FIBA Americas League

Discussion in 'Basketball' started by mike4066, Jun 8, 2010.

  1. mike4066

    mike4066 Member+

    Jun 30, 2007
    Chula Vista, CA
    Club:
    Fulham FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  2. WaltonFire

    WaltonFire Member

    Apr 22, 2006
    Indianapolis
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    1) Scheduling makes participation difficult to impossible. As the NBA season runs during the same time as the FIBA Americas League, NBA teams participating would have to squeeze games in during the off days inbetween NBA contests. Given that NBA teams play 2-3 times a week anyway, trying to squeeze in a round trip to Rio or Buenos Aries becomes nearly impossible. I suppose the NBA could reduce the length of the season to allow more time for play in the FIBA Americas League play, but NBA games generate more revenue than FIBA games would, so reducing the season isn't going to happen.

    2) There is a certain level of arrogance involved. The arrogance is earned mind you, but its still there. The NBA likely considers the teams playing in the FIBA Americas League to be minor league level and so not worth playing.
     
  3. Dtown

    Dtown Member

    Sep 5, 2009
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    To add onto what Walton is saying

    3) FIBA for the most part considers the NBA to be the representative for Canada and the United States. Basically it's own mini confederation. Before the Club World Championship idea was axed the NBA champion would have gone in alongside the FIBA Americas champion.

    The NBA isn't just considered the strongest national league in the world, it's considered the strongest league period, talent wise, monetarily, and the sway it has over FIBA (see new rules adopted this year).

    Here's hoping they do eventually adopt the Club World Championship soon though. It's about time Basketball got an official World Champion.
     
  4. mike4066

    mike4066 Member+

    Jun 30, 2007
    Chula Vista, CA
    Club:
    Fulham FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The for the replies guys...I saw on the Club World Cup page that the NBA will be a participant in next years addition (although not a mandatory participant).

    I agree, it would be good to see a World Champ.
     
  5. Master O

    Master O Member+

    Jul 7, 2006
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    No disrespect to those teams, but would any games there involving NBA teams be even remotely competitive?

    As we see in International Basketball (Club or Nation), the full adult US team is, for all intensive purposes, invincible [excluding 2004 Olympics].

    I dunno much about this subject, that's why I ask.
     
  6. mike4066

    mike4066 Member+

    Jun 30, 2007
    Chula Vista, CA
    Club:
    Fulham FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well see...that is why I asked because the last couple of times I have seen the US national team play they looked like trash and either barely won or lost.
     
  7. WaltonFire

    WaltonFire Member

    Apr 22, 2006
    Indianapolis
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The truth is somewhere between both you and Master O. In the early to mid 2000's the national team wasn't doing so well, we finished an 6th in the 2002 FIBA world championships (probably the worst showing of any US basketball team) and only won bronze at the Athens Olympics. Now prior to this the US had not lost any Olympic basketball game since 1988, but the margins of victory in the Olympic tournaments gradually decreased through the 90's until we barely won in the Sydney Olympics. The reason for this, both the declining margins of victory and the eventual poor showings in 2002 and 2004 are do to a couple of things: first, the rest of the world has been getting better. National teams of the caliber of Argentina or Spain didn't exist outside the US in the early 90's. Second, the US after lapping the field in the 92 Barcelona Olympics, gradually began to take international basketball tournaments less and less seriously. The idea was basically, why bother putting together a strong team if you are going to win anyway. Eventually this wound up bitting the US national team in the behind. For example the 2002 FIBA WC team lacked Shaq, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, and Jason Kidd, five of the best players on the planet. 2006 was the first tournament since probably 1996 where one could really claim that the US sent its best possible team. The 2006 team went 8-1 en route to a bronze medal, and the 2008 team went 8-0 on way to a gold. The average margin of victory was 27.8 and the closest game was 11. So Master O is kind of right in that, when the US sends its best team, it rarely loses, however you are right that the US has had some bad results in the past decade, and the US can no longer just show up and automatically win.

    Anyother more relevant issue for the FIBA Americas league is that the NBA is not simply composed of the best American players, it is composed of the best players from around the world. The best Argentines, Brazilians, Spaniards, Lithuanians, and everyone else plays in the NBA. It is highly unlikely that an NBA team would lose to a Brazilian or Argentine team that doesn't even include the best players from their own countries.
     
  8. Dtown

    Dtown Member

    Sep 5, 2009
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The truth of the matter is the NBA is more dominant against the world than Team USA is, and the reason why is simple, often the best players of other nations also play in the NBA, Spain and Argentina being the best examples. Really the only exceptions are Greece (will change this year though), and Lithuania.
     
  9. Dtown

    Dtown Member

    Sep 5, 2009
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    No offense but I guess you haven't watched in awhile. While certainly not invincible, Team USA is 26-1 in international competition since 2006. Easily the best in the world during that time period.
     
  10. ceezmad

    ceezmad Member+

    Mar 4, 2010
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Red Stars
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  11. Master O

    Master O Member+

    Jul 7, 2006
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  12. ceezmad

    ceezmad Member+

    Mar 4, 2010
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Red Stars
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Not if they do not play against each other.
     

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