So I just watched the US Men's National Basketball Team beat Serbia 94-91. And they were lucky to escape, because they gave up two different looks from three in the final minute that would have tied the game. It wasn't exactly the performance you look for from the world's best collection of basketball talent, especially when you factor in that they should be playing for the pride of a nation.
This comes after another lackluster performance against Australia on Wednesday. The lack of energy has been apparent, and it's clear that the Americans believe they can just coast to the gold medal while giving minimal effort. That may have been entertaining with the Dream Team of 1992, but that's not the case for this year's team. It's not fun to watch a team that thinks it's better than it is take one-on-one isolation shots and suffer mental defensive lapses that result in lay-ups.
If we're not going to assemble the best team possible, let's go in the other direction: Make the Olympic and World Championship teams consist only of players 25-years-old and younger (credit to Bill Simmons for the idea).
I think this would help the entertainment value of Olympic basketball in a number of ways. Firstly, it would mean not all the players on the roster would be established stars who think they're the best player in the world, looking for their shots and working to their own agenda. They would be young, hungry players with something to prove and it would be great for their development to work with the best players in their age group. Plus, it would mean more US games would be competitive and entertaining as these young stars take on more experienced opposition.
So what would the current team look like if it was comprised only of players 25-years-old and younger?
STARTERS
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: CJ McCollum
SF: Kawhi Leonard
PF: Anthony Davis
C: DeMarcus Cousins
BENCH
John Wall
Karl-Anthony Towns
Devin Booker
Rodney Hood
Jabari Parker
Avery Bradley
Harrison Barnes
I really like all of the players on this roster, except for maybe Barnes. They're all talented but with room to grow, which will be accentuated by the competition of playing against one another. Only Irving and Leonard played crucial roles on championship teams, which means everyone else should have something to prove (which, in turn, will motivate Irving and Leonard when everyone starts to go at them).
This team has the talent and athleticism to take home gold anyway. Shooting is necessary in the international game, but there are players on the roster who could rise to the occasion. And they would have a higher defensive energy and activity than the current team.
I would have a few worries about this team, however. One, it's traditional for Team USA to downsize in the Olympics and move everyone down a position. It's just what works best, because it creates tough match-ups for opposing big men against traditional small forwards who are big enough to battle in the paint, but quick and skilled enough to wreak havoc on the perimeter. But this line-up starts two bigs in Davis (the prototypical international center) and Cousins (who has never played great in international play), so if Boogie starts to lose it, Towns or Davis can take over the five spot. And there are a number of players who can play in that stretch four role in Leonard, Parker, and Barnes.
My other worry is that Kyrie will see it as his team and try to take over too much. Olympic basketball is about the team, and one of the reasons I want it to go U-25 is to get more movement offensively. If Kyrie starts pounding the ball in isolation without involving others, we have Wall to come in and run the offense.
Think about how much fun this team would be. We would get to see them grow and mature against more experienced competition. And the match-ups in practice everyday would be riveting. Kyrie vs. Wall? Towns vs. Davis vs. Boogie? McCollum vs. Booker? It would be so helpful for each player's development to be around these other great, young players. For the fans it would be a glimpse at the future of the NBA.
Look at that roster and tell me it wouldn't be more fun watching them than it is watching these current stars fish for their own shots. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for the US to face a little more competition and the threat of losing. This way is much more entertaining.
This comes after another lackluster performance against Australia on Wednesday. The lack of energy has been apparent, and it's clear that the Americans believe they can just coast to the gold medal while giving minimal effort. That may have been entertaining with the Dream Team of 1992, but that's not the case for this year's team. It's not fun to watch a team that thinks it's better than it is take one-on-one isolation shots and suffer mental defensive lapses that result in lay-ups.
If we're not going to assemble the best team possible, let's go in the other direction: Make the Olympic and World Championship teams consist only of players 25-years-old and younger (credit to Bill Simmons for the idea).
I think this would help the entertainment value of Olympic basketball in a number of ways. Firstly, it would mean not all the players on the roster would be established stars who think they're the best player in the world, looking for their shots and working to their own agenda. They would be young, hungry players with something to prove and it would be great for their development to work with the best players in their age group. Plus, it would mean more US games would be competitive and entertaining as these young stars take on more experienced opposition.
So what would the current team look like if it was comprised only of players 25-years-old and younger?
STARTERS
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: CJ McCollum
SF: Kawhi Leonard
PF: Anthony Davis
C: DeMarcus Cousins
BENCH
John Wall
Karl-Anthony Towns
Devin Booker
Rodney Hood
Jabari Parker
Avery Bradley
Harrison Barnes
I really like all of the players on this roster, except for maybe Barnes. They're all talented but with room to grow, which will be accentuated by the competition of playing against one another. Only Irving and Leonard played crucial roles on championship teams, which means everyone else should have something to prove (which, in turn, will motivate Irving and Leonard when everyone starts to go at them).
This team has the talent and athleticism to take home gold anyway. Shooting is necessary in the international game, but there are players on the roster who could rise to the occasion. And they would have a higher defensive energy and activity than the current team.
I would have a few worries about this team, however. One, it's traditional for Team USA to downsize in the Olympics and move everyone down a position. It's just what works best, because it creates tough match-ups for opposing big men against traditional small forwards who are big enough to battle in the paint, but quick and skilled enough to wreak havoc on the perimeter. But this line-up starts two bigs in Davis (the prototypical international center) and Cousins (who has never played great in international play), so if Boogie starts to lose it, Towns or Davis can take over the five spot. And there are a number of players who can play in that stretch four role in Leonard, Parker, and Barnes.
My other worry is that Kyrie will see it as his team and try to take over too much. Olympic basketball is about the team, and one of the reasons I want it to go U-25 is to get more movement offensively. If Kyrie starts pounding the ball in isolation without involving others, we have Wall to come in and run the offense.
Think about how much fun this team would be. We would get to see them grow and mature against more experienced competition. And the match-ups in practice everyday would be riveting. Kyrie vs. Wall? Towns vs. Davis vs. Boogie? McCollum vs. Booker? It would be so helpful for each player's development to be around these other great, young players. For the fans it would be a glimpse at the future of the NBA.
Look at that roster and tell me it wouldn't be more fun watching them than it is watching these current stars fish for their own shots. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for the US to face a little more competition and the threat of losing. This way is much more entertaining.
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