Once again, the unthinkable has happened. On Friday, the Americans, led by the next generation of NBA stars, were surprised by a resilient Greek squad, losing 101-95 in the semi-finals of the World Championship.
With this one loss, the stock market and the titanic have simultaneously crashed on USA Basketball, killing the dream of a World Championship and the dream of something bigger-redemption.
Yes, redemption. That’s what this tournament was about for USA Basketball and an entire country eager to re-claim its perch on top of the basketball world.
Redemption for a disastrous sixth place finish at the 2002 World Championship in Indianapolis and redemption for a disappointing third place finish at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
And, yes, redemption forced USA Basketball to change everything. Out was the old field trip, all-star game atmosphere for players. Out was the individual, one-on-one style of play that was supposedly ruining the NBA. In was a national program with intense tryouts, training camps, and three year commitments. In was a collectivist, team-first approach that would please the greatest of communists and have Hoover and McCarthy investigating.
But none of these changes mattered. Not one bit. And now the salutes and chest bumps have been replaced by questions-some old and some new.
It should start with the same old concerns about skill sets-or lack of it. Against Greece, the Americans made only 9 of 28 three-point attempts. Even worse, they shot a Shaq-like 59% from the free throw line, missing 14 free throws.
Where were the long range gunners for the Americans? Heck, where were the guys from the local YMCA-the ones who can hit free throws when everybody is shooting for teams?
USA Basketball should have known better. Didn’t they learn anything from the 2002 World Championship or the 2004 Olympics? The key to international basketball is making the outside shot-period. It puts pressure on the defense and creates space. And with that increased space, players, especially athletic Americans, can drive the ball to the basket.
On the other hand, if the outside shot isn’t falling, defenses sag off their opponents, clogging up open space, and neutralizing the quickness and leaping ability of that same athletic American player.
But this point was overlooked by Mike Krzyzewski and Jerry Colangelo, who were responsible for selecting the American team. They didn’t include a single outside specialist-not one. There was no Mike Miller or Richard Hamilton creating space for teammates with their long range shot.
This killed the American half-court offense.
For the 2008 Olympics, Krzyzewski has to find a Craig Hodges type of hired gun. This player must be able to change the game with just the threat of using his shot.
Bottom line, USA Basketball must understand that international hoops begins and ends with the outside shot.
The three captains, Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade, and LeBron James, must shoulder the blame for such poor free throw shooting. This trio only made 13 of 23 attempts from the charity stripe. The Americans are in the finals if Anthony, Wade, and James go 20 for 23 from the line.
The argument about skill sets is nothing new. But USA Basketball must re-think their goals as an organization. There needs to be a more cohesive national program, starting when players are initially identified as elite talents.
Other countries have national programs, where star players are identified at a young age and train together for years, sometimes decades. This creates an undeniable chemistry. And USA Basketball will never be able to replicate this chemistry with six week training camps or three year commitments.
Manu Ginobili and Andres Nocioni of Argentina grew up playing together, while Anthony, Wade, and James grew up competing against each other.
This explains how the Greeks, who don’t have a single player in the NBA, can beat a team full of Americans, blessed with so much individual talent and athleticism.
The Greeks grew up playing together instead of competing for the spotlight at camps put on by shoe companies. They instinctively know how to defend the pick-and-roll, something that the Americans struggled with in Friday’s loss.
A fundamental change has to occur with USA Basketball. This starts with the creation of a national program for young players, which fosters and develops team chemistry. Without these changes, the unthinkable of 2002, 2004, and 2006 will keep happening and USA Basketball will still be talking about redemption.
By Oly Sandor. Oly Sandor is an NBA analyst and free lance journalist. His unique takes have appeared in the most prominent basketball websites, magazines, and radio stations. Oly can be contacted at OlySandorNBAGuru@yahoo.com and more of his work can be found at www.olysandornbaanalyst.blogspot.com
