The NBA only sent over a 2nd rate team. There was no Kobe, McGrady, Shaq, Garnett, Kidd, Jermaine Oneal, Wallace... etc. Plus, the players play 82 games a year + playoffs.

Im sure if these guys were there, they would have won. Since the Jordan era has finished, I agree that the standard has dropped but i think in the next few years, guys like LeBron and Dwayne Wade will bring the NBA back to the way it used to be.

I don't think you can make excuses as all the teams would of had players injured or couldn't play for other reasons. All the countries played with what they had available and USA were far from the best.
You have to give credit where it's due as the Europeans and South Americans have developed there basketball and some people would consider them to be the best leagues in the world

The standard has dropped in the NBA because the league lets too many kids come into the league who aren't mature enough to handle the attention they recieve.

Europe has made massive steps to becoming a powerhouse.

America has the talent just not the attitude.

Save for Guys like Grant Hill and the great John Stockton

USA don't prepare enough for the olympics due to arrogance.

They can't pass or shoot well enough to beat zones.
They never bring enough outside shooters.
European players have longer international carrers and are therefore more experienced at playing FIBA style games rather than NBA players.

The US just don't take the olympics seriously if they did they would win it, I don't think the results are a reflection of the quality of NBA basketball dropping.

Could be wrong though

Most owners are not allowing their name players to play in the Olympics for fear of injury.

If Shaq was to blow a knee in Athens th entire Miami franchise suffers right down to the hot dog sellers.

There is too much at risk for the elite NBA players to bother with tournaments like this.

Europe plays a more "team" style of game where as in the NBA, it is based on individuals. Europe are better fundamentally, better shooters and they trial for their positions. The NBA throw together a bunch of players that they think will do the job. That was a big mistake. Also, if Shaq, Garnett and Kobe played, Im sure they would have won. I think the NBA arent used to the style of play and they have to adapt, where as the European teams are familiar with the type of game played at the Athens olympics. Still, thats no excuse. The NBA has the best players in the world. Most players in the USA team were the "go-to" guy on their team. So what happens when you put 10 "go-to" guys together in one team??? They all want the ball of course because thats what they are used to. E.g. Iverson, James, Duncan, Wade, Carmelo, Jefferson. These guys are at the top (or close to the top) in their team scoring. Team USA need a better balance.

The results go to show that the Team USA players are not TEAM players. They are individuals, with individual agendas and they are not prepapred to put their bodies on the line for their country (smacks too much like the Club vs Country debate in Soccer), they are motivated by the $$$ and their egos match their sallaries.

they ahve become the easybeats of international basketball, and every international team knows that they can beat them, even Australia was in there with a chance.

The NBA and USA Basketball need to get serious about this, as they are actually embarassing themselves, you cant be the best unless you beat the rest............

Dont cry for me Argentina? yeah tears of happiness

Easy Beats! Hmmm... Yes!!!
I believe corkhead is an appropriate name for you petee!
Do you have big balls?
(Hahaha!!!: from the hit comedy american pie 2)

The team was selected. Big names didn't play! So they pick the best of the rest but selected other bigish names to try to cover the losses. In the end they should have pick an alround team. Go back to the Athens posts and review. Would have romped past all in there way. As per 1992, 1996, 2000. No one else is close when they are at 3/4 strength let alone 100%. Who in the world can guard shaq? who can out class Ray Allen?

They put there Bronze in the garbage bag!

i dont think that europeans are better shooters, althought there are some good ones! if the USA team would have sent a shooter instead of people who are marketable like iverson lebron carmelo steph and richard jefferson etc..... they would have won that tournament easy as the world did not want to play man to man! RAY ALLEN ALLEN HOUSTON DEREK FISHER REGGIE MILLER FRED HOIBERG MIKE BIBBY ETC...... taking nothing away from argentina manu is the man!!! I just think 1 or 2 people that could shoot woulod have been enough and thats without sending shaq kobe or KG!!!!

nuthin beats the standard of ball in the nba during the 80's

simply the greatest nba era of bball

I dont think we can get a better team than the 1992 dream team. Nobody came close to them.

The USA has not won the Last Olympic Gold and the Last World Championships, in other words in the last 4 years they are not the greatest, they dont play with passion, and franky, they dont care, and yes they are the easybeats. We are talking about Multi Million Dollar players who are All-Stars who "DID NOT" deliver. Regardless of which team they fielded, they are not a Team, its a choir for them to represent the Stars and Stripes, in fact they are embarassing.

J Bags, did it ever occur to you that International teams actually go after the scalp of Team USA, they are the hunted and teams lift when they play them. Does Team USA lift the same way? they dont care, they go back home, hop in their flash ride's and chill with the Hommies.

Every team that plays them is considered the under-dog, and therefor like most underdogs will play harder and to exceptional levels to prove something, thats the difference. The USA seems to think they have nothing to prove, and are digging a bigger hole for themselves.

"If you beat the best you become the best" * Mark Williams 2004

Hear, Hear, big Pete. You summed it up when you said "they dont care".

The europeans take it more seriously. USA assumes they will win, and so does everyone else. When I watched them play in the olympics, the european defense was awesome and Team USA seemed to be confused a lot in offense - taking stupid low percentage shots. Like I said before, too many scorers in the team. Each player wants to show off on the world stage.

There seems to be a lot of excuses for the NBA team in the above postings.
Maybe we have all missed one point, that is the Europeans are better. Most people would say that the NBA is better because that's what the Americans keep telling us but I feel the times are changing.