David Aldridge on the FIBA games

["Lance Jacobson" <lancejacob@xxxxxxxxx>]

Here's the column, and there's some great ideas on how to get back on top of
the world's basketball pecking order.

http://espn.go.com/nba/columns/aldridge_david/1427992.html

It would be nice to build a team of the top 12 players, but that's a bit
far-fetched, especially because Aldridge suggests a shorter NBA season
(eliminate some pre-season games and start sooner, among other things), and
there are likely injuries and personal reasons not to play.

However, the embarrassment of last week should be an incentive for more
players to agree to represent the US.  Losing has gotten the attention of the
fans, media and the NBA poobahs, and there will be a new status accorded those
who "get back the Gold".

Aside from this motivation for the best, wouldn't it make sense to pick a
20-man team a year before and have them practice for 2 weeks the summer prior
to the event?  It's just a 2-week stint over the course of a 3-month summer.
Even Karl Malone can't fish for that long.

The fact that the players may not be in game shape isn't even important.  It's
to run PLAYS, get familiar with the defenses and rules, to slo-mo simulated
games and situations.  I think it would solve a lot of the problems that our
guys faced by just being thrown together and getting back to a pro-level
schedule.

Compensating players doesn't seem right.  These guys already make a ton of
dough.  Why not just pay expenses for them and immediate family and make it a
vacation trip for those who go?

It'll be a long time before the NBA works away from Showtime-style play, as
the Americans still crave instant stimulation ("NBA ball?  Why watch?  The
whole game is decided in the last two minutes").  Stern MAY be pressured to
adopt some more of the international rules, but his comments show that he
thinks FIBA is moving toward his game.  Tug of war.  It will benefit the US,
of course if the rules are the same, whatever they may be.

The good news is that the Olympic tryouts will bring a whole lot more energy
from the U.S.A. team and likely more coaching than free-reign.  Better
selection process to counter the bigger foreign players, and better shooting.
We still lost this series on defense, no matter how ugly our shots looked.

But after the Olympics, we'll be prepping for the FIBA games in Greece, and
it'll be serious.  Now the US fans have a reason to watch.  Seeing Indiana may
not have been enough of a side story to warrant the folks from Arizona to make
a summer trip to these FIBA games, but there will be some real hype for the
next series, and I think folks will care--at least enough to watch.

Better times ahead.