Chinese language - Once the best, U.S. settles for getting better

Sports/Olympics / Basketball

Once the best, U.S. settles for getting better
(AP)
Updated: 2006-09-05 10:25

SAITAMA, Japan -- All that talk of the United States returning to the top
of the basketball world will have to wait.

The reality is that the Americans are no closer now than they were two
years ago.

The U.S. players returned home Sunday from the world championships with
bronze medals, just like the ones Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Carmelo
Anthony won at the 2004 Olympics.

But the three captains also carried something else -- belief that
progress has been made.

"We didn't accomplish what we wanted to," James said. "But we've gotten
better and USA Basketball is growing, again, for the United States of
America."

Getting better is what the rest of the world has done over the last 15
years. Mike Krzyzewski has witnessed it.

He led a team of U.S. college kids to a bronze in the 1990 worlds, losing
to a powerful Yugoslavia team that featured future NBA stars Toni Kukoc,
Vlade Divac and Drazen Petrovic.

This time, Krzyzewski had NBA stars. And his team lost in the semifinals
to a Greek squad that had nobody in the league last season -- and still
played nearly flawless basketball for the final three quarters.

"No one is going to win these games and the Olympics every time from now
on," Krzyzewski said. "There's just too many good players. Our guys now
know what they're up against and hopefully our country realizes the
commitment needed to play this kind of basketball."

The U.S. finally made that commitment this year, implementing a national
team program featuring nearly 25 players who agreed to take part for
three years.

And count on the Americans dipping into that pool to pick a stronger team
for the 2008 Olympics. Injuries and personal reasons prevented them from
bringing all the players Krzyzewski needed.

Chauncey Billups might have been useful to defend Greece's big guards,
but his wife was pregnant and he stayed home. Michael Redd would have
been perfect in the quarterfinals when Germany sat back in a zone and
watched the Americans misfire on 30 of 40 3-point attempts, but he was
getting married.

Without knee injuries, Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire would probably
have been here instead of Brad Miller and Antawn Jamison, who played
sparingly. A knee injury also sidelined Kobe Bryant, but it's likely
he'll be wearing red, white and blue at some point.

"There are 12 guys on the national team, and every summer there's going
to be competition for those spots," center Chris Bosh said. "I think that
makes the team better if we compete a little bit more, and I think we
definitely need to do that and continue to push each other and I think
everybody will be that much better."

Because they didn't win the world championships, the Americans will have
to play in the FIBA Americas tournament next August in Venezuela to
qualify for the Olympics. And in some ways, that could be the best thing
for them.

Had they won here and qualified automatically, the Americans would likely
have gathered next summer for a training camp and perhaps played an
exhibition game or two. Instead, they could play 10 real games, giving
them valuable time to build the continuity that the teams beating them
have developed through years of playing together.

"You can throw a lot of great players together. If they don't have a lot
of time -- I mean years of time -- together, it comes back to bite you
potentially," said USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo, who
assembled the team.

"So we want to keep a lot of players together and learn from this
experience. Quite often before you get to the finish line you're going to
have some knockdowns."

The U.S. has endured plenty of those in recent years, from a sixth-place
embarrassment in the 2002 world championships to semifinal losses in
their last two major tournaments.

Things felt different to the players this time, even if the result was
the same. They believe in Colangelo's plan and are confident it will take
them back to the top.

It's just going to take longer than they hoped.

"We are going back with our respect," Wade said. "We're going back with
our heads up high. This is a three-year commitment. It's a three-year
stand for all of us. So, this was a step in that direction."

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