Monday, August 4, 2008

U.S. wins defensive battle

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Shanghai, China — Russia contained the speedsters. Controlled the backboards. Everything a team needs to do to beat the United States.

Except stop Kobe Bryant.

Bryant provided the offense in the U.S. Olympic team's first defensive struggle, scoring 11 of his 19 points in the third quarter of an 89-68 victory on Sunday.

"They had some gaps there, and I just took advantage of them. The ball found me, and I was able to make them pay," Bryant said. "In that kind of situation where the game is kind of seesawing back and forth, we have so many weapons. It could be LeBron, it could be D-Wade, one of us is going to kick into high gear."

Former Kansas University player Sasha Kaun played seven scoreless minutes for Russia.

Comments

kushaw (anonymous) says...

It was great to Sasha get some playing time in this game. 4 Months ago he was playing in the National Championship and now he had the opportunity to play against the best talent the world has to offer. What a great opportunity for Sasha!
You know, over the last month more and more players are heading to Europe for the big paydays. Sahsa's decision is looking better and better with every month. Sure, The United States might have the best players, but the best basketball in the world is being played overseas. The NBA should lose it's ego because if it's not careful the league could be in trouble in years to come with the amount of money European Owners are paying their players.
I can't wait for the Summer Olympics and Olympic Basketball. It will be some of the best basketball you've ever seen. Spain will be very very tough, but you should watch Spain for the sole reason that Ricky Rubio plays on their team. He will be a top 5 pick in next year's draft and is the ultimate Point Guard. He is only 17 and has been playing in the top division of Europe since he was 15. Now that is unreal! I would take this kid any day of the week over Derrick Rose. Congrats again Sasha!

August 4, 2008 at 6:33 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Rockchalk_Mom (anonymous) says...

A question to the knowledgable commentors on this list: Who was the last KU basketball player to play on an Olympic Men's Basketball team and what year?

August 4, 2008 at 8:05 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

kc_jhawk (anonymous) says...

Danny Manning in 1988.

http://www.usabasketball.com/news.php...

August 4, 2008 at 9:20 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

The greatest NBA players in the world can only beat the Russian team by 21 points?

Professional basketball is going global.

Within ten years, we will begin to see the best players of the NBA begin to spend their downhill years in the EU leagues. Why? Currency exchange rates, baby!

America can no longer afford its talent, because the dollar is now 50 cents.

Many teams around the world are going to be able to pay NBA players their equivalent dollar incomes in foreign currencies very easily. And if basketball television markets in, say the EU, integrate sufficiently, there will soon be incentive to do so.

The NBA players LOST half the buying power of their earnings the last year and a half, unless their money managers had them diversified into foreign currencies, which many probably did not.

What everyone is missing about Sasha Kaun is that the reason he can make a million dollars a year in Russia as a back-up is that he's being paid half that in rubles (or whatever currency Putin prints these days). The dollar has dropped 50% the last year and a half.

Everything has changed but the way we Americans think.

The new logo for the NBA should be: "NBA: Its Currency-tastic!"

The next big contract to an NBA star should require payment in foreign currency.

Euro bicycling and auto racing superstars now probably already make double what NBA superstars make when exchange rates are factored in.

August 4, 2008 at 2:12 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Strikewso (anonymous) says...

Why isn't Paul Pierce on this team? I guess they have been winning big but they don't have many big names on the team other than Koby and Lebron. Jason Kidd is pretty old, I don't know how he made it.

August 4, 2008 at 3:20 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

kushaw (anonymous) says...

strikewso: After the 2004 Olympics USA basketball had to make a change and the change they made for their program was to get guys to make a 3 year committment to Team USA. They selected 31, 32 or 33 guys (Too Lazy to look up the exact number, but it's one of the three) to represent Team USA over that 3 year span. In order to play in the 2008 Olympics you had compete in either or both the 2006 World Championships and 2007 Tournament of the Americas. Because Paul Pierce did not compete in either event he was virtually eliminated from the Olympics in 2008 even though he was initially selected for this program.

You don't need "Big Names" on a team in order to be successful. Greece is a perfect example of that. Spain is another example of that even though they do have both Gasol's, Jimenz, and future NBA point guard Ricky Rubio (Top 5 pick next year). Finally after 8 years of playing subpar Fiba basketball; Team USA has finally figured out that you have to throw all egos out the door and play "Team Basketball". That is the only way Team USA will win the gold. The rest of the world has caught up in terms of basketball IQ (Maybe not talent, but basketball isn't all about talent). A lot of people will say, "Wow, Team USA is winning by an average of 30 points!". What people tend to forget is that after the top 5 or 6 teams in the world, there is significant drop-off in the caliber of teams. Also, Team USA did the same thing in the 2006 World Championships and came up short because they didn't take Greece seriously. Team USA absolutely destroyed Lithuania, but Lithuania was lying in the weeds. They didn't play their top 2 players and didn't run all their sets because they didn't want to give Team USA anything to look over since they are both slated to play in the same pool once competition starts. Team USA I think understand finally that this is about "The Team", but we'll see how well they play together.

August 4, 2008 at 4:10 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Lebowski (anonymous) says...

Great question, Strikewso! That's why I ain't watching and honestly, I hope the US loses. PP just keeps on getting slighted.

August 4, 2008 at 4:10 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

kushaw (anonymous) says...

For those that don't want to watch the Olympics because of Team USA, you should watch the other teams play if you're a true basketball fun. The Olympics will be some of the best basketball you'll see. Team USA will destroy some of it's opponents, but once you get to the Quarterfinals, it will be so entertaining the competition will be quite fierce. If you like college basketball as much as I do, you will thoroughly be impressed by the quality of basketball being played. You can hope that Team USA loses, but you should watch for the sole fact that their is so much talent out there beyond the borders of the U.S.! Paul Pierce didn't get slighted by this team; he didn't qualify by the rules of the program. Yes, Paul Pierce was apart of the program, but he didn't play in 2006 because he thought he needed the rest and in 2007 he was still recovering from an injury he was not expecting (He was going to be selected for that team). He did not play in one of those tournaments and therefore basically eliminating him from the 2008 Olympics.

August 4, 2008 at 4:18 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

robot (Robin Smith) says...

Posted by Strikewso (anonymous) on August 4, 2008 at 3:20 p.m.

"Why isn't Paul Pierce on this team? I guess they have been winning big but they don't have many big names on the team other than Koby and Lebron. Jason Kidd is pretty old, I don't know how he made it."

You apparently know nothing.

Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Chris Bosh, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Tayshaun Prince, Jason Kidd and Michael Redd are all big names. The fact that you don't recognize these names as being big says something about you. Don't confuse your ingorance for something it isn't.

Jason Kidd is still awesome.

PP declined the 3 year commitment required to be a part of the team.

Kobe's name has an e, not a y.

Lebowski, you are equally uninformed.

Get a clue people.

August 5, 2008 at 10:56 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

2xhawk (anonymous) says...

or we'll kill you.

August 5, 2008 at 11:38 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

robot (Robin Smith) says...

lol!

August 5, 2008 at 12:23 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Strikewso (anonymous) says...

I grew up watching Michael Jordan and the original Dream Team play, and you're going to try to convince me that Michael Redd is a big name?? I believe he's played for like seven or eight years and has been an All-star once. Stellar. I could make a similar argument for half of the other players. Granted, that doesn't mean they won't be good, but don't try to tell me these are future hall-of-famers playing.

Robot, thanks for trying out.

August 5, 2008 at 4:29 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

robot (Robin Smith) says...

I laugh at you on your high horse.

These guys are "big names" in the game of basketball today. You don't know it and that's your problem. You don't even watch the NBA, do you?

Why don't you write to Hollinger or Sheridan and see what they think about your take on things? And while you're at it keep spelling Kobe's name incorrectly.

August 6, 2008 at 8:42 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

ralsterKUMed95 (anonymous) says...

There are some good points above, gentlemen, amidst all this "sniping" about non-KU bball (on this KU bball site...): Most importantly, TEAM play. Such a fundamentally sound part of the game, and pretty much is proven in the NCAA Div1 level, especially by KU's Championship (what a team win!). Important defensively also... And its important no matter who is on your roster--everyone has got to "buy-in" to the philosophy.

August 6, 2008 at 4:20 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

Strikewso (anonymous) says...

Fair enough. True, why are we talking about this? I don't even watch the NBA - not enough big names anymore. Kobe is no Larre bird.

August 6, 2008 at 6:34 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

robot (Robin Smith) says...

^ what a joke you are.

Larre????

you are as uninformed as I thought.

and ralsterKUMed95 - it's a non-KU bball article, so go figure.

August 7, 2008 at 10:08 a.m. ( | suggest removal )