Go team … Did I say that?
My response to the beginning, end, and inevitable tape-delayed middle of the Olympics is admittedly several days late. The reason being, however, is that I simply do not care for the Olympics. Rarely do sports events strike me with such a sense of indifference as the Olympics.
That’s not to say I wouldn’t jump at the chance to represent my country in world competition if I was good enough at my sport of choice (Bad joke telling, for example. QuarkXpress design. Knowledge of Pearl Jam and/or the entire Seattle-grunge scene. When these are events, please give me a call.)
It’s just the simple fact that every four years we all gather at this spectacle of events, and to me, to pay attention to particular sports (track, swimming, diving, equestrian, etc.) once every four years does the sport a disservice. If I were a true track and field fan, I would know who won the 400 meter in the 2002 World Championships. Of course I do not.
At any rate, keeping with my lengthy segue into this article, my chosen sport during the time of my glory days was basketball. I rooted for B.J. Armstrong to make the Olympic team in 1988, watching them fall in Seoul. I rooted for the first Dream Team, watching Michael Jordan and Clyde Drexler together in the same backcourt (Note: Remember this? yep, it happened. Stockton and Magic were both hurt, and these two manned the point for each game. Easily the two greatest shooting guards ever, and this could have been Portland’s backcourt for the 1980s. Needless to say, Portland was my favorite team). I halfheartedly watched the drubbings the 2000 and 1996 Dream Teams handed out.
But this year was different. And we all know why. Few expected the U.S. to waltz through the Olympics, and few even chose (choose) to root for a young, NBA-laden roster. The NBA is, of course, in a downturn. It’s suffering from an influx of youth, too many teams, and the shifting of the college recruiting landscape. Its desire to market itself globally – while a smart move – created other world basketball powers, such as Germany, Serbia, Croatia, Argentina, China and even Australia – featuring players who worked to attain the goal of the NBA.
And, so, here we find ourselves in a sticky situation. Several young players, never having been challenged (or expecting one) in their entire basketball careers – facing sharpshooting vets from foreign lands. A test to their young mettle. A different sort of game, built on defense, quickness, and cuts — not to mention outside shooting. Maybe we should have sent the Sacramento Kings. Or the Detroit Pistons. But that’s water under the bridge.
Much has been written about fixing USA basketball, not simply selecting an All-Star team, but rather focusing the team months in advance of world events, and this idea of course has merit. It’s also convenient to point out that Shaq, Kobe, T-Mac, KG are not playing – but it’s also fallacious to assume that Argentina and Lithuania could not also easily handle a big man by using a zone, or gang up on Kobe, depending on him to launch 60 shots a game.
So, I’m not going to waste anyone’s time picking my Olympic team (OK, I am … Michael Redd, Shane Battier, Trenton Hassell, Brent Barry, Kenyon Martin, TJ Ford, Elton Brand, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Lamar Odom) … rather, I’m simply going to say that I’ve enjoyed this team more than any … flawed and all. Why?
Because they’re not a giant. Because they are imperfect. Because if they do overcome their shooting and defensive woes, they’ll have written a story for the ages.
It’s quite easy to point out the youth of James, Anthony, Boozer and Wade. It’s quite easy to rip on Iverson for being loud, Duncan for being stoic, Jefferson and Marbury for being vastly overrated. And it’s certainly easy to long for the days of the first Dream Team, wistful for the glory days of the NBA.
But that’s all over. It’s far more difficult to stand by a team through the tough times. And though it may seem as though the NBA is in trouble with its young stars, too much money, lack of jump shooting, and ESPN-ified “Boo-yah”-ization of the league’s highlights, the guys that showed up to play, are more than worth the price of admission. Iverson? Odom? Duncan? James? Wade? Come on. All have their flaws, but as in all drama – aren’t flawed heroes the most interesting and satisfying ones? This is the same.
Join me tomorrow at 6:30 a.m., and root for AI, Marbury, Boozer, and Odom to overcome their demons. As stated, it’s easy to take potshots at 12 stars who may not have been as good as even they thought – but it’s much more satisfying to stand by them — Hmm. Should they defy the odds to win, would it be, dare I say it…. the American dream? We’ll see.