More Like a Night Mare

You know when you go to the Park to play ball with your boy and you look to pick up the three best players waiting so you could have the best team and stay on the court for as long as possible?

 Thats kind of the way I see this years USA mens basketball team. I guess thats how the USA team is every year; a bunch of guys put together at the last minute and than thrown out on a court hoping that they will win as many games as possible. Ok fine fine your right the USA team does throw in a few practices before they hit up some interntional bball. And o yeah they have Kobe this year so that means their forsure going to win the gold and roll over the competetion like back in the day with Mike and Magic right? Wrong......

This years USA team, sadly to say will not have a cake walk over anyone and let alone may even lose. Here are a few reasons why.

#1: Lack of shooting. I remember when I watched the 2004 Olympic team and they couldnt shoot to save thier lives. With guys like Richard jefferson, Stephon Marbury, Allen Iverson, Lebron James, D Wade, and Shawn Marion to name a few, the USA team, in the words of Chick Hearn, could not not throw a beach ball in the ocean. In those 2004 Olympics the USA team had no pure shooters and as a result won bronze and lost three games in that tournament. In international play teams play the Zone like butter play toast and as a result the USA team is forced to shot from the outside. So one would think that this years team should have a lot of good shooters, right? Wrong again. This year 2008 team has great players but not that many real sharp shooters. Guys like Kidd, Kobe, Lebron, Wade, Carmelo, Deron and Paul can all play and take it to the rack but each one of them needs about 20 dribbles, 4 cross overs, and 3 pump fakes to get off their shot. But what about when the USA team plays a team with a great zone that traps them and clogs up the lane, thus forcing players like Kobe and Lebron to give up the ball? Besdies for Micheal Redd and maybe Prince I dont see anyone on the 2008 USA Olympic team that can catch and shoot the lights out( any one know Ray Allens cell number?) 

# 2- Not enough tough big men. Kobe Bryant was on Mike and Mike last week and he said the one thing about international ball is that they are more physical. This years team features a lot of Finesss players but not enough bangers to scare some international guys named Shaucdwqkdjwkqel. When the USA team lost in the 2006 World Basketball championships to Greece thier low post players Elton Brand and Dwight Howard combined for ten points. I also remember Tim Duncan not showing up or even being a factor in the 04' Olympics. But how can that be? One would think that the USA would have much stronger and physical teams than the Euro's. Anyone would think that a guy like Amare, Duncan, and Howard would have thier way down low againt any international team but that just hasn't been the case as the guards have really taken the load for the USA team in recent years and the big men just continue to struggle. I can not really so why big men struggle in international ball but maybe its because the USA offense is designed around guard play or maybe, in the words of Kobe, the international players are just more physical and are really puttin to the USA big men. This years team features Howard again who is much stronger and older than in 06 but from there you dont really have any physical big men.( Lets not forget Howard is also a bit banged up at the moment) Chirs Bosh and Carlos Boozer are also on the team but both those guys I see as shooting big men who play face up to the basket for the most part. I just do not see Boozer and Bosh pushing people around and dunking it in slavadasha's face. So which players would be worthy big men from the USA. I love Howard offcourse but I think he needs some help. I will give you three names who I think would be tougher, more physical, and better defenders and rebounders that would really improve the USA team down low; Tyson Chandler, Kevin Garnett, Emeka Okafur.

#3- Lack of practice and experience. It's not really the USA teams fault for thier lack of practice. I mean the NBA season ends in June and the Olympics start in August so I do understand that practice time is limited. But what I do not understand is how come the team went to Vegas last week, practiced for what like seemed like three days, and than hoped on a plave to sport thier new Nike jerseys in New York. I mean every time I go to NBA.com I see the USA team smiling for the camere and sporting thier new gear more than I see them sweating in practice. I guarantee you do not see the Argentina team showing off thier New Jerseys anywhere. There practicing away and dreaming of beating the USA team yet again. The USA team is playing againt teams that have practiced and been together for so many years. Even Spain won the 2006 Fiba championship with out Pau Gasol, thier only NBA player who was injured. What the USA team has to understand is that great teams not great players win this international stuff. I just do not think that the USA team has been together long enough to really be the clear cut favorite.

In the end I hope the USA team wins it all. It would be so embarrasing espicially this team since the USA is out of excuses. I will give them this. Many of the players on the team have tried to give this a three year commitment and it seems as if everyone cares a little bit more now than in previous years. As well, the addition of Kobe will help them a lot, but even though Kobe is the best player in the world he can not beat the world alone. 

I just do not hope that the lack of experience, lack of physicla big men, and poor shooting come back to haunt them like it did in the past. Lets just pray that this year's 08 mens basketball team is the dream team we know it can be and not turn into an awful nightmare.