LAS VEGAS –Team USA embarked on a quest for a second consecutive Olympic gold medal Thursday night with a 113-59 victory over a Dominican Republican team that in another era could have been confused with Cuba. The game concluded a day of concern and comedy that actually began on Wednesday when Kobe Bryant said the 2012 Olympic team could beat the 1992 Dream Team, thereby leading some to suggest the current team will now be called the We-Want-Esteem-Team. Bryant’s musings sent outlets
(function() { var csprtjs = document.createElement('script'); csprtjs.type = 'text/javascript'; csprtjs.async = true; csprtjs.src = 'http://sheridanhoops.cinesport.comhttp://edgecdn.cinesport.com/container.js'; var first_s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; first_s.parentNode.insertBefore(csprtjs, first_s); })(); LAS VEGAS – Depending on who is asked, the idea is somewhere between harebrained and bizarre, which, come to think about it, isn’t saying a lot for the proposal. The rule in question is the proposed age limit of 23 for players participating in the Olympics, which has
After beginning training camp with a couple of five-minute scrimmages that were open to the media, U.S. Olympic coach Mike Krzyzewski has pulled the curtain shut. The last four days have featured games divided into four 10-minute quarters between Team USA and the select team, which consists of younger NBA players. Media has not been allowed to watch. Although statistics have not been made available, the message from those who are Coach K-approved is that there has been one player who has
LAS VEGAS — As the years go by, reminders of advancing age increase, and no one who has reached adulthood is spared. When asked about one of those events Monday, U.S. Olympic basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski – who is at the retirement age of 65 – said, “I try not to think about it.” If the person who conceived the term “time flies” wanted to make different age groups feel older, he or she could point out: 1. How painful it has been
LAS VEGAS — In their continual quest to keep up with American talent, the serious basketball countries in the world have relied on fundamentals, intelligence and, well, Yankee stupidity. The U.S. has always had better basketball players and more of them than any other country. Sometimes, however, talent doesn’t translate to gold. International teams have proven that experienced teams playing with skilled unselfish players can cause problems for the U.S. The 2012 U.S. Olympic team is aware of history – losses in
Mark Titus and I have three things in common. One, we both write about basketball much better than we play it. Two, we both rely on sarcasm as the basis for our attempts at humor. Three, we both are fascinatingly enthralled by “trillions.” Titus is the author of Don’t Put Me in, Coach, a wonderful inside look at big-time college basketball through the cockeyed view of a benchwarmer. On the inside flap is a review from former Boston Globe columnist Leigh Montville that begins, “If
Team USA doesn’t plan on taking the easy path to defending its Olympic gold medal. In advance of the 2012 Olympics in London, the United States has lined up five exhibition games, including showdowns with nemeses Spain and Argentina. The U.S. also will play Brazil, the Dominican Republic and host Britain in the lead-up to the Olympics, USA Basketball announced Friday. “We have again scheduled an extremely challenging lineup of exhibition opponents for our USA Men’s National Team,” USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo
If the one-and-done rule didn’t exist and high school players were permitted to go straight to the NBA, Shabazz Muhammad might go as high as No. 2 in the 2012 Draft. After Anthony Davis, Kentucky’s 6-foot-11 freshman shot-blocking sensation, Muhammad might be the most attractive option were he to be allowed to come out this year. “He would be in the conversation for sure,” our friend, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com, points out. “He’s a great prospect. Lots of NBA teams have point guards and