I've got to be honest. Basketball is not at the forefront of most people's minds right now. The opening of the college football season this past weekend, along with the impending explosion of the NFL on our TV sets this coming weekend, makes the hoop seem as small as a tennis ball.
Come to think of it, the mid-point of the U.S. Open in New York has the roundball feeling as light as a golf ball.
Huh. As I speak, the continuation of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs (as trivial as they may be to many) cause me to stare at the court, hypnotized.
While we're on the subject of spinning wheels ... okay, I guess I'm stretching this quite thin now. But what is the purpose of hyping up the rock on Labor Day?
The draft was months ago, so everyone has forgotten about it. Summer ball is finished because, frankly, it isn't summer anymore. LeBron-gate is in "stewing" mode until the season tips off. The Hall of Famers got their acknowledgements, but can only be seen in vintage video clips. I could spit a couple verses on the WNBA playoffs, but no one else would care.
It's like I'm writing on some foreign topic at the moment. Hmm...
The World Championships are going on in Turkey. However, as the U.S. team has basically steamrolled its way to winning their pool, I wonder what the purpose of this tournament is for America's hardwood fanatic.
Sure, we've had some hiccups over the last decade when it comes to representing the sport's founding country at international tournaments. But unless an Olympic medal or complete embarrassment, is at stake, I, personally, won't live or die if I don't have knowledge of every possession. The only U.S. results I was truly intrigued by last week was the squeaker over Brazil.
In the moment of writing this, I can hear the questions, complaints, and scoffs.
How can you not be interested in how our country is represented?
I got over the "dominance" ideal years ago. I know that the U.S. invented the game. I also know that I'm not excited to tune in if we win every game by 60. The Dream Team came around once, and it was special. Now, with more talent spread across the globe, the competition should get better. And even though the U.S. hasn't won this event since 1994, most of the teams at this year's reincarnation can't even threaten the Americans yet. When they do, my interest might ping a little more.
What about scouting other talented players from around the world?
The aforementioned Dream Team didn't start International wheels in motion, they just accelerated them. Players such as Dikembe Mutombo, Manute Bol, Detlef Schrempf, and Rik Smits were already in the league by the 1992 Summer Olympics. Once the U.S. team rolled through Barcelona, every other country looked at themselves and said, "we gotta improve."
Increasingly, doors opened and the second round of the draft has now become full of "project" picks that can develop over in the Euroleague for a couple of years, their stateside franchises hoping to reap the benefits of any possible improvement. With this day's over indulgence of scouting, acknowledgement of the European counterparts, and introduction of the NBDL, the "Worlds" has become just another showcase.
Of course you couldn't get excited about this event. You could never play in it.
Very true. I'm a scrub compared to most people who can pick up a ball, let alone dribble it. Unfortunately, I don't think the guys that are playing over in Turkey right now would put this trophy as the biggest accomplishment of their career, if they can help it. My question to them ... if you could have one, and only one, title, which would it be: world champion, Olympic gold medalist, or NBA champion?
The commonality between the Worlds and the Olympics is that both occur every four years, with the Championships sliding in the middle of each Olympic cycle. This year's squad is more of a youth movement, with Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, and Eric Gordon leading the way. However, when this team reconvenes in London two Summers from now, how many of these players will actually be battling for Olympic gold? My preference ... I'd take this year off and work my tail off to get an Olympic coin presented to me in Merry Ol' England.
Now we get the the O'Brien Trophy. Even though this trinket is an annual prize, I believe I'd be safe in saying that it's the most coveted by any basketball player. I dare you to ask Kobe Bryant if he would want to give back any of his five rings for a world championship. I dare you to say that Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, or Reggie Miller are better off with their medals than they would be with an image of themselves holding that gold ice cream cone-esque statuette.
While I believe these players do feel honored to represent their country in a global event, this isn't the pinnacle of their craft. And that feeling has trickled down to the foreign contributors to the Association over the last couple of decades. They may have wanted to display national pride for their countries, but the destination for everyone from Dirk Nowitzki to Steve Nash to Yao Ming was one of the 30 top franchises here.
All this said, I don't think that this event should be completely hidden under the rug. Like the World Cup, this tournament has importance worldwide. Unlike the world's longest party (at least in my mind), I feel that the basketball championships are utilized as a way to grow the game and the talent around the globe. So, this does have purpose ... elsewhere.
It may be unfortunate that I can't get psyched for this tournament. Our actual lack of success (three victories in 15 championships) should give my national pride a chip on its shoulder. But this is a case of something knowing what it is. The dream of the kid swishing shots on the blacktops of New York, Chicago, or L.A. isn't to fly across the planet to beat out Iran and Tunisia for a trophy. That might be a great benefit, but that's not the goal. That's not the purpose.
Leave a Comment