FanNation - The Republic of Sport

"Finally there will come a day -- I'm not saying it will happen anytime soon, mind you, but it's inevitable that it will happen -- that they will be able to compete with us on even terms. And they'll look back on the Dream Team as a landmark event in that process."—Chuck Daly, 1992

As the United States confidently marches into the treacherous medal round, there is an overseas threat developing that must be addressed.  But this problem doesn’t involve Beijing or Russia and Georgia—sort of.  In the shadows of this off-season, an epidemic has begun to plague the NBA.

           16 years ago, the NBA dispatched its first team of professionals to represent the States at the Barcelona Olympics.  Initially, the competition was overmatched having never been exposed to such a collection of basketball icons and in the process, the Dream Team sparked an interest in developing basketball overseas at an accelerated rate. 

             For years the NBA was the big brother and the eldest sibling of international hoops.  We'd give every other nation a wedgie and come out without a scratch. and nothing but a target on our backs.  Then, international community took the challenge and got a little rebellious in 2004 running away with the Gold medal.

            The NBA, which had only imported a handful of international players into the League at that point, suddenly the opened the floodgates as foreigners began to assert themselves as impact players in droves.

Ironically, the trend is now appears to be in the early stages doing a 180, during  an off-season which saw a bevy of established NBA contributors  and foreign players unhappy wither their diminished roles defecting to Europe for big bucks.  Earl Boykins, the energetic 5’5 scoring dynamo who curiously garnered no interest for half a season recently became the highest paid player in the Italian League.  Juan Carlos Navarro, Nenad Krystic, Carlos Delfino and Puerto Rican Carlos Arroyo have rejected lucrative NBA contracts for stardom in inferior leagues across the Atlantic.

The #1 high school prospect of 2008, Brandon Jennings, decided to circumvent the NBA system by earning his paycheck and plying his trade professionally on Italian hardwood rather than develop under the tutelage of Lute Olson’s desert paradise at Point Guard U. via the University of Arizona.

Though a collection of role layers Childress don’t create a mass exodus, they have created uncertainty. 

Kobe Bryant harped about ending his career in Italy where he was reared, when his contract expired and just Friday Ben Gordon mentioned off his own accord that Europe is a viable option now that he has likely played his last game as a Chicago Bull.  Last night the New Orleans Hornets also lost serviceable backup point guard, Jannero Pargo when he signed a one year deal worth nearly $4 million with Dynamo Moscow of the Russian League.

            If there was ever a reason for David Stern to kick the NBA’s overseas expansion plan into high gear.  This is it.  This is the threat to the NBA’s superiority that expansion proponents couldn’t even have seen coming and it is gaining steam.   

In the week leading up to the Olympic Games Lebron James was also reportedly contacted by the reigning Euro League Champions, (winners of 2 of the last 3)CSKA Moscow, and Greek team Olympiacos, which plucked Josh Childress from the Atlanta Hawks, about playing overseas for $50 million per year.   Surprisingly, he poured fuel on the burning speculation by acknowledging that it would be difficult to turn his back on such a hefty payday.

With the strength of the Euro in contrast to the dollar and the NBA’s stringent salary cap, 50 million is almost 3 times the value James can earn in the NBA.   His eagerness to publicly acknowledge New York, Brooklyn, Russia and Greece as possible future destinations when he enters free agency in 2010 displays how desperate he is to put Cleveland in his rear view mirror. 

In the short term the NBA is handicapped by the salary cap but the only solution to thwart this overseas threat forever is by absorbing the top teams in Europe.

Alternatively, the WNBA has struggled to retain a mainstream audience domestically yet   over the pond, women’s basketball players have thrived thanks to the hordes of ravenous fans in the furthest corners of Europe and the Middle East who don’t have access to the best men’s players in the world and the deep pockets of eccentric billionaire moguls.  In America, they are paid like paupers in comparison to their male counterparts as opposed to the handsome payments they receive overseas.

However, international teams remain ahead of the NBA curve in one aspect.  The overseas coaching fraternity is littered with American born coaches—the NBA has none.  The Chinese national team hired Del Harris to head its 2004 Olympic effort.  Mike D’Antoni coached for over a decade in Italy and upon his return to coaching in the NBA; D’Antoni brought his unconventional up-tempo, swashbuckling offensive strategy to the Phoenix Suns.  Former Bobcats head coach, Sam Vincent, who was fired just one year after he was hired, has a coaching resume which includes stints in with the South Africa, the Greek men’s basketball league, the Canoe Jeans in the Netherlands, the A1 Dutch league before being named head coach of the Nigerian women's national team.

What’s curious is that if the NBA has minimal reservations about inking collegiate coaches who are better at recruiting than articulating strategy why has a foreign head coach yet to take the helm of an NBA roster?  If a bold general manager does take the initiative of hiring a head coach from outside North American borders, Ettore Messina is the odds on favorite to shatter the xenophobic barrier. Since succeeding Mike D’Antoni with Italian powerhouse, Benetton Treviso, Messina who is regarded as the Zen of European coaches, has led CSKA Moscow 2 Euro league championships in 3 seasons. 

If the head position in Toronto were to ever become vacant, experts believe he’d be more comfortable with the NBA’s only Canadian franchise which also selected Italian born Andrea Bargnani with the 1^st overall pick in 2005.

Jason Kidd’s presence is required more for leadership, his glamorous 38-0 record in international play and his shiny gold medal than it is for his athleticism, which is rapidly declining.  Kidd’s court vision remains X-Ray like but his unreliable jump shot renders him ineffective in FIBA basketball. 

            Even after Team USA’s dismantling of the Spanish national team which is minus a few cogs such as Fran Vasquez and Sergio Rodriguez, I expect to see Spain in a gold medal rematch.  Not Argentina, Lithuania, which also finished pool play undefeated, or China.  Spain’s Spanish Basketball “All-Star” Armada will march through the medal round.  I guarantee it.

In last Saturday’s Spanish-American showdown, Spain boasted arguably the most talented international team outside the U.S. of all time.  On paper as a unit, the Spanish national team would comprise a championship caliber NBA team.   Most international teams in this field would barely pull even with the injury riddled Charlotte Bobcats.

Spain earned the moniker as best team in the world after defeating Greece in the 2006 FIBA World Championships with NBA All-Star Pau Gasol watching intently—on crutches.  For the United States, Greece on Thursday was just a precursor to Spain’s talented and close knit unit littered with NBA stars.

            In Saturday’s Spanish-American showdown, the most marquee match up was at point guard where, Jason Kidd matched up against Spain’s Ricky Rubio who is half his age. 

            For 17 year old Ricky Rubio, who resembles Aladdin more than a professional athlete the pressure was ratcheted up in Saturday’s game, his first non-official draft workout for anxious NBA scouts and introduction for the American mainstream.  He was likely more nervous than anyone out there and it was apparent.  Despite a laser accurate alley-oop he delivered in the 4^th quarter, Rubio’s presence was non-existent for most of the game.

Branded as the Spanish Pistol Pete, Rubio has exhibited exceptional court vision and underrated scoring prowess since becoming the youngest athlete ever to play in the Spanish ACB League, considered the best professional league in the world outside the NBA and a notch above NCAA basketball.  Spain boasts a plethora of top notch point guards as well. 

Jose Calderon stepped up in the absence of T.J. Ford to skyrocket from bench contributor to fringe All-Star finishing the season 5^th in assists per game and nearly shattering the NBA’s single season record for assist to turnover ratio.  After Ford’s expedient trade on Draft Night, Calderon enters 2008-09 season as the Raptors undisputed starter.

Sergio Rodriguez, a wizard with the basketball who is not on the Beijing roster is expected to play a larger for Portland in 2008 which has also received a commitment from one of Spain’s top shooting guards, Rudy Fernandez.

           Being an avid Olympic watcher and basketball fan, I’ve come to a conclusion—the Olympics needs more basketball (and dodge ball but that’s for another day).

           Olympic track and field events include the 100, 200 and 400 meter as individual meets and as team relays.  Tennis hands out medals for doubles and singles and volleyball is given a showcase for indoor team tennis as well as for the doubles beach tournament.

           What if the Olympics introduced the same approach to basketball and explored the infinite possibilities of the sport as something more than just 5 on 5.  What if the Olympic committee made it their mission to also award the best doubles team in the world in addition to settling the dispute for the best player in the world? 

           Besides medieval jousting on BMX bikes and ramps and golf, this is the competition that should replace the gaping hole that the absence of softball and baseball will create.

Imagine for a second, the hype surrounding a 2012 gold medal match up in the 6’7 and up, doubles format between Lebron James/Dwight Howard facing China’s Yao Ming/Yi Jianlian or France’s Boris Diaw and Joakim Noah. 

            Tony Parker and Michael Petrius/Nicholas Batum or Spain’s trio of Rudy Fernandez and Ricky Rubio/Sergio Rodriguez would make a formidable run for the gold against Chris Paul and any other a number of superstar shooting guards in 2012.  I’ll leave the rest to your imagination but a fan can dream…

I’m writing this blog because apparently, last Friday night marked the grand opening of this grueling two week spectacle/tournament of heart, determination and athleticism four years in the making. Haven’t heard much about these “Beijing Olympics” but I managed to scrum up some information and consume a few of these exciting events but missed out on trampoline, air pistols, windsurfing, archery, equestrian contests and saber fencing.   Even Jedi’s can earn an Olympic medal in these Olympic Games.

The Chinese have gone to great extents to disguise the nation’s communism by taking dog off of menus in Beijing restaurants, closing sex shops, food cart vendors have been driven off the streets and people have even been forbidden to hang their laundry out the window.

            However, the Olympics lack a few fundamental qualities including golf, which strangely enough is not an Olympic sport. Fortunately, if the IOC rules in favor of admitting golf in 2012, we could see Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington, Sergio Garcia vying for Olympic Gold medals in London.

Domestically, the United States baseball team has never fielded a roster of major leaguers and never will as America’s favorite pastime as well as softball are slated for the Olympic guillotine in 2012.(Do we pronounce that “twenty twelve” or “two thousand twelve”?  The future is too complicated.

For a league which calls its championship, the World Series, MLB is incredibly stubborn about accommodating the Olympics every 4 years.  Selig could have at least acknowledged baseball’s final Olympics by following the WNBA and NHL’s model by suspending play temporarily or by starting the season two weeks earlier, then ended it two weeks later in order to send the U.S.’ World Baseball Classic team, with a few adjustments, to Beijing.

I’m not sure who’s under more scrutiny, the United States Olympic Redeem Team or Michael Phelps?  On one hand members of the Redeem Team have 12 teammates, a coaching staff millions of dollars and an entire league to split the blame, while Phelps competes in an individual sport, isn’t nearly as wealthy and has 4 years of world scrutiny for an entire sport on his shoulders.  In Phelps’ favor, no one would fault him for added just 6 golds and 2 silvers to his 6 golds, silver and bronze from Athens.  If Phelps were to win just one more medal his 14 golds would far surpass every athlete’s total in modern Olympic history. 

          With all this said I’ve decided to keep a running Olympic Diary and although I’m 4 days late or 5 in China’s time zone, this is the decathlon not the 100 meters and I haven’t even put on my wetsuit yet. 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Michael Phelps Tracker

With the majority of fans intensely following Michael Phelps journey for eight gold medals, track and field has taken a backseat to swimming in the early stages of these Olympics. 

Phelps has not finished out of first in the 400 meters in 6 years and it appears he never will again.  With President Bush in attendance, Phelps obliterated his own world record in the much anticipated final of the Olympics 400 meter relay in stage 1 of his quest for 8 gold medals—in Beijing alone.  Boredom has set in for the swimming great who seeks a new challenge.  After the race Phelps then alluded to this being his final individual 400 meter relay and is eager to focus on new events and ditch a grueling race that combines all four strokes. 

The breaststroke which is considered Phelps’ liability proved to be the deciding factor as he came out from the turn and into the freestyle with a slight lead which he developed into a full body lead in the final lap.  During his medal ceremony, the anthem also broke the world record for quickest national anthem as it abruptly stopped due to “audio complications”.  However, in the last 4 days world records have fallen like raindrops in Bejing and it’s not a coincidence.

Steroids have not afflicted swim as it has track and field and other Olympic sports but it appears the age of technological doping has begun to emerge.  Phelps has passed rigorous testing but he does possess a competitive advantage, at least to swimmers of yesteryear with the aide of his high-tech LZR Racer Speedo which has helped competitors break a litany of world records.

The technology, which was literally developed by NASA scientists, unlike those faux paux Gatorade Institute commercials, is complicated but I’ll try to explain. The suit’s fabric was tested in wind tunnel used to determine the aerodynamics of space shuttles.  Unlike a traditional suit which allows skin movement, the Racer reduces friction in the water which creates the drag that slows swimmers. 

Records set in these suits have been met with not much reception but not because of negative perceptions.  It’s because they’ve become far too common.  Over 50 records have been broken since these suits were unveiled—in January.   Contrary to reports, though the suit does not include internal propellers.

This is not the first time scientific advancement has blurred the limits of physical ability and it certainly won't be the last.
South African double amputee track star, Oscar Pistorius, born without fibulas, attempted to qualify for the 400 meters at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing with the use of prosthetics called Cheetahs which caused uproar in the track and field community. 

Somehow his paucity of fibula bones were classified as a competitive advantage. They theorize that the structure of his prosthetics allegedly allow him to have a longer stride than someone with their naturally-born legs giving him a competitive advantage. However, if the Cheetahs made their users better, then why aren't other Cheetah users able to compete with Pistorius? No one else using the Cheetahs is even as fast as Pistorius, not because of the technology but because of his speed.

            Which brings me full circle to the LZR Racer which has given Phelps the equipment to shave time off his own and others competitors' world records that are available to everyone else.  However, other competitors cannot wear this superspeedo for varying reasons, putting them at a slight competitive advantage. 

Upcoming:, 200 butterfly, 4X200 free relay, 200 individual medley, 100 butterfly, 4 X100 medley relay

Part 2 of Phelps’ 8 part series brought him to the 4X100 freestyle relay where French swimmer Alain Bernard had previously gone out of his way to state they would smash the Americans.  Seems trash talk isn’t a French specialty.   Phelps swam the leadoff leg, followed by Cullen Jones and Garrett Weber-Bale who trailed the French most of the way through setting up an epic anchor leg.  Stephan Lezak dove into the pool, an unknown albeit renowned relay swimmer and over the course of the next 100 meters would become an American Olympic icon. 

Trailing by an entire body length to 100 freestyle world record holder Alain Bernard, it appeared Phelps’ would watch helplessly as the United States settled for silver, thus bringing his quest for 8 gold medals in a single Olympics to an anticlimactic end.  But then something began to happen.  Stroke by stroke, kick by kick and with the sudden movements of each limb, Lezak inched towards Bernard.  The only question was would it be too late? 

Watching at home as midnight neared you had to jump out of your seat towards the finish as they battled neck and neck.  Then… they both grasped for the wall, stopped and one half a second later, the graphic flashed across the screen confirming France’s second place finish and the United States victory.  The defining image was Phelps’ expression as he awaited the fate of his chase and Weber-Gale then embraced amidst a frenzy of emotions.

Lezak’s 100-meter relay split of 46.06 seconds, the fastest in world history, fittingly was a part of the US’ world-record of 3:08.24.  Think that was impressive? Consider that the American team sans Phelps had shattered the previous world record, less than a day earlier in preliminaries.  In fact, the top five teams all went under the previous world record and two of them couldn’t even get on the podium! 

Mark Spitz 7 gold medals also set the gold standard by shattering 7 world records even with his lip sweater.  After shattering his own world record in the 200 freestyle, Phelps is 3 for 3 and has broken or been a part of 3 record breaking performances through 3 finals.

                                            Redeem Team Report 

The 2004 Mens Olympic Basketball team biggest weakness was the non-existent continuity and the least talented and youngest roster assembled since 1988—the last time collegiate players competed for the United States.  Lamar Odom, Stephon Marbury, Shawn Marion and Richard Jefferson led the diplomatic team while Emeka Okafor, Dwayne Wade, Lebron James and Carmelo were glued to the hardwood—bench.

2008’s basketball “dip-squad” puts 2004’s bronze JV unit to shame.  In addition, Larry Brown’s coaching axiom is more suitable for a struggling group of young, scrappy perennial bottom feeders, not a celebrity roster composed of headstrong veteran Nike endorsed All-Stars with one month of practice under their belts.

The United States’ 2008 coaching staff obviously took this into account with the selection of Coach K, the architect of the most successful collegiate program of the past quarter century.  The Redeem Team quickly dispatched China and Angola with superior athleticism, an array of aerial dunks, and more physicality. 

With an average age of 26 years, the 2008 team is 3 years older than the 2004 roster which averaged out to about 23.3 years old.

The 2004 roster also brought a combined 219.3 PPG, 70.1 RPG, 47.3 APG, 16 SPG from the 2003-04 NBA season to the Olympics.  However, if you include Emeka Okafor’s 04-05 season, his rookie season, the roster had a total of 234.4 PPG, 81.1 RPG and 47.3 apg.  The 2008 roster combined to average 246.5 PPG, 78.4 RPG, 65.3 apg and 12 spg in the last NBA season meaning 2004’s roster were generally outscored, out-dished and more turnover prone but interestingly enough better rebounders than the 2008 roster.  This plays along with the perception of the United States paucity of low post presences.

            Having already trounced Russia and China, the U.S.’s greatest challenge is expected to come from Spain, Germany and Argentina.  Despite a roster devoid of NBA players Greece’s gritty unit could also prove to be a formidable obstacle. 

I’ll bring analysis in my next Redeem Team Report of not just the United States but the other serious contenders on Thursday.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________