What is wrong with USA basketball why can't we win Olympic gold or a championship?

Question

The Usa team is filled of mega star millionares and we should be the "best" in the world but always fall short. International rules of basketball are a little different than NBA rules. I think we should use some of the American players playing abroad who are stars in those leagues and know how to play the international game. I know this is the nba which is the "best of the best". but we have alot of players playing overseas who are very, very good. Thats just one of the solutions to fixing the problem. What other suggestions do you have out there?

Answer 1

BAD SHOT SELECTION
POOR COACHING
LACK OF FUNDAMENTALS
POOR FREE THROW SHOOTING

Answer 2

have u ever heard the saying, "too many cooks spoil the broth"?

basically it means that too many chefs spoil the food. its the same situation here with american basketball. the team that is put together is not a TEAM, but more so the best players who are willing to play against the world. when the first dream team came out, playing the best nba players at the time was fine. most would be Hall of Famers, and at the time the international competition wasnt ready for such a dominant team.

nowadays things have changed. the international game has improved greatly, while the american style of basketball has improved slightly. the world is playing catch up and are out performing the americans based purely on team play.

the international game isnt too different from the nba style of game. notable changes would be that players in international game can knock the ball off the ring, whereas in the nba they cant touch it. with the athleticism of the americans, i dont think this will be a major problem. another change will be the 3 point range. international game has a smaller 3 point range which means many nba stars would be shooting shots from 2 point range but the shots would still be counted as a 3. so again this works as a plus for them.

i believe - like many that the team needs more role players and less superstars. the team needs to have players who will play 5 minutes a game and provide a spark. players who will miss a game or two and not gripe. having players of that quality also means the coach can keep in stars longer, rather then trying to divide times up evenly. the players need to leave their reputations in america and play for the good of the team. whether that means playing 5 minutes or no minutes.

the team also needs to ensure it gets EFFICIENT offensive players. the players wont have the chance to take 20 shots per game, so players need to be efficient offensively.

if i was choosing a team i would make my 23 man squad of....
Arenas, Deron Williams, Kidd, Paul, Hinrich
Kobe, Redd, T Mac, Kevin Martin, Wade, Carmelo, Lebron
Josh Smith, Battier, Walton, David Lee, Josh Howard
Duncan, Amare, Howard, Frye, Marion, Bosh

this team has many superstars, stars, and role players. im sure ive missed some players who could be on the team, but this is mine from the top of my head. having role players like Battier (hustle, 3 point shooting), Martin (efficient offensively), Josh Smith (athleticism and defense), Lee (hustle and rebounding), Walton (do it all player) and Frye (big man with shooting range) would feed as facilitators to the other stars on the team.

i think having 3 dominant superstars working with 2 hustle players, would benefit the american team. of course this is the problem and decisions the GM has to consider.

Answer 3

Really, the lone game they lost to Italy in FIBA last year was because they lacked a post-presence. Miller didn't play and Chris Bosh only netted 5 minutes! They should've just pounded at a much smaller Italian lineup, but instead they tried using their forwards. They could've slowed down the game considerably by playing the post (even with the rule changes, size is still size) and might've been playing for the gold.

Interstingly enough, in the lone game they lost to Italy in FIBA, Heinrich and Paul combined for 3 assists, so that tells you something about those "superstars" and their me-first attitudes. You have to remember, though, that the European players have been playing together for years, while the USA teams are generally just a throw-together of recognizable NBA American players. Once our current Team USA begins playing together more often, which they will be doing each year, I'm sure things will pick up.

Answer 4

i dont think it has anything to do with the "international game" as there are plenty of international players in the nba. it has to do with the lack of passion and intensity that nba players have. they need to go back to college players who can still get hyped for a game and match the intensity that the opponent displays. people say college players would get drilled in the olympics, but if i remember correctly the USA used to win that thing with college players.

i think this is the answer. but there still is no excuse for the nba stars getting beat by the teams they do in the olympics. it is a disgrace as these are the best athletes in the world

Answer 5

I think it'd be nice if we sent the NBA champion team instead of an NBA All-Star team. Then the chemistry issues the USA team runs into now would be less. You'd have an NBA team that plays together already.

Answer 6

Because of the there are too many stars on a team.

You need someone like a kobe Byrant that is good in the cluch and then build a team aroun him a rebounder shot blocker and ect.


Kobe is awsome

Answer 7

They don't play as a team. They are always so concerned about themselves doing good and them being on Sportscenter. They have to get more players on their team like J-kidd who WILL pass the ball.