Gold not certain for USA

First appeared on August 6th, 2008
in The Lebanon Reporter

Some will remember days when there were three constants in life: death, taxes and the U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball Team winning gold. While death and taxes look to be unfortunate facts of life for the foreseeable future, the U.S. winning gold is not. When a rule change in 1989 allowed professional athletes to participate in the Olympics, the U.S. began a run of total basketball domination. And we mean unquestionable domination, not unlike a 40 year old playing dodgeball against second graders.
Domination isn’t a strong enough term for the original Dream Team of 1992. Those guys obliterated everyone, imagine 40 year olds playing dodgeball against second graders in wheelchairs. With a roster that included Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, Team USA posted an average margin of victory of over 40 points. Perhaps even more ridiculous, head coach Chuck Daly never used a time out during his team’s entire gold medal run. The world stood absolutely no chance back then. Look in your rearview mirror America, the world has caught up. See bronze medal in the 2004 Athens games for proof.
Let us be the first to say, there truly are no guarantees in life (does mission accomplished ring a bell?). While many experts are predicting total U.S. domination on the hardwood in Beijing this summer, we believe the U.S. winning gold is not a lock. It is highly probable, but not a guarantee.
It’s not a lock because this team will have to play defense, which many on the roster are accustomed to doing little of; or none at all unless it’s the fourth quarter of a playoff game. Team USA’s defense has already proven vulnerable in the past when facing the European teams that move so well without the ball.
Secondly superstars like Kobe and LeBron will not get bailed out every time they go to the hole by the bogus NBA calls they have made their fortunes on. These games will be officiated by international referees and, unfortunately for us, they are men Tim Donaghy doesn’t have on speed dial. The lack of bail out calls will ultimately translate into players settling for 15-20 foot jump shots. And, like playing defense effectively, making these shots is something we are not convinced anyone on Team USA will be able to do with regularity either.
The largest difference between the Dream Team of 1992 and those we have seen since is experience. Every player on the original Dream Team had substantial college experience and, consequently, a high skill set and knowledge.
Fast forward 16 years and we see a roster full of fantastic athletes with less than fantastic skills. We are of the opinion that ESPN has helped usher in an era of highlight reel players that are exciting to watch, but whose lack of experience (skipping college) and skills are ultimately ruining the NBA product.
As a general rule, foreign born players learn the nuances of the team game and work hard at honing their individual skills. This enables them to compete with the upscale Americans. If you look at the rosters of those NBA teams that have experienced the most success over the last 5-10 years you will find numerous foreign born players.
From NBC’s perspective we understand that a Team USA on the ropes makes better drama than the Dream Team pounding Angola to a lifeless 116-48 pulp, but we still long for the days of Charles Barkley stiff arming a 95 pound Chinese power forward to the ground. The quest for gold starts when Team U.S.A. begins pool play on August 10th against the host country China.