3. Outline the foundation of a USA Basketball _program_; not just an individual team engineered for a month or two of play. 4. Pick initial players based on their projected success in international basketball, NOT based on their NBA success. 5. Start having meetings and practices for international competition ASAP. 6. Dominate the 2006 World Games and never look back. Now follow me as I rebuild the USA Basketball Team. - - - 1. Accept that Bronze Medal with joy, pride, and dignity Here's a message to this year's Bronze Medal winning USA Basketball Team: you're lucky. You can't shoot. All your guards are selfish, me-first players. You have no point guard. You sucked on defense. You had no idea how to play the international game. Now, with lots more practice and preparation, you still probably would've won the Gold Medal because as athletes that play basketball, you're just that superior. But you didn't 'cause you were too flawed and too unprepared. So, Bronze it is. Be happy with that. You are medal-winning Olympians. This dignified acceptance will go far in the diplomacy Team USA Basketball will need down the road. - - - 2. Re-evaluate the current team; don't just trash the roster because they may or may not have underachieved. Experience in international basketball is important. Frankly, some of these guys on the 2004 USA Basketball roster have the potential to be some damn good international players. They just need experience. Plus, having to settle for the Bronze Medal this year will create more hungry olympians in the future. - 2.5. Determine what it is you're looking for in players to go on the USA Basketball Team Of course, we won't just keep marginal olympians based on their experience. So, before we re-evaluate this year's team, let's think about what we want... 1) Shooters! That means you, too, big man! If you didn't realize from watching these Olymipic games, any low-post game can be nullified if no one has to respect your outside shot. You will get collapsed in the paint and your big men will have no room to maneuver. Tim Duncan was frustrated, not only because of foul trouble, but because every time he caught the ball, there would be three guys making the paint area like that of a storage closet. A claustrophobic nightmare. But, if the opposing team has to respect at least three players on the perimeter, at worst your big man gets doubled - not even that if your two big guys have a fifteen foot range. So, I'm not accepting anyone at either guard positions or at swing-forward who can't hit, with consistency, a 20 foot, 6 inch three. Nor am I accepting any big forward or center who can't face up and drain a fifteen footer. 2) Defense! This 2004 Olympic Team didn't play much defense at all. When I say not much at all, I mean, the big guys were OK but the perimeter guys played none at all. It was like a game of HORSE for the opposing team's three point shooters. And they made them. All night long. 3) A couple of point guards who are actually POINT guards. Stephon Marbury was the only real point guard on Team USA and he's better off at Rucker Park than in the Olympics. Outside of him, all you have left is Dwayne Wade who is a nice player but an off-guard at heart and Lebron James who is 19 and not ready to run an international basketball team. This position was the achilles heel of the USA Basketball Team all tournament long. 4) Young guys who will still be useful for the 2008 Olympics. Yes, it's time to start thinking about the Bejing Games. We don't want any old has-beens on the team. That's a hard thing to project but it must be done. 5) Fundamentally sound players. Geez, do we even have 12 of those in the USA? Sure. There are still guys who understand the importance of a reliable jumper, intense defense, and quality passing. Believe it or not, this year's Olympic Team even had a few. 6) Players who want to dedicate themselves to the USA Basketball Program; leaders. Qualitative research must be done on the players that are chosen for Team USA. Former coaches, family members, etc., etc., should be interviewed. Players should be asked for a commitment beyond a couple weeks of practice and a tournament (to be covered in another section). Dedication and leadership are intangible qualities that can truly bring Team USA Basketball back to dominance. - Now, let's continue with our re-evaluation of Team USA 2004 by going player by player and deciding who is worth keeping based on what we're looking for. In alphabetical order... Anthony, Carmelo; 6'8"; 220 lbs; SF; 20 years old No-brainer here. Even if Anthony doesn't see substantial international minutes until the 2008 Games, he has all the capabilities to be dominant in the international game. He's a confident outside shooter, a good defender on the ball (that will improve), an excellent defender on the help-side, rebounds with strength, and he can handle the ball decently well for his size. Verdict: Yey Boozer, Carlos; 6'9"; 258 lbs; PF/C; 22 years old Boozer has a rough and rugged NBA game and will make an excellent compliment to a finesse superstar (LeBron will miss him in Cleveland next year) in the league. But his mid-range game is weak on both sides of the floor so it's hard to justify keeping him over other players who would fit the international mold better. NBA bangers just won't cut it. Verdict: Nay Duncan, Tim; 7'0"; 260 lbs; C; 28 years old Little to say here. He'd be the best basketball player in the world if he had shooters to extend the defense. He's only 28? Feels like he's been dominating the sport much longer than that. Verdit: Yey Iverson, Allen; 6'0"; 165 lbs; SG; 29 years old Pound for pound the best player in the NBA? Maybe. A good international player? Hell no. His jumper has always been suspect. His forte - getting into the lane and making things happen - gets all but taken away in an international world that clogs the lane and loves the zone defense. Verdict: Nay James, Lebron; 6'8"; 240 lbs; PG/SG/SF; 19 years old You have nothing to lose in keeping this guy but he better know his role - he's got a long way to go before he's an international force. His jumper is suspect, as well is his work ethic on defense. But he's got a better combination of athletic ability and upside than anyone in the world. Period. Verdict: Yey Jefferson, Richard; 6'7"; 222 lbs; SF; 24 years old Without Jason Kidd (his New Jersey teammate) setting him up for alley-oops and short-ranges jumpers, Jefferson was reduced to a jumping-jack with no air-time. He has 0 skills to be successful on an international level. Verdict: Nay Marbury, Stephon; 6'2"; 205 lbs; PG; 27 years old No room for selfish point guards on Team USA. Stephon is better off playing street ball where "ooh"'s and "ahh"'s count for something. Verdict: Nay Marion, Shawn; 6'7"; 228 lbs; SF; 26 years old You want to keep this guy just because of how terribly unselfish and hard-working he has been. He also has some decent international experience between this year's Olympics and 2002's World Games. But, he just can't shoot well. Also, at that three-spot, I'd rather have a better passer and playmaker. Sorry, Shawn. Verdict: Nay Odom, Lamar; 6'10"; 225 lbs; PF; 24 years old He was a FORCE in this year's Olympics. Though his build is a bit slender for a PF, it works beautifully in international ball, where it aids him in getting to more blocked shots without fouling, while also being able to body most international big men. His range easily extends beyond the international three-point range, his defense both on and off the ball is amazing, he's an above-average passer, and in the past few years he's become a team-first, me-second sort of player. Verdict: Yey Okafor, Emeka; 6'10"; 252 lbs; PF/C; 22 years old (today!) Happy birthday Emeka but you aren't cut-out for international basketball. You have a limited shooting range and you have nearly no face-up game. I think you'll be good in the NBA but so is Ben Wallace. And ain't no way I'm picking him, either. Verdict: Nay Stoudemire, Amare; 6'10"; 245 lbs; PF; 21 years old Amare is a confusing decision. He's got a great post-game complimented by a decent face-up game that will only get better. I like his intensity. But there's other guys at his position that I'd rather take who are more versatile. Verdict: Nay Wade, Dwayne; 6'4"; 212 lbs; PG/SG; 22 years old He doesn't handle the ball well enough to be a PG; doesn't shoot well enough to be a SG. He's going to be a dominator on defense soon and may likely be on the Olympic Team again, but not for me. Not yet. Verdict: Nay That's 4 out of 12 players kept. But how about the coach? Larry Brown, of the Detroit Pistons, coached the 2004 USA Olympic Team. You can never count on a commitment from him. Plus, you need someone more flexible as they'll be taking on a team of guys who play a certain way in the NBA and will have a hard time changing for Team USA which, no matter what we might want, will be a part-time job for these full-time NBA guys. So, that's a "nay" on Larry. Alright, so we know who we want to carry over from this year's Olympiad to begin this new legacy of Men's Team USA Basketball. So, now, let's develop a plan. This part, to me, is easier than most are making it out to be. - - - 3. Outline the foundation of a USA Basketball _program_; not just an individual team engineered for a month or two of play. Men's Team USA Basketball needs to be more then this thing that's important every couple of years for a little bit. It needs to be something that the players, coaches, and scouts are firmly committed to year-round, even if they won't be active in the organization full-time. Some parameters need to be set off the bat. A) Players commit to two years at a time and in these two years, are required to practice two months per year and compete in any schedule international games. I know, there goes the off-season for these guys. I bet businessmen and doctors wish they had an offseason. But, among others, you don't see Manu Ginobli or Yao Ming complaining. This would only be radical to us arrogant Americans but, whatever. I'd rather have those willing to commit over the 12 best players. Team always wins over the individual. This would also make the Americans a more cohesive unit - something they totally lacked this year. B) Coaches commit to a minimum of 4 years at a time and during these four years, must hold a certain amount of meetings, attend seminars, and conduct practices. The quantities of all of these things are tough to decide and must coincide with the NBA schedule but the bottom line is that the coach needs to commit way more than the players. After all, he is the thing that will make the team tick. C) Trash the selection committee and get a group of international scouts who will commit to a minimum of 2 years at a time. The selection committee is a quick fix - we're trying to _establish_ something here. The scouts need to stay active in all personnel decisions as well as they must be stay active in watching potential competition. They should have an equal say in the final selections with the coach and his staff. D) Schedule a minimum of ten international games during the two month practice period. Team USA needs to get used to the international ways of basketball. The rules are slightly different and the game is called way different than the NBA game. E) Team USA Basketball must be re-glamorized. Remember how cool you thought the Dream Team was in 1992? Well, there is seemingly nothing special about being on men's Team USA Basketball anymore. It's time to get a new marketing strategy and work all outlets to get the public rallying around what used to be a summer olympic sport that stood above them all. Also, this will get our young future olympians to want to be a part of this great tradition. This is just the starting point; my way to ensure that men's USA Basketball is more than just something we throw together just before a major competition. More points should be added, of course. But let's start with this. - - - 4. Pick initial players based on their projected success in international basketball, NOT based on their NBA success. Thus far we have decided to keep Carmelo Anthony, Lebron James, Tim Duncan, and Lamar Odom on Team USA Basketball. The only player here I would have as a member of the starting five is Tim Duncan. So, let's pick the rest of our roster and depth. Have: 2 SF; 1 PF; 1 C Need: 2 PG; 2 SG; 1 SF; 2 PF; 1 C (or a big PF who can play C) Searching for point guards is going to be incredibly tricky. Frankly, we don't have any do-it-all point guards like in the days of Magic Johnson or Isiah Thomas. Jason Kidd can run a team and play decent defense but can't extend the defense since he can't shoot. Baron Davis is too score-first and shoots way too many erratic shots. Tony Parker is French. Sam Cassell is old. Marbury - well, you saw what happened. So, in this struggle to find my floor generals, here's who I chose. Bibby, Mike; 6'1"; 190 lbs; PG; 26 years old He shoots the three ball over .400 (.436), he racks up assists (7.0apg), commits few turnovers (2.96 pg), and for good measure, he gets nearly two steals per game (1.92 pg). Granted that's in NBA play, but if he can shoot .436 from beyond the 23'9" NBA line, think about what he'll do in international play if teams try to collapse the paint. Basically, he's the only American point guard who can consistently hit shots, find open players, and defend with the best of them. Billups, Chauncey; 6'3"; 202 lbs; PG; 27 years old He's a big, physical PG who can also extend the defense with his three point shot, as well as shut down opposing point guards. He's also proven that he can lead as he was the motor for Detroit's newfound offense in the NBA Finals upset over Los Angeles. At the shooting guard spot there should be an emphasis on SHOOTING. Save me the slashing and such for the swing-forward. I just want guys who can drain shots at the 2. This is the one position defense can be sacrificed a bit. Granted, they need to be more than one-dimensional, but I want some assassins. Thankfully, shooting is not _totally_ a lost art in America - thanks to these two guys: Redd, Michael; 6'6"; 215 lbs; SG; 25 years old The modern-day basketball definition of an assassin, Redd can hit any shot from anywhere. You can put your hands up, you can yell and scream, it doesn't matter, this guy is ice cold. His 3 point % may not be the highest (.350 last year) but he shoots a lot of them and he's the only scoring threat the Bucks have so he shoots a lot of them with a hand in his face. If you consider he shot .440 from the field, in taking over 1400 shots, this guy can flat-out stroke it. That's what we need at the 2. Redd is our guy. Hamilton, Richard; 6'7"; 193 lbs; SG; 26 years old While I give Redd the starting nod over Hamilton due to his better ability to nail the three, Hamilton may even improve his shaky three-point shot when the line is moved in 3 1/4 feet from what he's used to. Besides that, he hasn't seen an 18 footer he can't nail, and he can have a defender grabbing his shorts (from chasing him) in 5 minutes. At my starting small forward, I need a Mr. Do-It-All. I want a rugged and raw type of player who can hit shots, play hardcore defense, and create for his teammates. I know just the guy... Artest, Ron; 6'7"; 246 lbs; SF; 24 years old This is the guy I want to epitomize Team USA Basketball. I may not want him as my captain in title, but I want him as my leader in attitude, passion, and work ethic. He can score off the dribble and on the jumper, he can create plays, and he can flat-out shut guys down. On top of all of that, he has the intangibles of a great basketball player. He's a joy to watch in the NBA and he'll be great to watch representing the USA. Now for our three big guys. They say that the USA doesn't have the versatile big men like the international squads. Bull. If these three guys plus Duncan and Odom aren't versatile, either I don't get the meaning, or you are smoking crack. Garnett, Kevin; 6'11"; 240 lbs; PF; 28 years old Duncan and Garnett starting down low? Can you say domination in all phases of the big man game? Garnett easily has international three range, can take nearly anyone off the dribble, is a picture-perfect passer and decision maker, and gets the game of basketball better than most. Oh, and he's a top two or three defender at the PF position in the NBA. Yeah, this is a no-brainer. O'Neal, Jermaine; 6'11"; 242 lbs; PF/C; 25 years old O'Neal is another easy pick. He can extend his range to about 18-20 feet, and his size, while not NBA center size, is easily international center size. So, he's the perfect candidate to backup Duncan. Tall, strong, athletic, good with the ball on the perimeter, as well as in the post. No problem. Howard, Dwight; 6'11"; 240 lbs; PF/C; 18 years old Here's my controversial selection. Team USA Basketball must be thinking about the future. That's why I kept James and Anthony in the first place. That's why I pick Howard. There needs to be a young, versatile big-man for the coaches to work with, to groom him for his time to star in the Olympiad and World Games. And, hey, he'll be 22 by the Bejing Games so he should be a contributor by then. For my coach, I know but one guy who can bring these players together. His name? Pat Riley. He's seen it all with many high-profile players and big egos. He's won championships. Hell, if he can turn Lamar Odom into the consumate team-player in the name of success, he can bring USA Basketball together and be the foundation of this new tradition. We'll let him hand-pick the assistants and other personnel. Whatever he wants. We just have to get him on board. So, ladies and gentlemen, we have built a foundation for men's Team USA Basketball. Here is our roster. Starters in caps. PG: MIKE BIBBY; Chauncey Billups SG: MICHAEL REDD; Richard Hamilton SF: RON ARTEST; Carmelo Anthony; Lebron James PF: KEVIN GARNETT; Lamar Odom; Dwight Howard C: TIM DUNCAN; Jermaine O'Neal Coach: Pat Riley That, my friends, is a team who can shoot, defend, will have little problems with ego (therefore will share the ball and help each other on defense), and will be a team that we can develop for years to come. No, it's not the 12 best American players but, in my estimation, it is the best American _team_. And that's what this game is all about, especially on the international level. - - - 5. Start having meetings and practices for international competition ASAP. Quick and easy: just get the guys together, get the commitments, have them all get used to each other, then get on the practice court for two months in the 2005 NBA off season, and two months prior to the World Games. Get in touch with the elite basketball countries (as well as the less-elite) and humble yourself to them by inviting and accepting invitations for international exhibitions and tournaments. Heck, why not host one in America during the two months the team will be together? It'd be great, not only for the experience of the team, but for international athletic diplomacy - something we, as a country, royally suck at. - - - 6. Dominate the 2006 World Games and never look back Now with everything else in place, kick some butt. On paper our team may not intimidate the world as much as, say, a team with Shaq, Kobe, McGrady, etc., would. I have never seen a game won on paper, though. If this team takes the approach I have outlined, they will come together and simply dominate basketball as Team USA should. We have the best basketball players in the world. With my plan, we will also have the best basketball tradition in the world. By this time, in 2006, we will be prepared to show exactly what that means. * * * * * * * * * * For more information about Cryptic Cradle and his reviews, please click here. * * * * * * * * * * This has been a Cryptic Cradle Production.

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