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USA Olympic basketball

miner1liner

MI Hall of Famer
Feb 10, 2014
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I am speechless about the downward fall of USA basketball. I know the world has improved immensely, but at the same time we seem to have deteriorated at the same rate. I wonder if the NBA attitude of run and gun, no defense and lack of real team oriented approach is the reason. I've always admred "Pop", but our success under Krzyzewski was at the highest level and could be due to the difference between college and NBA styles.
I remember when we used to win with college players, but as the world's basketball interest soared, we started using NBA players. Well; it's a new ballgame now.
 
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Watched the Huston kid skateboard last night and he is supposed to be the so called GOAT. Yet, he couldn't land a trick when it mattered.

Same thing happened this morning. There was a point where the US was going to win going away. Then they couldn't get a stop or score and France was hitting big shot after big shot. US had a 2 point lead and just needed a rebound. Guy from France makes a crazy save and pass and Fournier nails a 3. Next possession, US misses 3 open looks at 3. Then with a chance to tie, Dame slips and falls and commits a technical.

The US chocked big time. Thats a huge concern, 2nd, they look like they are having no fun. Maybe they don't get along?
 
Popovich has been a common denominator in all these bad losses going back to Larry Brown and that Bronze ijs.

Javale McGee is the only legitimate rim protector on the squad and he was only just added to replace Kevin Love.

Bam Adebayo = Charmin. Taytum soft too…he’s just a better Rashard Lewis, that can drive, at this point.
 
I must confess; I haven't seen them play, so I can't judge anything...only the results. Hope Pop can figure it out.
 
Couldn’t agree more with you. The rest of the world has caught up to the U.S. and it is no longer uncommon to lose against European or Latin American teams. The exhibition loses by the U.S. against “weaker” competition were indicators. The rest of the world plays fundamental basketball and many of their players can shoot, especially from the free throw line and outside the arch. They also play solid defense and are great rebounders. We need to bring another great college coach to take over this program.
 
We still have far and away the best players in the world. The problem with this team is you need more "team guys". This team needs role players and guys who can do the "dirty work". This team has to many alphas who want to dominate the ball. This is like 2004 when Allen Iverson was the capitan and Larry Brown was the coach. It can't be overlooked how how good a job Coach K did. He was 158-1 and the loss was his very first game against Greece.
 
AMEN!!!!
Watching replayvof France game now. It's half time. Guess we'll see the what caused their demise in the 2nd half.
 
well think about it?? Who are the best players in the NBA right now?? I think top 5 can go to non american players.

1. Giannis
2. Joker
3. Luka
4.Embiid
5. Number 5 could be anyone , but you can argue Rudy Gobert at #5.

The American kids need to wake up and step up . Because if they dont it could turn like baseball where the best players come from latin america an dnot America.

I dont think the NBA is the best league in the world anymore. The NBA has turned into a kids game . The NBA use to have grown men playing in it. Just bunch of unproven kids now playing in it.
 
A big problem too is the fact that many of the bigger stars for The US have turned down representing the USA. Obviously that doesn’t justify two losses in a matter of days. But I agree, the USA has bread a country of skill players who want to play an isolation game at the three point line. Now you’ve got teams that play together, hustle and do the dirty work.
 
Comes down to hunger and love for the game. Too many US kids are in it for the $$$ and fame. Some (not all) are coddled and primped from early ages to be the star. The out of country guys often come in hungry and have something to prove, but most of all they put winning for country and team way ahead of stardom. Some kids posses this in US basketball but they often don't get a look for a national team and certainly not the NBA.
 
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The more I think about it and read your thoughts maybe it's comparable to what happened with Golding's guys whipping UT. A bunch of no names playing together while fired up against a bunch of stars playing for themselves.
 
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The more I think about it and read your thoughts maybe it's comparable to what happened with Golding's guys whipping UT. A bunch of no names playing together while fired up against a bunch of stars playing for themselves.
Batum, Fournier and Gobert play at a pretty high level.
 
Batum, Fournier and Gobert play at a pretty high level.
Take those three and compare them to Durrant, Lillard and any third, who would you take? The US is 100% nba players, not a roster with two or three. No way this team should lose 3 games over the past couple of weeks.
 
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Take those three and compare them to Durrant, Lillard and any third, who would you take? The US is 100% nba players, not a roster with two or three. No way this team should lose 3 games over the past couple of weeks.
Haha. Just heard Mad Dog say basically the same thing.
 
Take those three and compare them to Durrant, Lillard and any third, who would you take? The US is 100% nba players, not a roster with two or three. No way this team should lose 3 games over the past couple of weeks.
Agree, but my response was to the point that France is not playing with a bunch of no names.

There are a lot of factors that may be affecting the US team right now, but throwing a team together at the last minute has hurt their ability to win quick against high level competition. That and KD spending more effort on dogging his own teammates on social media rather than trying to win for country.
 
Agree, but my response was to the point that France is not playing with a bunch of no names.

There are a lot of factors that may be affecting the US team right now, but throwing a team together at the last minute has hurt their ability to win quick against high level competition. That and KD spending more effort on dogging his own teammates on social media rather than trying to win for country.
Your comment about Durrant says it all.
 
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There is a point in every sport where talent and ability alone are not enough, no doubt American players as a whole are more talented. But over time that gap has closed in regards to the overseas kids, it is not equal but it has closed enough that with a bit more effort, hustle and coaching the talent difference has been overcome. Watch the Princeton VS UCLA game form the NCAA tourney a few years back and you see this on display.
 
I'm not quite ready to give up on the team, given the troubles they've faced assembling some of the team (waiting for the finals to end) and losing or delaying players due to COVID. A lot of factors have contributed to the team not having enough time to play together, and not all of their woes can be blamed on prima donna attitudes.

Maybe they will come together and figure it out and improve with each game. I want to give them that opportunity before I pass judgment on them.
 
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Credit to Coach Popovich and the US players. The loss against France in the first game was a wake up call. France has several solid players who also play in the NBA. The US coaches and players made adjustmestents and played better basketball the rest of the Olympic tourney. Can’t say enough about K Durant. Great players step up when their team needs them.
 
It wasn't entirely serious. I don't have cable, so I don't often watch any of the cable news. I wouldn't call myself a Trump cheerleader, either.
Pay for an IPTV and you can get every single channel possible. It will run you at the most 20 bucks a month. I can watch El Paso local television from anywhere if I really wanted to (Just using it as an example of how many channels you can get). It has every single news station, and all the local news from every city. I have attached an example of one of them: You can try it for free.
 
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