Team USA had nothing to play for, and it showed. The Americans already had clinched Group C at the FIBA World Cup by winning their first four games. While other countries jockeyed to get into the knockout stage – or avoid certain opponents – Team USA was on cruise control in Friday’s game vs. war-torn Ukraine. The United States was playing for the fifth time in six nights and had a start time four hours earlier than Thursday. The combination of apathy
I hate to say I told you so, but after the first day of Team USA training camp in Las Vegas, I wrote that Kenny “The Manimal” Faried must be the first guy selected for the roster and everyone else should come thereafter. My reasoning was Faried’s motor, toughness and energy level with intangibles such as putbacks and garbage points would be invaluable to this team. In Sunday’s come-from-behind victory against Turkey, Faried led Team USA team with 22 points and
You probably know by now that Kevin Durant isn’t playing for Team USA. They could have used him Sunday, when his absence exposed virtually all of the warts of this American squad. On the same day ESPN reported that Nike will match Under Armour’s offer of nearly $300 million to Durant, Team USA showed how much it really missed its true alpha dog in an unconvincing 98-77 win over Turkey, which gave every medal contender a blueprint for beating the Americans. In a
The 2014 Basketball World Cup is finally here. And you need to take it seriously, because everyone else does. Thanks to NBC and the other fall-in-line media outlets, most Americans believe the Olympics is the premier international basketball event. Globally, nothing could be further from the truth. With 24 teams and no automatic bid for the host, the World Cup is twice the size of the Olympics. It doesn’t share the spotlight with track or swimming. And most of the players will
There is an official song and music video — “Sube la Copa” for the 2014 FIBA World Cup, and it is kind of catchy. Or maybe not. You can judge for yourself. I am not well versed in Huecco’s music portfolio, but I understand he is a celebrity in Espana. Here is the video. (The only member of Team USA who makes a cameo is Derrick Rose). [Read more…]
The latest version of Team USA that is preparing to defend its title at the World Cup of Basketball in Spain is much bigger than previous editions. But is it better? Previous American squads were built around perimeter players such as Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kevin Durant, none of whom are here this time around. The stud of this squad appears to be Anthony Davis, who was entering his senior year of high school when the last World Cup was
CHICAGO – Not a lot of Jay-Z fans here. At least not among the U.S. federation. They aren’t exactly burning his CDs, but they are enumerating the burned bridges as the fallout from Kevin Durant’s abrupt departure from the U.S. national team continues to spread. Team USA is only the latest entity to be left with a sour taste after dealing with Durant and his latest agent. The folks at Nike aren’t exactly happy. The folks at Gatorade already were unhappy. “It’s like
Photo NBAE / Nathaniel S. Butler Chicago — USA Basketball held their first practice since the gruesome injury that befell Indiana Pacers All-Star Paul George. Practice was held at the Quest Multisport Center in Chicago, where the team will remain until after their exhibition game versus Brazil at the United Center on August 16. They will then travel to New York where they’ll continue training before exhibition games at Madison Square Garden versus the Dominican Republic (Aug. 20)