https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball_at_the_2016_Summer_Olympics_–_Men's_qualification Basketball at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball_at_the_2016_Summer_Olympics_–_Men's_tournament https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cox_(basketball,_born_1981) The cousin of Kobe Bryant plays for Venezuela. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cox_(basketball,_born_1981) Several good teams: USA, Australia, France, Croatia, Argentina, Lithuania and Spain (if they win).
Despite having barely won today against Serbia, Coach K needs to light a fire under his team's ass because that was not simply good enough.
You know how Americans see Russians as the villains in the Olympics? Many in the rest of the world put the US in that role. Maybe villain is too strong, but, they just root for the little guy and that sure as hell ain't the US.
Racial reasons. Serbian fans were present in the hall, they have that antagonism in Serbia.. Serbian people have antagonism directed to US society, culture, because of this. Serbs adore Russians. It can go very far in the past. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_bombing_of_Yugoslavia Even players made often "The Three Finger Salute". It was visible among the fans. Usual nationalistic activity among sports people and fans. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-finger_salute_(Serbian)
USA needs to bring the best players, just like in Barcelona 1992. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball_at_the_1992_Summer_Olympics It's sad to see that some players refuse to play for their NT. Two Croatian players also refused to come: Damjan Rudez and Ante Tomic.
Oh, I always had the impression that it was the US Government they hated, moreso than Americans themselves.
It's fine if they hate our government/ politics but I guess my point is why take it out on the athletes ? I get your point but it comes across as classless and against the spirit of the games IMO
Types of various governments were elected by people. Polarization of world countries, army alliances has always existed. Also 54 US medals bring that envy factor. When I wake up in the morning, probably 60 medals. Russian athletes were banned mostly...so cards became revealed. In Serbian media: USA, Germany, UK, Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Vatican (Roman Catholics), EU...have negative tones. Everything is based around Kosovo state / province. Kosovo got one gold medal in Rio Olympic event. Imagine reactions in Serbia. They still don't accept Kosovo and everyone who accepts this state becomes the enemy. They are powerless in political structures, but they use sports events as some consolation battlefield. Majority of US basketball players don't even know where Serbia is. Serbs like Spain, because they refused to accept Kosovo, but they don't understand the real Spanish reason for doing that. If they accept Kosovo, they must accept Basque Country, Catalonia, Galicia. Spain doesn't care about Serbia at all. They adore only Russia, Belarus, Greece, maybe Romania in Europe. Because they share Orthodox faith. Some titles in Serbian media: "Where is the ball? Teodosic showed the magic to Americans" NBA shows the magic since 1946.
I'm a big basketball fan as well.... and love the international competition, go USA! We have France tomorrow afternoon. What I still fail to understand about international basketball is I hear comments from Marv Alberts or Doug Collins is a lot of these teams have had years of playing together-- as in specific tournaments, games, etc. Whereas the US team really was put together 27 days ago or so. Didn't they make this a 3 year commitment for US team members now? Regardless of that, how do these other countries have their country teams play together moreso? Is it like soccer, in these other countries, where there is select days within periods of a year where the national teams actually play games? We know this doesn't work with the NBA....
International play is unimportant to US Basketball players and they regard it as a nuisance to their actual careers, despite their public statements about how much of an honor it is to play for their country. In reality, they try to avoid it as much as possible. It was only after they were embarrassed at the 2004 Olympics and then by Greece at the FIBA World Cup in 2006 did the NBA and US Basketball even remotely begin to care. For the most part, NBA teams exert quiet pressure on the American players to not accept national team callups. NBA teams themselves don't care if their foreign players go or not. Outside of US Soccer players, who actually want to be there, most professional American athletes who play team ball sports have little interest in risking their careers in what they regard as meaningless exhibition games in their respective sports. After basketball, American pro baseball players are especially notorious for this.
One aspect is important to describe. Imagine if one NBA player with great NBA contract becomes injured in one Olympic training before the match against China for example. His contract could become reduced, recovery time could last for months...so if he is 28 years, his career could be destroyed. Maybe if IOC creates nice financial award, the best players would be present. Last Dream Team occurred at Summer Olympics 1992 in Barcelona. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_United_States_men's_Olympic_basketball_team Only coach K. is present from that Dream Team. Similar is in tennis...better players cancelled.
Yeah I get it-- it's disappointing if you ask me. I just think that international games have never meant that much to US fans because a lot of countries maybe never played (baseball) or weren't competitive in other games (basketball). So the best of the best was always in our leagues for those respective sports--- and for the most part from our country. The biggest pain in my backside is the World Baseball Classic. Which the US still hasn't won and apparently most fans, and players, still don't care. Soccer is obviously different. As with most things in the US sporting world I'm a little different... not sure when football even starts ;-)
An interesting post, but no one on the IOC cares about creating financial awards for anybody except guys on the IOC.
It's too bad they care so little about the WBC. It has the potential to be a great baseball tournament. But, like everything else in this world, money talks, so MLB will just avoid letting American players be in it.
Majority of members are +65 years. I doubt that they know anything about the sports at Olympics. Administrator members are usually from exotic countries. News about the match between USA and Serbia...Serbia thinks that they were "robbed" against USA. http://www.vesti-online.com/Sport/R...i-to-FIBA-gura-Amerikance-kada-masina-zasteka Title: "Serbia robbed: is FIBA pushing the Americans when the machine "stucks"? In few sentences it was written: Referees and members behind the table joined their strengths and helped to the US team. One comment: "Uvek je se nameštalo za zapadnu propagandu koja ogromne sume novca daje za sport i sportske funkcionere u svetu,tako da se nikada nezna gde sede njini ljudi i da se nezna ko su njini ljudi. Od te propagande profitiraju samo zapadne zemlje i to naizmenično da nebi stalno bili isti i upadali u oči. Deo toga je i puštanje pogrešnih himni, zastava, logova i drugih obeležja poštenog sveta. Ta tema je suviše kompleksna da bi se objasnila u jednom komentaru." Google Translate: Serbian-English, 14th August 2016, 6:25 PM - CET "It is always the rigging of the western propaganda that huge sums of money given to sport and sports officials in the world, so it never knows where people sit minorities and to know who is behaving people. From the propaganda benefit only the western countries and it turns that would not be the same and constantly broke into the eyes. Part of this is the release of incorrect anthems, flags, logos and other elements of a fair world. This topic is too complex to explain in a comment." And this lasts for decades...
I needed to find some time and make the real, strategic and distinguished basketball action for RIO 2016 knock out stage. Every basketball expert should understand this strategy. The green arrow shows the ecological sense for nature protection. It's also unofficial court exit, when opponents start to lose with major point difference. I also made small green pine tree, wanted to demonstrate my artistic sense of expression, in case if no one recognized this small pine tree. Number 1 will distract. Number 2 is our beloved play maker. Number 3 will make ambush. Number 4 will maintain his spacial borders close to that nice, white rock. Number 5 is kept in low profile secrecy, especially his role and tactical approach. P.S. Ignore the tennis net, baskets are above.
LIVE STREAM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgT_GOCrLkk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge06C9gDBQM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mlg5MvcdGZA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugFvTd2uka0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_VEs8UTvt8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99ndcZq_u3g
Interesting line from the Finland coach: "This is the locomotive of the sport," Dettmann said of international basketball. "Everybody who has any type of experience in basketball, who has his own or her own heart, will give that answer, the national team. There's not one proof that it's anything else. "Okay now, I probably exclude the American market, but I'm not sure about that, either. I think the Olympics and basketball is very exciting competition for the USA consumer. It would be interesting to see how many viewers you have for an NBA Final and how many viewers you have for an Olympic Final." http://www.fiba.com/basketballworld...ualifiers-will-boost-basketballs-market-share
FIBA Americas Cup: USA to play in will play August 28-30 in Montevideo, Uruguay. Also in the group are Dominican Republic and Panama. SF's and F's Sept. 2-3 in Córdoba, Argentina https://www.usab.com/news-events/news/2017/04/americup-draw.aspx http://www.fiba.com/americup/2017/news/draw-results-in-for-fiba-americup-2017 And as I posted in my FIBA Basketball World Cup thread, eleven of the twelve teams are known, with Brazil being suspended.