The 2010 FIBA World Championship is set to begin in Turkey this week and as of right now there is no clear favorite to win it all. You would think that Team USA would be a lock but then you would take a look at their roster and realize they may be doomed. Here is their roster:
Rajon Rondo
Rudy Gay
Lamar Odom
Chauncey Billups
Tyson Chandler
Stephen Curry
Kevin Durant
Eric Gordon
Danny Granger
Andre Iguodala
Brook Lopez
Kevin Love
Derrick Rose
Russell Westbrook
What about that roster surprises you? Well first you might ask yourself why the team has 5 point guards (Billups, Rose, Rondo, Westbrook and Curry). But I think the first thing you will notice is that the list doesn't contain the names Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard or Carmelo Anthony. Aside from Durant and Rondo this team doesn't have anyone else that can takeover a game.
The fact that all of these guys are skipping this tournament is brutal. The results of the FIBA Championship directly relate to the 2012 Olympics in London. If the USA fail to win this tournament then they will be forced to qualify for the Olympics rather than getting an automatic spot. Then you have to wonder what will happen if this team does end up winning it all because that creates a problem for the 2012 Olympics as the 2008 team will want to defend its gold medal while this team will want to play in the tournament it earned a spot in.
Drama could ensure should this team be victorious. But since this team was constructed by someone who has clearly never watched a basketball game there will be no problems. Aside from the fact that there are 5 point guards there is also a lack of quality down low as Love is semi-hurt, Tyson Chandler is as Charles Barkley would say "turrible," Lamar Odom is inconsistent and Brook Lopez is unproven and has never won anything in his life. Also who of those 4 guys is going to guard Pau Gasol?
I mean Tyson Chandler? Are you serious?
But back to the no shows. Of the 6 guys I listed 3 have legit reasons not to be there. Kobe Bryant has played in about 476 basketball games over the past 2 seasons as he went to back to back NBA Finals, played in almost every regular season game and played in the Olympics. The guy has earned some time off.
LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have both established themselves as dominant players in the league with championship pedigree. They don't need the experience that a tournament like this provides, plus they both have showed this off-season that all they care about is themselves so obviously they are too buys taking their talents to South Beach to go play for their country.
Carmelo would probably play but he just got married in July and his marriage might have been over by September if he had gone to Turkey and left his new wife behind. So he gets a pass on this one. Plus in the playoffs last year he averaged 30.1 points per game and finally showed everyone that he has gone to that next level.
That leaves Bosh and Howard. The fact that these 2 are skipping this tournament is ridiculous and points to their biggest weakpoint as players, they lack that Alpha Dog status and don't want to work to get it. Both of these guys could use the big game experience they would get from this tournament but they are all too busy to go and get it. Both played for the 2008 Olympics team but none of them played a major role as they just sat back and watched Kobe and LeBron do everything. They are missing a great opportunity here but I doubt they even care.
Here is a breakdown of why each of these guys should have played in this tournament:
Chris Bosh - Here is a guy who is playing for a 'super team' next year that is expecting to win a NBA Championship, in fact anything less than that will be viewed as failure. Sure he won't be expected to be the Alpha Dog but what is Wade or LeBron get hurt? What if both guys are struggling in a playoff game? Bosh has played in 2 playoff series in seven years and he never made it deep .n the NCAA tournament when he was at Georgia Tech. The guy has never played in a meaningful game in his entire career.
There is also the exposure wrinkle. When he played with the Raptors no one outside of Toronto knew who he was. They saw him on All-Star teams a couple of times but he never really got any big exposure. Now he plays for the Heat and his name was all over the place this summer. Why not parlay that exposure with a big run at the FIBA Championship and establish yourself as a world-wide superstar?
Instead Bosh has been busy ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange and other such productive activities. If I was one of the 9 Miami Heat fans I would be worried about his lack of participation in this event but since I am a Raptors fan I know he has no heart and is selfish so really this move isn't surprising.
Dwight Howard - This tournament was made for Dwight Howard. Instead of going up against all the big centers in the NBA he would have gotten to play against a bunch of European centers who are nowhere near as physical as he is. He could have dominated this tournament like Kane dominates every Royal Rumble. He would have imposed his will on these Euros and put up a 20-15 every game.
Here is a guy with unlimited potential but he never seems to put it all together. Last year in the playoffs he was a non-factor because teams just got him to foul out all the time and he would play into their hands by getting too emotional and becoming less effective. That part of his game needs to develop if the Magic ever want to win a championship and what better place for that to happen then at the FIBA Championships?
Looking at the way Dwight Howard's career has progressed over the past few years it is very reminiscent of Vince Carter's. Right now Dwight's biggest accomplishment is winning the Slam Dunk contest. When he first came into the league everyone was comparing him to Shaq and saying that he was going to dominate for a long time. What happened there? His manager should be telling him to get over to Turkey and show the world that Dwight Howard is a top 5 player in the NBA and a force to be reckoned with.
Both Bosh and Howard should have been on this team. It would have helped both their careers and their skills. It would have won them fans, both in the United States and around the world, and won them a gold medal and a spot in the 2012 Olympics. Instead they both opted to stay home and relax. They decided that what they are doing is working for them so why mess with it.
Oh well, Howard and Bosh's loss is Kevin Durant's gain. Now the team belongs to Kevin Durant and whether they win or lose he wins. If Team USA ends up winning the whole thing then Durant will get all the credit and people will say, "he won it all without Kobe, LeBron or Wade." And if Team USA loses people will say, "oh well what do you expect with no Kobe, LeBron or Wade."
So its a win/win for Kevin Durant.
So its a win/win for Kevin Durant.
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