USA Basketball bringin' home the BRONZE...maybe.

REDEEMEDSKIN · Post by **REDEEMEDSKIN** » Fri Aug 27, 2004 2:13 pm

It's official. Team USA can only win a BRONZE medal. They lost 89-81 to Argentina.

Heads will roll. :thump:

Let the media field day begin!!! :wink:

Justice Hog · Post by **Justice Hog** » Fri Aug 27, 2004 4:22 pm

Who cares. Let's bring back college B-Ball players!

NC43Hog · Post by **NC43Hog** » Fri Aug 27, 2004 4:35 pm

Condolenscences - hard to get used to international rules - but shooting is the same in any league - they gotta go through the hoop.

REDEEMEDSKIN · Post by **REDEEMEDSKIN** » Fri Aug 27, 2004 4:42 pm

Justice Hog wrote:Who cares. Let's bring back college B-Ball players!

Why not the "And 1" Mix Tape players?

Texas Hog · Post by **Texas Hog** » Fri Aug 27, 2004 4:46 pm

how embarrassing.....glad Ginobli lit 'em up though....he's great! Hopefully they take the gold.

REDEEMEDSKIN · Post by **REDEEMEDSKIN** » Fri Aug 27, 2004 4:51 pm

Texas Hog wrote:how embarrassing.....glad Ginobli lit 'em up though....he's great! Hopefully they take the gold.

Yes, the man can sure ball. It will go well with his NBA Championship. Can u imagine that? A foreign player having Olympic Gold and an NBA Ring before some long time NBA Vets?

Texas Hog · Post by **Texas Hog** » Fri Aug 27, 2004 5:00 pm

he has deservably become quite a celebrity in the San Antonio area....I love his playing style...."johnny hustle"....a great defender, with great hands and passing skills and becoming a pretty good shooter

gambit187 · Post by **gambit187** » Fri Aug 27, 2004 5:27 pm

What they should do is what ever team wins the final four in the olympic year, they should go to the games.

NC43Hog · Post by **NC43Hog** » Fri Aug 27, 2004 5:30 pm

gambit187 wrote:What they should do is what ever team wins the final four in the olympic year, they should go to the games.

from the Haters thread.

NC43Hog wrote:So who do get to play now that the international players are kicking our butts.

I say we let the NCAA Champion of the Olympic year play as the National team. At least they would be a team and not a group of players who aren't used to playing together.

Jake · Post by **Jake** » Sat Aug 28, 2004 12:12 am

Damn we suck. I like what one of the Sports Junkies suggsested. Let JJ Redick (from Duke) join the team. We couldn't shoot threees if our life depended on it and that kid is a sharpshooter.

SkinFan 0-16 or 16-0 · Sat Aug 28, 2004 12:38 am

They literally went to greece and embarassed the us. But I don't blame them, I blame the guys who did not come.

1niksder · Post by **1niksder** » Sat Aug 28, 2004 12:49 am

bring back college players!

skinsfaninroanoke · Post by **skinsfaninroanoke** » Sat Aug 28, 2004 8:31 am

Larry Brown picked that team right? Shouldn't let that person coach any more olympic teams...

Seems to me that every coach from now on should have to learn the rules and watch the tapes from this year to show them how to select a team for gosh sakes...

Irn-Bru · Post by **Irn-Bru** » Sat Aug 28, 2004 9:02 pm

skinsfaninroanoke wrote:Larry Brown picked that team right? Shouldn't let that person coach any more olympic teams...

Seems to me that every coach from now on should have to learn the rules and watch the tapes from this year to show them how to select a team for gosh sakes...

Well, it's not like he got the players that he would've wanted :roll:

Can anyone imagine a Shaq, Kobe, T-Mac, KG, and Kidd team that practiced together not rolling over everyone--despite how much better Europe has gotten. I don't think that we could keep killing everyone forever, but this year could've been a gold.

All things considered, I'm not terribly dissapointed. I think our team played hard for the bronze.

redskindave · Post by **redskindave** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 7:49 am

I dont even care anymore, Those guys are a disappointment HTTR

Steve Spurrier III · Post by **Steve Spurrier III** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 3:05 pm

FanfromAnnapolis wrote:Can anyone imagine a Shaq, Kobe, T-Mac, KG, and Kidd team that practiced together not rolling over everyone--despite how much better Europe has gotten.

Some of these guys aren't going to play the Olympics, and we have to deal with that. In my mind, we have three options:

1. Maintain the status-quo. This will probably result in something similar to what happened this year, the team struggles, but ends up competing for a medal.

2. Make minor changes. Do a better job with the selection committee and have the team work together for a little bit longer.

3. A complete overhaul. One radical idea: Create a U.S. Basketball Institution, and fill the team with CBA-level guys. Have them practice together all year, playing international exhibition games. That way, when the World Championships and the Olympics roll around, we will have a team filled with guys who know the international game and know each other. Another option is sending the NBA Champions, although that has numerous logistical problems.

The most likely choice is option 2, and in my opinion it will result in a Gold Medal. But looking to the long-term, unless NBA players are willing to make a very large sacrifice in order to build chemistry, I think U.S. Basketball is oging to need another major overhaul...

skinsfaninroanoke · Post by **skinsfaninroanoke** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 7:20 pm

my point is that it seemed like he brought in a bunch of take it to the hoop selfish hotdogs instead of realizing the style of play in the international game - aka zone defense and perimeter shooting.

Were it my choice, the last person I would bring in would be 5 for 36 from the field Iverson. Why not bring in some guys who can make the jump shots - the ones who don't believe the only way to score is to jam it through the hoop every time to thousands of flash bulbs?

Just my opinion here

1niksder · Post by **1niksder** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 7:35 pm

skinsfaninroanoke wrote:Larry Brown picked that team right? Shouldn't let that person coach any more olympic teams...

Seems to me that every coach from now on should have to learn the rules and watch the tapes from this year to show them how to select a team for gosh sakes...

Larry Brown had no say in the selection process he just coached the guys that showed up. Of the 12 original selections only AI and Tim Duncan excepted the invite.
If the other 10 had went I doubt we'd be having this conversation.

I watched the scrimage against PR here in J-ville and I'm surprised we won anything at all

Steve Spurrier III · Post by **Steve Spurrier III** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 7:55 pm

skinsfaninroanoke wrote:my point is that it seemed like he brought in a bunch of take it to the hoop selfish hotdogs instead of realizing the style of play in the international game - aka zone defense and perimeter shooting.

Why are the "selfish hotdogs"? Their play in Athens wasn't selfish or "hot-dogish". The problem is that they are the same kind of player, "slashers" if you will.

The team had many problems, but it didn't have anything to do with those guys being selfish, lazy or show-offish. The worked hard in Athens, and I think it is really unfair to label these guys these things...

1niksder · Post by **1niksder** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 8:17 pm

Steve Spurrier III wrote:
skinsfaninroanoke wrote:my point is that it seemed like he brought in a bunch of take it to the hoop selfish hotdogs instead of realizing the style of play in the international game - aka zone defense and perimeter shooting.

Why are the "selfish hotdogs"? Their play in Athens wasn't selfish or "hot-dogish". The problem is that they are the same kind of player, "slashers" if you will.

The team had many problems, but it didn't have anything to do with those guys being selfish, lazy or show-offish. The worked hard in Athens, and I think it is really unfair to label these guys these things...

Tha is correct they played as a team .. made the extra pass, they did whatever coach Brown asked of them. the main problem was their make up no outside shooters in a game where playing zone defense is everyones bread and butter (some of these guys hadn't seen a 2-1-2 since the where in school). The where behind the 8-ball from day one. But now we want NO need someone to blame ... it just shouldn't be the players or the coaching staff. If we are going to blame the players then we should blame the one's that stayed home and watched while others went and represented our country because someone had to do it
I was upset with Baseball being played and we weren't represented, Our baseball team didn't qualify but those that were selected all participated before being elimanated. Therefore I have more respect for them than those NBA players that turned down a chance to go on the world stage and say I'm an American

REDEEMEDSKIN · Post by **REDEEMEDSKIN** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 8:18 am

FanfromAnnapolis wrote:All things considered, I'm not terribly dissapointed. I think our team played hard for the bronze.

USA BASKETBALL....

=D>

We're #3!! We're #3! We're #3! :celebrate:

JansenFan · Post by **JansenFan** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 8:24 am

I agree on sending the college champ. What they will lose in individual talent, they will make up for in playing highly competitive ball together for 30+ games. The international game is zone defense and 3 point shooting anyway, same as college.

That being said, the 3 point line is so much shorter in international play, that it's basically a mid-range jumper. If they could have gotten Rip Hamilton or Anthony Peeler or someone like that to shoot when they clogged up the middle, we would have rolled over people.

The main people to take the blame are the selection commitee.

Steve Spurrier III · Post by **Steve Spurrier III** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 11:45 am

Now that the most talented players are leaving after just a season or skipping college all together, I don't think that college teams are talented enough or have enough chemistry to compete with these international teams...

JansenFan · Post by **JansenFan** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 11:54 am

Steve Spurrier III wrote:Now that the most talented players are leaving after just a season or skipping college all together, I don't think that college teams are talented enough or have enough chemistry to compete with these international teams...

It seems though, that the Orangemen withstanding, the teams that win it all each year have seniors and so it may not be all that bad. You may be right though.

As I said, if the selection committee would have gotten just one shooter, it may have been a different story.

Steve Spurrier III · Post by **Steve Spurrier III** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 12:49 pm

Nobody conducted himself better, nor behaved like a better representative of this basketball team than he did in the games. Maybe everyone believed Iverson needed to bring back a gold medal to use the Olympics to rehabilitate his image. They were wrong. There was far more virtue in defeat than victory here. America found out much more about Iverson without him winning the gold, than it ever would've with him winning it.

From ESPN.com by Adrian Wojnarowski:
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer04/ ... id=1870490