What do you think the US basketball should do to win in World play?

Question

I think they need to quit with the all star team everyone wants the ball no team unity crap, pick a very good team like the Pistons that has an all american starting 5 and maybe add in a couple of things they are missing, I think that would bring home the Gold.

Answer 1

The problems with the US team are as follows:



1) No continuity. These guys don't play together enough to know where the other will be at any moment.



2) Egos. Too many players want to be the focal point and have a difficult time accepting a secondary role.



3) Fundamentals. Many NBA players have too much interest in making the highlight reel. They go for the big flashy plays which also are a big risk at turning it over.



4) The other countries are catching up. 5-10 years ago, the non American players in the NBA was minimal. But it is growing rapidly globally and many of these other countries have players that have been playing together for years so they know each other so well. Plus, with no major television coverage, there is no temptation to attempt something flashy to make Sportscentre.



To correct all this, they have already begun moving in the right direction. They have camps to train together, a commitment from players for a few years as opposed to a few weeks, and coaches who aren't going after the starts as much as people who can do what is needed. But it will never be perfect.

Answer 2

scarbados has it exactly right.



Even though the "continuity" problem was certainly not an issue with the Dream Team (or with previous college-player teams we sent to the Olympics, except for '88), it is a big problem now. We send all of these guys over to the Olympics who are "athletic", which looks great on ESPN, but then they get their heads handed to them by European teams that are fundamentally sound.



A BRONZE medal at the 2004 Olympics?...that's an absolute disgrace.



European teams are getting better, and our guys are getting worse. We now have an NBA full of point guards that can't shoot, "shooting" guards that can't put the ball on the floor, small forwards who can't rebound or play defense, and centers who can't do ANYTHING. In Europe, their best players can do ALL of these things.



I like the idea of sending a team like the Pistons or the Spurs, along with, as you suggested, filling out the team with some pieces they might be missing. I don't think that will happen anytime soon though... Stern is interested in promoting the individual stars of the NBA, and not so much the teams themselves.



But the only way the US is going to win a gold medal anytime soon in international competition would be to send an actual NBA team, or at least the starters of a good NBA team, along with a bench that can fill the necessary roles.



I'd just like the see the USA back on top in basketball, and it's not going to happen if we keep sending superstars like Lebron, Carmello and D-Wade.



The 92 Dream Team put the rest of the world a good 30 or 40 years behind us in basketball. Now, 15 years later, the rest of the world has caught up, because we're getting worse. The European teams are taking the style of basketball we taught them in the 60s and using it against us...and it's working beautifully, for them...



Forget this all star crap... just bring home the gold! It's embarrassing as an American to watch our "all stars" get their heads handed to them.

Answer 3

Remain consistant.



Spain, Greece and Argentina are currently the gold standard of international basketball. Their rotations have been set for over 5 years now. THe players know each other's tendancies and understand their coach's vision like it is their own.



Team USA builds a team, fails to win gold, tears down that team and starts fresh. They need to settle on a 10 man roster and for 5 years drill these guys together, form an identity and realise what role will be played by each player. Allow the extra roster spots to be earned by players having stand-out years, but keep 10 players as a foundation.



Stick with this plan like Greece, Argentina and Spain did, and the US at the end of the 5 years will have more then 1 gold medal in the trophy case.



Learning to defend a pick 'n' roll wouldn't hurt either.

Answer 4

first of each and every of the the remainder of the international caught up with america in terms of the regularly occurring of the pastime. Secondly, little ones do no longer stay at school long adequate to income the wonderful thank you to play the pastime. the two they bypass from extreme college to the NBA or purely stay in college a 12 months and then bounce to the specialists. The effect of it relatively is that the regularly occurring of the NBA is at an all time low. The NBA places out an relatively inferior product and could proceed to realize this except college athletes grow to be college athletes back! The NBA replaced into at this is height in the process the '60's, '70's and genuinely in the 'eighty's. i might positioned any of those championship communities up against as we communicate's NBA championship communities. it would be no contest. as we communicate's communities would not stand a raffle against the champions from the previous.

Answer 5

The US did just fine back in the time when they had great team players put together that shared the ball. I'm glad Arenas didn't make it, he is the opposite of a team player.



Back in the time scoring did not equal team player. Bernard King was third in scoring, but the Bullets sucked so it was easy to over look him for the national team.



I also really think they talent has sagged in the NBA. Kobe is no Jordan, Nash is no Magic or Stockton, Lebron is no Drexler, Amare is no Karl Malone, Tim Duncan is no David Robinson.

Answer 6

Go back in time to the original dream team and clone them in perpetuity. These little wangsters they put out there nowadays are in it for the glory and self-promotion. Or, at the very least, ditch the "kill 'em with all stars" mentality and make an effort to assemble a solid team that can perform, regardless of the player's all star status.



Another thing to keep in mind is that the rest of the world IS catching up to the U.S. in basketball.

Answer 7

the problem with all stars is that they dont know how to work together (not necessarily because they are selfish, but because they don't know each other well enough as a team).



they dont need to give up the all star thing, they just need to practice more together.

Answer 8

US Basketball should send retired NBA stars. Pippen, Jordan, Mullin, Magic, Bird, etc. Heck, send Jayson Williams.

Answer 9

First of all, teamwork. Second, a better coach. And I want Michael Jordan back to the NBA! He's the one who helped the US to win games. They need him

Answer 10

the key to team usa succes in worldplay is to go a different route when selecting player jus like last year when selecting player who have expirence playing in tournaments like kirk hinrich and shane battier that would be assentail becuase having that expirence being final fours would be no pressure. having big name havent pan out but having college champions who played in final fours would be vital.also adding shooter such as brent berry and jason kapano can take pressure off of players such as lebron or wade

Answer 11

no i think they should have a better coach trust me the player is only as good as the teachings from the coach. i play and watch basketball all the time.

Answer 12

nobody really cares is the truth!