Team USA is Saving American Basketball

There is a reason that I don't watch or write about the NBA and stick to the college game. I think NBA players are spoiled, I hate watching a bunch of guys who are so supremely talented and athletically gifted walk through an 82 game season, and I despise watching a sport that has become so much about money and business as opposed to the actual game itself.

But watching this olympic team play has made me question my hatred of NBA players.

Don't get me wrong. I highly doubt that the Beijing games are going to inspire Zack Randolph to play defense or make Shawn Marion realize he was a moron for bitching his way out of Phoenix, but it really has been a great experience for me to watch this USA team play. They play hard, they play scrappy, they actually play defense. Take D-Wade as an example. He is a guy who is just two seasons removed from an NBA championship and Finals MVP trophy. But in these olympics, Wade has completely bought into his role as Team USA's hustle guy. He is everywhere - causing havoc on defense, making plays in the open floor, getting offensive rebounds. Remember, we're talking about a 26 year old that is already a four time all-star and three time all-NBA selection.

For me, there really is nothing more enjoyable then to watch basketball played the right way, and it only gets better when the players involved are the absolute best in the world. And the American demolition of the Spaniards yesterday was exactly that. Two plays stand out in my mind from these olympics. The first was when an american player got beat baseline against Greece, and LeBron James came from help side (he was outside of the lane on the other side of the court) and blocked a lay-up, got the ball back, and pushed the ball up the floor leading to a picture perfect fast break and a bucket. The other was Dwayne Wade deflecting a pass in transition, chasing the ball down before it goes out of bounds on the sideline, and in one motion grabbing the ball as his momentum is carrying him out of bounds and throwing a beautiful alley-oop to Kobe for a dunk. Both plays took incredible athleticism and ability, but were also textbook fundamentally. If you don't enjoy watching that, then you are not a basketball fan.

Before these Olympics, I was afraid that American basketball and American players had gotten to the point where we were no longer the best in the world, that too many And 1 mixtapes and too much summer and AAU basketball had killed the skills of our best players. I really hope that guys like Lance Stephenson and John Wall are watching these games, and that they are taking in what they are seeing, because if our country's young talent can emulate the way this team is playing instead of the way Eddy Curry does, then I don't see our country coming home decorated in anything less than gold for a long time to come. Continue reading...

8/14 - Some Links, Some News

-We've been talking a lot recently (here, here, and here) about the trend of universities renting hiring the AAU coach, or in some cases the father, of a big time recruit in order to get him to attend the school. These schools can only hope that it works out as well for them as it did for Kansas. The Jayhawks hired Mario Chalmers fathers, Ronnie Chalmers, in order to land the PG. Well, they did, and he ended up hitting maybe the biggest shot in KU basketball history en route to a national title. But now that Mario has moved on to the Miami Heat, Ronnie has resigned as director of basketball operations.

I don't know about anyone else, but I refuse to believe that hiring the parent or AAU coach of an athlete in order to get them to attend the school is ethical. I guess Ronnie Chalmers was somewhat qualified (he was a high school coach), but to me, this trend is just all sorts of wrong. It is how Memphis landed DaJuan Wagner (Milt Wagner, father), how Kansas State landed Michael Beasley (Dalonte Hill, coach), and now it looks like it is how Baylor will may land John Wall.

-More Jayhawk news. Remember during the draft, when there were reports that Darrel Arthur's grades were tampered with during high school? Well, Arthur and the South Oak Cliff School District have both been cleared of any wrong doing by the Superintendant's Office of Personal Responsibility.

-I've never actually seen film of Pistol playing before, but after watching this video, I'm convinced that he would have killed it on the And 1 mixtape tour.

-Coach K is a pretty surly dude. Check out his reaction to a reporters question about whether the US team dunking so much against China was showing off?

"There was no showing off," he said with an edge in his voice. "You dunk when you have to dunk. They have 7-footers. If you don’t take it hard, Yao would block it. He did block one. … I don’t know your definition of showing off, to me that’s hard basketball. I thought we played very hard. I thought we took it to the basket hard. Don’t confuse hard with showing off."

He then glared at the person who asked the question, a reporter with an accent. And he said: "Maybe it’s a difference in our languages. Maybe in your language playing hard means showing off."

It wasn't even that bad of a question.

-You guys remember Todd Bozeman? He's the old coach of Cal that was suspended for 8 years because of recruiting violations(admitting to paying a recruits parents $30,000). I have no idea if this is real (I'm assuming that it is) but Bozeman now has a blog. He's now the coach at Morgan State. And although his blog is pretty boring, I don't know if I've heard of another coach or player as notable as he is starting a blog on their on accord (he's on blogger as well).

-You want to know if you are can be a D1 coach? Take the test right here.

-In other coaching news, it looks like Jim Calhoun has beaten cancer for the third time and skin cancer for the second time. It sounds like he will be back at full strength.

-A couple of great reads. Gary Parrish writes about Milton Jennings, a top 10 recruit committed to Clemson who grew up with a very tough childhood but turned his life around and is now a great student as well. Dana O'Neil (I know, I know, I link to just about all of her columns) wrote a great piece on IUPUI's trip to Peru to give shoes to the poor.

-Some last tidbits. The field for the Jimmy V Classic has been announced: West Virginia will play Davidson, and Texas will take on Villanova. Keon Lawrence, a guard who averaged 11 ppg as a sophomore last year at Missouri, has announced that he is transferring to Seton Hall. He will be applying for an NCAA hardship ruling (two members of his immediate family are ill and he wants to play close to them) which, if granted, will mean he does not have to sit out the required one year for transferring. Chace Stanback, who played last season at UCLA, has decided to transfer to UNLV. Continue reading...

NCAA Olympic Team

I realize that I am completely ripping this idea off from Storming The Floor, but I've always loved drafts and making fantasy teams. The idea here is that we pretend that it is 20 years ago and that NBA players are not allowed to play in the Olympics, meaning that our national team is to be made up of strictly college players. A couple of ground rules - they must be players that were on a 2007-2008 roster (so sorry Demar Derozan and BJ Mullens, maybe in 2012) and no one that was drafted can make it because, well, they are professionals now. And it would ruin the fun.

Before I get into the team, I want to lay a few things out there. First of all, in this scenario, the US team is going to be lacking some size inside (actually sounds like the current Olympic team) because most of the big centers are either foreign or, well, in the NBA already. I also picked the team with a preference to the style of play I like to watch and that I think would be most effective.

So without further ado, here is my hypothetical 2008 US Olympic Team.


Coaching Staff:

Head Coach: Mike Krzyzewski
Assistants: Jim Boeheim, Jim Calhoun, Roy Williams, Ben Howland

I don't think much argument can be made that Coach K isn't the best coach out there right now, especially considering he is currently the national team's coach. I put Calhoun and Williams on there because both of them preach pressure defense (more Calhoun) and fast break offense (more Williams). I think Howland has got to be on there. He is the only coach that I even considered over Coach K (I like a more uptempo style of play then Howland teaches), and having a defensive mastermind like that can only help. You have to throw Boeheim on there because of the likelihood you face a zone, and who better to teach a team how to beat a zone.

Starting Line-up:

G: Darren Collison, UCLA
G: Stephen Curry, Davidson
F: Gerald Henderson, Duke
F: Blake Griffin, Oklahoma
C: Tyler Hansbrough, UNC

Bench:

G: Ty Lawson, UNC
G: AJ Price, UConn
G: Jerel McNeal, Marquette
G: Jack McClinton, Miami
G: Nick Calathes, Florida
F: Terrence Williams, Louisville
F: Raymarr Morgan, Michigan State
F: Kyle Singler, Duke
F: Patrick Patterson, Kentucky
C: Jordan Hill, Arizona

Last cuts:

G: Levance Fields, Pitt
G: Chase Budinger, Arizona
G: Lee Cummard, BYU
G: Kyle McAlarney, Notre Dame (replaces AJ Price if we're counting injuries)
F: Damion James, Texas
F: Sam Young, Pitt
F: Luke Harangody, Notre Dame

I'll take you through my thought process. With the lack of size inside (tallest is about 6'9"), I figured that in order to be successful, I would need to put together a team of guys that were athletic, play-makers, could shoot threes, and were able defend. So a lot of guys (like McNeal, Henderson, Calathes) that don't really get a lot of publicity or notoriety got a shot because they do a lot of different things.

The biggest issue I saw with the team was defense. There really isn't any shot-blocking presence on this roster (except maybe Jordan Hill), so I was looking for guys that played in programs that were known for their defense. Without someone an eraser at the rim to save you, this team is going to be good on the ball and help-side defenders. When I envision this team competing at the international level, I see them playing tough man-to-man in the half court, and (with the right guys of the floor) using some pressing and trapping defenses in the full court.

Other than Griffin and Hansbrough, there really isn't anyone on this team that can create their own shot in the post (and even those two get by more on strength and/or athleticism than they do their post moves). So I tried to put guys out there that know how to run the floor on a fast break, and guys that not only could create, but could also finish, be it at the rim or the three point line.

The style I see this team playing is that of Duke's team last year, kind of similar to what UConn does (pressure defense for 40 minutes, running the floor on offense), only with more fluidity on offense and less reliance on the blocked shot.

I think I've assembled a pretty good team here, but let me know if I've missed or overlooked anyone. Keep an eye out for a post from Ross giving you his NCAA Olympic team. Continue reading...

America goes for gold

The Beijing Olympics begin on August 8, and perhaps no American athlete or team will be scrutinized as much as the men's basketball squad. The team, selected by USA Basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski and the head of USA basketball, Jerry Colangelo, is comprised of NBA stars. Kobe Bryant and LeBron James headline the team, but there is all-star talent from top to bottom. A collection of players of this caliber should have no problem running over the competition on their way to a gold medal, right?

The answer is not so simple. On the one hand, all signs point to the Americans reclaiming their place atop the basketball world. After a disappointing showing at the Athens Olympics is 2004 when the U.S.A. struggled to a bronze medal, the committee was determined to make international competition more of a priority. Coach K was brought in, and a three-year commitment was required of all players. Americans began to get smart about why NBA players, considered the best in the world, were losing to supposedly inferior international competition. Athleticism and flare are less important playing under international rules, and defense and outside shooting become critical. The roster was altered, adding dynamic playmakers like Chris Paul, outside shooters like Michael Redd, and defensive specialists like Shane Battier. The proof was in the pudding, as the American team coasted to an undefeated showing at the FIBA Americas tournament last year. The Dream Team, it seems, is back.

Not so fast. While the American team has made drastic improvements over the past two years, the rest of the world is keeping up. An increasing number of international players join the NBA every year, and many have become stars. Tony Parker, Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol are just a few that have proven that international talent can succeed at the highest level. Perhaps more importantly, many pundits believe that the U.S. Olympic team is flawed. Only one true center, Dwight Howard, was added to the roster, meaning that players might have to play out of position (LeBron James will see considerable time at power forward). A lack of size could hurt the U.S. against bigger, physical teams like Argentina.

Also, Redd is the only consistent outside shooter, and if he is not making his shots, the U.S. could struggle against a team that played an aggressive zone defense. Many have questioned the rationale behind taking three point guards (Paul, Deron Williams and veteran Jason Kidd) and leaving off a great shooter like Mike Miller, or another big body like Amare Stoudemire.

So what will happen? If I was a betting man, I wouldn't bet against the Americans. Their combination of incredible talent and a renewed desire to bring the gold medal back to the states should lead to victory in Beijing. But anyone that expects it to be easy is fooling themselves. There are great basketball players around the world, and for many prideful American basketball fans, this is a necessary but painful realization. Continue reading...