The national basketball team of the USA is not a dream team. It is not a selection of superstars, as it was in 1992 at the Barcelona Olympics, when icons such as Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson dominated the competition and had to sign antagonists. At the World Cup, which is currently being held in China, the US selection will take place under different circumstances.
The team continues to be an excellent player and a title contender, but MVP nominees James Harden and Anthony Davis said players like Bradley Beal and Tobias Harris withdrew their promises. In preparation for Australia, there was the first defeat in 13 years. In the afternoon there will be a duel with Turkey (14.30 clock).
The squad brings back memories of tournaments where the US team was less dominant, such as at the 2002 World Cup in Indianapolis. There, the hosts failed in the quarterfinals at Yugoslavia and were sixth - the worst placement in American history. The performers were professionals like Reggie Miller, then 37 years old, Jermaine O'Neal and Paul Pierce - stars, but not the absolute elite.
Olympia is more important
What are the reasons for the disproportionate refusals? On coaching staff it should not be. The biggest stars in the US are on the sidelines. Gregg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs) and Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors) are among the most successful coaches since the turn of the millennium.
In addition to injuries, private reasons also played a role for some players. Bradley Beal, for example, said that he was about to give birth to his child. For others like Harden and Davis, who have been designated as leaders, recovering from the past and preparing for the upcoming NBA season is more important. Even the 20-year-old talent Marvin Bagley III. The Sacramento Kings preferred to focus on preparing for the season. Curiously, the cancellation of his teammate De'Aaron Fox, who decided at the last moment against participation, just under ten hours before the plane of the US team for a test match to Australia lifted.
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USA at the World Basketball Championship: The stars are sitting outsideThe fact that the US squad has not the quality of the Olympic team has a long tradition. The gold medal of the Olympic Games is more prestigious, as "World Champions" call the Americans colloquially already the NBA champion. At World Championships are traditionally more young stars are used, who are on the go to the elite and do not play in title contenders. Today's superstars such as Kevin Durant (2010) and Stephen Curry (2014) took part in world championships before their final breakthrough in the NBA.
But even against this background, the current selection is weaker than at the tournaments in 2010 and 2014. With Kemba Walker and Khris Middleton only two players go to China, which were awarded last season as NBA Allstars. By comparison, at the World Cup five years ago, there were five, including Curry and Harden.
"Why should you want to come?"
Despite the relatively weak squad, it is quite possible that the US will take the title for the third time in a row. Athletic, they are superior to any team and in width they still have the highest quality. Most recently, the US team retired at the 2006 World Cup in Japan prematurely, then there was a semi-final defeat to Greece and third place. Since then, the US has won two world titles (2010 and 2014) and three Olympic golds (2008, 2012 and 2016) - without losing a game.
The competition knows that US basketball players arrive only in full strength if they have to. Why should they want to come? "Said French international Evan Fournier" L'Équipe ":" As long as we do not finish them, they will not be motivated. " This scenario is quite realistic, as vulnerable as now the US has not been for a long time.
