August 24, 2004: Olympic Baskeball Fraud
By Ahchie

The United States Men’s Olympic Basketball team is a fraud. This is not a team that represents the United States of America. This is a team that is filled with punk ass babies making millions of coin. The problem is even obvious to the casual observer. The players, while of significant individual ability, do not play together well as a team, where each player would provide a necessary role. The team instead is a group of athletes who do not play for team or country – they each play for themselves. There is no way a squad of NBA stars should struggle so mightily. The gap between U.S. and international players may be closer than the blowout margins of the original Dream Team era, but any team formed of all NBA star players should easily handle whoever the world has to offer. The other teams have maybe one or two NBA players and those players are not always the biggest stars on their respective NBA teams. The difference is that the other teams play as a cohesive team and they play for their country.

Since the decision to allow NBA stars to participate, there should be no shortage of players ready and willing to play for the United States. Instead, we have players bowing out who previously committed and other players flat out refusing. There are some valid reasons for not participating, but not enough to account for the high number of big name players refusing to play. Every NBA player ought to be honored to be asked (rather than bothered) and anxious to participate (rather than begrudgingly).

When it comes to passion, these NBA ballers could take a cue from Karen and Mickey of San Diego's Unholy Rollers. Instead of approaching their games like a Chargers - Lions pre-season football scrum, they ought to look at the Avengers - Demons rivalry. Karen and Mickey took their passion off the roller derby rink and into the parking lot. Karen was given a beat down with the antenna off her own car when she didn't do right. We need to see the new era Dream Teamers beating down opposing players and each other in the streets, in the Olympic Village, in the Greek pool halls and discos, or wherever they go at night.

Money has corrupted the NBA talent and you can see it creeping into other sports as well. The tennis stars did not fare too well, and it seems that their hearts were into it just as much as those of the hoops stars. Professional athletes who have already “made it” in their sport do not seem to have the same desire and urgency to do their best. They do not seem to carry a pride in playing for their country. They seem to see themselves as being superior to the amateur athletes who train and work hard for four years just for the one fleeting opportunity to win gold for their country.

The United States Olympic officials should return to the concept of only allowing amateur athletes. The solution to the men’s basketball problem is to send the winning team of the NCAA March Madness Tournament as the United States representative. Here you would have a true team that has shown it can win under championship pressure. You would have a team filled with players who play with a passion and an intensity that is lacking in the NBA. You would have a coach that knows his players and the roles his players fill. You would give an additional benefit to winning the championship in an Olympic year, and you might actually get some players to hold off early entry into the NBA for a shot at being on the team.

And you wouldn't have to see Allen Iverson go ghetto on Lamar Odom while chasing him around the Acropolis in an effort to fire up his team.

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