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Team USA short of shooters
by Dennis Hans / August 6, 2004

The men’s U.S. Olympics team, even with so many stars choosing not to play, would still be heavy favorites to win the gold if the tournament was played under NBA rules. But it’s not. It’s much closer to NCAA rules, with the key difference being an easy three-point shot of 20 feet, 6 inches.

That’s why college games are close. If you can make a decent percentage of three pointers, that makes up for shortcomings in the paint – as St. Joe’s showed this past season. Two terrific all-around guards, Delonte West and Jameer Nelson, nearly won the NCAA title all by themselves.

In international competition, if you can pair up a great backcourt with a couple of frontcourters who know how to play and can knock down that chip-shot trey, you’ve got a great chance to knock off anyone – including the suddenly vulnerable Team USA.

Team USA has a solid group of players, led by two superstars in Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson. But when outside shooting is so richly rewarded, it makes sense to surround them with deadly outside shooters. Obviously, one can’t fault USA Basketball for the inability or unwillingness of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant or Tracy McGrady to play. But other sharpshooters were available, and Michael Redd, Keith Van Horn, Chauncey Billups and Earl Boykins would have been sensational complements to Duncan and the Answer under international rules.

In international competition with Duncan in the middle, the U.S. could get by with Van Horn at power forward. He’s a decent rebounder, and his defensive deficiencies would be less likely to be exploited playing alongside Duncan. At the offensive end, Van Horn could drill 22-footers all day long, which would open things up for Duncan far more than Carlos Boozer, Amare Stoudemire and Lamar Odom have been able to do thus far.

Redd would be an absolutely sensational small forward in international ball, mixing quick-release treys with slashes to the hoop. Billups and Boykins also are elite shooters, and they’d likely shoot 45-50 percent from downtown on a mix of pull-ups off the dribble and catch-and-shoot shots. Short and speedy Boykins would quickly emerge as the most popular hoopster in all of Greece.

Of course, if you’re looking for an NBA stud for an NBA season under NBA rules, Boozer, Odom and Stoudemire have more to offer than Van Horn, and Stephon Marbury has more to offer than Boykins. But the old racetrack saying once again applies: “horses for courses.” So as long as international rules reward three points for a mid-range jumper, sweet-strokin’ Keith is the more valuable commodity.

It’s too late to make personnel changes, but Larry Brown can achieve a similar effect by starting Carmelo Anthony at power forward alongside Richard Jefferson. Carmelo is nearly as deadly on the short trey as Van Horn, and Jefferson is a good if streaky shooter both beyond and inside the arc. Both Jefferson and Duncan will have more room to operate playing alongside Melo, who’ll function as an ephedra-free lane decongestant.

International games last but 40 minutes, and if I were Coach Brown I’d limit myself to an eight-man rotation against tough opponents (at least until the game is decided). I’d divide up the 80 forward minutes among Jefferson, Anthony and Shawn Marion. Right now you'd have to give Amare a slight edge over Boozer and Odom as Duncan’s backup at center. In the backcourt, I’d risk the wrath of LeBron’s countless sponsor endorsees and go with a rotation of Iverson, Marbury and Dwyane Wade. If none of the three proves himself as a quarterback, then I’d demote one of them and let LeBron start at the point. I would, however, avoid a four-man backcourt rotation. If you want those guys to get in a groove, you need to play them at least 27 minutes in the competitive games.

Brown can keep everybody relatively happy by blitzing the weaker teams so he can play his benchsitters in the second half of blowouts. Granted, even second-tier teams such as Italy and Germany have shown they can play, so easy wins might be few and far between. To win the gold in 2004, this particular collection of U.S. Olympians is going to have to play very well – individually and collectively. The more minutes the best guys play – and the more they get to play with each other – the greater the chances for victory.

Dennis Hans’s essays on basketball -- including the styles, rhythms and fundamentals of free-throw shooting -- have appeared online at the Sporting News, Slate and The Black World Today. His writings on other topics have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post and Miami Herald, among other outlets.

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