| Team USA Eyeing Redemption |
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| Written by Phil Partington | |
| Thursday, 07 August 2008 | |
 For example, there were several problems with Team USA’s roster in 2004. For starters, there wasn’t a pure point guard on the team. Allen Iverson did a solid job covering that role, but he’s more inclined to be a scorer than a pass-first type of player. Second, there was no three-point spot shooter on the team. Carmelo Anthony and Stephon Marbury were perhaps the closest things, yet both were benched much of the time because of their poor attitudes. In Anthony’s defense, he had only played in one NBA season. Marbury, on the other hand, has had issues with his attitude in the NBA ever since. Without proper preparation and without enough experience or balance, the 2004 USA team was destined to fail in its quest for Gold. In the 2006 FIBA World Games, Team USA looked a little better, but was still missing some integral pieces. First, the roster could’ve used another defensive big man in the middle to help Dwight Howard, who was still very immature. Brad Miller was solid, but he isn’t much of a shot blocking force. Keep in mind that with the international goaltending rule, having a big man who can block shots is extremely helpful. Second, Chris Paul, who was still pretty new to the professional basketball scene, was the only pure point guard on the team. Because hand-checking is allowed, the international game favors bigger point guards. Paul struggled at times to face up against the opposition’s bigger guards. The other two guards, Kirk Hinrich, Dwayne Wade and Joe Johnson, are not true floor generals. This forced USA to use LeBron James as a point forward much of the time, which disabled him from being able to attack the basket as a scorer, which he’s best at. Third, though USA had a few solid perimeter shooters in Joe Johnson, Antawn Jamison and Carmelo Anthony, it still wasn’t enough to make them into a good shooting team. The 2008 USA team looks much improved. For starters, Dwight Howard is more developed in the paint and should dominate against international competition. Second, the addition of Michael Redd has already done wonders to USA’s offense. Redd can spread the floor and allow all the slashers on the team (James, Wade, Bryant, etc.) to take advantage of a stretched defense. Third, Kobe Bryant and Jason Kidd provide leadership the team needed in 2006. Bryant especially provides a swagger and manner that the team has badly needed. Fourth, Bryant and Tayshaun Prince provide two types of defensive stoppers who are different than what they’ve had before. Bryant is a long 6-6 athlete who can shut down any opposing guard, while Prince’s long arms and quickness allow him to guard smaller, quicker players, as well as larger, stronger players. Finally, USA has three proven point guards who can run the show, which should allow James and Wade to revert to attacking the basket more. Jason Kidd and Deron Williams are big and strong enough to give USA a strong front at the point guard spot, while Paul’s quickness and ball-handling/passing will give USA a different look. USA’s biggest challengers will likely be Spain, Greece and Argentina. Spain won Gold at the 2006 FIBA World Games and has a deep and deadly lineup full of current and former NBA players, including Pau Gasol (LA Lakers); Rudy Fernandez (Portland Trail Blazers); Raul Lopez (former Utah Jazz); Juan Carlos Navarro (former Memphis Grizzlies); Jose Calderon (Toronto Raptors); Ricky Rubio (NBA prospect); Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies); and Jorge Garbajosa (Toronto Raptors). Greece knocked off USA in the 2006 FIBA World Games semifinals, and features a balanced team led by point guard Theodoras Papaloukas, and big man Sofoklis “Baby Shaq” Schortsanitis. Argentina is also a dangerous team, and won the Gold Medal at the 2004 Olympics. However, they’re dealing with several injuries (Manu Ginobili, Fabricio Oberto, etc.) which may affect their performance. They’ll rely on current and former NBA players like Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs); Luis Scola (Houston Rockets); Oberto (San Antonio Spurs); Carlos Delfino (former Toronto Raptors); and Andres Nocioni (Chicago Bulls).         Set as favorite Bookmark Comments
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written by Chris W , August 10, 2008
What a game against China. The steals, the fast break, well played Team USA!
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