This coming Monday, USA Basketball will get together in Las Vegas in preparation for the 2010 FIBA World Championships which will take place in Turkey from August 28 – September 12. The true superstars of the NBA, as in the guys who participated in the 2008 Olympics, have long since said that they do no plan on participating. Not a single member of that team that assembled in Beijing 2 summers ago will be there. If history is any indicator, this spells trouble for the U.S.
This time around, the World Championships have become the dunk contest, in that it is not cool to participate. In fact, you’re cool if you do not participate. Team USA managing director, Jerry Colangelo and head coach Mike Krzyzewski have their work cut out for them. The 2008 Olympic team had chemistry because they all played together in the 2007 World Championships. This time they will be complete strangers and I expect that to be apparent on the court.
This is going to remind me of the 2004 Olympics where the U.S. had to scratch and claw their way to a very disappointing bronze medal. That was, again, because it wasn’t cool for NBA players to represent the U.S. in the Olympics back then. In case it’s foggy, that team consisted of guys like Shawn Marion, Richard Jefferson, Lamar Odom and Carlos Boozer to name a few. Solid pros, but guys that have no business representing the NBA or the U.S. on a national stage. It was largely a team of All-Star reserves and All-Star snub type of guys. This will be remeniscent of that. Twenty-one players will be invited to Vegas and the roster will ultimately be whittled down to 12.
Here are the 21 that will be in Vegas:
Chauncey Billups, Stephen Curry, Tyreke Evans, Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Rudy Gay, Eric Gordon, Danny Granger, Andre Iguodala, O.J. Mayo, Jeff Green, Lamar Odom, Gerald Wallace, Tyson Chandler, David Lee, Brook Lopez, Robin Lopez, Kevin Love, Amar’e Stoudemire
I’m sorry, but Eric Gordon? Andre Iguodala? Jeff Green? Tyson Chandler? Kevin Love? Robin Lopez? I don’t know about you, but I’m nervous.
If you’re looking for your everyday, predictable basketball talk, then go somewhere else, because Kevin Burke of The Kevin Burke Project brings provocative, thought provoking content about basketball as only he can. Kevin also hosts The Hoop Doctors weekly podcast show, which you can subscribe too for free on iTunes.
