On the Hardwood: Olympic Gold on Team USA's Mind
Will Beijing be the place for Team USA's resurrection?
Posted on Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 2:00 PMThe mood in Greece was dark and dim. There was no reason to celebrate, no thought of cracking even the tiniest of smiles. A bronze medal was tangible proof of failure for a nation that once owned the hardwood.
Four years later, there is a chance at redemption, but the field represents plenty of challenges.
In order for Team USA to extract the embarrassment from Athens in 2004, there must be a blend of continuity on offense, fluidity on defense, and a massive commitment to defend the perimeter.
Remember Sarunas Jasikevicius?
The additions of Chris Paul and Deron Williams should allow more adept defensive play when defending high pick-and-rolls, and Tayshaun Prince's length could be one of the major components needed to compete for the gold.
The makeup of the roster is balanced and bringing another sharpshooter in Michael Redd is a major plus, but I firmly believe they could use another big man. Dwight Howard and Carlos Boozer are terrific, but with lanky Chris Bosh as the only reserve, I think depth on the baseline will eventually be an issue.
The defending champion is Argentina, but the team to fear is Spain. Pau Gasol may have been as soft as butter during the NBA Finals, but he leads a squad consisting of Jose Calderon, Jorge Garbajosa, Juan Carlos Navarro and Sergio Rodriguez.
Calderon is the type of player that thrives for the Olympic spotlight. The bigger the stage, the better he plays.
We'll see if that translates to a gold medal.
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