USA Basketball Sux

[Typhoid]

Originally Posted by Joeiss

1. This belongs in the sports forum.

2. America didn't get knocked out. Top 4 teams out of the 6 in their division go on to the next round (they are playing like a round robin now).

And yes, this American team isn't great because they chose a great team originally, but when everybody except Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson backed out, they chose lack-luster backups. They chose some great 4's and a couple of good 3's, but no quality 1's or 2's (except dwayne wade).

International basketball is played with the shorter three-point line. Basketball America did not capitalize on this. Considering that they have only 1 player on the team who was in the top 50 for 3-point% last season (Jefferson from the Nets, who is defintely not regarded as a quality outside shooter), you knew they would have rough starts, and ends.

The reason that the American team sucks, is because international basketball takes skill and effort.

You cant prance your way up to the hoop and dunk it every time, you need to work for it.

They are getting owned because they are playing like its the NBA, so they try to put on a show, so while they are prancing around not making 3-balls, a team like Italy creeps up and humiiates them.

Shouldnt shorter 3 point lines make it easier to get 3 points? I mean, its closer to the hoop. you know...


And isnt it already in the sports forum?

[Acebot44]

The reason why the shorter 3 point line isnt a good thing for the USA is because the skill of a mid-range shot is very rare in the NBA right now.

[Jason1]

Originally Posted by Acebot44

The reason why the shorter 3 point line isnt a good thing for the USA is because the skill of a mid-range shot is very rare in the NBA right now.

Oh for god's sake, these guys are multi-million dollar players, the best in the world. Dont give me that garbage about where the lines are or how big the lane is, because its a load of crap and just a stupid excuse.

[Acebot44]

Excuse? I'm not excusing them for the sucky ness, I'm saying why they suck. They can't shoot from Mid-Range. Either we have specialists like Ray Allen, Fred Hoiberg, Brent Barry, and Brian Cardinal who are Jesus from three point range, or we got our big muscly men who dominate the low post. Very few players are consistant in mid range.

International teams ARE better shooters than the Americans. That's obvious. If you shorten the length of the three point line, they'll be raining 3's like nothing. That's how Puerto Rico and Italy beat the US. PR was 8/16 from behind the arc. US was 3/24!

Like Joeiss said, they need to feed it downlow to Duncan because they don't have a Kobe, Mike Bibby, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, or KG on the team to shoot from the outside. Shawn Marion can't do it. Melo doesnt get a chance to do it. AI has horrible FG%. And They arent passing it into the paint enough! Duncan should get a touch everytime. He's a two time MVP.

My Lineup would be for a team that passes the ball:
PG:Wade
SG: They Don't have a player I would put in here but I'll say Lebron James
SF: Shawn Marion
PF: Lamar Odom
C: Tim Duncan

now that I look at the roster I notice that we've got bad 4's and no 2's....

[Bond]

Acebot is 100% right. Why my Bucks traded Ray Allen... I will never know...

[Joeiss]

I hope Allen (aka Jesus, haha) comes to Toronto.. But I highly doubt that.

And yea, their mid to long range shot is terrible.

[Mushlafa]

k i stopped reading the posts in this thread after the first couple... but i would just like to point out the fact that these are not anywhere near the NBA's elite players. The elite players in the NBA wouldnt lose a single game to any of these teams for sure. This collection of players this year playing for the US national team is made up of a few pretty good rookies, some sophmores and some third tier nba players. Many of the good players that were sappose to be on the actual team felt like taking a summer off and decided to drop out of the team after the qualifyers last summer.

[bobcat]

US vs Aust now. Not that i'm a bball fan, but it's a very close game