MediaZone Basketball

Welcome to MediaZone’s basketball blog with NBA insider and FSN Bay Area analyst Matt Steinmetz.

You know what’s going to be the best part about the 2008 Olympics in Beijing ?

The basketball tournament.

Why? Because it’s clear from the US effort in this FIBA tournament that they’re taking this whole Olympic thing seriously.

And if they take the Olympic thing very seriously, which they seem committed to doing, and can’t still can’t get a Gold medal, then it is really curtains for USA basketball.

If the US can’t get by Argentina , or Greece , or Puerto Rico (assuming they qualify), or whoever is coming to the hole hard from Europe at the very least I want to witness it.

Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James … they all say winning the gold medal is what it’s all about. They say they’re committed and all that stuff.

Perfect.

I love watching favorites at the top of their games dismantling the competition. And if the US is at the top of their game and can’t dismantle the competition … well, that’s great, too.

That means there’s a team out there good enough to beat a committed US team. Nothing wrong with that. Because that’s going to take a Villanova-like performance.

And who wouldn’t mind seeing something like that again?

All right, I’m going to say it. I’ve never really minded when the US team lost in international play in recent years.

Didn’t mind the one to Greece last year or that one a few years back against Puerto Rico.

There’s been more than a few now so I don’t even remember them all.

Why didn’t I mind? Because I just couldn’t get behind the teams.

The US always seemed to put together haphazard teams with learn-on-the-fly mentalities. It was always the “Whose missing this year?” International Tourney.

This team is different. This team is taking things seriously.

I know, I know St. Leo’s is the only team the US didn’t seem to play in this tournament. But let’s face it, there’s some genuine “reclaiming” trying to be done by US players. Good. That’s what they should be doing.

I’ll get behind that. I liked the blowout victory of Puerto Rico, and it will be interesting to see how they play against Argentina on Sunday, despite the fact both teams already have qualified.

This US team has met all expectations thus far – in and of itself a victory for any big-time favorite. The competition will get better in Beijing, and they seem to know it. A good start.

Point is, for the first time in a while I won’t mind the US doing well.
 
* * *
     
… Late in the first half, as the US was somewhat laboring to a 15-point halftime lead, I kept wondering: “Where’s Mike Miller?” I know Miller hasn’t exactly been lights out but I like him from out there as much as anyone. But Mike Krzyzewski never put him in, despite the US not getting anything done from the perimeter. … Carlos Arroyo deserves a sincere tip of the hat for a nice game against the US. Like I’ve said before, it’s not easy to be the best player on an overmatched team. Arroyo did a nice job, no doubt. Still, the Arroyo I saw against the US on Saturday was a different guy than the one complaining about not getting enough time in Utah. … Should be a good tourney at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Yes, the US will be the favorites but there are plenty of other teams just good enough to make it very interesting. 

You’re probably expecting me to write something about the US-Argentina game, the most recent win for the Red, White and  Blue. But what’s there to say? The US has the best team – by far – in this tourney.

Not only do they have the best team but they played with an underdog mentality. That parlay makes them unbeatable.

As for the game, what did it matter? The US and Argentina were locked into the first two positions in the tourney and will likely play again on Sunday in the Championship.

And guess what? That won’t game won’t mean anything, either, because by getting there both teams will have qualified for next year’s Olympics. If you finish 1 or 2 you’re in.

Besides, I couldn’t watch much of the US game because I was too deflated after Uruguay ’s loss to Brazil . In case you’re following at home, there goes Uruguay ’s shot at … well, getting another shot at qualifying for the Olympics next summer.

You see, if you finish third, fourth or fifth in this thing, you get another chance to qualify again next year. But alas, my Uruguay guys won’t get that opportunity.

I developed a soft spot for Uruguay early, when I read that Esteban Batista had said: “I would be lying to you if I said we came for one of the top two spots.”

And when asked if he thought about playing in the Beijing Olympics, said: “Yes, in dreams. If I say that out loud people will think I’m crazy.”

I figured I had to check out this team that was too lousy to qualify for the Olympics. Well, I watched them and they were lousy …. In a Tournament of the Americas kind of way.

Kidding. 

But I figured, hey, they had that Batista guy who was on the Atlanta Hawks roster for the past two years. I’ll watch. Look, I’m no scout (I watch more basketball than they do) but this guy can play in the NBA.

I know I said he was on the Hawks but he didn’t PLAY. He mostly sat.

As I pointed out in another entry, I’m not saying Batista changes the balance of power in the conference, I’m just saying I think he can help some team … be part of their nine- or 10-man rotation during a long regular season.

Play a little backup center, maybe, get eight to 10 minutes a game and we’ll go from there. Hey, he’s 208 centimeters and at the very least he can give a couple fouls and get you some garbage.

I’m in FIBA talk. He’s 6-feet-10.

Anyway, while while watching Batista I stumbled upon this little guy knocking down 3s and generally scrapping all over, making things happen. I thought that this Nicolas Mazzarino guy, this 6-footer, was probably like a Division III player, someone I could relate to.

That was before he dropped 36 on Mexico , drilling eight 3-pointers in the process. Suffice it to say, it got harder and harder to relate.

Bottom line, it was quite a run for my Uruguay squad. All right, they were only 3-5 but it felt like 5-3.

I’m just sorry I won’t be able to watch them next year. Well, everyone but Batista.

Of course the US drilled Uruguay on Wednesday night. But give Uruguay credit for continuing to score. They couldn’t begin to contain the US at the defensive end, but on offense they did some things. 79 points ain’t bad.

Esteban Batista was by far the most effective player who went up against the US thus far. The US shut down Leandro Barbosa, limited Carlos Arroyo and stifled Samuel Dalembert.

Batista, a free agent who played the last two years in Atlanta , has to have earned himself a contract with his play in this tourney. You can’t tell me Nick Collison is better than Batista. There’s a fine line between Batista and a player such as Collison or, say, Anderson Varejao, an energy guy on the verge of nice money.

I’m not saying Batista alters the balance of power, I’m saying he belongs on an NBA roster. …

Some observations:

Well, we can’t continue to not talk about it. You’ve seen the expansive chunks of empty, bright red seats at the Thomas & Mack Center . Let’s face it, if the  US is not playing, nobody’s really in the building watching.
  
Even when the US has played, it’s not like we’re talking SRO. More like “Please seat yourself.” The crowds for the FIBA tourney have not been good.
 
Jerry Colangelo, who runs US basketball, said the tournament was not an easy sell. But back in May, he was touting the $10 ticket and a chance to see an awful lot of basketball.

There are lots of reasons why this tournament didn’t/doesn’t/isn’t drawing in Vegas, but very few of them have to do with the city. It was a made for TV event; non-existent marketing; low stakes; absence of star players; outcome virtually guaranteed, to start.
 
Ed Graney of the Las Vegas Review-Journal had it nailed pretty good in his column this week. He also had the official count for the Panama-Uruguay game: 116. That’s right … 116. How does he know, you ask. His colleague counted.

We’re usually skeptical anytime someone is said to have turned over a new leaf, but it’s hard not to be impressed with Carmelo Anthony.

Anthony was a member of the US team that stumbled so badly last year at the World Championships, and he came back from that tournament a tainted star. The 101-95 loss to Greece was another reminder that the world is catching up to the US and that it’s going to take more than just showing up for the Americans these days.

In Vegas, Anthony has been flat-out the US’s best player. He’s averaging more points (21.7) than minutes played (18), which is remarkable.

He’s also shooting 62 percent from the field and is second on the team in rebounds.

Conventional wisdom suggests that US players who participate in international competition over the summer tend to wear out during the NBA season. I think just the opposite when it comes to Anthony. I think he’s headed toward a big year in 2007-08 for the Nuggets.

—

There should be some anticipation and drama heading into Thursday’s US-Argentina game, especially when you consider both teams will likely be undefeated heading into it.

But the fact of the matter is the game doesn’t mean much. Both teams already have qualified for the semifinals, which begin Saturday.

And don’t get your hopes up for an important final, either. The finals of this tournament are superficial, too, because by getting their both teams will have already qualified for next year’s Beijing Olympics.

In other words, Argentina and the US could play twice in four days, and at the end of the day, it’s not going to mean a whole lot.

My Uruguay ballclub – yeah, I’ve adopted them – suffered a critical loss on Wednesday, falling to Venezuela 88-79.

For Uruguay, it’s not so much about gaining the automatic qualifier for next year’s Olympics, it’s about earning the right to qualify next summer by finishing in third, fourth or fifth in this tourney.

Their loss to Venezuela really hurts, particularly with the US on the schedule Wednesday. Uruguay’s big game is going to be Thursday against Brazil.

A win in that one will likely put them into next summer’s qualifier and could even put them in the semis of this tournament, which begin Saturday.

Mexico’s Romel Castro might never be able to tell his grandkids that he led his country into the Olympics, but he will be able to tell them that he broke Kobe Bryant’s ankles, pulled up right in his face, nailed a 3-pointer and got fouled. Then went to the line and completed the four-point play.

That’s what he did with just under three minutes left in the third quarter of Mexico’s loss to the US on Monday. He crossed over Bryant, left him six feet away in the wrong direction, then released a 3 just before Bryant hit him after gathering and attempting to block the shot.

A lot has been said about how hard the US is playing and how competitive they appear to be in this tournament. Mike Krzyzewski probably deserves most of the credit. But don’t underestimate the officials’ role.

Referees in this tourney have been letting them play, allowing a little bit of reaching, a little bit of contact, a little bit of bumping here and there. Often, it is the US opponents taking advantage, doing those things because they have to.

But because the no-call has been such a factor, some US players – Kobe Bryant, in particular - have been confounded and irked when they don’t finish and can’t get a whistle. It has made them all that much more aggressive at the defensive end, knowing what they can get away with.

And it has kept them interested more than they’d likely be with a big lead.
   …

Tip of the hat to Jason Kidd, playing for the US at age 34. Countless US players choose not to play for the national team in the summer, which is fine.

But it’s not just the US players who aren’t playing in the tourney. Argentina is without Ginobili, Oberto, Nocioni and Walter Hermann. No Steve Nash for Canada. No Anderson Varejao for Brazil. No Eduardo Najera or Earl Watson for Mexico.

Point is, good for Kidd. A true pro and throwback. If there’s a game somewhere, he wants to play in it. Period.
   …

If you’re looking for a quick update on the tournament, here it is: Looks like the United States and Argentina are going to end up as the top two teams, thereby qualifying for the Olympics. Assuming no upsets.

The other countries still have something to play for. The three, four, and five finishers get another chance to qualify next summer.

We can touch on it and move on in a hurry. No gloating here. Did you see Leandro Barbosa against the US on Sunday night? Not very good. Not very good at all.

Barbosa was put in the very unfair position of having to carry the bulk of the load for Brazil on Sunday night. It went down as you would figure, with a host of bigger, stronger perimeter players completely taking the smallish Barbosa out of the game.
Barbosa went just 1-for-7 from the field and had four turnovers in 26 minutes. That the US attacked Barbosa with Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Jason Kidd, and Barbosa’s struggle was not unexpected. Any knucklehead with a blog could have made a prediction like that.

What was far more disappointing, though, was the play of Nene, who seemed to be a little overmatched and a good step slow. Nene, coming off the bench for Brazil , wasn’t good against the US and hasn’t been good since the tournament began.

… US plays Puerto Rico on Tuesday, and there will be another matchup worth watching. Puerto Rico point guard Carlos Arroyo, who led an upset of the US a few years back, is going to get the Barbosa-treatment.

Before then, it’s US-MEX on Monday.

Look for the same cast of characters pressuring Arroyo all over the court, like they did against Barbosa. It’s going to be awfully difficult for Arroyo. That’s fine. What will be worth watching is whether or not fringers such as Peter John Ramos and Jose Barea can prove they belong on the court.

Very entertaining game between Uruguay and Mexico on Sunday. For as much attention as Mexico coach Nolan Richardson received, the coach of the preliminary round was Uruguay ’s Alberto Espasandin.

Uruguay has a very thin roster after center Esteban Batista and Nicolas Mazzarino, but they still managed to go 3-1 in the prelim and advance to the Quarterfinal round. Espasandin had his squad completely prepared for Mexico’s frenetic style and exploited it by finding Mazzarino for 3 after 3.

Batista, the only player from Uruguay to play in the NBA, and Mazzarino carried Uruguay ,  and it was apparent that Espasandin had established an offensive style and pecking order that everyone bought into.

Mexico highlight for the week — and Richardson ’s, too — was their win over Puerto Rico in the opener. They dropped three straight after that, and their energy level seemed to drop off as the week wore on.

The officials have done an above average job in this tournament. One thing I like is that they’ve made a lot of no-calls on the charge-block play, even if there sometimes is legitimate contact. … From the neck down, Mexico center Horacio Llamas could double for Arvydas Sabonis. … Mexico forward Gustavo Ayon is headed to San Jose State University. He’ll play there. … Mexico’s Romel Castro Beck was the best athlete on the floor in the Uruguay-Mexico game on Sunday. Mexico just didn’t do a good job of getting him the ball enough.