BallinEurope’s 2010 FIBA World Championship power rankings 4.0

August 17, 2010

BiE was waiting for a result from last night’s Brazil-Argentina game in Spain before preparing this week’s edition of the official BallinEurope 2010 FIBA World Championship Power Rankings.

Now that those numbers are in, the long-awaited list may be unveiled; who’s hot and who’s not? In BiE’s opinion, readings off the lay lines of the ever ether-shifting momentum (plus YouTube videos!) look something like the following.

1. (↔) Spain. It’s been a good news/bad news deal for Spain this week. The bad news is that Team España is finally experiencing a few injury woes, a situation nearly every legitimate qualifier except the USA has faced in July/August: Jorge Garbajosa and Alex Mumbru did not practice yesterday, while Marc Gasol and Rudy Fernandez will sit tonight against Brazil. The good news: the slightly new-look Spain brought in Sergio Llull and returned Juan Carlos Navarro on Sunday against Argentina to take control of the second half and win, 83-76, in Logroño. Nice arsenal Sergio Scariolo has there.

2. (↑) USA. All right, so BiE isn’t *quite* ready to leap up and start chanting “U-S-A! U-S-A!” just yet, but maybe Coach K’s run-run-run philosophy can work – at least against lesser-lights like France and China. Maybe former University of New Mexico Lobo Danny Granger can be a go-to guy for the Red-White-and-Blues. Maybe things are as simple as Andre Iguodala’s summation of “We’re the fastest team in the world, so we’ve got to use that to our advantage.” Maybe Lamar Odom can play center against the likes of Spain and Turkey … wait a second, losing some perspective here…

3. (↓) Greece. The injuries to Ioannis Bourousis and Nick Calathes may have been mere niggles, but aren’t Team Hellene supporters a bit nervous about this early sign of potential gentrification? Nah, BiE didn’t think so.

4. (↔) Serbia. Team Serbia made more on-court statements last week in coolly handling the competition in Maribor and have got to be considered the emphatic favorites to take Group A (pending the Argentina game of course), so how cool are they about the 2010 FIBA Worlds? Says Nenad Krstic, “We don’t have any pressure because we already qualified for next year’s EuroBasket in Lithuania. Our goal is [the] Olympic Games in 2012.”

5. (↑) Argentina. Last night in Spain, the short-handed Argentina stormed out in front of their South American rivals to win the first half, 35-25, and eventually the game by a score of 77-73. Who needs depth when you can get such scary lines out of Carlos Delfino (23 points), Luis Scola (12 points, 11 rebounds), and Pablo Prigioni (17 points, 7 assists)? Manu Ginobili or no, injuries aside, Argentina might contend after all.

6. (↓) Brazil, on the other hand, is starting to resemble a bit of a paper tiger out there. Maybe the decisive loss can be blamed on sluggishness after touring America and the blowout loss to Team Puerto Rico in the ‘States on the bizarre environment, etc., but geez. BiE wants to like this team, but they’ve got to show up sometime. Today, they’ve got Spain; afterward, it’s onto France for a should-sweep tournament with Les Bleus, Australia and the Virgin Islands (sans, presumably, Tim Duncan).

7. (↑) How about that Lithuania? Like the US and unlike France, Lithuania is truly making the best out of what might be considered a second-best roster for the country – except nobody told these guys they weren’t supposed to contend. Linas Kleiza and the boys did just enough to sweep all three games in the Beko Super Cup in Germany, essentially a four-team tournament among what BiE considers the second-tier teams of the FIBA Worlds: Lithuania, Croatia, Turkey and Germany.

The brief summary, via FIBA:

Lithuania looked impressive ahead of the FIBA World Championship as they swept to the title at the BEKO Supercup in Bamberg. Lithuania beat Croatia 93-82 in Sunday’s final following a 78-67 win over hosts Germany and an 80-77 overtime victory over Turkey in their opening game.

In the final, Croatia could not handle the array of weapons Lithuania threw at them as Linas Kleiza, Mantas Kalnietis, Paulius Jankunas, Tomas Delininkaitis and Martiyna Andriuskevicius all finished in double figures.

Croatia had led by double figures, up 24-14 late in the first quarter and then 33-20 in the second quarter, but a pair of three-pointers from Tadas Klimavicius kick-started the Lithuanian revival. After tying up the score, Lithuania kept hitting threes to take control and Croatia’s shooting cooled off badly as they faded down the stretch.

Kleiza and Delininkaitis led Lithuania with 14 points each, while Andriuskevicius had 11 and Kalneitis and Jankunas collected 10 each. Kresimir Loncar led Croatia with 18 points.

8. (↑) Croatia. BiE now supposes that, in an international tournament with no clear pecking order such as this, the traditional powers will rise to the top. Croatia’s stapled-together, patchwork team has played as a solid unit since starting warmups July. After taking care of Germany (79-67) and Turkey (72-61) in the Beko Super Cup, it’s clear that though the Croats might have trouble with the USAs of the Worlds, they might just play ball with the Brazils and go further than expected.

9. (↑) Puerto Rico. A win in Rucker Park should get any team extra points on any Power Rankings poll. Oh yeah, they also blew out Team China, but who hasn’t in warmups at this point?

10. (↓) Turkey. And Hedo Turkoglu’s posse is only getting ranked this high because they’re still the beneficiaries of lots of benefit of the doubt. BiE’s assuming that, once the 2010 FIBA World Championship starts, home court advantage will mean something to these guys, because the three losses in Bamberg last week were not pretty. Is the oversized Team Turkey one of those looks-great-on-paper squads?

11. (↑) Oh, Canada! Granted, these guys have merely been beating up on overblown squads like China and France but with Canadian media pumping up the “undefeated in warmups” angle, you know Team Canada is stoked right now. As they head to Greece. Enjoy that feeling for now, guys.

12. (↑) Germany played well enough in the Super Cup at 1-2, BiE supposes, and look better than ever to take this young roster through to the knockout stage – all they have to do is squeak past Jordan and Angola, after all.

13. (↑) Congratulations to Fadi El Khatib and Lebanon, which overcame Qatar in overtime, 77-74, in a nail-biter of an FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup championship game. (BiE watched on FIBA TV; who knew Asian ball could be so exciting?) And who would have thought that the opening-day Group D matchup between Canada and Lebanon would be important? End result in the FIBA Worlds aside, the Lebanese can already take pride in this team which got into the tourney by dint of wild card bid.

14. (↓) Slovenia. Sheesh, a loss to New Zealand on your home floor after a couple of their principal big men had fouled out? BiE doesn’t know if Team Slovenia is demoralized by the Maribor upset, but BiE sure is.

15. (↓) France. To think BiE mused on Team France “go[ing] on to face Canada in winnable games on Thursday and Friday.” Of course, now BiE’s committed to the Sunday analysis: “This just ain’t France’s year in international sport, is it? An early bouncing for Les Bleus and 2010 will go down as Bizarro 1998.” And that hasty exit from the Worlds now seems more likely than ever.

16. (↓) Russia. The horror, the horror…

Aug 17, 2010ballineurope

This post was published on August 17, 2010

Comments: 65

milaz
14 years ago
I’m not at all impressed that the US beat France – I’m waiting to see them play Lithuania, Spain and Greece. As for Greece, Calathes, Mpourousis and Spanoulis had injuries, but they will all be ready for the Worlds.
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That guy
14 years ago
I’m pretty sure Agentina hasn’t benefitted that much from the Brazilian Anderson Varejao’s stats… 😉
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Wincini
14 years ago
Yeah, that Anderson Varejao was nice :)) BiE, you done it again :)) But on the whole, there are some really good statements and predictions, especially position No. 16 :DD
16. (↓) Russia. The horror, the horror…
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- Os Davis
  14 years ago
  @ Wincini, That Guy: Yes, yes, it’s true. I suck. Or i don’t sleep enough. Or both. Who wants a job as copy editor? 😀 (Correction in, by the way.)
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pipo
14 years ago
Many American players come out and say that they think they will play Spain in the final. They should know that for this to happen either them or Spain has to lose the 1st place in the groups – it’s a bit shameful that they’re still so arrogant they haven’t even checked the schedule.
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migala
14 years ago
Pipo, maybe it´s not that they are arrogant, it´s that it´s the only team they think can hold its own again TEAM USA, which is a big mistake considering how good Greece, Serbia or even Argentina are.

Or maybe they have the Olympic final game in their minds.

Maybe, just maybe.
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Panos
14 years ago
Greece – Canada: 123 – 49.
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Mika
14 years ago
Greece’s results so far this summer are:

Greece 76 – Cyprus 41

Greece 82 – Germany 54

Greece 101 – Russia 63

Greece 90 – Croatia 81

Greece 123 – Canada 49

That’s a 5-0 record, with an average point differential of +36.8 points per game. I do not see how Greece is not ranked #1 to be honest.
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- TEAMUSA2010
  14 years ago
  i love it a lot of anti USA statements here. haha. the sad part is that MOST of what you guys have said is true BUT what really made me respond was
  @ MIKA
  
  Greece’s results so far this summer are:
  Greece 76 – Cyprus 41
  Greece 82 – Germany 54
  Greece 101 – Russia 63
  Greece 90 – Croatia 81
  Greece 123 – Canada 49
  
  OMG!!!! THESE AREN”T QUALITY TEAMS i give more props to SPAIN they have beaten the top INTL teams Argentina Brazil Lithuania Slovenia & are gonna play USA & Lithuania again.
  as far as the BILLUPS case goes i was disappointed in his statement of not seeing Rubio but FLOYD Mayweather doesn’t study film of his opponents either. MY FRIENDS DON”T BE CONFUSED, JUST BECAUSE BILLUPS HASN”T SEEN HIM DOESN”T MEAN USA BASKETBALL DOESN”T KNOW/STUDY THEIR OPPONENTS. THAT”S WHAT COACHES ARE FOR. yes I DO prefer int’l ball over NBA but if we could combine the best of both i would die a very happy man. good things that both could borrow from eachother. YES WE ARE WORRIED BUT SO ARE ALL OF YOU INTL COUNTRIES. WHY? Because of the unknown. that’s why SPAIN WILL BE ROCKING THIS WEEKEND & GREECE the NEXT. WE DON”T KNOW HOW THE US WILL PERFORM IF IT WILL COME TOGETHER. AND YES WE ARE THE UNDERDOGS. JUST like the World Cup. here in the states people are more concerned with NBA than USAB but like soccer/futbol their will be more interest. MSG was sold out on saturday and it was a good step for USAB here in the states. i take offense to the arrogance comments cause since COACH K has taken over we’ve done nothing but show the utmost respect to our opponents and the world. AND ME AS A TRUE LOVER OF BASKETBALL am so happy to see teams like Spain and Greece carry out the pride and passion for their countries NATIONAL TEAMS. if you don’t make us out to be the villain i won’t be the wounded dog. despite countries even our own calling us the B TEAM these guys are passionate and trying really hard. and honestly they have enough difficulty finding chemistry in the short period of time than watching an overrated RUBIO play. THE REAL ENGINE FOR SPAIN IS LA BOMBA. i’m quite sure a lot of EURO players have never seen many guys from this team play. and before we talk about arrogance let us remember
  
  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/2540221/Spanish-basketball-red-faced-over-slit-eyed-Olympic-photo.html
  
  GO USA
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Mika
14 years ago
However, it appears that Schortsanitis and Bourousis have injuries.
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pipo
14 years ago
Apparently the injury to Schortsanitis is nothing special. The medics assure that Bourousis will be fully ready for the tournament.

Migala any player involved in this, unless he is superstitious or something, should have checked the schedule. And they clearly have not. They know Spain because they played them in the Olympics, and because of Pau (first and foremost), and Marc, Rudy and Calderon. They knew Greece in the Olympics because of the 2006 semis but since they beat us that was kind of it. Greece and Serbia have no players in the NBA (with the exception of Krstic), so they are not even considered as potential contenders.
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Manager
14 years ago
Calathes is fine. 9 points and 10 assists tonight…
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mrbasketball
14 years ago
USA is the only country that can send thier reserves and still have a chance to win the Worlds.Currently,USA is world champs in U17 and U19.and fiba Americas champs in U18 and U21.USA has learned to care about FIBA basketball now.But the truth is that this competition is not important to the USA.None of the 12 players that won every game at the Olympics by an average of 28 points will be in Turkey.As for Greece, USA’s best beat Greece’s best by 24 points at the Olympics.Greece is too slow.They were no match for USA’s best players.And USA beat Spain twice in Olympics by 37 points and by 11 points.I understand why everyone hates the USA,because they know they can never be as good as USA’s best.So go ahead and be happy with beating the USA’s reserve team.
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- milaz
  14 years ago
  “USA has learned to care about FIBA basketball now.But the truth is that this competition is not important to the USA.”
  
  Choose one, either they care or they don’t…. You’re contradicting yourself!
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  - TeamUSA2010
    14 years ago
    i’m not talking for him but i kinda understand what he’s saying. there’s a difference between the USAB the program itself and the our country’s fan base interest. i think this year really showed me that NBA fans are really about their FAVORITE NBA teams and NOT the players. naysayers in the states say my US team sucks but hopes their nba team’s player like CURRY doesn’t get picked so he could have more rest for the season. the avg. American NBA fan really knows nothing about basketball on a broader scale. if you are a real basketball fan you would appreciate the game w/o borders. MY INTL FRIENDS DON”T BE CONFUSED. just because the average fan or maybe even NBA like BILLUPS is unaware of intl players/teams does not mean that NBA TEAMS are unaware of EUROLEAGUE TEAMS/PLAYERS. the nba has the best intl players in the world. i would love to see an AMERICAN VS. INTL ALL STAR GAME instead of the all star game. other countries do it with domestic vs. foreign so why can’t we? THESE are great storylines that there is some much competition the tournament is definitely wide open. I THINK BRAZIL IS A TEAM FULL OF OVERRATED ROLE PLAYERS especially SPLITTER whether in Europe or BRAZIL his team makes him look better than what he is. but i really like MACHADO, ALEX & Huertas but they’re older now. a team now.
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pipo
14 years ago
Superiority complex much? No one said that the top US players, though they do lose in any given day as you might recall they did in 2006 to Greece – with pretty much the same roster as 2008 except Kobe. I’m saying that the players themselves should have had a look at the schedule out of respect for everyone else. Do you imagine Brazilian players not checking the schedule in the World Cup or the Yankees in MLB? I understand why everyone hates the USA, because they know that you cannot possibly compete against players who have been getting daily doses of steroids since they were in high school. So go ahead and be happy with beating non-bionic teams.
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Justin
14 years ago
I have Australia, New Zealand and Russia above France and Lebanon.

And how about some love for Slovenia, way better than 14. They took Spain to overtime, and led Serbia until the last shot, losing by only 1.
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Phileus
14 years ago
Wow, the ignorant stereotyping and trash talk starts early, but it’s not from an American! Sounds like someone’s already prepared a list of excuses in case his team, suddenly not the underdog, loses 😉

It’s amazing though, that the US (well, the B-Team anyway) can be the underdog in a basketball tournament with pros, which seemed inconceivable in the early 90s. Things have really changed, for the better, in my lifetime.
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Freaknick
14 years ago
So I wake up this morning and get that feeling like: “Something’s missing.” Couldn’t put my finger on it, bothered me all day long.

Then I read Pipo’s comment and it hit me like a ton of bricks: I missed my daily injection yet. Thanks bro. You’re a lifesaver.
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Wincini
14 years ago
Actually team USA hasn’t show us anything yet. Who they play in the preps? China without Yao? France Youth team? This weekend they’ll play in Madrid against Spain and Lithuania, that should be some kind of indicator and I have no doubt that USA will lose to Spain in Madrid. Why? Because Spain is a good team and because reffs won’t let hosts to lose. That’s just how it is when Spain plays prep games at home. But biggest fear in WC for the Yankees should be teams with powerful big mens. Greece’s Sofo and Yanis will kill USA in the paint. Greece will play perfect zone when they need it, they’ll slow the tempo and main USA gun will be gone. Kazlauskas and whole Greek team is rational, experienced and they are my favorites (after team Lithuania of course). I said it before and I’ll say it one more time – I don’t believe in team Spain. They play great when they lead and have trouble when trailing.
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Mika
14 years ago
mrbasketball – I think most Americans are a bit delusional about the level of their basketball program and especially about the level of the NBA. The current US team is really simply not nearly as good as Americans say it is to be perfectly frank about it. Many sites have these power rankings and they all inflate the level of the American players. The only player on the US team that has ever led a team to anything of significance is Billups and he is 33 years old and past his prime.

Rondo is very good but he has never been in a place where he had to lead a team.

All the hype being placed on players like Rose and Durant is just the typical delusion that exists in the US about the level of the NBA. Maybe they look great in the NBA, but that is because the NBA manufactures its stars and instructs the refs to inflate their level. Just look at 2004 and 2006 and how Amare, Iverson, Duncan, Anthony, James, Wade, Paul, Howard, Bosh and players like that could not handle the better international players and teams.

It was not until 2008 when they had players like Deron Williams and Kobe Bryant that they finally figured out how to win against smart and skilled teams. This current US team looks about the level of the 2002 team that finished in 6th place at the World Championship on their home ground.

Also, it seems that Americans just cannot grasp that the World Championship is a much tougher and harder competition to win than the Olympics. It’s like they have a mental block and cannot even use any logic, nor reasoning when it comes to their basketball side. All I have to say to American basketball fans is, that it seems that most of you are the same as most English football fans are. Just because you have the most famous and most glamorous domestic league of the sport, does not mean that you are 10 levels higher than everyone else at the sport. It just means that you are arrogant about it, without really having a reason to be.
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- milaz
  14 years ago
  And to add to this comment, the time when the USA could simply pick 12 NBA players and win gold has long passed. The US has not won this tournament in 16 yrs! They need to realise that against teams that are more experienced and have played together before and won, they will not be favourites. NBA Vs Euroleague aside, with the teams we have in front of us, the US team is new, young and inexperienced – is it not obvious that there will be doubters? You yourselves are calling it a b-team! I excuse the “mental block” part that Mika mentions, we are all biased towards our own team. That is human, but there is no guarantee that *anyone* can simply walk in and win gold without playing hard and winning each game. Group play and knockout games all matter in their own way. Whoever, wins gold has to EARN it! And as the author of this blog has mentioned, these are power rankings, that means they gauge the subjective power of each team, how strong they appear to be at that point in time… nothing more. We all know the favourites and we all know that one bad day can cost them dearly…. if you lose in the quarterfinals you will be placed between 5-8, and that is one game. You can lose by one and be placed 5-8, while another team can play an “easy” opponent and get to the semis. Greece played Argentina in the Olympics in the quarterfinals… that was the toughest matchup of those 4 games…. still though… you can’t go back and check each game, We only remember the final result.
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- B Mack
  14 years ago
  Okay since you say that the International Game is on par with the NBA. Name one player that is on Par with lebron James. Skill wise…… Name one player that is on Par with Kobe Skill wise. Name one player that is on par With Dwayne Wade skill wise. International Players first are soft , Second they dont have the “whole Skill Package to compete with anyone who can really play Basketball. Okay lets go to your legends. Name on player who is on par with Micheal Jordan, Kareem, Bird, Magic, Stockton, You cant… We have won the U17 the U21 and the U 18. We are far more superior than any of your teams. Our B team will win this thing.
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radallo
14 years ago
Hey Os,

please stop joking about Canada!! 😀
Greece – Canada 123:49

..any othet comment??

Down, down, down…
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yoyoyoyo
14 years ago
perfect ratings, shows the real situation, except maybe exchange Slovenia with Germany and put Canada in the bottom… And also Srbija is a little too high! : )
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Dzoni
14 years ago
great statement pipo ,you said it american players live on steroids,and stuff like that,ok USA is the best but it is not like nobody can’t beat them,spain,greece,serbia, nad even argentina could beat them so i don’t think that they are so supirion (i mean on this team not the olimpic one).
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milaz
14 years ago
steroid remarks are pretty funny…. having more muscle and working out, does not imply steroids…. also, irrelevant to the discussion…
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pipo
14 years ago
I don’t get why remarks about athletes taking steroids should be taken so personal – I didn’t say you take steroids. And really, am I saying something that crazy? You seem to have a very short memory – only a few years ago the best baseball athletes were caught on steroids the one time they were tested. The truth is that most professional athletes in the world take some kind of aids, but American pro athletes take more for two reasons: one, there are simply no drug tests in professional sports in the US, unlike in Europe where they have random drug tests in every game, and two, because the human body cannot withstand playing 110 games in 8 months without some support.

Of course they work out more, but just try recalling how LeBron or Dwight Howard looked like when they were 18 – it’s just not natural.

A notable exception is sports like sprints in track and field or swimming where I’m pretty sure every competitive athlete anywhere in the world uses something, as evidenced by the numerous doping scandals of the past 10-15 years in the US, Greece, Russia etc.

Let me reiterate. Steroids or not, the best US players would almost always beat Spain or Greece or any other good team in any given day – by virtue of the sheer number of American players and of the vast superior technical advantages in sports science, training techniques and the like. The only reason I brought it up were the incredibly arrogant remarks by mrbasketball.
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Phileus
14 years ago
I think mrbasketball’s remarks were out of line, but so were yours. The fact is that the NBA does have drug testing, which is why Rashard Lewis was caught on PEDs – and so does the NHL and NFL. And your using the MLB to make an analogy to the NBA would be like if I said something ridiculous like, “There was a 2006 referee scandal with the top Italian football teams, QED all European teams pay off referees all the time.” Actually, wait… 😉
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- pipo
  14 years ago
  I’m really sorry if I offended anyone but I really don’t see why you are anyone else would be offended. I definitely was not offended by your last remark – FIFA and UEFA do spend half of their time on bribing charges for referees, and I’m sure for every case they catch, there’s ten that they don’t. You mention Italy but it happened every in Germany of all places. Although it usually involves lower leagues, Dynamo Kiev was banned from the Champions League for a couple of years in the late 90s for bribing the referees.
  
  True, the NBA is better in this aspect than it was 15 years ago, but still, with bans like the one one Rashard Lewis (10 games!) there’s no potent carrot. In Europe you often have yearly bans or more. I just think that Americans, because you have a more competitive but also a more sportsmanlike and “friendly” approach to sports (ie no hooligans), you are much less suspicious of potential illicit behavior. This might be wrong but this is my experience from living in the US.
  
  PS: Sorry if I wrongly assumed you are American.
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  - milaz
    14 years ago
    If a bigger, stronger body won more games in a game like basketball, which is first of all a TEAM sport and then a SKILL sport, then David Robinson and Karl Malone would have dominated the 90s – but it’s not until Tim Duncan came that San Antonio won. Even if they take something…. do you think it makes them a better passer, shooter or rebounder? Does it make you more of a team player or better point guard…. can you make more three-pointers with steroids…. please…! People that use the steroid argument are not in touch with the sport of basketball and I mean playing basketball, not watching it. And I’m not American either, studied there as well though.
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    - pipo
      14 years ago
      No it does not, and that is why I still watch basketball and football, because skill still matters more – and that’s why I don’t watch sprints or swimming. The Duncan argument is a good one, and I can back this up with Kobe, who is half the size of Lebron and still is the winner.
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- migala
  14 years ago
  I guess what Lewis took was almost homeopatic, since it didn´t enhance his performance at all. He was eaten alive by Odom and Gasol in the 2009 finals…
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hjmnb
14 years ago
http://www.basketboss.lt/Go.aspx/lt/UserRef?userId=6361

zalgiri visdelto papildys naujas izaidejas
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Justin
14 years ago
Many Americans are delusional about basketball, but it is because of the illusion of the NBA. They see top Euro players sitting on the bench, so they assume they are second tier. Also, they see big players attacking the rim with dunks, and they attribute it to “athletic superiority” rather than the rule-making of the NBA and the lack of good defence.

This is a weak Team USA, but still very dangerous. With constant fastbreaks off of turnovers, this team will blow out the bad teams, but struggle against the good teams who have: 1) good guards who won’t turnover, 2) bigs who can offensive rebound.

This team has lesser individual talent, but much better coaching and shooting than the 2002 team. They are not favorites, but they can beat anyone.
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Ted
14 years ago
Let me first say that I am new to BIE and appreciate the perspectives put forth here.

As an American basketball fan who loves the international game, I think the USA has come a long way in its respect for the international game. Trust me, since Jerry Colangelo took over as head of the National Team in 2005, the rest of the world is getting the best effort that the USA can offer during any given year. Granted, that doesn’t mean we always can send our best team as the players’ can’t be forced to play for the national team. But, those who do participate are giving it their best effort and fully respect the opponents.

I wouldn’t read too much into the players not yet knowing the schedule. The coaching staff really makes them focus on the next step in the process and asks them not to look too far ahead.

It is true that the wider American public is not very aware of the upcoming championship tournament. American Football (the NFL) is set to start its season during the Worlds. American Football is, by far, the #1 most popular sport in the USA. As a result, the FIBA tournament will probably only be closely followed by basketball lovers like myself.

Many American fans are dissapointed that none of the 2008 olympians are playing, especially big men like Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh who have yet to really prove themselves as effective leaders in the NBA. The US team has also had an unusual number of players eliminated from participation due to injuries, especially to the big men. As a result, the team we bring will be small but very quick and will have to try and leverage those strengths.

I think its tremendously exciting for the USA to be entering the tournament as an underdog. I think the USA staff did a very smart thing by scheduling such tough exhibition games. Its likely that that the US will lose a game or two, and its obviously not a given that they will win the tournament. Should they lose, the casual US fan will be very upset, but the rest of us who follow it closely will make no excuses and congratulate the victors.

All that being said, it feels like the anti-USA talk has gotten a little strong. While I don’t think the USA is a prohibitive favorite, I also think they are going to be better than most are giving them credit for. Comparing them to the 2002 or 2004 US teams is really not fair. The USA Basketball program is leagues beyond where it was back then and all of these players have been playing for USA Basketball, in some form or another, for quite some time.
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- Os Davis
  14 years ago
  @ Ted: Hey, thanks for weighing in! Sorry to hear that even now the FIBA Worlds just aren’t popular enough compared to the NFL — but maybe if more NBA names were playing, they would pay attention…
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pipo
14 years ago
In terms of names 2004 was actually pretty good, though many were young. And as far as I’m concerned, the USA is still the number one favorite – perhaps with not as high a margin as the bookies give (I think it’s 1.50).
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pipo
14 years ago
Canada – Serbia 62 – 58.

That is some comeback!
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- Os Davis
  14 years ago
  @ Daaaaaaaaaaaaamn … a nice retort, indeed!
  
  “Guard Denham Brown scored 22 points, including 17 in the first half, to lead Canada to a 62-58 victory over Serbia on the second day of the Acropolis basketball tournament.
  
  “Canada (1-1) rebounded from a humiliating 123-49 loss to Greece Tuesday and played tenacious defense against Serbia (1-1), taking a 34-27 halftime lead.
  
  “The Serbs scored only one basket in the next eight minutes as Canada used a 19-2 run to take a 53-29 lead, their biggest of the match.
  
  “Serbia closed to 56-38 at the end of the period and made an all-out effort toward a comeback but came up short.
  
  “Greece (1-0) plays Slovenia (0-1) later Wednesday.
  
  “The Acropolis tournament ends on Thursday.”
  
  http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/2010-08-18-857136650_x.htm
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Ted
14 years ago
For fan interest, I don’t think it would matter if the 2008 team was playing in this tournament. Basketball is the #3 most popular spectator sport in the US behind American football and baseball. Americans are used to their basketball being played from October-June and aren’t programmed to think of it during any other time of year. Throw in the time difference with the tournament being played in Turkey and you’ve got a perfect storm of indifference. I expect that will change as americans increasingly realize that the rest of the world has basically caught up and can beat the american teams in any tournament. The US is also finally providing better press and television coverage of these tournaments which helps.

While everyone points to the 2002 Worlds as the USA’s big wake up call, it was really that 2000 Olympics when Lithuania came within a missed 3 of beating the US in the semis. Had that shot gone in, it really would have rocked the US basketball world and I think you’d have seen the US re-commitment to international basketball that happened in 2005 happen a few years earlier.

Looking at the 2004 US team, it is very similar to this 2010 team i circumstance but a world away in terms of readiness. After the US’ poor showing at the Worlds in 2002, the NBA players recommitted and we had most of our best players for the FIBA Tournament of the Americas in 2003. However, after that, the players started to withdraw one by one until they were literally adding players on the fly up until a few weeks before the Athens Olympics. The team didn’t have a proper training camp, they weren’t used to FIBA-style play, they weren’t used to each other, and it showed. Had Stephon Marbury not played the game of his life, they’d have lost in the quarters to Spain and not earned a medal. This year, there is a similar dynamic in that none of the players from the prior team are coming back. But, under the new USA Basketball structure, there is a large pool of players affiliated with the US program, players who have been playing on the scout team during the past 4 years worth of training camps. That’s who plays for this year’s team, so while they don’t have the FIBA game appearences, they have at least been part of the national team program and have played international rules basketball for several summers in a row. We US fans can’t really complain as the team has plenty of NBA All Stars and enough talent that most of the rest of the non-US players in the tournament would have a hard time making the US team. Aside from the US’ size disadvantage, the real challenge is how quickly can these players gel into a team – which is why I think Coach Krzyzewski is more important to this team than he was to the 2006-2008 teams. It will be a real accomplishment for the coaches (aside from the players, obviously) if this team can win this tournament.

I am curious how you guys think Spain and Greece will approach their exhibitions with the US? Will their goal be to win as convincingly as possible or to play differently than they would in a medal round game?
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migala
14 years ago
Now we know that Billups (and he is a player I have always respected) could not be arsed less about watching the last Olympic finals USA-SPAIN:

Quote from Truehoops: Billups was asked for his thoughts on the talents of Ricky Rubio, and he replied that he had never seen him play. I asked him: “What about the 2008 Olympic gold medal game (in which Rubio started for Spain against the Redeem Team)?” To which Billups replied: “I didn’t see it.”

———————-

How is that possible? How can you possibly be a professional and not see the game, even recorded? Wouldn´t it be a good scouting thing?

Well, I say this sucks big time. It´s the kind of thing which tells a lot about your interest about basketball and well, sports in general.
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migala
14 years ago
Apart from that I think the US has a terrific team. Anyone following the NBA knows that players like Durant, Odom, Billups, Rose or Granger don´t lack fundamentals at all and they know how to do teamwork.

I would have added Shane Battier to the lot, but then he is one of my fave ones.
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migala
14 years ago
Don´t say Canada, say Dr jekyll and Mister hyde!
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Ted
14 years ago
I wouldn’t view the Billups thing as a sign of disrespect. I am sure he’s watching lots of film on Spain right now, but I am sure its of their recent games. The US/Spain gold medal game was shown at 2:30AM in the US and only rebroadcast once. Many here call it the greatest game that no one saw. I have it taped and have watched it many times, Navarro and Fenandez were incredible, as were Kobe and Wade.

I don’t know about the players worldwide, but US most players are not huge fans. While many call themselves “students of the game”, most really are not fans in the sense that you and I are.
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pipo
14 years ago
Just FYI, Greece – Slovenia 82-51 in the 4th period. I seriously have no idea what’s going as I haven’t seen any of the games. Seems like Kazlauskas is pure magic, and really hope we can keep this up for the actual tournament.
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Panos
14 years ago
Greece 96 – Slovenia 72

The Greek team actually slowed down the rhythm so the could play against organized defense…

As far as doping is concerned.

NBA: NO DOBBING CONTROL. What else is there to discuse about it?
if they are better or not?
They should not even participate.

And as far as I know, many rumors in Greece were talking about the US Athletes at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, that were not training in the Olympic Village, but to an American base.

Dobbing control is about politics and connections.
And dobbing is about “professionalism”.
Lastly, the dobs production has to be related to the consumption at the same country.

So, both at “politics and connections” and “professionalism” USA is #1.
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- pipo
  14 years ago
  Φιλε ειναι με π, οχι μπι – ντοπινγκ.
  
  Sorry for the Greek, just correcting Panos’ spelling.
  
  About those rumours. Greece is the country of rumour, but to be honest both the USA basketball team and other stars like Maurice Greene were completely gone before the games started – and it is true that the team was staying in a former base just behind the American College of Greece, in a land which I think now belongs to the Embassy so no one could enter.
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migala
14 years ago
Ted, I see your point. I have met some football players (and I mean soccer here) who don´t care about the game, don´t have any passion about it, just play because they are good at it. I find that very sad.

I can accept that Billups is not being disrespectful, but… what would you say if you were him? Would you be sincere and show that you have never been tempted to see the Olympic final game ever or… would you be diplomatic and lie and say that you actually watched it and it was exciting, a classic and blah blah blah.

Don´t tell me you are not dissapointed by his lack of fervour for the game…

I am a little bit.
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migala
14 years ago
Greece makes me think they are the team which can beat the US. Spain will try to play uptempo basketball, keen to win using the same north-american weapons, vindicated, vengeful, etc… Greece will take it easy and kill them step by step and smoothly.

then again i could be mistaken and we have US winning by a margin of 40 every game, final included.

Right now it´s all a question mark, that is why this World championship is so exciting. I see good hoops coming…
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migala
14 years ago
JUst wait and see. The following friendly games Greece-USA and Spain-USA are not so important, even if all teams have something to prove.
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- pipo
  14 years ago
  I don’t know. The US hasn’t played any of the top teams, and Greece trashed Slovenia in the first encounter with a theoretical contender. We see how we do with Serbia tomorrow but if it continues like this I think the game against the US will be critical for the coaching team as it will be the first encounter with an arguably better team. Kazlauskas has said himself that he will decide on the final squad after the US game, so he probably thinks of it as a good test. Spain has played tougher games so you might be right about them.
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Mika
14 years ago
Migala, I am not surprised that Billups has not seen the 2008 gold medal game. He is a very good player and a leader, but he is also an NBA player and an American. They are all programmed to believe that there is no pro basketball or pro level players outside of the NBA. There was a survey done a couple years ago where 13 out of 30 NBA general managers admitted they had never seen a European basketball game in their lives.

It seems hard to believe, but it’s really not if you just think about it. I remember wade and LeBron saying in 2006 after they had lost several times in 2004 and 2006 that NBA players and people in the US simply have no clue how good the level of the players is in Europe. That these good international teams all bring 12 NBA level players but that in the US the belief is simply that even the best player in Europe could never even make an NBA roster.

That’s why I say that most Americans when it comes to basketball they are just like the English are in football. I’m not exactly sure what causes those two instances, but I think in both cases it’s because they are fed endless barrages of hype and marketing from those sports leagues in their countries. Even how the Lakers and Celtics call themselves “world champions”. I just saw on ESPN how they talked about the Saints being world champions, etc. So actually the US sports culture is even much more arrogant and out of touch with reality than the English one is, and that’s really something.

Most Americans just can’t seem to make a distinction between hype and marketing gimmicks and actual reality. But remember that Tim Duncan said FIBA was way better and higher level than the NBA was.

Ted, I did not mean this US team is equivalent to the 2002 team and how well they might do. I think they might do OK because of the reasons you gave. What I mean is that in terms of where they are relative to then and now it is similar. The 2002 team could have won bronze I think or last at the quarters as they did. I see similar things for this US team.

It is true that the US program and coaching is much more focused now, and so is the scouting, etc. However you also have to remember that the other teams are also much better now. Back then there were some really good teams like Serbia and Argentina. But really the truth is that the good European teams now are stronger IMO. Just looking at the levels of teams like Spain and Greece these days. I mean the basketball has developed to a point where outside of the top 5-10 best NBA players, actually the average Euroleague player is actually BETTER than the average NBA player is. But no in the US wants to admit that.

If the US ever had to face a European team, and not just an individual country from Europe, even the 2008 team would not be able to win. But that reality has not sunk in yet to Americans. Your knowledge seems very good and you seem to be very respectful. But you even said that most other players would not be able to make the US team. You see that is wrong. The NBA inflates the level of their players. Take for example Iguodala, he would be nothing but an average player at best in the Euroleague. Some of the players on that US team would actually not even be able to play on a good Euroleague club.

This is the actual reality but no one in the US seems to be able to accept it. If NBA teams started playing Euroleague teams with neutral rules and refs (unlike the NBA-Euroleague games which are all rigged), let’s say at the homes of those European teams, then you would start to see 30 point losses for NBA teams happening all the time.

But the PERCEPTION in the US is, “X NBA team won Y Euroleague team by 20″ so NBA is way better than Euroleague”. But the reality is far different. The NBA is really not even that serious of a competition anymore. It’s basically sports entertainment and it’s closer to the WWE and than sportive competition.
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- Alex
  14 years ago
  If the Euroleague were better than the NBA, then why do most great European players eventually make their way to America? Do you believe Ricky Rubio will play his entire career in Spain?
  
  Do you really think that the Lakers would be beaten by Barcelona, Pana, and Olympiakos if there were Euroleague refs and a neutral court?
  
  If Euroleague players be better than NBA players, then why is it that many players who don’t make it in the NBA go to Europe and thrive, oftentimes star? Examples of this are Trajan Langdon, Marcus Haislip, Terrence Morris, J.R. Holden, Bo McCalebb, David Hawkins, etc?
  
  If the Euroleague were better than the NBA, why is it that Linas Kleiza, who merely was a roleplayer for the Nuggets, can star for one of the three best teams in Europe?
  
  Andre Iguodala wouldn’t be a good Euroleague player? Do you know who a poor man’s Iguodala is, with far less playmaking ability? Josh Childress. How did he do this past year?
  
  If Europe were better than the NBA, why is it that many European stars who come over struggle relatively for at least their first year? Noteable examples are Manu Ginobili, JC Navarro, Marc Gasol, to a lesser degree Rudy Fernandez, etc. Don’t claim that this works both ways by bringing up Childress; he was a roleplayer for the Hawks.
  
  Inferiority complexes can be blinding.
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Phil
14 years ago
“If NBA teams started playing Euroleague teams with neutral rules and refs (unlike the NBA-Euroleague games which are all rigged), let’s say at the homes of those European teams, then you would start to see 30 point losses for NBA teams happening all the time.”

A truly neutral situation is an impossibility. The rules and officiating are so different (the length of games isn’t even the same!) between FIBA and the NBA. Sure, you could play NBA v Euroleague on a neutral continent and you could try to come up with a new rule set that met halfway, but even then any official you get is going to be used to calling the game a certain way. I will say this – the average FIBA player is better at FIBA ball than the average NBA player and the average NBA player is better at NBA ball than the average FIBA player.

Heck, even here in the U.S. there is a big distinction between how the college and pro games are played. There are guys who are stars in college and role players (or worse) in the NBA and guys who aren’t big stars in college who become bigger names in the NBA.
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- B Mack
  14 years ago
  you guys are funny. ‘ I have seen international Basketball. I have also seen so many international players come to “The Real League” and are good but lack critical components to their games like defense. These international Cream puff play no D. They get crossed-over or dunk on on a regular. Then they go to their respective countries every year thinking they are going to beat team USA please. Get a grip. You cats are bums over there. period.
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milaz
14 years ago
“The NBA is really not even that serious of a competition anymore. It’s basically sports entertainment and it’s closer to the WWE and than sportive competition.”

Hahahaha…. are you serious? Apart from shows like “nba action” that actually promoted basketball as entertainment can you really say that the NBA is some sort of theatre? let’s not get carried away here folks! For crying out loud!

We all need to go back to 1992 and remember why FIBA and the NBA let NBA players into international competition: “to close the gap”. And the gap has closed – there is no way that the NBA simply picks 12 random players from the NBA and wins. Trying to “measure” basketball ability or which team is better or which league is better is also a bit insane. It’s different situations. The way the top Euroleague teams play today there is more passing and more players involved, while in the NBA there are 2-3 players playing 35-40 minutes and 2-3 players doing 90% of the scoring…. it’s still basketball… it’s a different style…. Also, the playoffs are different than a final four – different psychology and everything.

I will never say better or worse… it’s different. And there are numerous examples of players that did well in either league, but did not do well in another or CHOSE to leave to return to another (e.g. Spanoulis chose to leave the nba after one season in Houston, because in Europe he played more and his team was regularly competing for the euroleague title….) Maybe in the NBA players are like rock stars, but then they seem a bit funny when they don’t walk the walk…. i.e. LeBron ….

Oh and I insist on the steroids talk…. even if there are some players taking something… there are more reasons NOT to do it in basketball – 1. size can be a disadvantage, you need speed and agility, 2. you play for spurts, 3. you want to play for 10+ yrs to have a good career, 4. it’s skill based, if someone knows the fundamentals he can beat any stronger person, 5. it’s a team sport- you gain nothing by inflating one person’s body. ….
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Ted
14 years ago
Mika – I appreciate your response and you have made me want to restate some of my earlier statements.

Overall, I think it is difficult to use the NBA vs FIBA as a proxy for US basketball vs Non-US basketball because so many great NBA players are from outside the United States and so many great players in the European leagues are Americans. I just scanned the previews of the Euroleague final four and saw write-ups on Trajan Langdon, JR Holden, Terrence Morris and Lawrence Roberts, and even European kids who played in the US college system and NBA such as Linus Kleiza.

So, then you get into the difference in style, which I think can really be stated as a difference in offensive philosophy…the team game of FIBA vs the individual game of the NBA. It’s hard to compare defense because FIBA rules allow for a lot more zone than the NBA, and since the NBA rule changes of the last 10 years, NBA players can play as physically.

There are many Americans, especially white Americans, who are turned off by the style of play in the NBA and the stress of the individual over the team. Many of these folks actually root against the US team in international competitions. I think the Euroleague would win a lot of US fan support if the games were televised here for that reason. There is also quite a bit of racism in the US and many whites like to root against black players, especially those that typify hip hop culture, such as Allen Iverson.

So, when you say that Euroleague players are better basketball players I think the point Phil makes above is right…FIBA players are better at FIBA ball, etc. Of course, your point rests on the assumption that FIBA ball is a better brand of basketball, and I think many Americans would agree with you.

As the FIBA and NBA rules continue to merge (standardized lane, 3 point distance, restricted area under the rim) it will be easier to judge the players and teams against each other. Right now, the rules and officiating are so different that it is not possible.

I agree that my statement about players on the other world teams not being able to make the US team was not well stated so I retract it. But, I think you went a little too far by saying that Iguodala would not excel in the Euroleague or that some players on the US Natrional team would not make the best Euroleague teams, or that the US 2008 Olympic team would lose to a top European club team. I conceed that it could happen, but it wouldn’t happen consistently, not yet.

Soon, however all of this will be settled on the court and we can debate it as it happens.

Can one of you please educate me on the Euroleague season. When does it take place? How many regular season games are there? What is the playoff format? Do any of you know if any of the regular season games are shown on TV in the US?

So, I think you make a great point about European players being better at the team offensive game. I

I think that most American players recognize the quality of non-US players because there are non-US players all over the NBA and the NBA All Star teams. Gasol and Nowitzki are regarded as two of the best in the game and the list of acomplished non-US players is long.

I think Phil makes a great point about FIBA vs NBA basketball. The games are so different that its hard to compare players. However, I do think we have to consider the NBA to be the best basketball league in the world as far as it containing the best talent. While I understand that there are many great non-US players who chose to play in Europe, most of the best non-US players play in the NBA, yes?

As for the average Euroleague player being better than the average NBA player, I think that all depends on your definition. I would

As for Tim Duncan, this is what I remember from his FIBA experience:
“Asked if he would return to play in another Olympics, Duncan said, “I’m about 95% sure my FIBA (basketball’s international governing body) career is over.” When asked what he learned during the games in Athens, he said, “FIBA sucks.”
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Ted
14 years ago
Excuse the last few paragraphs of my prior post, they were earlier thoughts that I meant to delete as they repeat what I said above. I promise I will work on the lennnnngth of my posts!
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Santos
14 years ago
I am sorry Alex, but you are the one with the inferiority complex. First, Marcus Haislip, Terrence Morris, Bo McCalebb, David Hawkins are “stars” in the Euroleague? Please excuse me while I laugh. Unbelievable. If you have zero knowledge on the subject please do not comment. Oh wait, i forgot, there is that arrogant and delusional NBA fan that others here are talking about.

Linas Kleiza and Josh Childress didn’t even play well in Europe. All they did was jack up shots, hog the ball, and stat pad in garbage time. They learned all of that in the NBA. That your stats and perception is more important than winning games. Actually, they were both terrible and horrible in the Greek Finals. I would even say embarrassing. The NBA would be ambarrased if Americans all saw how badly Kostas Tsartaris and Stratos Perperoglou dominated them. It only proves that NBA fans are ignorant about basketball and have a NBA only world view of arrogance and delusion when you brag about such players as Kleiza and Childress, who to be honest about were pretty much total busts and ridiculously overpaid. Compared to players like Navarro, Spanoulis, Siskauskas those guys are “scrubs”.

I used that word because NBA only fans like to use it for all “Euros” in the NBA. As for Rudy Fernandez he was never a star in the Euroleague. Again, you show the typical American ignorance about basketball that is not NBA. Rudy Fernandez in his entire career played one season in Euroleague and he was a non factor.

As for your claim about Euroleague players struggling in the NBA……it is well known that American coaches do not trust Euroleague players and do not treat them the same as American players. In fact, that is why many of them leave the NBA like Spanoulis and Navarro. But once again, American NBA fans are so warped my NBA hype and marketing from David Stern’s 101 play book that they cannot even grasp the simplest reality that is right in front of their eyes.

I saw on a US basketball forum where EVER single American guaranteed that Kevin Durant would average 30-35 points at this World Championship. Nope, American NBA fans do not know anything about basketball and they are rapidly becoming a joke.
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- Alex
  14 years ago
  If anything, I have a superiority complex. Mika and your superiority complex is in actuality an overcompensated inferiority complex that manifests itself as a superiority complex.
  
  I said that they “thrive” or “star”. I would say that all of those players at the very least thrive; while Langdon, Holden, and McCalebb starred.
  
  Well let’s see. I have dual citizenship–Italian and American–and frequently watch Serie A, especially Virtus Roma, so I do know somewhat what I’m talking about. All Americans aren’t stupid and arrogant. In fact, dare I say, it’s stupid and arrogant to assume that.
  
  So there’s a big NBA-wide conspiracy to not play European players? Do you understand that coaches are employed and paid to win; as such, they try to play their best players; if those players happen to be European, they’d play them. Someone like Sarunas Jasikevicius or Spanoulis, while great on offense, couldn’t guard anyone on defense, and so were bellow average NBA players. Once they realized that they weren’t a quarter the stars they were in Europe, they left.
  
  Thing is. . .Childress and Kleiza are slightly above average NBA players. Regardless of if they matched expectations, they were still among the top fifteen players in Europe, even if they had a lousy Greek finals. They were, after all, among the best three or four players on the team that lost in the EL final.
  
  Not all Americans like to use teh word “scrub” when describing Europeans. Don’t make such sweeping generalizations. That statement of yours too was ignorant.
  
  I was wrong about Fernandez. He was, however, rather successful in the ACB, and has encountered a difficult time in the NBA.
  
  One more thing. I really would like it if the Euroleague–heck, even domestic leagues–were competitive with the NBA; and if international teams would regularily beat the best team USA can offer. That would mean that basketball is thriving globally at levels that people even ten years ago couldn’t have predicted. Unfortunately, that’s pretty obviously not the case. Right now, the best of team USA would beat any other national team 19 times out of 20; the best Euroleague team would only win 30-40 games in the NBA.
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Justin
14 years ago
Ted brings up an important point. There is a wide perception in America that the NBA is rigged against white players. Both on the court, in terms of foul calls, and in terms of playing time. It is not hard to see the double standards in term of “superstar treatment”, everyone admits to that.

The fact that all-black USA squads of NBA all-stars lose to all-white teams, who are supposedly not good enough for the NBA, or who “struggle” in the NBA, it is food for thought.

Look at Rudy. He tore up the collection of NBA all-stars at the Olympics. YET, he “struggled” in Portland, meaning., he did not get playing time. This happens all the time, such as Kleiza for another example. He was never given starting minutes in Denver, so was he “struggling” or just not getting the minutes he deserved?

Even just considering Americans, look at Kevin Love. Good enough for the national team, but not good enough to start in Minnesota, the worst team in the league???

The NBA is not yet like the WWE, but it is an entertainment product first, designed to make money. It is a sporting contest second. College basketball is much more pure in the US. And of course, a white team just won the college championship, but supposedly few/none of them is good enough for the NBA. What is going on here?
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- pipo
  14 years ago
  Yep that’s the big problem in the US right now, racism against whites. It’s everywhere: in golf, in politics, in basketball. The only domain where whites have their way is jobs and incomes.
  
  Wake up. Basketball is no 3 in the US behind baseball and NFL. NBA is number one for blacks, and I think it’s actually behind hockey for whites. Blacks not only have an athletic advantage, but are also more interested. Or are you implying that whites are also discriminated against in sprints?
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Panos
14 years ago
Greece 74 – Serbia 73

before the match end with a brawl.
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Mika
14 years ago
I agree that the NBA is racist. There is no logical explanation for 13% of US population to be black and yet 97% of the American players in NBA are black. In hockey there is the obvious demographic disparity of the geographic regions where it is played being white. This does not exist in basketball. In fact many of the most white places in US, like in the Midwest are fanatical about basketball. Only an extremely naive person would not realize that the NBA is making a huge marketing effort towards poor inner city blacks because they tend to be the ones that buy all the NBA related gear like Nike, etc. And that as well as ESPN, TNT and stuff is where the NBA (not the teams but Stern) makes all their money. And it is no strange coincidence that ESPN wrote a couple disparaging stories about LeBron and Nike had them pulled from their site.

The NBA is extremely racist against anyone that is not black. Yao Ming actually said this before. He told the Chinese press that he is discriminated against by all the refs in the NBA because he is not black. He said it as clear as day and when David Stern threatened to fine him, he said he would say it in US media and Stern shut the hell up and never fined him.

Even in the USA are laws that would make it illegal to have the hiring distribution by race that the NBA has. I am sure that simpyl no lawyer has thought to sue them yet. But any white player could claim bias in not being drafted and could sue them.

Did you know that a NBA GM actually told Draftexpress.com “Never ever draft a white guy. That’s my first rule.” I guarantee you that would be a multi million dollar law suit if any white player was smart enough to bring it.

Imagine if an NBA GM had said, “Never draft a black guy. That’s my first rule.” The US congress would be holding nationally televised hearing on it within a week’s time. if that is not reverse racism then what is? Did you know that the NBA is called “the black man’s sport”, or “the black man’s game”? How much more racist does it get than that?

Of course the NBA is racist. You would have to be living with your head in the sand to be a basketball fan and not realize that.
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