US Olympic basketball beyond redemption? The NBA stars comprising the
Beijing American rep don't think so.
They even go by "Redeem Team" a take on the Dream Team tag laid on the
Magic Johnson-Larry Bird-Michael Jordan juggernauts of the '90s.
This newest collection is looking to restore lost respect and
admiration for the way the US plays the game it invented. The Redeemers'
goal is to dominate once more.
After a bronze medal in Athens, the first non-gold for NBAers, and two
straight out-of-the-medal finishes in the World Championships, that task
could be easier stated than accomplished.
Are Kobe, LeBron and Co. really like an aging Hollywood starlet, an
over-the-hill beauty who can't come to grips with the fact that her best
years are behind her?
A definitive answer, I believe, is due soon in the 2008 games. The US is
nearing the point of no return.
That's not to say that the US will never win another gold medal in
basketball if they don't romp this go 'round. They would still have as
good a shot as anyone in future years.
But if they don't triumph in emphatic style in China, you can forget
about any return to US super-dominance. Ain't gonna happen.
So, what are the chances for such a hoped-for hardwood renaissance
occurring? As much as I want our guys to pull it off, I'm pessimistic
about it happening. Most importantly, our preferred offensive style just
doesn't seem to cut it anymore.
The spectacular driving and dunking modus operandi that characterizes
NBA play no longer flies against the sagging, barbed wire-tough zone
defences favoured by European and South American countries.
(It doesn't help that when the US does work the ball inside, its big men
are hacked to bits with few whistles. After Athens, Tim Duncan vowed
never to play internationally again.)
And I don't see enough US "zone busters" - guys who can consistently
hit 20 footers to make foes pay for packing defenders close to the bucket.
Basically, our overall execution - defensively as well as on offence -
is a day late and a dollar short these days.
Maybe it's because the rest of the world now plays the game the way
America USED to - fundamentally sound, team ball. Or as highly
successful old-school coach Larry Brown puts it, "the right way".
Or as I prefer: B.E. (Before ESPN). Ever since SportsCenter highlights
in the US started emphasizing spectacular dunks and Fancy Dan dishes, US
roundball has gone downhill rapidly.
A whole generation has grown up thinking that's how the game is played.
The hippity-hop set has never been exposed to the type of basketball
that made America what it once was - solid and efficient with just the
proper amount of pizzazz.
Basketball at all levels in the States has fallen prey to a
style-over-substance mentality.
Perhaps America's best hope is an ESPN poisoning of global style hoops
as well through increased worldwide exposure to smarmy Yank anchors
praising grandstanding manoeuvres with affected excitement and asinine
catchphrases.
But if the amount of American Sports Center coverage the rest of the
world gets is as paltry as ours here, the chances of any such earthly
deterioration are miniscule to zip.
I'm not getting my hopes up for any grand US resurgence. I'll be
satisfied if our guys just play hard and are well-behaved - unlike the
preening peacocks of the Sydney games.
There could be a light at the end of the tunnel, however.
Lately, I see some hot-dogging creeping into the play of various
international teams as well.
And some stars on those teams now seem more concerned with their pro
careers. Their former national team zeal appears lacking.
They act like they've already caught - even passed - the US.
So, we might see a weird bit of role reversal coming into play - with
the Americans as the hungry ones with something to prove.
Such international recidivism coupled with the US squad's return to old
school ways could result in a return to pre-eminence by the Americans.
But if foes merely came down several notches - and the US failed to
raise its game, I wouldn't call any American romp "redemption".
-bkkpost
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