Cuban: All Dollars, no Sense - Redux

NEW YORK, June 21, 2012 -- The story won't quit, it won't go away.

Just this week, the powers that be in world basketball, minus any comments or input from FIBA, the international governing body for the sport, spoke about changing the landscape of the two biggest international tournaments in the sport, the men's basketball competition at the Olympic Games and the FIBA World Championship of Basketball.

Of course, the "powers that be" were the voices of NBA Commissioner David Stern and Dallas Mavericks team owner Mark Cuban.  In a nutshell, Stern key-noted to the assembled scribes, hacks and TV types at the NBA Finals that the NBA was planning to meet with FIBA's head-honcho, Patrick Baumann, to discuss limiting eligibility in the future Olympic competitions to players 23 years of age and under, following a concept employed by FIFA, the governing body for football or soccer, as it is known in one small spot on the map.

Instead, the NBA and FIBA would work together to put more emphasis on a new "World Cup" of Basketball where all players, any age and any level, would be eligible to play for their countries.  Soon after the news broke, Yahoo Sports ran a column that the impetus of such a move was a financial windfall to be "shared" by both the NBA and FIBA, coming at a loss to the organizers of the Olympic Games and their many TV partners and future organizing committees.

Cuban told Yahoo Sports, ""The question is: Why would we partner with a current tournament rather than start our own?" Cuban said. "If done correctly, it can be NBA-owned and operated and have the potential to be just as large as the World Cup of soccer. That is a product, in my opinion, we want to own, not share. I don’t know what the NBA plan is, but the above is what I will be pushing for.

 "I do know that USA Basketball should have no say in the matter," Cuban stressed to a prominent Yahoo columnist. "It’s completely separate from the NBA. They are a different financial entity. They would just be another country that could play in our tournament. Just like FIFA does the World Cup, the NBA could do a global tournament. There’s no more reason to deal with USA Basketball than there is to work with the Peruvian Basketball or Kazakhstan Basketball Committee."

***

The story reminded me of a blog I wrote in January which I've updated (slightly) and have re-posted with this missive.

***

I love reading the opinions put forth by Mark Cuban.  He plays the NBA media like a fiddle.  He plays his loyal Mavericks fan-base like the pied piper of propaganda.  He purports to have deep basketball knowledge from his days as a student with a nose pressed p against the gym at Indiana and years of holding seasons tickets at Dallas which was long before he timed the market and the dot.com boom and cashed in his lottery ticket, then called Broadcast.com, for billions in Yahoo's stock.

Congratulations and may God bless him for that stroke of business genius and his timing.  Aside from Bill Gates, Cuban made the play of our lifetime by identifying an opportunity, grabbing online broadcast rights before many realized their value, timing the Internet boom, selling and cashing in.

Ever since his found fortune and the purchase of one of the three NBA teams in Texas, Cuban loves to speak from his pulpit as the owner of the Dallas Mavericks.  Very few businesses in this world other than pro sports have more media assigned as beat writers or broadcasters, all needing to file reports on a daily basis.  The NFL and Baseball have legions of such media that even outnumber those who cover the White House and the NBA is not far behind. The basketball media feed off Cuban the way the New York tabloid media feed off Donald Trump.  Meanwhile, most executives in the 'real' business world avoid the headlines like the plague, except when The Wall Street Journal might talk-up  their favorable quarterly reports.

Cuban takes full advantage of his position and loves to control his interviews by limiting most of them to e-mail exchanges.  He rarely gives interviews in person, except for his "availability" while riding a stationary bike prior to most Mavericks home games, and that is his right.  However, as we all know, much is lost in electronic transmission and translation or the lack of candor in group interviews gathered around a bike workout, may Edward R. Murrow not do a cartwheel in his grave.  I believe Cuban doesn't care about that very much, as he looks at the media as pawns in his chess game and his emailed quotes to national media outlets are the messages that end up in print because the reporters have little chance to challenge him and they dare not misquote him or they will be mocked in his webblog, aptly entitled, Blog Maverick.

Just like ESPN's Sports Guy blogger, Bill Simmons, Cuban walks like a fan, talks like a fan, writes like a fan, dresses like a fan, screams at refs like a fan and he relates with the fans like no owner in team sports before him. His popularity soared because of his fan-like antics when he bought the Mavericks, a team that had nowhere to go but up. Fans adored the fact he was accessible (by email), was outspoken, sat by the team, shot with the team, spent money on the team and was truly living a dream.  What fan in the world hasn't dreamed of hitting the lottery and owning his local team?

He doubled his popularity when he began his tete-a-tete with NBA Commissioner David Stern and attacked the Achilles heel of every sports league - officiating.  Then a rookie owner, Cuban kept harping to the press and the public about the NBA's officiating woes and the NBA responded with fine after fine after fine, totally some $1 million.  Cuban kept pressing and claiming that every fine was well worth the money.  He found the many hot-buttons for the league and he kept pressing them, time after time, which fueled his ego as it did his growing global popularity while only draining some $250,000 a pop.

Aside from officiating, Cuban's other constant gripe has been about the fact that the NBA and its Players Association allow the NBA players to participate in the Olympic Games and the World Championship (and sometimes other international competitions, like the various qualifying tournaments, Asian Games, etc.).  Cuban's stock quote to media is, "We take all the risk and get none of the upside." His other recent quotes to CBS Sports' Ken Berger which can be found by clicking HERE are so ridiculous that I am surprised Cuban would tap them into his smartphone.  Sadly, many of Cuban's views screamed of the ugly Americanism that rubs the world the wrong way, nevermind his misguided and hypocritical views.

Why is his viewpoint hypocritical, you ask?

Exhibit 1-A is Dirk Nowitzki of Wurzburg, Germany. Nowitzki is the Mavericks' 7-foot power forward who has one of the sweetest jump shots in basketball history.  Cuban's Mavericks have been riding Dirk's coat-tails for more than a decade.  Dirk often plays for the German national team during the Olympics, the European Championships and FIBA World Championship.

Exhibit 1-B is Steve Nash of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Nash was the starting point guard for the Mavericks from 1998 to 2004. Nash played for Canada's national basketball team at several Olympic qualifying tournaments and the 2000 Olympic Games. Nash, then on the Mavericks, helped transform the Mavericks before he moved on to his MVP years with the Phoenix Suns.

While Cuban claims there is "no upside" for the NBA or his Mavericks, it is very clear to those who follow the sport of basketball that Cuban was grossly overlooking his own team roster as both Nowitzki and Nash benefited greatly from their experiences with their national teams and growing up within the national basketball programs of their native countries.  Cuban seems to dismiss the fact that two of his best players rose to the level of the NBA's elite because of their practice time and experiences on the international stage. While Cuban erroneously moans about General Electric (NBC's former parent company before NBC was purchased by Comcast) making all the money because of NBA players participating in the Olympic Games (broadcast in the USA by NBC Sports), he conveniently overlooks the fact that the two players who put the Mavericks on the map are products of the international game, although Nash took off for Phoenix long before Dirk was able to will the Mavericks to an NBA title.

Cuban likes to talk business when it comes to the world of sports and the NBA.  He is all about the bottom line. He only likes his stock-holdings when they pay dividends and he's long been screaming from the mountaintop, calling for the NBA or his Mavericks to benefit in some monetary way from any and all NBA assets, especially the players who hold valid NBA contracts.  To some extent, he is right.  The NBA's rules from its Collective Bargaining Agreement with its Players Association call for a team to pay star players a ton of money which is guaranteed to the player in case of injury.  When players compete for their national teams, the NGB (national governing body) or basketball federation must secure expensive insurance policies to cover the player salaries in case of injury. The players' NBA team is at risk of losing the player to injury, although the player's contract would be insured.  A loss of an All-Star player because of injury might hurt a team greatly in the season (or multi-seasons) following the Olympics or Worlds. Cuban might look at the fine lines of those nasty player contracts, rather than complain about the Olympics, but that is a story for another day.

There is another simple side to the discussion, though, and it has been overlooked by Cuban because he likes to think he is the smartest guy in the room or the only guy in the room and he certainly doesn't take a liking to things that are bigger and more important than he is. The Olympic Games are bigger and more important than Cuban.  They are bigger than the NBA, any team or any player.  The Olympics are not bigger or more important because of money, contracts, NBA championships or NBC Sports.  They are more important because of the fact they place competing for one's country over competing for money. The Olympics exist because of an athlete's right and desire to wear his/her country's colors and compete for a medal of gold, silver or bronze.

Now, don't get me wrong, the Olympics are not only about national pride and they are not without major blemishes.  The Olympics and the so-called Olympic ideal have suffered greatly in modern times with IOC corruption, drug scandals, inept or corrupt officiating - you name it. If the IOC were to adopt a rule that every sport in the Games were only open to players aged 16-21 or even 23, I would applaud the decision. But that is not the case.

Then why is competing in the Olympics at risk of injury or worse so important to sportsmen?  To explain properly, my point of view can best be illustrated when Magic Johnson or Charles Barkley gush over the fact the 1992 Olympics Games in Barcelona were, by far, the best and most important experience of their basketball careers and maybe their lives.  My point can be illustrated by the fact that Steve Nash became an NBA most valuable player candidate after he put Team Canada on his shoulders in the 1999 Olympic qualifying tournament in San Juan and beat Puerto Rico on its home court to take one of the two berths available to move on to Sydney.  At the 2000 Olympic Games, Nash again lead Canada and played well until an upstart team from France that finished fourth in the knock-out round upset the top-seeded Canadians.

What price can you put on the improvement of Nash and Nowitzki -- and scores of other players, American and non American -- because of their experience with their national teams at the Olympics?  Tell me Australia's Andrew Gaze's contract with the NBA's San Antonio Spurs or his NBA championship was more important to him than his international career?  Tell me if Gaze or China's Yao Ming would place their NBA experience over that of carrying their country's flag into the Olympic opening ceremony on their own home soil? How much is the added pride, confidence, success and high level competition worth?

Colangelo and Coach K

What price can you put on the entire 2006-2008 Olympic experience for USA Basketball, led by Jerry Colangelo and Coach Mike Krzyzewski?  Every player on the USA Basketball senior national team benefited in ways that are impossible to measure. In fact, at the very first team meeting, Coach K said to all, "This is about being part of something that is bigger than all of us, something bigger than anything we've ever been a part of."

What price can you put on the images of Doug Collins on the free throw line in Munich in 1972 or with tears welling in his eyes as he talked of the 2008 Olympic experience as a broadcaster and how he felt when he spoke to the group of NBA players as they began to train for their competition in Las Vegas, then won a couple months later in Beijing?

The answer is simple.  You cannot put a dollar figure on any of the examples that come to mind as I write this blog entry.  All of the experiences are priceless.  They are worth much more than Cuban's billions can buy.  However, Cuban will never understand that fact and he yells "Moron" towards anyone who disagrees with him. But, he wasn't in the gym in San Juan in 1999 when Nash turned into an MVP and he didn't grow up in Germany with Dirk, in Australia with Gaze, in Shanghai with Yao, or in Lansing with Earvin "Magic" Johnson.  He grew up in Pittsburgh in the United States of America with an American dream to be a successful business man.  He realized that dream to an unbelievable extent but, for some reason, he wants to quash the dreams of young basketball players in the USA, Canada and around the world.  He doesn't want players with NBA contracts to compete for their country.  He wants his own selfish business dealings to be more important than the rights of a citizen of a country to represent his or her country in an international sports competition that draws millions of fans to watch in person or on their TVs.  Cuban doesn't believe that his Mavericks or the NBA benefit from the global exposure of the Olympics (off court) or the global basketball competition (on the court). He doesn't realize that hundreds of highly rated, over-the-air networks from all over the world are airing the basketball games that feature the NBA players. He is only focused on a very small and short-sighted view regarding NBC and the viewers in the United States.  I don't think Cuban knows the difference between being on BBC-1 in primetime or on cable or satellite TV at 3 o'clock in the morning.  He should think about doing some research and focus groups while attending the 2012 games in London where the popularity of basketball is a bit like the popularity of the sport of cricket here in the USA.

And, as long as I'm on a roll, I guess Cuban doesn't believe that Kevin Durant, Kevin Love or Russell Westbrook and the majority of the USA 2010 team are far better NBA players today than they were before they put on a USA jersey and won gold medals in Istanbul, Turkey and after they competed against the very best players from 24 other countries while also being coached by some of the best basketball minds in the world -- especially Coach K.

No.  To Cuban, it's all about his own selfish viewpoint, his own pocket money, his own team and the zero-sum game of global business.  It's too bad because until he stops, listens and learns -- just the way the players on the USA teams of 2008 and 2010 did -- he is not likely to win another NBA title without the aide of his German-born, bred and nurtured, 7-foot sharp-shooting, rebounding machine Nowitzki.

***

A few notes on the suggestions for an NBA owned international tournament proposed by Cuban to CBS Sports' Ken Berger:

- Cuban has proposed to 'buy out' the BCS and the IOC/FIBA within the past few months, however, the events the organizations run are not on the market for sale.  To obtain the rights for (just) football, Cuban would need to buy-out and fund all NCAA sports - men's and women's for all the schools involved.  There is no way he can skim-off football.

- In regard to the IOC and FIBA, the IOC isn't going slice-off the men's basketball event at the Olympics and sell it off to the highest bidder.  That is absurd.  As for FIBA, the men's and women's world championship is their #1 event. All of the federations that belong to FIBA, the international governing body for basketball, would have to be bought out as well for both the men's and women's events at all levels of play (juniors, U17, U18 etc.)

- Cuban, himself, noted FIFA and its role in the World Cup, the most popular and profitable sports venture in the world.

- He said to CBS Sports: He'd tell his fellow basketball nations, "We'll split it with all of you. And we'll sell the TV rights. And we'll own it. And so then it's owned by the NBA or whoever, and GE doesn't make all the money."

- Sure, no problem.  (Mark, have you ever met people like Aldo Vitale of Italy or Yvan Mainini of France, among many others on the FIBA board?) They care as much about the NBA and Mark Cuban as Cuban does about Patrick Baumann. the head of FIBA.

- Even if the rights were to be sold, for a select period of time (say 4, 8, 12 or 16 years) or in perpetuity, those rights would be worth far more than the NBA or Cuban are worth.

- Believe it or not, the NBA and FIBA actually worked together to create a world championship of club teams.  It was called the McDonald's Open from 1988 through 1993 and the McDonald's Championship from '95 (Hou), '97 (Chi) and '99 (SAS) when the NBA champions represented the league vs. champs from the likes of Europe, Australia and South America.  The event barely broke even, was viewed as contrived and a preseason exhibition and it went nowhere, even though it included the reigning NBA champs and dozens of world class pro players on their club teams.

- Let's turn this discussion on another side and use Baseball as an example:  If the powers that be and one team owner from Japan's pro baseball league decided to buy-out MLB's World Series and run their own baseball tournament for pro players, would American baseball fans suddenly change their viewpoint and viewing habits to recognize that competition as Numero Uno?

- How can Cuban dish this garbage out and have an iota of credibility left?

- NBA players can be injured at anytime in the off-season.  Ask former Duke guard Jay Williams. NBA players scrimmage and work-out all summer long to stay in condition. The odds of being injured in the work-outs is similar to or greater than the odds of being injured at the Olympics.

Joakim: One of My Fave 5

Quick editorial comment: Yes, It's a national holiday. Nov. 13th, the day Felix Unger was asked to leave his house... and yes, that request came from his wife. (Aristophanes? Ridiculous.)

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming....

***

BOSTON: When the Chicago Bulls used the #9 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft to select Joakim Noah out of the University of Florida, they took a little heat from the hometown media. Noah had a couple of NCAA championships with the very deep Florida Gators and was viewed as a somewhat limited talent and poor shooter.

I took a liking of Noah when he played as a local NYC/Brooklyn high school player in 2003. I remember first hearing about him when his Poly Prep team matched up against John McEnroe's son at Trinity and Massimo Lopes of La Gazzetta dello Sport of Italy came over to do a story on the sons of tennis stars Yannick and John playing 'the new game' of basketball instead of tennis. Of course, Noah was quite a star and Johnnie Mc's son, Kevin, barely played in Poly's 60-30 win which wasn't much of a contest, obviously.

So, fast forward to 2007 and an NBA colleague, Mike Bantom, pulled me aside at the draft and asked me what I thought of Noah. I smiled and said. I love his personality and his game, but I'm not sure which of those will be his upside and which will be his downfall. I hope, they both pan out and he turns into a real player.

I knew he needed to work on his footwork and his shot, but I thought he could overcome those obvious deficiencies with his incredible work ethic and his ability to "win" and contribute. He reminded me of a much better version of former St. John's power forward Jayson Williams, except with smarts of Noah and model Mom, instead of the knuckle-head gene that my Redmen colleague struts.

Bantom smiled, then told me a story of how Noah walked into the Media Training session of our rookie orientation and exclaimed, "Hey Mike, I got this S*#t!" - Noah reminding everyone within listening range that he grew up with his Dad dealing with the media from around the world on a regular weekly basis, not to mention the scrutiny from a few runs to the NCAA Final Four.

That draft was my last official night as an NBA employee and, after some refreshments and toasts, Bantom and I enjoyed a cigar together out in front of the Westin Times Square. We were just doing what we loved to do and always did, talking basketball, the draft, the future Olympics, life and times, just as we did at hotels around the world ever since Bantom joined the NBA in 1989 in Rome, after his rock-solid playing career. I like Mike even more than I admire Noah, Mike being the great St. Joe's star of circa '72 and a member of the US Olympic team robbed of its gold medal by William Jones of FIBA. Ahem. (Don't get me started...)

The night ended, we packed it in and all went our separate ways until I ran into Joakim Noah last spring when the Bulls played the Boston Celtics in one of the most compelling, hard-fought, competitive and exciting playoff series in NBA history. Noah was largely the reason for Chicago's spirit and determination as he gave the Celtics fits inside while the likes of Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon scored from the perimeter.

I sat with Joakim when the Bulls practiced in Boston and we had a great chat as his personality flowed openly with the fact he knew I had followed his game since HS and also recognized my affiliation with many of his French-speaking buddies. He even put up with my attempts to parlez vous some francais with broken high school French lessons long gone in the back room of my memory.

Well, now we come to today: And, along comes Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Tribune when he filed this video story on the progress of one _ Joakim Noah. Enjoy the salsa and sports pages, Rick. I could have saved you the nacho chips of embarrassment if you had only consulted with me and a few others who enjoyed the constant progress of one of the best players and personalities in the game today... yes, one of the real best players in the game. Not Lebron, Not D-Wade, Not Kevin Durant, but JNoah.

Smile, listen to the joy in his voice and communicate with Joakim Noah's eyes and spirit. If you get it and get him, you will begin to enjoy what I was able to learn back in 2003:

Click HERE

PS: I was really hoping that Noah would play for the United States in national team competition, but I hear that he is signing up for the French NT and will be one of the talented, young players looking to upset the USA in the 2010 Worlds and 2012 Olympics. That is a huge loss to the USA. Noah is just the kind of player who can be the "heart, soul and glue" to a national team.

"K it Ain't So, Hub?"

(Photo by T. Peter Lyons)

News "Iteam": USA Basketball Names Coach Mike Krzyzewski as the head coach of the 2009-2010-2011-2012 USA Basketball Senior Men's National Team.

TL's quick forward to the column.... "In September of 2004, immediately after the United States Men's Olympics Team "settled for" the bronze medal in the Athens Summer Games, the NBA had a serious decision to make.

There were two paths ahead. Either meet with the USA Basketball hierarchy and encourage them to return to the ways of 'pre-'92' and field teams for the World Championship and Olympics in the same manner that we currently field teams for the likes of the Pan Am Games, the World University Games, the Junior World Championship, etc. or to meet with USA Basketball and say "We've got to change the way we do this and turn the program over to one person and allow that person total autonomy in doing what he/she feels is in the best interest of one goal: Winning the Gold.

Well, the NBA and USA Basketball took the latter approach and on April 27, 2005 named Jerry Colangelo to a then-newly created role of Managing Director of USA Basketball's Senior Men's team.

On that day, Colangelo said the following: “I take on this responsibility with a great deal of commitment and passion,” Colangelo said. “My intent is to restore USA Basketball’s role in international basketball and the status we once enjoyed. With the increased international competition that exists, this will be a major challenge for us as we prepare for 2008 and the Olympics.”

That was the first day of the new program, one that would go on to take a bronze in Japan in 2006 but would win the gold in Beijing in 2008. The USA would have its "redeem team" a few years after the same moniker was hung on the 2004 team by the writer I highlight here today, Mr Jan Hubbard.

Instead of providing my opinion on Mr. Hubbard's work, I am going to post it and then post my comments after the story he wrote and published in the Ft. Worth Star today. Read on:

(The Dallas/Ft. Worth Star Telegram Headline for this story - which reads, "Coach K Gets the Nod, NBA Coaches Get the Shaft," was very inflammatory...and I Chose not to repeat it in my headline. I do make note of the fact it was above the Jan Hubbard-written opinion column in the Ft. Worth, Texas paper.)

By Jan Hubbard

The coronation became official Tuesday night when Mike Krzyzewski, the supposed "savior" of USA Basketball, agreed to a second term as Olympic coach.

Not to be ornery here, but the way I see it, Kobe Bryant was actually the savior when the United States won the gold medal in Beijing at the 2008 Olympics. Krzyzewski’s debut in international play featured this semifinal result in the 2006 World Championships:

Greece 101, USA 95.

Two days later, this was the result of the gold medal game:

Spain 70, Greece 47.

Didn’t say much for Coach K’s defense. Spain allowed 54 fewer points than the United States, and it should be remembered that Pau Gasol sat out that game with a foot injury.

Bryant was not on that 2006 team. When he arrived at the Tournament of the Americas in 2007, it made a monstrous difference. The U.S. had a player who approached defense with the attitude of Joey Chestnut eyeing a plate of hot dogs.

Jason Kidd, who also did not play in 2006, helped direct the 2008 team and players such as LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul were two years older. All that helped.

But Bryant was the leader on the court, clearly the best player in the world. He still is.

Although I don’t blame Krzyzewski for taking a second term as the senior men’s team coach, I do believe some great coaches who have been nothing but loyal to David Stern and the NBA have been insulted.

Utah’s Jerry Sloan has been the poster child for consistency. He’s the longest-tenured NBA coach with 21 seasons. He’s won 1,137 games. He’s coached teams to 50 or more victories 12 times. He’s made two appearances in the Finals, losing only to Michael Jordan. And he’s paid his dues by being an Olympic assistant coach for USA Basketball.

Krzyzewski has been at Duke 29 years and has won three national championships — the last in 2001.

But Gregg Popovich has coached the Spurs for 13 seasons and has won four NBA titles since 1999. USA Basketball puts a large premium on coaches participating in their programs and, like Sloan, Popovich also has served as an Olympic assistant.

Sloan is 67 and Popovich is 60. In 2016 — the first chance either will get to coach an Olympic team — Sloan will be 74 and Popovich will be 67. It is doubtful that either will be considered.

"My judgment was we’ve got the right team together," USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo said. "[Krzyzewski] has earned the opportunity to do it again if he chose to do it again, and there were outstanding people available if he chose not to."

Krzyzewski certainly deserves credit for directing Team USA to the 2008 gold medal — just as he deserves criticism for the 2006 failure.

But since NBA players began representing USA Basketball in 1992, there has not been one second when they were on the floor against a team with superior talent. Not one second. In short, Krzyzewski and Team USA did exactly what they were supposed to do in 2008.

The embarrassments of 2006, 2004 and 2002 were a result of bad coaching, bad playing and bad player selection. Whoever decided to put Stephon Marbury, Allen Iverson and Larry Brown together in 2004 has obviously gone into hiding and is referred to in USA Basketball circles as "He Who Shall Not Be Named."

The 2002 team had plenty of talent but a cavalier attitude that proved to be fatal at the World Championships, with losses to Argentina, Yugoslavia and Spain.

This is no attempt to diminish Krzyzewski, but a lot of coaches could do what he has done. He also coached the 1990 World Championship team, and that group did not win the gold medal.

In the history of U.S. play in the Olympics and World Championships, only two coaches have lost twice — Hal Fischer in the 1967 and 1970 World Championships and Mike Krzyzewski in 1990 and 2006 — and the latter time with pros.

It seems odd that with David Stern the de facto boss of the U.S. Olympic effort and Colangelo, who’s been involved with the NBA for more than 40 years, as the managing director of the senior national team, someone from the college ranks gets to coach in two Olympics.

Krzyzewski has resisted overtures to coach NBA teams in the past, and in terms of international play, that was a good choice.

Because as Jerry Sloan and Gregg Popovich can attest, if Krzyzewski were in the NBA, that would almost certainly mean that he would have no support from the most influential people in the NBA as the Olympic coach.

TL Opinion: On this story, Mr Hubbard shot a complete air-ball. First and foremost, he made one of the biggest mistakes in journalism, he did not let the truth get in the way of a pre-conceived notion that is 100% false. That faux pas, for Hubbard, is a very rare mistake.

Unfortunately, I believe he made the mistake because of the fact that on August 1, '04 -- the same day the United States Men's Olympic Team landed in Cologne, Germany on its training trip in advance of the Athens Olympics -- Hubbard was writing for the Dallas Morning News and awoke in his native Texas rather than waking up in Jacksonville, Florida.

On July 31, 2004 - the United States Men's team lost any chance of winning the gold medal. That major development occurred in Florida, not Athens. However, Hubbard was not covering the game that day, he was writing a story about professional lacrosse which appeared on the pages of the Morning News on August 1, 2004.

On that lovely July 31st Sunday back in 2004, assistant coach Gregg Popovich and head coach Larry Brown lost their team when they chose to bench Allen Iverson, Lebron James and Amare Stoudemire for their tardiness (by five minutes) for a team meeting before the USA vs. Puerto Rico friendly, won by the USA 96-71

That day, everyone involved in USA Basketball knew the model was broken. There was absolutely no continuity, no state of stability between the selection of players and the coaching of those players within the USA men's program. Coach Brown, trying to do his best I stress, did not "like" the very players he was dealt and he made it clear from the 'git go." Coach Brown and Coach Popovich fell into the trap. They circled their own wagons and alienated their team. Coach Brown was preparing for disaster and fueling it at the same time. Coach Pop bought the fuel.

In his article above, Hubbard makes reference to the selection, but he errs mightily when he tagged Coach K with a "savior" tag. That distinction should be hung solidly on the chest of one JERRY COLANGELO. Yes, it was Colangelo who took the keys to the car and made one thing clear in 2005-2006-2007-2008. Colangelo had total authority to name the coaches and players and he would not rely on the prior politics between USA Basketball constituents like the NBA, the NCAA and the various and numerous committees and boards when it came time to name his coaching staff and his team.

So, when faced with the challenge of defending the USA's 2008 Olympic gold medal for the next "three+ years," Colangelo again proved his mettle and evoked his authority when he named Mike Krzyzewski, Mike D'Antoni, Jim Boeheim and Nate McMillan to repeat as the national team coaches. In TL's humble opinion, that move is TREMENDOUS.

Now, I love coach Sloan like a brother and I think the world of his Hall of Fame coaching abilities, but the fact of the matter is -- Coach Sloan was not named the Olympic team coach in 1998-2000 and he was not chosen because of the fact Rudy Tomjanovich coached the Houston Rockets to an NBA title and he was pegged to lead the 1998 World Championship team.

I also respect Coach Popovich and believe he deserves a chance to 'redeem' himself and his shortcomings as an assistant coach in 2002 and 2004 in Indianapolis and Athens, respectively. I honestly hope he gets a chance to take a USA team into competition someday, but with Pop's massive ego, I doubt he would agree.

So, my conclusion is this: Time marches on. The USA men's program is run by Jerry Colangelo. Period. Colangelo faced a lot of pressure and he also faced the music when the USA team lost to Greece in 2006 at Saitama, Japan. After that game, Colangelo and Coach K met the media with a huge task ahead of them. After the loss, they recoiled and adjusted the USA roster to increase the national team's size and strength in the backcourt. That was easily done by adding the best player in the world (Kobe Bryant) and the most experienced and strongest leader among NBA point guards (Jason Kidd).

Note: Kobe was scheduled to be on the 2006 team but had minor surgery on his right knee as the team was about to begin training camp and could not commit to the long and grueling schedule in advance of the '06 Worlds

See the boxscore: http://www.usabasketball.com/seniormen/2004/04_msnt_box1.html

And the game story:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/athens/basketball/2004-08-01-men-schedule_x.htm

Ramble On...USA team to assemble in Vegas with or without its trusted leader

Will Coach Mike Krzyzewski take the plunge and commit to another three-year stint with the USA Men's Olympic team or will the Duke coach step down and set sail to the sunset with the memories of Beijing nestled nicely in his mind?

That is the question.

I truly hope that Coach K will step up to the challenge but I believe in my heart that if he were coaching the team, it would have already been announced. The camp is only 26 days away and the cynics are clearly wondering why the most prestigious and important coaching position in the entire word of basketball has not been filled.

I believe that Coach K would love to coach the Olympic team in London in 2012, but that he learned -- the hard way, I might add -- that the road to the Olympics is a very, very long trail. It begins in a wonderful hotel/casino in Vegas but it lasts forever as it weaves its way through Istanbul in 2010 and to places like Serbia, Madrid, Berlin and maybe even the 02 Arena.

Look for an announcement soon, possibly one that names a coach for 2009-2010 but not the Olympic team.

In other USA Basketball news, the USA Basketball Men's National Team mini-camp will feature practice sessions on July 23 and July 24 at Valley High School, and the mini-camp will be capped by the USA Basketball Showcase, a Blue-White intra-squad game, on July 25, 8 p.m. (PDT) at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of UNLV.

Accepting an invitation to attend the July 22-25 mini- camp were: Davis, LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trail Blazers / Texas); Trevor Ariza (Los Angeles Lakers / UCLA); D.J. Augustin (Charlotte Bobcats / Texas); Jerryd Bayless (Portland Trail Blazers / Arizona); Ronnie Brewer (Utah Jazz / Arkansas); Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder / Texas); Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies / Connecticut); Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers / New Mexico); Jeff Green (Oklahoma City Thunder / Georgetown); Blake Griffin (University of Oklahoma); Devin Harris (New Jersey Nets / Wisconsin); Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers / Arizona); Kyle Korver (Utah Jazz / Creighton); David Lee (New York Knicks / Florida); Brook Lopez (New Jersey Nets / Stanford); Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves / UCLA); O.J. Mayo (Memphis Grizzlies / USC); Paul Millsap (Utah Jazz / Louisiana Tech); Greg Oden (Portland Trail Blazers / Ohio State); Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls / Memphis); Brandon Roy (Portland Trail Blazers / Washington); Josh Smith (Atlanta Hawks / Oak Hill Academy, Va.); Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder / UCLA); and Thaddeus Young (Philadelphia 76ers / Georgia Tech).

"While we look to continue to build continuity within the USA national team program and continue to improve, in 2009 we will get a look at some of the top young NBA players who haven't been involved in USA Basketball at the top national program level previously. Although some of these players have represented USA Basketball in the past, this is their opportunity to be considered for the next generation of players who will help make up the USA Basketball National program. As was the case in 2005-08, the roster for the national team program will be fluid in 2010-2012 and we will make adjustments to the roster each year to help insure we have the strongest program and the strongest teams possible," said Colangelo.

TL's column for Basketball 24/7 on Mike D'Antoni

I am happy to report that the Basketball 24/7 site in the UK is growing by leaps and bounds with some 250K page views in the past month.

Here is the latest Across the Pond piece, a column I do for the site twice a month:

ACROSS THE POND V

NEW YORK - I first met Mike D'Antoni when he was the starting point guard of Tracer Milan. It was the very first McDonald's Open, an event organized by the NBA and FIBA to begin the process of uniting the world of basketball. D'Antoni's Milan team had the rich history as one of Europe's most storied club teams. Together with Bob McAdoo, the legendary NBA scoring machine who had retired from the NBA but signed-on to finish his career in Europe, D'Antoni formed a savvy, veteran core which dominated club play in Italy and in Europe.

D'Antoni struck me as an honest, hard-working point guard with a real keen sense of the game and a very strong competitive drive. He had played his college ball at Marshall (West Virginia, USA), toiled a few years in the NBA with the Kansas City Kings, the predecessor to the current Sacramento Kings franchise. He would go on to a terrific 12-year career with Milano before retiring as a player and becoming one of Italy's best head coaches.

My impression of D'Antoni remained strong and positive as I watched him from afar over the years. But, it was a couple of decades later when I really got to know the 'real' Mike D'Antoni as he returned to the USA where he accepted a front office job as Director of Player Personnel with the Denver Nuggets (1997-98). Of course, he would later become the head coach of the 1998-99 Nuggets as they limped to a dismal finish to a subpar season and management cleaned house.

We became better acquainted in October of 1999 when Mike signed on as a scout for San Antonio before the Spurs participated in the 1999 McDonald's Championship in Milan. Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich recognized that D'Antoni could provide some much-needed insight as the Spurs represented the NBA in the international tournament that had evolved into somewhat of a world championship for club teams. Pop was also knee-deep in his international player pursuit as the Spurs had signed a young Argentine guard named Manu Ginobili who was starting his second of a two-year stint with Reggio Calabria of the Italian Lega-A and would go on to play two more years in Italy with Kinder Bologna.

As we rode the Spurs' team bus or talked basketball at the hotel, D'Antoni's wealth of knowledge and his simple style and laid back personality kept everyone interested in his viewpoint and at ease in the conversation.

A few years later, in May 2003, I remember walking with Mike alongside the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona during the EuroLeague Final Four. The fans embraced him, as they were there to see one of Mike's former teams - Benetton Treviso - compete in the tournament. They gladly paid homage to their compatriot.

I remember adding it all together. From where I sat, Mike's resume looked like this: Competitive player, strong basketball intelligence quotient (IQ), able to relate to everyone he interacts with on a one-to-one, simple basis and that included fans, players, front-office people, basketball operations staff, coaches and league administrators.

"This guy is one hell of a coach," I remember saying to my colleagues at the NBA.

Now, the saga gets a little better. As everyone knows, D'Antoni was named an assistant coach to Mike Kryzyzewski for the USA Senior Men's National team that will play at this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing. D'Antoni is part of the coaching group that was named by USA Basketball Managing Director Jerry Colangelo.

Of course, during the various trials, mini-camps, international friendlies, preparation for and participation in the 2006 World Championship, the preparation for and participation in the 2007 FIBA Americas championship, I was fortunate enough to really get to know D'Antoni.

It's funny, as I don't think he's changed all that much except for the fact he remains open to learning something new every single day. He likes a challenge and meets it head-on. He is amongst the most competitive people I have ever met.

It struck me that D'Antoni, along with fellow West Virginians Rod Thorn and Jerry West are three of the more competitive individuals I can recall from my 25+ years at the NBA. A guy by the name of Michael Jordan might have edged that West Virginia threesome out if I had to rank an all-time leader in the most competitive drive category, though.

And, all of this background brings us to the news that D'Antoni was named head coach of the New York Knicks.

He joins forces with the Knickerbockers at a crucial time in franchise history. The club is in need of a total remake and management signed former Indiana Pacers President Donnie Walsh to draw up the plans. Walsh's first move as the new head of the Knicks' basketball operation was courting and signing D'Antoni to a multi-year coaching contract.

D'Antoni scored high grades when he was introduced to the New York media. His approach to basketball - and to everything he does - is no nonsense. He will install a new system and work with the strengths of the current Knicks roster. He can coach any style and he stresses defense much more than fans, media or television analysts will credit him for.

When the Knicks introduced D'Antoni at a packed press conference at a theatre adjacent to Madison Square Garden, I remember thinking to myself, "The Knicks just got one hell of a coach."

2007 in the Rear-View Window ...

Everywhere you look, the lists are being compiled. We all like to create the list of the stories that had the most impact on the worldwide entertainment and sports scene. I've drawn the line to address those topics and have left out some of the major news stories of 2007. No perfect guideline, but it's one man's attempt to frame the year of 2007.

I will count down:

10. The reunion tours: The Police and Led Zeppelin reunited to entertain a legion of fans. The Police toured worldwide and brought in 131.9 million dollars. Led Zep played one concert at London's new 02 Arena.

9. The New England Patriots: The Pats defeated the NY football Giants with an impressive come-from-behind performance which saw Tom Brady 'go up-top' to Randy Moss for the game-breaking TD. The Patriots began the year, amidst controversy, with an NFL investigation into illegal sideline videotaping. The NY Post still prints the NFL standings each day with an "*" to denote, "Caught Cheating."

8. Luciano Pavarotti: Pavarotti passed away on September 6, 2007. In the many year-end analysis of 2007, his life and career will be overlooked. Not this one. The man is a legend and was the very best in his field. Only once in a lifetime, maybe once in three lifetimes, does a person/performer of his stature come along.

7. David Beckham: The MLS and the LA Galaxy/AEG hoped to bring a nation of youngsters to the pitch of LA to witness the new life behind United States-based Major League Soccer. Instead, Beckham turned his ankle and the soccer/football ignoring USA turned the channel once again.

6. The 'Dumbing Down' of America: The trend continued and the American TV public soaked it up, driving ratings through the roof and sealing the fate for more 'reality' TV to be brought to your living room in 2008 and beyond. "Amazing Race" to "Dancing with the Stars" (complete with NBA owner Mark Cuban, saying 'look at me' and race car driver Helio Castroneves in the winner's circle of the dance floor. "American Idol to Survivor"... I just can't watch.

5. Bad Boys, Bad Girls: The beat and the list go on... Michael Vick (NFL), Tim Donaghy (NBA ref), Barry Bonds (MLB) and Marion Jones (USA Track), among others. The take-away from it all? Crime and cheating do not pay. You will get caught. You will go to jail.

4. Mitchell Report: The report named names and brought real people to become the face of the MLB Steroid Era. Still, it was not based in the legal/judicial system. Marion Jones forfeited her medals. Roger Clemens still has his Cy Young awards. The fans are left to wonder, as Clemens denied it all.

3. Harry Potter: The final book of the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was released. By far, it was the most important day of 2007 in my household. Midnight madness book release parties don't happen every day.

2. Rupert Murdoch Owns the WSJ: For a hefty $5-billion, Murdoch made off with the prize jewel of the industry. I wonder how many newspaper lists will even make note of the transaction? It was HUGE.

1. WGA: The Hollywood Writer's Guild Strike continued as 2007 comes to a close. The strike has taken its toll on the industry, yet politicians, like Massachusetts Senator John Kerry, seem more concerned about a single NFL game on cable tv? Meanwhile, hundreds and thousands of film/movie, book, producers, literary agents and television workers are out of work and millions of viewers are waiting by the sidelines for the WGA strike to come to and end.

The 'not to be forgotten list' of 2007 ... (in no particular order):

- Rem Dog elected president of Red Sox Nation.
- Springsteen issued "Magic" and toured throughout the US and Europe.
- Sopranos final episode.
- Jerry Colangelo turned over the Suns to Robert Sarver.
- iphone.
- Celtics got a new 'big 3' - KG sparked new life into the franchise.
- Tony Blair stepped down.
- Oprah backed Obama.
- Mortgage Meltdown, yet Goldman Sachs' Lloyd Blankfein dodged the crisis and banked a $69-million bonus.
- Marion Jones forfeited her Olympic medals, yet WADA can't tell you if her opponents in each race were 'juiced' or not.
- RIM and the blackberry - started the year, fearing a gov't close-down, ended the year with a week of cheer, up 11.9% in the last week of '07 to 118.63.
- oh yeah... Lyons stepped down from NBA VP post after 26-year career.