John Smallwood: USA basketball guaranteed to be more humble in Beijing

John Smallwood: USA basketball guaranteed to be more humble in Beijing


BEFORE THE 2004 Olympics, U.S. men's basketball co-captain Allen Iverson spoke of having a gold medal draped around his neck as if it were a foregone conclusion.

Denver Nuggets second-year forward Carmelo Anthony was even more bold - guaranteeing on the first day of training camp that Team USA/NBA would have little problem bringing the gold medal home from Athens, Greece.

But that was back when the USA believed that the sixth-place finish at the 2002

FIBA World Championships was a fluke, created by a bad selection of selfish NBA players and an uninterested coach.

Now, after bronze medals at the Athens Games and the 2006 World Championships, there is no banter of overconfidence coming from Team USA/NBA.

Experience has taught the players that talking about a gold medal guarantees little as they get ready for their Beijing Olympics Redemption Tour.

After being humbled in Athens, the U.S. team is taking a wiser, more respectful attitude.

"You don't even have to ask the question this time," Anthony told ESPN.com before the USA began its schedule of exhibition games for the Olympics. "I ain't guaranteeing nothing, but we've got a good chance of going over there and bringing the gold medal back."

Of course, the USA can reclaim the gold medal.

Player-for-player, the United States will have a considerable talent advantage over the teams in this tournament, which include world champion Spain, reigning Olympic champion Argentina and, of course, host nation China.

But that was the case in 2002, when the United States finished sixth at the World Championships; in 2004, when it took bronze in Greece, and 2 years ago, when it finished third at the World Championships.

The players on the U.S. team know all too well that having the most talent no longer equates to having the best team in major international competitions.

USA Basketball realized this after losing in Athens.

The 5-3 record in Athens forced USA Basketball to re-examine its selection and preparation processes.

In 2005, former Phoenix Suns owner Jerry Colangelo was put in charge of developing the Olympic program.

Colangelo appointed Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski as the national-team coach through the Beijing Games.

Most important, he demanded a 3-year commitment leading up to the 2008 Olympics before a player even would be put in the selection pool for the national team.

No longer would players be selected just before events - primarily based on whose NBA jersey was most popular at the time.

Perhaps the best boost to that commitment requirement came when San Antonio Spurs star Tim Duncan and then-Minnesota Timberwolves star Kevin Garnett said they weren't interested in returning to international competition and USA Basketball made no effort to change their minds.

Players such as Gilbert Arenas and Amare Stoudemire were jettisoned from the program when they gave the impression that "me" seemed more important to them than "we."

The next huge step for Team USA/NBA actually came with a loss at the 2006 World Championships in Saitama, Japan.

When a starless team from Greece used basic basketball team concepts to beat the USA, 101-95, in the semifinals, it was a shocking reminder about the value of teamwork over individual talent.

Krzyzewski, who has two world championship bronze medals (1990, 2006) to show for his tenures as USA head coach, learned international basketball is not the same as the NCAA. He had to study the game more.

The bronze-laden superstar trio of Anthony, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade again found out their NBA clout no longer intimidates on the international stage. They had to work harder.

This decade has never been about the talent of USA Basketball. It's been about the attitude of USA Basketball. USA Basketball got lazy as competition around the globe improved.

A sense of superiority and entitlement led to a deterioration in hard work and commitment to the team fundamentals and concepts necessary to succeed in international competitions.

The USA lost because it stopped caring about Basketball 101.

If, as it seems, the officials, the coaches and, most important, the players of USA Basketball finally understand that they must be a great team and not only great individual players, the Olympic gold medal won't be guaranteed - but you have to like America's chances. *