This is where you can discuss the FIBA World Championship games:

When?
August 19th - Sept 3rd

Where?
Japan

What Teams have qualified?

Group A
NGR:NIGERIA (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/ngr_e.html)
LIB:LEBANON (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/lib_e.html)
ARG:ARGENTINA (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/arg_e.html)
FRA:FRANCE (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/fra_e.html)
VEN:VENEZUELA (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/ven_e.html)
SCG: SERBIA & MONTENEGRO (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/scg_e.html)

Group B
PAN: PANAMA (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/pan_e.html)
NZL:NEW ZEALAND (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/nzl_e.html)
GER:GERMANY (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/ger_e.html)
JPN:JAPAN (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/jpn_e.html)
ESP:SPAIN (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/esp_e.html)
ANG:ANGOLA (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/ang_e.html)

Group C
QAT:QATAR (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/qat_e.html)
AUS:AUSTRALIA (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/aus_e.html)
TUR:TURKEY (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/tur_e.html)
LTU:LITHUANIA (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/ltu_e.html)
BRA:BRAZIL (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/bra_e.html)
GRE:GREECE (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/gre_e.html)

Group D
SEN:SENEGAL (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/sen_e.html)
USA:U.S.A (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/usa_e.html)
CHN:CHINA (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/chn_e.html)
ITA:ITALY (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/ita_e.html)
PUR: PUERTO RICO (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/pur_e.html)
SLO:SLOVENIA (http://www.fiba2006.com/teams/slo_e.html)



What teams will USA play in the first round?

Sat. 19 Aug 14:00 PUERTO RICO vs UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Sun. 20 Aug 19:30 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA vs CHINA

Tue. 22 Aug 19:30 SLOVENIA vs UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Wed. 23 Aug 19:30 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA vs ITALY

Thu. 24 Aug 19:30 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA vs SENEGAL

Good work Merc!

I don't know about you, but I'm jonesing to see a Qatar vs. Lebanon throwdown. Talk about Battle Of The Titans!

BTW, that game should have a "No backpacks allowed" rule.

I'll definitely follow this. I enjoyed Eurobasket last summer. Kinda curious to see what kind of teams Japan, Senegal and Lithuania have. Lithuania has a population of less than 4 million.

BTW, that game should have a "No backpacks allowed" rule.
LMAO :laugh:

Just watched some warm up games before the World Championships starts, Argentine vs. Slovenia. First time I have the chance to watch Carlos Delfino play that many minutes in a competitive basketball game. He has a heck of a game.

He's not the type of player who can catch and shoot. He's definitely a slasher who can create his own shoot. Hopefully, he gets more minutes in the coming season.

I realize that our time is GMT-4. Just to give some time relationship, Singapore is GMT+8. I do not know what China and Japan's differential's are but I was just emailing someone in Singapore and he told me they are GMT+8.

Hope we get to see some of the action. That is wht VCRs are for :laugh: :laugh:.

You probably know that Serbia & Montenegro play France on NBA-TV Sunday evening at about 6:00. It would be a good chance for the DMC naysayers to reassure themselves that he is a still bust :eyebrows: :nod: :eyebrows: :nod: and a good chance for the DHOF club to reassure themselves that he is coming along fine :laugh: :nod: :laugh: :nod: :laugh: .

I am out of luck because I was so sure that Charter Cable in mid Michigan would carry NBA-TV, I waited too long to have it added to my cable and now that I find that they do not offer it, or League Pass, it is too late to have a dish installed in time for this game.

Enjoy it, but if you do and have a spare videotape, you could throw it in the VCR and I will buy it from you. You don't even have to monitor it.

Does anyone out there have the heart to help an out old poster :fingerscr :fingerscr ???

You probably know that Serbia & Montenegro play France on NBA-TV Sunday evening at about 6:00. It would be a good chance for the DMC naysayers to reassure themselves that he is a still bust :eyebrows: :nod: :eyebrows: :nod: and a good chance for the DHOF club to reassure themselves that he is coming along fine :laugh: :nod: :laugh: :nod: :laugh: .

I am out of luck because I was so sure that Charter Cable in mid Michigan would carry NBA-TV, I waited too long to have it added to my cable and now that I find that they do not offer it, or League Pass, it is too late to have a dish installed in time for this game.

Enjoy it, but if you do and have a spare videotape, you could throw it in the VCR and I will buy it from you. You don't even have to monitor it.

Does anyone out there have the heart to help an out old poster :fingerscr :fingerscr ???
lazy, if you remind me, I might be able to help you out. I'll do my best.

Btw, have you considered getting a second membership in the UHOF? Unko Debunkalogo is going to be the next big thing in the NBA.

Rosco, where do I sign up?? Is that an inside joke that I have not seen, or is it brand spankin' new?

You were such a good friend before, I didn't want to bother you again, but . . . I will remind you again Saturday, if that is not being a pest.

Thanks for the good intentions.

Reminder.

USA vs PR at 1am Sat mourning on ESPN2

Interesting read at CBS Sportsline from Tony YEEHAW!

http://cbs.sportsline.com/nba/story/9608586

USA vs PR at 1am Sat mourning on ESPN2

US 57 - Puerto Rico 51 at the half.

Halftime of this game and US is up by 6 pts only.

All I kept hearing about on play by play during the exhibition games is how great the pressure defense of US team is. But I've got a bit of a bad feeling that the pressure is only happening on the perimeter while Puerto Rico is passing or slashing into the paint pretty consistently.

We just beat these guys by a lot in exhibition. I hope this isn't a deja vu all over again with Puerto Rico.

US is kind of pulling away now.

This is my 1st game. I notice the International rules seem to effect everyone except Lebran James. Guess he is just that good to be able to adjust. Wade seems to be a non-factor.

Aussies knock off Brazil. Way to go team! Too bad Chris Anstey couldn't play. Bogut contributed his usual 10+10, but I was expecting more from him.

One more good article for folks interested in the World 'Ships

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Basketball/Worlds/2006/08/19/1765320-sun.html

Also, this little nugget (http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060819/SPORTS/608190304/1004)
M.I.A.
The small African nation of Senegal might have had a good basketball team if Pape Sow (Toronto Raptors), DeSagana Diop (Dallas Mavericks), Boniface N'Dong (Los Angeles Clippers), Saer Sene (Seattle SuperSonics) and Cheick Samb (Detroit Pistons) decided to play in Japan. Each chose not to play for various reasons, mostly because they didn't want to get dunked on by Uncle Sam.
In all fairness, Pape Sow is injured.

M.I.A.The small African nation of Senegal might have had a good basketball team if Pape Sow (Toronto Raptors), DeSagana Diop (Dallas Mavericks), Boniface N'Dong (Los Angeles Clippers), Saer Sene (Seattle SuperSonics) and Cheick Samb (Detroit Pistons) decided to play in Japan. Each chose not to play for various reasons, mostly because they didn't want to get dunked on by Uncle Sam.Maybe they'll get over their jitters playing in the NBDL or NBA the next year, and join up for the Olympics next time around. It would be fun to see NBA Senegal play ball with anyone!

Watched the USA game on tape earlier today. Out of the big three/captains, Carmelo was the only one who looked good in the halfcourt offense. Wade didn't do too much out of any sets, and Lebron jacked up several idiotic shots early on in possessions. The fast-break, of course, is where these guys are all basically unstoppable, and that was the difference today. Joe Johnson hit a few threes right off the bench, and Hinrich drained a few corner-pocket Mo Evans specials.

On defense for the USA, it was usually feast or famine--either they forced a turnover with a steal or a block, or they got served on dribble penetration by the Puerto Rican guards. And not just Arroyo, they made a couple of other dudes look like All-Stars as well.

Watched the USA game on tape earlier today. Out of the big three/captains, Carmelo was the only one who looked good in the halfcourt offense. Wade didn't do too much out of any sets, and Lebron jacked up several idiotic shots early on in possessions. The fast-break, of course, is where these guys are all basically unstoppable, and that was the difference today. Joe Johnson hit a few threes right off the bench, and Hinrich drained a few corner-pocket Mo Evans specials.

On defense for the USA, it was usually feast or famine--either they forced a turnover with a steal or a block, or they got served on dribble penetration by the Puerto Rican guards. And not just Arroyo, they made a couple of other dudes look like All-Stars as well.

Wow. Great game summary d4e. I don't understand how the commentators keep saying defense is our strength on this team. I think it must be wishful thinking. Too much dribble penetration to easy baskets for Puerto Rico, as you say.

Reminder:

US vs. China Sunday today at 6:30 am EST. ESPN2

That's in three hours. If you're still up and checking out pf.com, maybe just stay up for the game.

Chris Paul, Joe Jackson, Kirk Heinrich have been impressive and fun to watch. Chris Paul is the real deal.

I expect great things from LeBron and Wade so in a way they're not as much fun to watch. Carmelo has been a surprise dominant force and might just need to be on a better team in the future. I don't think those Nuggets are the best fit for him.

Wee hour meanderings. Waiting for the game.

Wade leads USA hoops team to rout of China (http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/6-0&fd=R&url=http://www.tsn.ca/news_story.asp%3FID%3D174796%26hubName%3Dmain&cid=1108912655&ei=7I3oRI3jNMOOaLyH-OUI)
TSN.ca, Canada

Using a swarming defence and their huge advantage in depth to make life miserable for China and its all-star centre, the Americans rolled to a 121-90 victory Sunday night to remain unbeaten at the world championships.

Looks like this squad realizes there is no "I" in team. The feeling coming out of this camp is way different than the Larry Brown incarnation. :nod:

Not to defend Ol' Lair, but this team is made up of a lot of younger players. There aren't the veterancy issues the last team had.

Also, this team is built specifically to address US strengths. Athleticism and a running game. The last team was a hodge podge of "best of" players from the NBA who were willing to compete internationally. Way to half court oriented without the needed shooters for that style.

I think it is less Larry Brown and more Bryan Colangelo. Colangelo has a better understanding of the international style game.

Chris Paul, Joe Jackson, Kirk Heinrich have been impressive and fun to watch. Chris Paul is the real deal.


Oops! That's Joe Johnson.

I have good feeling about this years team.

Expanding on Rosco's point three guys that were there before Lebran, Wade and Carmello ( I think Wade was on the last team? ) are all 2 years older and much more experienced. Plus a problem with Browns team he was trying to teach. You don't have time for that.

The whole US program seems to have learned from past mistakes.

Billups was supposed to be on this team. I have mixed feeling about that because he can use all the rest he can get. But just imagine how easy it would be for Billups to nail 3's with this shorter line.

Not to defend Ol' Lair, but this team is made up of a lot of younger players. There aren't the veterancy issues the last team had.

there aren't the coaching issues the last team had. lb should have played the best players and played them in a style that fit the team. playing the vets just because they are vets is stupid and didn't work.


Also, this team is built specifically to address US strengths. Athleticism and a running game. The last team was a hodge podge of "best of" players from the NBA who were willing to compete internationally. Way to half court oriented without the needed shooters for that style.

I think it is less Larry Brown and more Bryan Colangelo. Colangelo has a better understanding of the international style game.

i think larry brown didn't play his team to it's strenths. even with a hodge podge of nba players he should have been able to get the gold. i just don't have the confidence that lb will use the players to the strenths. he puts square pegs in round holes all the time. i think the problem was the coach not the players. if you give don nelson a team with shooters he'll have them shoot. if you give him a team with runners he'll have them run. lb wasn't the right guy for the job.

The whole US program seems to have learned from past mistakes.

Billups was supposed to be on this team. I have mixed feeling about that because he can use all the rest he can get. But just imagine how easy it would be for Billups to nail 3's with this shorter line.

i still don't think we have enough shooters. if one of those international teams get hot from 3 point land we are ripe for an upset. but we should be set for the olympics when chauncey or redd get on the team.

So far Arroyo is leading all teams in PPG and is 3rd in assists.

Darko vs. France- 14 points, 9 rebs, 1 steal, 3 blocked shots.
Darko vs. Lebanon- 18 points, 4 rebs, 1 blocked shot.

Kelvin Cato- working on authoring his 3rd children's book.

So far Arroyo is leading all teams in PPG and is 3rd in assists.

Darko vs. France- 14 points, 9 rebs, 1 steal, 3 blocked shots.
Darko vs. Lebanon- 18 points, 4 rebs, 1 blocked shot.

Kelvin Cato- working on authoring his 3rd children's book.

Cato's working on a book? I wonder how long it will take him to color it.


Darko had four whole rebounds against Lebanon?

Cato's working on a book? I wonder how long it will take him to color it.


Darko had four whole rebounds against Lebanon?

i heard he only played the first half of the lebanon game. there were no rebounds all the shots were going in. the game was over by half time and that's a fiba halftime.

Cato's working on a book? I wonder how long it will take him to color it.


Darko had four whole rebounds against Lebanon?

That's funny.

But seriously, I think what I've wondered most during the offseason is how much (if at all) we are going to regret dealing him. I know things changed when Ben "left without warning" but as much as I tease about Darko and know he has some questionable work ethics/personality traits, I am still extremely curious to see how he does this year.

I find myself rooting against him because I don't want to think we gave up a valuable asset for nothing. Sorry Darko fans, no offense intended, but I'm a Pistons fan before anything else.

With a little different management philosophy, the Pistons could be the team with three players starring for three different teams in the FIBA Championship Games, instead of the Orlando Magic.

U.S. beats Slovenia 114-95 clinching a spot in the round of 16 at the world championships.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AiDHlZVATXeliNK5FQIYIY05nYcB?slug=ap-worlds-slovenia-us&prov=ap&type=lgns

I wonder if this go round with team USA is a litmus test for coach K.
If it turns out positive will he become interested in leaving the college coaching ranks.

I wonder if this go round with team USA is a litmus test for coach K. If it turns out positive will he become interested in leaving the college coaching ranks.

Oh God I hope not. Because Coach AMEX just irritates the hell out of me for some reason. Maybe because I think his quiet humble demeaner masks his true nature as an authoritarian power junkie. Yeah, that's it. I don't want to have to watch him in the NBA too. It's bad enough all the hype over him in March Madness. Does he wear a bad toupee or is that really his hair with too much BrylCream in it?

I think he has already been offered NBA coaching jobs. Wasn't he offered the Lakers coaching job after they fired Phil? I think he turned it down because "his heart was at Duke." We know all about the integrity of the heart in this sport, don't we?

If it's inevitable, maybe he should get the Knicks the first time out!

Tough win against Italy (94-85).


http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AiYCBCLFr355X0ghzPJdLZc5nYcB?slug=ap-worlds-us-italy&prov=ap&type=lgns

Milicic had 18 points, 6 blocked shots, 11 rebounds and was 8/16 from the field against Venezuela in a blow-out.

Also, Carmelo Anthony is playing like the best player on the US.

I was watching the live stats and Melo scored like 19 points in the 3rd. I never used to like him that much, but as he matures I find myself liking him more. Not as flashy as the other 2 big names from that draft.

If we (australia) happen to make it to the next round we will be playing you guys. But our team has a lot of new and untested guys.

Milicic had 18 points, 6 blocked shots, 11 rebounds and was 8/16 from the field against Venezuela in a blow-out.

Also, Carmelo Anthony is playing like the best player on the US.

That's one helluva line!

Interesting day so far...

Dirk has 47(!) against Angola, but only scraped home by 5.

Battle between Darko and Delfino. Both had good games by the looks of it.
Darko - 10/18, 24p, 12r
Delfino - 14p (4/5 3pt)

Aussies thrash Qatar and keep their chances alive. (yay!)

China beat Slovenia with a 3 at the buzzer.

Now I just need Lithuania to down Brazil and we'll be heading towards a match-up with the US.

I saw the US vs. Italy, and anyone confident about US basketball supremacy should see how well the elite Int'l programs match up against the Americans.

At halftime, it was all Italy.

There is going to come a day when the US will be expected to finish 4th or lower, even with a dream team. The world is catching up.

I don't know about that, Roscoe. I suspect it'll be more like Brazil's situation in the World Cup. They always have the most talent and everyone always picks them as the favorite to win, which they still do more often than anyone else, just not every time.

Alright! A matchup with the US. Will be quite a challenge as this Aussie team is but a shell of its former self. We are missing a couple of good players and our crop of veterans are all gone.
Andrew Bogut is the only recognisable player outside of Oz pretty much.

If only we still had Andrew Gaze... In case you don't know who he is, he won a championship with the Spurs in 99, but didn't get much of a go.
He is the all-time olympic scoring leader, and 2nd all-time world championship scorer. He used to carry us in international play. I wish I could find some of those games.
His stats from the Aussie league are insane and will never be beaten.

You can find more info here. Anyway, thats just me trying to psyche myself up for the game and a small tribute to our main man. I'll be happy with a competitive performance from the Boomers.

Basic Summary
http://www.interbasket.net/players/gaze.htm

In-depth Summary
http://users.chariot.net.au/~spcardwd/gaze2.htm (http://users.chariot.net.au/%7Espcardwd/gaze2.htm)

Go team!

It is still but a dream but I would like to see the U.S. vs Ser/Mont in the finals. To see like the top six draft picks in '03 on the floor together would be something.

In order to make it more fair, though, could we split them up so Darko does not have to take them all on at once?

Why isn't Glynny on the Greek team? He must suck.

Without overly hyping the subject (for fear of igniting the Darko-lover haters)...

Out of 278 players in the FIBA Championships, our former towel boy is currently 13th in ppg, 5th in rebs, and 1st in blocks.

Our former chopped liver point guard is 4th in ppg and 4th in assists.


At least Delfino is breaking out... 14th in steals and a decent 9.8 ppg.


The Pistons may very well have a systematic talent recognition problem.

is it me or does bosh suck.

he looks really bad out there in that 12th man role. but the fact that we all know he's a beast in the nba brings up a funny point to me. darko looked kinda bad in the 12th man role and he's tearing up the world championships and is the man on his team. isn't it funny how oppurtunity or lack of oppurtunity can alter the perception of the quality of a player.

right now based only on how they are doing in the world championships who can honestly say they would take bosh over darko??? i don't think anybody would be saying those "man we could have drafted bosh" comments.

Without overly hyping the subject (for fear of igniting the Darko-lover haters)...

Out of 278 players in the FIBA Championships, our former towel boy is currently 13th in ppg, 5th in rebs, and 1st in blocks.

Our former chopped liver point guard is 4th in ppg and 4th in assists.


At least Delfino is breaking out... 14th in steals and a decent 9.8 ppg.


The Pistons may very well have a systematic talent recognition problem.

not to mention darko started out the tourney with some pretty bad to average games. he has really picked it up as the tourney goes on.

lets hope delfino gets some minutes when he comes back home.

is it me or does bosh suck.
It's you.

He is another surprising statistic. There are only 2 players in the FIBA Championships who have more blocked shots than personal fouls. Darko is leading with a ridiculous 1.6:1.0 ratio. Gasol is 2nd at 1.1:1.0.

I always thought that Darko's biggest weakness was that he was foul prone and could be pump faked easily. Maybe he caught on.

is it me or does bosh suck.

he looks really bad out there in that 12th man role. but the fact that we all know he's a beast in the nba brings up a funny point to me. darko looked kinda bad in the 12th man role and he's tearing up the world championships and is the man on his team. isn't it funny how oppurtunity or lack of oppurtunity can alter the perception of the quality of a player.

right now based only on how they are doing in the world championships who can honestly say they would take bosh over darko??? i don't think anybody would be saying those "man we could have drafted bosh" comments.
Bosh put up 20 points yesterday...
He was saying he hardly gets to touch the ball with all of the other talented players... let's just say the talent pool goes much deeper than the Serbian team... Bosh doesn't play near the minutes as Darko... the Serbian coach is using Darko as a primary option right now.... I wish that would have happened last year.

He is another surprising statistic. There are only 2 players in the FIBA Championships who have more blocked shots than personal fouls. Darko is leading with a ridiculous 1.6:1.0 ratio. Gasol is 2nd at 1.1:1.0.
It is an interesting number. Only four NBA players were above 1 all of last season (regular season) -

Kirilenko - 1.36
Griffin (Eddie) - 1.18
Camby - 1.16
Wallace (Ben) - 1.10

Then Mourning at 0.98, Brand at 0.89, etc. Gasol was 0.83 in the NBA.

Could be a good number to consider when evaluating defense via stats.

Bosh put up 20 points yesterday...

darko put up 16 against the hawks once upon a time in a piston jersey. when bosh was given the minutes and shots he produced and showed what he was capable of.


He was saying he hardly gets to touch the ball with all of the other talented players... let's just say the talent pool goes much deeper than the Serbian team... Bosh doesn't play near the minutes as Darko...


darko hardly touched the court with all the talented players on the pistons. let's just say the talent pool on the pistons goes much deeper than the raptors. bosh i'm sure has probably tripled darko's minutes in nba game time.


the Serbian coach is using Darko as a primary option right now.... I wish that would have happened last year.
the raptors are using bosh as the primary option.

my post wasn't to really bash bosh it was just to point out how similar they look when given similar playing time. even though bosh is playing a little more than darko was playing on the pistons. just think if roles were reversed in the nba some of you would be calling bosh a bust right about now instead of darko.

It's you.

maybe i'm watching a different world championships. ok maybe he doesn't suck but he sure isn't playing like the guy that had some people wishing we drafted him instead of darko.

maybe i'm watching a different world championships. ok maybe he doesn't suck but he sure isn't playing like the guy that had some people wishing we drafted him instead of darko.
This may be why...

http://tinyurl.com/hpb5h

And before you cry, it's per 48 with Bosh playing with Larry, Curly and Arajuo in Toronto.

For $700k less per year (average) Bosh buys you a lot more draft pick.

Getting back to the tourney...

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/25/sports/basketball/25hoops.html?_r=1&ref=sports&oref=slogin

http://cbs.sportsline.com/nba/story/9619524

Btw, Tony Meija is a big hater. Check out his Greece vs. China drivel.

This may be why...

http://tinyurl.com/hpb5h

And before you cry, it's per 48 with Bosh playing with Larry, Curly and Arajuo in Toronto.

For $700k less per year (average) Bosh buys you a lot more draft pick.

yup. good link it proves my point. do a per 40 minute stat line using the fiba games and the results will be the total opposite. darko would look like the definite better player which in reality isn't true. they are both good players.

yeah and the money thing only applies if you think of bosh being drafted later. i was pointing out how people say we should have maybe drafted bosh instead of darko. which means he would have been a # 2 pick and making the same as darko.

Ok, I'm really not into following Darko, but here are the 40 minute stats. Bosh has not been stinking it up on a per minute basis as bad as some would believe. Like I wrote, "it's you".

http://www.pistonsforum.com/images/picdump/milicic_bosh_082506.png

Ok, I'm really not into following Darko, but here are the 40 minute stats. Bosh has not been stinking it up on a per minute basis as bad as some would believe. Like I wrote, "it's you".


yes. he has been stinking it up. bosh had one good game. just like in the 2004 season darko had one good game. that game saved bosh on a per minute basis. just from watching though he's looked bad and darko has looked good. he looked like he couldn't get a rythm in limited minutes. statistically they are similar but in reality darko has had a much better world championships by a very big margin. even though we know if bosh were put into darko's position he would have a very good worlds too. it's just difficult for bosh to do it in limited minutes. maybe he has blood flow problems.

maybe he has blood flow problems.
Thanks for the laugh. I needed that today. :)

Ok, I'm really not into following Darko, but here are the 40 minute stats. Bosh has not been stinking it up on a per minute basis as bad as some would believe. Like I wrote, "it's you".

A guy stuck to the bench, traded for zip for being crap, is now leading his country, and crushing Bosh in the 40 minute stat (Beats him in almost every category, except percentage, but Darko takes deeper shots). If Detroit drafted Bosh, he'd be an even bigger bust than Darko was portrayed to be.

Question, last time a team let a hyped player go (saying he was a bust) and that player proved them wrong? And who's fault would it be? The former team? Or the former player?

I started a World Championship predictions thread in the Interactive section of the forum. Roscoe customized a FIBA.com Bracket for use in our predictions. Also you should be able to print it if you want. Or just admire it!

http://www.pistonsforum.com/images/picdump/fiba_world_cham_brac.gif

It didn't take Darko long to declare himself the best player on his team. Or think it anyway.

So far tonight he has taken 17 shots only 2 minutes into the 3rd quarter, while the rest of the team has taken just 20!

Oh yeah, he's made 5 of those. Gasol and Spain giving them a lesson at the moment.

EDIT: Make that 20 to 21.

I just looked on my cable guide.

At noon on Saturday (8/26), FSN will be showing Slovenia vs China, and ESPN2 will be showing some FIBA game, the guide doesn't say which game it is.

Looks like ESPN2 is playing some stupid Poker game.

FSN is playing Serbia vs Spain.

Looks like ESPN2 is playing some stupid Poker game.

FSN is playing Serbia vs Spain.

You know I cannot believe how hard it is to find a schedule for these games. ESPN and NBATV are listing games on their websites that they don't have on. I didn't even know FSN had games on. NBATV is putting up a schedule on the botton of their screen that they are only following hit or miss. How am I supposed to record games for later viewing if not a single tv provider can set a schedule? It's driving me crazy.:mad:

Without overly hyping the subject (for fear of igniting the Darko-lover haters)...

Out of 278 players in the FIBA Championships, our former towel boy is currently 13th in ppg, 5th in rebs, and 1st in blocks.

Our former chopped liver point guard is 4th in ppg and 4th in assists.


At least Delfino is breaking out... 14th in steals and a decent 9.8 ppg.


The Pistons may very well have a systematic talent recognition problem.

It could be that we do have a systematic talent recognition problem. Or it could be that we are 1) very good at identifying players that will excel in the international game (evidenced by signing Darko, Arroyo, and Delfino in the first place -- not to mention Okur and Rebraca) and 2) NOT very good at finding ways to match the very specific skill sets of those players with a coach and/or system that will also work well in the NBA.

Either way, wouldn't the conclusion be the same? namely: if you aren't change your system to match the skill sets of your players, then why sign players who won't excel within your system in the first place?

all it seems to do is create a kind of vicious circle wherein:
the players don't excel -> the coaching staff loses confidence in them -> the player gets resentful/loses self-confidence -> the player performs even worse when he does get opportunities -> the coach feels confirmed in his initial lack of confidence in the player -> the player sinks into a bottomless spiraling abyss of nine inch nails, body piercings, and absynthe...

Either way, wouldn't the conclusion be the same? namely: if you aren't change your system to match the skill sets of your players, then why sign players who won't excel within your system in the first place?

all it seems to do is create a kind of vicious circle wherein:
the players don't excel -> the coaching staff loses confidence in them -> the player gets resentful/loses self-confidence -> the player performs even worse when he does get opportunities -> the coach feels confirmed in his initial lack of confidence in the player -> the player sinks into a bottomless spiraling abyss of nine inch nails, body piercings, and absynthe...

Yep, except I think it has less to do with being international, and simply being players that the coaches didn't want from the beginning. Once a coach doesn't like a player, it's hard to get them to change there mind, and clearly LB never wanted Darko, hated Okur's outside game, and Flip wanted Mo as his guy when he came in.

Until Joe gets a coach that likes his players from day one (notice how nice Sheed and LB got along) this problem will continue.

Yep, except I think it has less to do with being international, and simply being players that the coaches didn't want from the beginning. Once a coach doesn't like a player, it's hard to get them to change there mind, and clearly LB never wanted Darko, hated Okur's outside game, and Flip wanted Mo as his guy when he came in.

Until Joe gets a coach that likes his players from day one (notice how nice Sheed and LB got along) this problem will continue.

i think it could be both, 16.

By the way, by "international", I didn't meant to imply that Larry, or Flip, or Joe has anything against these players on the basis of their being, literally, from a different country. I was referring more to the different styles and skill sets that come with being brought up within the context of the international game and those skill sets are ones that the PIstons haven't done a very good job of integrating into their various systems over the past few years.

right now based only on how they are doing in the world championships who can honestly say they would take bosh over darko???

if i had a million opportunities, i would take bosh a million times.

if i had a million opportunities, i would take bosh a million times.

did you even read the question?? so are you telling me based on what you have seen in the world championships so far you'd take bosh over darko?? that means not what they did in the nba just judge them on this one tournament.

Nigeria has some decent players- some of them are real athletic freaks, Muoneke and Ibekwe rock the boards!

did you even read the question?? so are you telling me based on what you have seen in the world championships so far you'd take bosh over darko?? that means not what they did in the nba just judge them on this one tournament.

after watching darko today it only affirms what i said. i'd take bosh any day over darko. his 18/15 today is not indicative of how terrible he looked, missing wide open dunks, picking up terrible fouls, and making stupid decisions like saving the ball under spain's basket which forced his teammate to pick up his 4th foul and sit on the bench.

he still looks soft, unintelligent, and lazy.

Just watched the first half of USA-Australia on tape, before switching it off once the US went up huge at halftime. It was certainly a tale of two quarters--up 27-23 after one, the US outscored them 32-6 in the second! It was all about the USA defense, which was undisciplined and sloppy in the first quarter. They were gambling on steals in the halfcourt, getting beat in transition, not really doing anything right. But they switched to straight-up halfcourt lockdown D in the second quarter, and that sparked the huge run. They ended up forcing a lot more turnovers that way than they did with all their gambling in the first quarter. If Coach K can get through to them to "play the right way" on defense from the very beginning, they're going to be awfully tough to beat.

after watching darko today it only affirms what i said. i'd take bosh any day over darko. his 18/15 today is not indicative of how terrible he looked, missing wide open dunks, picking up terrible fouls, and making stupid decisions like saving the ball under spain's basket which forced his teammate to pick up his 4th foul and sit on the bench.

he still looks soft, unintelligent, and lazy.

have you watched bosh play any?? besides the senegal game he's looked sucky. so no matter what you're going to pick bosh.

you picked darko having a semi bad game to base your decision on. your opinion of his game doesn't match up with others i've heard. i've only heard that he had a bad shooting night. 18 and 15 and 3 blocks isn't lazy by any stretch. he's not even fouling a lot when you look at how many blocks he's getting. your bias is showing through very clearly. this is obviously a question that you are unable to answer.

so you'd take the

bosh 6.7 pts, 4 rebs, 0.3 assists

over

darko 16.2, 9.3 rebs, 1.8 assists, 2.8 blocks

Bosh looked really good in the first half against Australia today. He ended up with 12 points and 9 boards in only 18 minutes played for the game.

Could be a good number to consider when evaluating defense via stats.

Hmmm... sounds like the makings of another Stat Sprocket Article! :thumb:

Just watched the first half of USA-Australia on tape, before switching it off once the US went up huge at halftime. It was certainly a tale of two quarters--up 27-23 after one, the US outscored them 32-6 in the second! It was all about the USA defense, which was undisciplined and sloppy in the first quarter. They were gambling on steals in the halfcourt, getting beat in transition, not really doing anything right. But they switched to straight-up halfcourt lockdown D in the second quarter, and that sparked the huge run. They ended up forcing a lot more turnovers that way than they did with all their gambling in the first quarter. If Coach K can get through to them to "play the right way" on defense from the very beginning, they're going to be awfully tough to beat.

I caught the second half. thankfully i didn't get to see the 2nd quarter. this australian team isn't as good as years gone by, but they did play pretty well for the tournament, beating brazil and barely losing to greece and turkey. bogut stepped up as the tourney went on which was good to see.

the US were on fire from deep. as has been mentioned this was an area that was sorely lacking in athens. i mean guys like battier and miller were knocking down treys! if they can continue shooting that well from the outside they will be tough to beat. plus they pretty much got whatever they wanted in the paint. we were missing a lot of big guys in this tourney and it was exploited well.

i don't think gerwitzki will be able to knock you guys off. it should be a rout.

Geez what can i say... Aussies got robbed!! They were unstoppable when they scored and should have won this game if it werent for some lucky 3 point shooting from battier (80% ?%$@%). :frusty: They should have finished off the yanks when they had the lead in the 1st but let them back into the game ... and then got smashed. Beaten by a better team on the day i guess. If we had shane heal and andrew gaze in the team along with luc longley then the result may have been much different. :pound: :pound:
I just hope that team america can win the championships so i wont feel so bad. Good luck to them.

Geez what can i say... Aussies got robbed!! They were unstoppable when they scored and should have won this game if it werent for some lucky 3 point shooting from battier (80% ?%$@%). :frusty: They should have finished off the yanks when they had the lead in the 1st but let them back into the game ... and then got smashed. Beaten by a better team on the day i guess. If we had shane heal and andrew gaze in the team along with luc longley then the result may have been much different. :pound: :pound:
I just hope that team america can win the championships so i wont feel so bad. Good luck to them.
This is the attitude that gave the US team a big ego prim madonna rap...
respect... humility... intellegence... skills... that's the new approach

The next game on the schedule is Wednesday at 6:30 AM EST
We're playing the German Dirks... er squad

after watching darko today it only affirms what i said. i'd take bosh any day over darko. his 18/15 today is not indicative of how terrible he looked, missing wide open dunks, picking up terrible fouls, and making stupid decisions like saving the ball under spain's basket which forced his teammate to pick up his 4th foul and sit on the bench.

he still looks soft, unintelligent, and lazy.

That is a pretty ridiculous summation. He only had 3 PFs. No matter how terrible they were, 3 fouls for a center is acceptable. I think the stats that stand out are 1) Darko didn't attempt a single free throw, 2) Darko didn't attempt any 3-pointers, and 3) Darko had an abnormally high number of rebounds for him.

You would think he was playing soft because he didn't get fouled, but he also blocked 3 shots and got all those rebounds, which is not playing soft.

Whatever the case, he was a major factor.

Yes, he was a major factor, THE major factor. Even his running mate who has been right up there with him in scoring, did not do much.

And when you are the only real major factor for your team, it is very easy for the opposing players to sag off on you and make your life more difficult.

This experience of being 'the man' will do him well in the upcoming season. He will not have to fill that position in Orlando, but having done it for these games will help.

I wonder if it will attract some of the other NBAers who are from Serbia back to the team next time. I heard it said that there are seven NBAers who would be eligible to play for them in the Olympics.

Anyway, with Delfino, Darko, Arroyo, and Dwight, it has been a very interesting summer of games. I wish I had been able to see more but the stupid Charter Cable in mid-Michigan does not offer NBA-TV or League Pass. That pretty much ruins my NBA season as well, unless I make the break and get a dish.

I wanted to see the Orlando games in addition to the Pistons games, which I will be watching anyway.

Is that my wife I just heard utter a major sigh of relief :ohwell: :redface: ??

Next game up... Greece in the Semi finals.

This is an impressive team... After watching them dismantle China & France here my observations on this team:

They pick up full court on most possesions... they can create several T.O.'s by trapping in the backcourt.
On offense they rarely force a shot... extremely unselfish.... they'll slow it down and make the extra pass.
They have guards that can break down a defense...Spanoulis (I think headed to the Rockets) has a gr8 crossover and is quick.
They have a 6' 7" PG in Papaloukas, that creates mismatches...
Fotis (6' 10" PF) can play inside and out (good 3 pt shooter)
Vassilopoulos is also a big forward with range
The team has several excellent outside shooters... they like to get inside and kick it back out...USA will have to respect the perimeter and not over commit to the drives... you can see why they create problems the way they can stretch a defense
Inside they have good size with Papadopoulos and Schortsianitis (you may recall him as Baby Shaq from the 03 draft)... Baby Shaq is a brute down low and is quick for a 330+ Lb player... he'll present a physical challenge to Howard.... Their bigs get a lot of put back stuff as their guards force opponent bigs to help.
They spread the minutes out amongst 12 players which keeps them fresh.
If I had to pick out a weakness I would say they are not real good in defending in half court... they can be broken down and their bigs foul a lot...
They are physical up front but I think Bron and Melo will have the advantage.
Chris Paul against their guards is the key matchup... he's gonna have to work real hard staying in front of his man and he'll need to make good decisions against the trap.

Greece 101 - U.S. 95 :ohwell:


"Done in again by their inept 3-point shooting -- and they weren't much better from the foul line -- the Americans will fall short of a championship in a major international tournament for the third straight time since winning gold at the 2000 Olympics.
The Greeks -- with no current NBA players on their roster -- danced in a circle at halfcourt after their victory".



Greece 101, U.S. 95 - NBA - Yahoo! Sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AuTXHHG1q9SWrzq1IZReDFk5nYcB?slug=ap-worlds-greece-us&prov=ap&type=lgns)

Oh baby, this one hurts. :frusty: Coach K and Co. can't get it done. :confused: The world (sans the United States) rejoices as the Dream Teamers go down. Looks like the Greeks couldn't miss.

I said they needed shooters... :rolleyes:

I didn't see the game, but obviously the main problem was with the USA defense, from this (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4156637.html) game summary:

Greece shot a stunning 35 of 56 (65 percent) in the game, including a sizzling 27 of 38 (71 percent) on two point shots.

I also like how Wade throws the coaching staff under the bus here:

"They beat us up all night with that pick and roll," said Dwyane Wade. "They only ran but one play all night and we couldn't do anything to stop it. I just wish we had maybe changed up our defense, at least tied something different during the game. Maybe a zone or something."

When a team of NBA all-stars is unable to defend the pick and roll, the solution is obviously to...blame the coaches. Nice leadership there, Flash.

Maybe a zone or something... LMAO.

As long as there are no Pistons on the new "Dream Team", then I don't really care that much. Deep down inside, I just wanted to see Wade and Lebron get stiffed on the calls and come up short.

The good news is that we now get to see Delfino play against us. Maybe Argentina should have played him for more than 12 minutes. By the way, didn't we have Pepe Sanchez on the roster for a little while?

What a LOAD OF RUBBISH!!! David Stern is killing USA BASKETBALL!

Where's the SUPERSTAR's call in the FIBA??? None.

I bet the DETROIT PISTONS 2006 would have won the GOLD!!!

It's partly about superstar calls and all that. The international game looks a lot more like the NBA in the 80s than the NBA now. Mostly though I think it's about a total meltdown in basketball fundamentals in the league, especially in the younger players. They learn to drive and dunk (sometimes even without traveling), but they don't know how to shoot, run off screens, or play defense.

As obvious as it might seem, they don't teach you to play basketball at high levels in high school. College used to help with some of that, and used to be, most rookies didn't make the leap to superstardom right away like the kids do now.

Wade's attitude about the coaching is a clear sign of the problem. Get out of my way when things are going well and only help me when they aren't. If the NBA wants to be the premier league in the world, some guys are going to have to learn that freakish athletic skills aren't enough in a team game.

I think the worst thing that could have happened to basketball in the U.S. would have been for this team to waltz right through the worlds. We need an ongoing wake-up call, not just one that rings once and goes away. It's broke worse than that.

I think the worst thing that could have happened to basketball in the U.S. would have been for this team to waltz right through the worlds. We need an ongoing wake-up call, not just one that rings once and goes away. It's broke worse than that.

Very good point.

An added bonus is that it ticks off Stern to lose on the world stage! :evil:

They knew there would be no NBA calls and I thought did a good job adjusting. Wade, James, Mello, Bosh played a lot better this time around.

They were doing quit well up until the last game. Then again thats been the story as a of late, Team USA always seems to run out of gas.

To me it seemed like team USA had no answer for the number 5, Sotksosskseiplkalipsalisalk. That guy had a great game, and handed out fouls like he was working the register at the No Free Chili line.

I agree with the team vs. player theory proposed here, but am also concerned that the "best basketball players in the world" couldn't overcome their short time together. Wade, James, Anthony, and Howard are some of the best atheletes the NBA has seen. If they can't get together and learn the game in time, is there any hope for a Dream Team?

What a LOAD OF RUBBISH!!! David Stern is killing USA BASKETBALL!

Where's the SUPERSTAR's call in the FIBA??? None.

I bet the DETROIT PISTONS 2006 would have won the GOLD!!!


I agree with this and this point should be taken seriously. USA Basketball might be better off sending over an intact NBA team. This idea of a having a team of superstars isn't working. The only sport where All-Star teams work is baseball because you have to play your OWN position. Not the same in hoops, hockey and football, at least not to the same extent.

Even if sending an intact NBA team would increase the USA's chances, I can't see any of the owners agreeing to that. The competitive disadvantage that team would have going into the next season, from having played all those extra games, would be anathema to any serious NBA title contending team.

Spain beats Argentina by 1 after trailing by as many 12 points in the first half. So what was supposed to be the Gold medal game with the USA vs Argentina, will now be the favorites fighting for the "la Bronze".

I too am glad there were no Pistons on the team and am kind of happy that we don't have to hear the words "Dwayne Wade, NBA Champion and gold medalist all in the same sentence." :rolleyes: for the next 10 months.

Also I love it when Coack K loses:)

The game is being replayed right now 10 AM PDT (1PM EDT) on NBA TV for those who hang out home and have this channel.

The crazy thing is, most fans here won't recognize that the team to send is the Phoenix Suns, not the Pistons, Cavs or Heat.

It's partly about superstar calls and all that. The international game looks a lot more like the NBA in the 80s than the NBA now. Mostly though I think it's about a total meltdown in basketball fundamentals in the league, especially in the younger players. They learn to drive and dunk (sometimes even without traveling), but they don't know how to shoot, run off screens, or play defense.

As obvious as it might seem, they don't teach you to play basketball at high levels in high school. College used to help with some of that, and used to be, most rookies didn't make the leap to superstardom right away like the kids do now.

Wade's attitude about the coaching is a clear sign of the problem. Get out of my way when things are going well and only help me when they aren't. If the NBA wants to be the premier league in the world, some guys are going to have to learn that freakish athletic skills aren't enough in a team game.

I think the worst thing that could have happened to basketball in the U.S. would have been for this team to waltz right through the worlds. We need an ongoing wake-up call, not just one that rings once and goes away. It's broke worse than that.
1000% agree!!!
True words- I have to admit that I enjoyed the FIBA games more than usual (or even playoff) NBA games. No superstar calls, good strategies, superb shooters, setting screens and so on- it was much better basketball- not by athleticism, but by the style of play. After this tournament I realized how bad NBA basketball has become in the last years with all this traveling, superstar calls and so on. I love the Pistons, but not the NBA (any longer; that was different some years ago).

...am kind of happy that we don't have to hear the words "Dwayne Wade, NBA Champion and gold medalist all in the same sentence." :rolleyes: for the next 10 months.

Also I love it when Coack K loses:)



Excellent points.

Also I love it when Coack K loses:)

:amen:

The crazy thing is, most fans here won't recognize that the team to send is the Phoenix Suns, not the Pistons, Cavs or Heat.

Phoenix Suns (less Steve Nash and Boris Diaw).

The reason that the Pistons would be a good team is all the Americans on it. The owners would have to look at the added benefit of marketing when making the decision.

Anyone that wants to see the game for themselves, it's on now on ESPN2 (4:00 EST)

I loved the cocky comment from Lebron, "They don't know what to do" and then the Greeks started shooting the lights out.

I have to admit that I enjoyed the FIBA games more than usual (or even playoff) NBA games. No superstar calls, good strategies, superb shooters, setting screens and so on- it was much better basketball- not by athleticism, but by the style of play. After this tournament I realized how bad NBA basketball has become in the last years with all this traveling, superstar calls and so on. I love the Pistons, but not the NBA (any longer; that was different some years ago).

I totally agree with you. I love watching FIBA style b-ball esp Greece, Spain, and Argentina. I feel like a bad American b/c i could care less that USA lost, and in a way am kinda happy they did. This will force them to take a hard look at the way they play. They're not fundamentally sound, and they don't play as a team. This whole tournament just made me dislike the NBA even more.

This just in the NBA cannot say they have the best players and not win the world championship with argurably 2 of the best players in the world (Lebron and Wade). I am very dissapointed and the NBA is a farce as far as talent is concered. "Great players and "great coaches" can only be called great when they can adapt to different playing styles and rules. We suck and I want to be the one to say it. My two cents.

It's amazing how human Wade and Lebron looked when they aren't allowed to charge and travel.

Though, what really suprised me was how bad their D is.

Note to Flip, run the pick and roll. Rip, CB, and Sheed should be running it on every possesion.

This will force them to take a hard look at the way they play.

I doubt it. NBA players are making gobs of money. Deep down, I think most of these "superstars" could care less about international competition. Same reason why the U.S. team loses the Ryder Cup every two years in golf.

They didn't get blown out... The team is just getting started together unlike most Fiba trained teams....
I'm surprised at the negativity... they've rolled up to this point and had a bad game to a very deciplined team... I doubt that Grece could win 3 out of 5 against USA... let's not throw them out with the bath water just yet.

The US loss was fundamental. The NBA is show, expecially now with the rule changes. We have great one on one slashers. Greece took Wade and all down with fouls and played deep into the bench. We didn't have Arenas, Kobe or Chauncey for top, top shooters. We didn't have a Ben. Artest or Tay to play big time D. We had no real defensive standouts on the team.

Our guys mostly are average shooters and average free throw shooters. That starts with our program from early on in the US. The NBA turns it nose on a real team like the Pistons with the rule changes and you have what you have. With all that hype, who was the rule go-to guy at the end? Anthony??

Don't think they can even beat the Argentines. Not even bronze. What a shame!

FIRE DAVID STERN!!!

GO SHOCK!

Don't think they can even beat the Argentines. Not even bronze. What a shame!

FIRE DAVID STERN!!!

GO SHOCK!
Yeah Ok?

This is great, from Hoopshype...

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSA090206.03C.COL.BKOmonroe.bowen.2fab2b9.html

Bowen discovered that Coach K was clueless about his own defensive versatility when the coach questioned Bowen's ability to defend Puerto Rican point guard Carlos Arroyo in an exhibition game. Bowen suggested he consult assistant coach Mike D'Antoni, well aware the Phoenix Suns head coach had seen Bowen defending Shawn Marion, Boris Diaw, Raja Bell and, occasionally, Steve Nash.

Earlier when someone suggested who would be voted off I chose Brad Miller. Interesting why Miller was kept; because of 3 point shooting?

Coach K deserves some of the blame for the teams collapse, but so should the NBA players.

Bruce Bowen by himself couldn`t have saved this team from defeat. Only a team effort to play defense would have been effective.

Here is an interesting take on the Fiba World Championships by Michael Wilbon, a Washington Post reporter.

http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/01/AR2006090101815.html

One loss by six points... big deal.
The athletisism is what makes this team good.
The FIBA teams are not dominating the USA by any stretch.
I don't think we should expect them to not have a bad game once in a while.... they crushed everyone else.
The right system is in place now... we have a squad comited to several years... they still can add/subtract a couple pieces (shooters and defender)...
What's needed is more time working out the FIBA kinks and understanding competition strategies.
Shame on people for jumping all over this team... they sacrificed their home life for us... they played very well for the most part.

I didn't expect the Americans to lose to Greece, but I didn't expect them to win it all either. The Olympics are the big stage for US basketball.

From an "outside the US" perspective, it is a big deal for a lot of countries when they can knock of what was an absolutely dominating super power in international basketball. Canadians are really familiar with this from our battles with the Russian Hockey Teams in International Tournaments.

One thing is sure. This fuels Stern's desire to start a European league. It comes down to whether or not he will try the same superstar marketing approach, or play to the existing "club/city/national loyalty" passion of the Euro fans.

I didn't expect the Americans to lose to Greece, but I didn't expect them to win it all either. The Olympics are the big stage for US basketball.

From an "outside the US" perspective, it is a big deal for a lot of countries when they can knock of what was an absolutely dominating super power in international basketball. Canadians are really familiar with this from our battles with the Russian Hockey Teams in International Tournaments.

One thing is sure. This fuels Stern's desire to start a European league. It comes down to whether or not he will try the same superstar marketing approach, or play to the existing "club/city/national loyalty" passion of the Euro fans.

Interesting perspective... I guess the US team is the superbowl of other teams.
These Euro Intenational teams have earned the respect of the American audience.... we now understand the importance of "team play"... hopefully this will help transend to to the American coaches (from AAU to the pros)... we now have a new mission... IMO it starts wih defense... the US squad scored something like 102 pts p/game and still did not bring home the gold... if you want to be technical, they easily could be called the silver medalist.

This is a very young team that is only gonna improve (compared to Argentina & Greece)... the entire team (especially coaches) has learned how to compete in the international environment.... personally I'm very proud of how well this young team has responded.
Bigger and better the next time.:usa2:

These Euro Intenational teams have earned the respect of the American audience....

I hope this series will help to make that so. In the past we have tended to blame the American team rather than give any credit to the quality of the competition. That was easy given the way some of the more recent teams played, but I think our first reaction is to blame the losers rather than crediting the winners. And that won't help develop any sort of interaction with international markets.

Looks like Spain won the gold... the Greek team played awful defense.
Spain was on fire from the perimeter (which we lacked)... this opened up the inside for Spain...
Spain had the P&R figured out... they ran a lot of zone.
Greece didn't shoot nearly as well as they did against the US.
All without Gasol... impressive.

There is not a doubt in my mind that Euro basketball is on at least a par with the NBA. I have seen talk about our being better next time and that we might be back on a par with them for the Olympics, but that will be a major problem.

I think that the reason we lost was that their teams play together all the time, at least the nucleus does. But when we continue to send an all-star contingent instead of a team of players who play together most of the time, we will run into the same problem.

And you can figure that no owner would let his team go over there as a unit because then he is endangering his team for the next NBA season. Look at what happened to Pau Gashol. And even if no injuries occur, the team members would have been playing almost year-round and would get no time off with their families or even to relax.

That approach is dead before it gets off the ground.

I wonder if the Euros will continue to rule the World's for the foreseeable future.

I dunno 'bout ruling the worlds... it's a different team each time... No team has dominated...USA has been in the top 3 or 4 for a long time.
With a little more time together the USA team could go on a run.

May need to go back to the college players and possibly the team that won the NCAA title minus the signed senior/rookies, or even a combo of the two teams that finished 1-2. At least you got team work there and a longer time for them to play together as a "team"

The pros (dream teamers) were brought in because our collegiates weren't getting the job done. The "world" played in awe" watching the dream teamers in the 90's, and playing with them the last 14 years in the FIBA-WC, the Olympics and the NBA itself has literally brought them up to the NBA level.

Wonder how much of a chilling effect Gasol's injury will have?

You gotta love Charlie Rosen. He doesn't like anyone.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/5925616

You gotta love Charlie Rosen. He doesn't like anyone.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/5925616

This guy must feel like an idiot about now............


http://www.sportsline.com/spin/story/9614103

Cuban's take

http://www.blogmaverick.com/2006/09/03/explain-to-me-why-we-let-nba-players-play-in-the-olympics-and-wc/

More Cuban

http://www.blogmaverick.com/2006/09/05/more-on-usa-basketball/