First, I'm going off memory, I don't want to spend all afternoon doing research.
But I seem to remember some US BB players being total dinks and wanting everything to go their way when with the US National Team. The kind of stuff you might expect when a bunch of pampered, self centered dbags are chosen to represent the country because they're talented, not because of their will to win.
Didn't the US end up not winning gold one year and it caused the US National Team to rethink their strategy? Instead of just bringing the 12 best US players, they left the dbags at home and brought guys who wanted to win.
So yes, they did show up expecting to coast through and simply collect their gold medal but they ended going home with nothing (or a ####ty bronze I think).
But thinking you can just show up and collect a gold medal is pretty far from the point. Last time I checked they don't hand out medals based on how good the individual players are, they hand out gold medals for actually winning the tourney, something the US didn't do because their players thought they could just show up and collect their medal. They needed to work for it.
Ok so that was a problem in the past. It has since been rectified and the players on the team today are the best in the business and sacrificing a lot.
Plus there's a bunch that couldn't care to be bothered with the FIBA world championships it seems. Maybe I'll show my national pride for the Olympics, but world championships are not my thing. All 10 guys invited from 08 olympic team declined the 2010 World Championship invite.
I really have no point in relation to the topic. Just seems like a bunch of these guys don't have as much national pride as one might hope for considering this is what they do for a living.
Yep and tearing your ACL in what most regard as a meaningless tournament would hurt your ability to make a living.
Reggie Miller was the only holdover from the 92 team that played in the 94 world championship.
Yep and tearing your ACL in what most regard as a meaningless tournament would hurt your ability to make a living.
Understood, but then why does anyone play? Just cause they're not the elite of the elite doens't mean the rest of the guys don't take the same risks when they accept their invitation. Still usually all NBA guys that earn they're living the same way. They probably need the paycheck more than the guys like LBJ, Kobe, Wade who have made enough money to retire by now if they haven't spent it all. But you're saying it's OK for those guys to turn down invitations to the World Championships, but not Olympics.
It's an uproar when a Canadian hockey player turns down an invite from the Worlds which takes place every year. They don't get paid for that and take the injury risks too.
Not really into basketball or the olympics, but I was reading an article about the dream team a couple months ago at the Dr. office. Pretty interesting. Jordan and Pippen didn't want Isaiah Thomas on the team and threatened to walk. Shaq was the last cut, they chose Laetner over him.
Not really. There were decent players on a few of those teams, guys who had long and very successful NBA careers. That can't be said for any of the Asian nations when it comes to hockey.
Chris Beckford-Tseu
Manny Malhotra
Jon Matsumoto
Richard Park
Raymond Sawada
Devin Setoguchi
Brandon Yip
Robin Bawa
Yutaka Fukufuji
Peter Ing
Paul Kariya
Steve Kariya
Larry Kwong
Jim Paek
Jamie Storr
David Tanabe
Mike Wong
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Understood, but then why does anyone play? Just cause they're not the elite of the elite doens't mean the rest of the guys don't take the same risks when they accept their invitation. Still usually all NBA guys that earn they're living the same way. They probably need the paycheck more than the guys like LBJ, Kobe, Wade who have made enough money to retire by now if they haven't spent it all. But you're saying it's OK for those guys to turn down invitations to the World Championships, but not Olympics.
It's an uproar when a Canadian hockey player turns down an invite from the Worlds which takes place every year. They don't get paid for that and take the injury risks too.
Well you are holding today's players to a standard that the Dream Team wasn't held to. None of them played in World Championships. The only team that did was the 2008 and that's because Colangelo made it a requirement. I personally don't blame them for playing. Durant played in 2010 and is playing in the Olympics. Do I expect him to play in 2014? Probably not, these players have lives outside of basketball that they have to live. I do expect him to return in 2016.
First, I'm going off memory, I don't want to spend all afternoon doing research.
But I seem to remember some US BB players being total dinks and wanting everything to go their way when with the US National Team. The kind of stuff you might expect when a bunch of pampered, self centered dbags are chosen to represent the country because they're talented, not because of their will to win.
Didn't the US end up not winning gold one year and it caused the US National Team to rethink their strategy? Instead of just bringing the 12 best US players, they left the dbags at home and brought guys who wanted to win.
So yes, they did show up expecting to coast through and simply collect their gold medal but they ended going home with nothing (or a ####ty bronze I think).
But thinking you can just show up and collect a gold medal is pretty far from the point. Last time I checked they don't hand out medals based on how good the individual players are, they hand out gold medals for actually winning the tourney, something the US didn't do because their players thought they could just show up and collect their medal. They needed to work for it.
Basically the same as the 2006 Canadian hockey team.
And I'm talking about the current system, the one put in place following the disappointment of 2004.
Understood, but then why does anyone play? Just cause they're not the elite of the elite doens't mean the rest of the guys don't take the same risks when they accept their invitation. Still usually all NBA guys that earn they're living the same way. They probably need the paycheck more than the guys like LBJ, Kobe, Wade who have made enough money to retire by now if they haven't spent it all. But you're saying it's OK for those guys to turn down invitations to the World Championships, but not Olympics.
It's an uproar when a Canadian hockey player turns down an invite from the Worlds which takes place every year. They don't get paid for that and take the injury risks too.
Pretty much any hockey forum has threads about world championships and why players aren't going. too hurt, too much chance of injury etc. Like Toews, Stamkos and Crosby this year all declined invites. Yes, probably all hurt, but still some fans upset. There's people that decline every year that cause some people to question it.
You're rolling your eyes? Who would even come close to them?
I think every player is in the HOF, except Laettner and Mullins, and the team had arguably the three best players to ever play the sport.
Way too many variables from sport to sport to make a comparision.
I bet there have been some incredibly strong teams over the years that were never considered by the US media such as ping pong, gymnastics, long distance running, rugby, cricket, ice hockey, soccer. Some of these may be unimportant sports to you and I but to many people around the world they are. The Kenyan's at one point had a marathon team that had every member of their team at one point all world record holders and none had lost in years.
It is not the truth of the statement but rather the arrogance to declare it.
Just heard a fantastic interview on the Jim Rome show with Charles Barkley. He talks for a good 15 minutes on the Dream Team experience. Some of his thoughts (from memory):
On Christian Laettner:
Everyoone had their clique they hung around with, except poor Christian Laettner. No one cared about Christian Laettner. He was never going to play. We would tell him, "We'll put you in when we're up by 70 points". He'd complain "We'll never be up by 70 points". Then, in the first game, we were up by 70 points and afterwards had to say to him "Whoops, my bad".
On 92 vs. 96:
I was on both the 92 and 96 Dream Teams, and I can't believe the difference. 96 there were players complaining about their playing time, refusing to play unless their playing time was increased. I can honestly say that in 92, we didn't have a single disagreement. We had 2 starting lineups and no one ever complained.
On Isaiah Thomas' exclusion from the team
I was surprised when I heard Jordan and Pippen saying that they didn't want Isaiah on the team. This was a chance of a lifetime, and I'd hate to have anyone block me from having a chance to experience it.
On security and being in the public:
It was incredible. 4 of us would play poker every night from 6 to around 1am. Then I'd go for a walk around all these outdoor cafes. I wasn't worried about security - if someone was going to kill me, they were going to kill me, and cooping me up in a hotel wasn't going to make me any safer.
Lots of other quotes on topics like hazing (I had to bring Dr. J his paper every morning at 6am) and his dislike for the AAU (the worst thing to happen to the world).
Not sure if the shows are archived and available to the general public, but worth a listen if they are.
Pretty much any hockey forum has threads about world championships and why players aren't going. too hurt, too much chance of injury etc. Like Toews, Stamkos and Crosby this year all declined invites. Yes, probably all hurt, but still some fans upset. There's people that decline every year that cause some people to question it.
Blech.
The World Hockey championships is a farce. When about half of the best players in the world are unable to compete, how can it be the 'World Championship' and why should a player care? They should call it 'The World Hockey Championship of players available to play in early May."
It is a meaningless tournament. Maybe they should hold it when every NHLer is available to play, and I guarantee you the big names will show. But right now all the big Canadian names are typically still trying to win the true World Championship of hockey.
Comparing a 2 week tournament, to a full 8 1/2 month NHL regular season and playoffs isn't even comparable.
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I am not surprised at Jordan and Pippen not wanting Thomas, he was a ###### on and off the court.
In Jordans rookie season before the All-Star game when word surfaced that several veteran players, led by Isiah Thomas, were upset by the amount of attention Jordan was receiving. This led to a so called "freeze-out" on Jordan, where players refused to pass him the ball throughout the game.
Turn around is as they say, a b!tch Isiah.
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Considering that in his post-NBA career Isiah has destoryed a college team (FIU), an NBA team (the Knicks), and an entire professional basketball league (the CBA), it was probably a good call to leave him off the Dream Team. Isiah was always considered a pretty dirty player too, so I'm guessing USA Basketball probably wanted to avoid any potential embarassement.
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