USA Basketball Preps for Rio

USA Basketball's senior men's team will come together next week to begin formal training sessions in advance of the 2016 Olympic Games. The team will train in Las Vegas and play a series of exhibition games, the USA Basketball Showcase, in Vegas, Oakland, LA, Chicago and Houston.

USA Basketball Social Announcement "Gets It Done"

This story appeared on SportTechie by Joe Favorito:

USA Basketball Goes The Social Route To Unveil Their Team for Rio...

It may have not been the best kept secret, the announcement Monday, June 27 of the 201 U.S. Men’s National Basketball Team for the Rio Games, but the folks at USA Basketball, along with their partners like Nike and the NBA, found a way to officially break the news and give every member of the team literally a moment in time through the use of social media.

Before the official team announcement, and with many of the names unofficially revealed over the weekend through various and sundry unnamed sources, USAB decided to not wait for the official announcement at 9:30 AM EDT in New York. They didn’t issue an advance press release or post the story to their website. What they did do, starting at 8:30 AM, was to unveil, in ascending numerical order, the team roster on Twitter, with the appropriate picture and social media tags, #UNITE and #USABMNT -- It wasn’t an over the top image, just the jersey and who the jersey was connected to, one about every two minutes, building towards the start of the official announcement at the press conference and then the unveiling across all media platforms of the full team by the coaches.

The move was subtle but helped to amplify the announcement and actually drive social buzz to the press conference step by step. The beauty was that it was timed to give each player, his NBA team, and his partners, enough time in between jersey unveils to post and retweet the image, which gave the fans a chance to get involved in the back and forth as the final official announcement came. The social spin then effectively set the day for the myriad of player media stops, interviews and other activities that were planned as a team throughout the day, while giving each player, especially those like Jimmy Butler and DeAndre Jordan, a chance to shine as the overall story broke.

Now could USA Basketball have stemmed the tide and just let the news flow as it normally would, with all the images rolling as the morning announcement and afternoon clinic unfolded? Sure. But since so much news was already in the mainstream, doing the gradual unveil leading to the team announcement got a larger buzz at a time of the morning that is usually show, and gave a wider audience a chance to individually celebrate the announcement of the news in an order and a style that USAB was able to control and spread wide. Their timing was great, the idea subtle and original, and it set the stage for what should be an interesting road to Rio for Coach K and the team.

Well thought-out, well received and well amplified message for USA Basketball, helping make what could have been a little hum-drum into a nice social bonus for players, coaches, media fans, and even for their partner, the always creative folks at Nike.

This was fun ...

Somehow, through an old friend and PR colleague, Jack Gallagher, my name made its way to Ed Odeven, an editor at The Japan Times.  Today, Ed posted this:

The Definitive interview!

http://edodevenreporting.wordpress.com/2014/10/02/thedefinitiveinterviewwithterrylyons/

International Intrigue with USA and the NBA

Indiana's Paul George had yet to be wheeled into the operating room, and the naysayers/slash/sports pundits were speculating as to the response of the Pacers' Larry Bird and his fellow NBA front office cohorts. The media speculation ran from comments from basketball operations types to team ownership and the viewpoint that everyone knew might come with the most punch was from Dallas Mavericks team owner Mark Cuban, a longtime opponent of allowing NBA players to participate in events run-for-profit and sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and international basketball federation (FIBA).

USA Basketball World Cup 2014 (Getty Images)

Cuban did not disappoint, lobbing his first salvo fewer than 24 hours after George's horrific leg injury, suffered in a televised intra-squad scrimmage between USA Basketball's "Blue vs White" teams of roster players seeking a spot on the senior men's national team scheduled to compete in the FIBA World Cup of Basketball late this summer.

"The [International Olympic Committee] is playing the NBA. The IOC is an organization that has been rife with corruption, to the point where a member was accused of trying to fix an Olympic event in Salt Lake," said Cuban to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. "The IOC [pulls in] billions of dollars. They make a killing and make (fictional HBO organized crime drama character) Tony Soprano look like a saint. The pros in multiple sports are smart enough to not play when they are eligible free agents. But teams take on huge financial risk so that the IOC committee members can line their pockets. The greatest trick ever played was the IOC convincing the world that the Olympics were about patriotism and national pride instead of money. The players and owners should get together and create our own World Cup of Basketball."

First-off, Cuban should've noted it would have to be considered the second greatest trick, because his timing of a multi-billion dollar sale of Broadcast.com to Yahoo will rank numero uno in most debates.

But, taking that aside, let's get back to the international basketball debate currently on a low boil after Bird and the Pacers front office took the righteous and classy step to stop the finger-pointing, take any pressure off USA Basketball and the basic concept of whether to participate in the event or not?

"We still support USA Basketball and believe in the NBA's goals of exposing our game, our teams and players worldwide," Bird said in a prepared statement. "This is an extremely unfortunate injury that occurred on a highly visible stage, but could also have occurred anytime, anywhere."

If taking Bird's viewpoint as the general guideline as the key starting point is the foundation, then framing the debate is rather simple.

Does a players participation in an international sporting event, representing his country, benefit the player and the NBA team paying his guaranteed contract enough so that the player should risk injury and put his body through the training, lead-up and event itself?

Much of the answer to that question cannot be measured on a balance sheet, as Cuban suggests. If it were to be about the money, the answer would be a resounding "No" and the debate would've never begun. The fact is, the debate is not about money and it's not about a measurable outcome. It's not about two basketball tournaments (FIBA World Cup and the Olympic Games), either. The benefits of playing international basketball come from all corners of the earth and from all levels of the game. You cannot ask whether Paul George, Kevin Durant or Lebron James should play for the USA without also wondering if Yao Ming, Serge Ibaka or Dirk Nowitzki would've ever "made it" to the NBA if it weren't for the grassroots national team (and local club) investments poured into the game years and years ago. It's not about "just" the senior men's level, either, it is about men's and women's basketball at all levels, cadet through juniors, Olympics through continental tournaments.

Cuban cannot have it both ways.

He cannot criticize the IOC/FIBA on one hand but then reap the benefits of the talent of German-born and bred Nowitzki on the other. He can not ask OKC Thunder fans and single out Kevin Durant's participation for the USA without considering whether OKC would be a contender without Ibaka, a mainstay of the Spanish national team. He cannot cash his check on the NBA China investments and praise the NBA's overall international popularity without thanking his lucky stars for a 7-foot-4 Yao Ming who timed his NBA career for the league's coffers and overall global tv resume almost as well as Cuban timed his exit before the dotcom bust.

On the USA side of the ledger, you might surmise that Lebron James matured mightily through his USA Basketball experience to help him become a better overall team player and certainly a better overall person, via the first class experience brought forth by USA Executive Director Jerry Colangelo and national team head coach Mike Krzyzewski and their staffs. While contemplating that thought, please remember that the likes of Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley and certainly Lisa Leslie are frequently quoted on their sentiment that the Olympic experience was, by far, the best sporting experience of their careers, and you might get a few international players to agree, especially the likes of Argentina's Manu Ginobili and Spain's Pau Gasol (who broke his leg in the 2006 World tourney in Japan and missed 22 NBA games the following season).

So the issue is solidly framed for more debate. On August 4, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke with ESPN.com's Stein in reaction to the Cuban story he generated on Saturday.

"Without a doubt, basketball has grown tremendously since 1992, when NBA players began playing in the Olympics," Silver said to Stein, a veteran chronicler of international basketball. "Also, it's important to note the [improvement] many of our players have made in terms of ability, leadership and passion for the game by playing for their home countries. Injuries can happen anyplace at any time. The experiences our players have enjoyed by participating in their national teams, however, are ones that are unique and special in almost every other way. At this point, I don't anticipate a major shift in the NBA's participation in international competitions.

"It seems clear, however, that this will be a topic at our next NBA competition committee meeting in September and our board of governors meeting in October. And, of course, we will continue to evaluate the pros and cons of participating in international tournaments."

In doing so, the razor sharp Silver needs to invoke the testimony of everyone involved, but he might simply start with Charles Barkley and Manu Ginobili and save us all some time.

Russ Granik: One "Hall" of a Choice

SPRINGFIELD, Mass - September, 7, 2013 -- The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame will induct its Class of 2013. Included in the diverse group of players, coaches and contributors to the game are five "direct elect" Hall of Famers, in ABA great Roger Brown, little-known basketball pioneer Edward Henderson, NBA Veterans committee electee Richie Guerin and International great Oscar Schmidt. In addition, the rightful inclusion and the Hall of Fame's recognition of former NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik is a wonderful message for the many behind-the-scenes contributors to the global game of basketball.

Granik helped build the court of dreams, the NBA

At times, players and media criticize the inclusion to the Hall for non-players of the game. The question arises when referees or executives are named to the hallowed Hall, and the questions often come with a streak of venom and unfounded criticism. At issue is a simple question, really. Should the Hall be for players only?  Should alll others, including coaches like Red Auerbach, refs like Earl Strom or Mendy Rudolph, contributors like league and team officials such as 24-second clock inventor and Syracuse Nationals owner Danny Biasone or the NBA's first Commissioner Maurice Podoloff, be designated for the same treatment as the media - a seperate wing?

I say no and I can highlight Granik as the reason why.

Granik's official Hall of Fame bio hints at the amazing impact he made.

"One of the most influential contributors to the game of basketball. Granik spent 30 years in the NBA league office starting as a staff attorney in 1976 and finishing his NBA career as the Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer. He was involved in every major negotiation in the NBA from 1980 to 2005 including television contracts, collective bargaining and league expansion. Overseeing the expansion of the game into the international realm as a key figure in working out the details of professionals (NBA players) competing in the 1992 Olympic Games and subsequent international competitions. He was the NBA’s chief negotiator on four collective bargaining agreements and has served as NBA Executive Vice President (1984-90), Vice President of USA Basketball (1989-96) and President of USA Basketball (1996-2000). He was also the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Chairman of the Board (2003-2007). In 2005, he received USA Basketball’s Edward S. Steitz Award," it says.

The bio just hints at the significance of such a key contributor to the game of basketball. 

Why?

Russ Granik was a quiet, but powerful workhorse behind the meteoric rise of the NBA to global prominence in the 1990s. Most importantly, he was a champion for every level of the game of basketball.  While his accolades and biography list major NBA contributions such as his negotiations of record-setting TV deals, resolved labor stalemates which resulted in trend-setting, progressive Collective Bargaining and Anti-Drug Agreements with the NBA's players, Granik's most significant contributions resulted from his work with the NCAAs, FIBA, the international governing body of basketball, global leagues, federations, Euroleague Basketball, and, most importantly, USA Basketball. 

Under Granik's watch, seemingly unresolvable problems with regard to mending fences, unraveling "red-tape," and creating consensus for the betterment of the overall game of basketball became everyday by-products of a career built on creating goodwill, strong relationships and dealing with people as one would like to be dealt with during a negotiation. That as a professional, a person who is respected and treats people with respect. In essence, Granik is a thoroughly decent human being and he treats his constituents with equal respect. Granik walked softly but carried a resume that could literally part a Sea of Red Tape and, unlike many who only barked of problems while surfacing and creating more problems, Granik would grab a No. 2 pencil, a phone and call upon years of goodwill to resolve most problems before anyone else knew they even existed.

His work in building the NBA-FIBA player pacts, his early recognition of powerful allies with the likes of FIBA Secretary General Borislav Stankovic, the late Coach Alexander Gomelski of Russia and BIG EAST Commissioner/NCAA veep/USA Basketball power-broker (the late) Dave Gavitt, might've earned him induction on its own. Certainly, without Granik's hard work, negotiating skills and willingness to give and take just the right amount, allowed for (former) Eastern Bloc European players such as Drazen Petrovic of Croatia (then Yugoslavia), Sarunas Marciulionis of Lithuania (then of the USSR) and Aleksander "Sascha" Volkov of the Ukraine (then of the USSR) to be the first true NBA global ambassadors, coming to America complete with a bevy of gold and silver Olympic medals but with "game" and a "take it to the hoop" approach never seen before on the international basketball scene.

At the time, the NBA had its Georgi Gluchkov of Bulgaria and long had Henry "Hank" Biasetti, a Canadian player of Italian descent who actually suited up in the NBA's very first game ever, an epic bout between the New York Knickerbockers and the Toronto Huskies in the way back machine that was 1946. But, the league - much because of Granik - was quickly thrust into a modern day model for immigration and exportation for talented ballplayers who wanted to travel to find a good game of hoops. While some may call it a theoretical jump, without Granik's work, the Petrovic/Marciulionis/Volkov era internationals would've been sitting in their rocking chairs wondering if they could've ever driven the lane to challenge the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson or Larry Bird. The confidence instilled upon a legion of countrymen and Euro-Latin-Australian-Asian counterparts might never have gathered the confidence to say, "Yes, I can do that."

The result might've put Dirk Nowitzki in goal for the German Bundesleague F.C., it might've made Manu Ginobili a striker, Tim Duncan a swimmer or Yao Ming rocket scientist, instead of a Houston Rocket all-star center. And, that, would've been a shame.

The Very Best of Sports in the Year 2012

Closing Ceremony of London 2012

BOSTON, DECEMBER 31, 2012 -- They were down and out, a nation of hard-working people delving deeper into recession. Yet the Diamond Jubilee was to be staged and it culminated in events on June 5, 2012, marking the 60th year of reign for Queen Elizabeth, the daughter of King George VI and his bride, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mum. Yes, way back on February 6, 1952, Princess Elizabeth acceded to the throne of England's monarchy, and she was crowned Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953 with the 900-year old tradition of coronation at Westminster Abbey.

Now what does that have to do with Digital Sports Desk's Sports Story on the Year?

Read on, sportsmen and sportswomen, read on.

The Jubilee, as it's known to most, jumpstarted a series of events, continuing a feel-good era for Britain that began with Adele's six-Grammy grab for her hit album, "21" and its smash-hit song of the year, "Rolling in the Deep," among others. The monumental year for the United Kingdom continued into the realm of international intrigue as James Bond celebrated his 50th anniversary since Sean Connery took to the big screen as Agent 007 in the film "Dr. No," created in 1962. British "hits" continued as 1962, an epic year in Britain, was to be celebrated properly, especially because of the July '62 debut of The Rolling Stones, one of the top three rock 'n roll bands of all-time.

The 50th anniversary of that monumental time in entertainment history might've crept up on the American movie goer, music fan or royal family enthusiast, but one thing is for sure; as the hits kept coming, the momentum for the people of Great Britain built to a new and wonderful crescendo. It was August and time for the Games of the XXX Olympiad, the Summer Olympics in London.

It seemed as though it were yesterday, but the Beijing Olympics of 2008 gave way to London with a vivid memory, as we recalled Jacques Rogge stating:

"And now, in accordance with tradition, I declare the Games of the XXIX (29th) Olympiad closed, and I call upon the youth of the world to assemble four years from now in London to celebrate the Games of the XXX Olympiad."

Fast-forward a full four years later, the London Olympic Games finished and with the extinguishing of the Olympic flame, the world stopped and paid tribute because it had just been treated to the very best that Britain had to offer.

With that as the headliner and dozens of supporting facts to serve as back-up, the DigitalSportsDesk and its online site, DigitalSportsDesk.com have named the People of Great Britain, the Athletes of Great Britain, the Volunteers of the London Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games as Sports Person(s) of the Year 2012.

This past August, Sebastian Coe, head of the organizing committee and athlete extraordinaire himself, rightfully said, "We lit the flame and we lit up the world. For the third time, for the third time in its history, London was granted the trust of the Olympic movement, and once again, we have shown ourselves worthy of that trust."

You're damn straight!

The sheer excellence not only was apparent at the London Olympics, where the athletes of Britain stepped up in 2012 like never before. In fact, they stepped up BIG-TIME! (Note the fact Brit rock star Peter Gabriel celebrated his 25th anniversary of the multi-platinum album "So," this summer).

So, fact-seekers, let us count the ways: 2012: The Year of the United Kingdom:

2012 Summer Olympics - London
- The volunteers of the London Olympics and Paralympics Games
- The participation in athletics by the British, a 750,000 person increase in regular weekly sports participation

2012 Ryder Cup - Seven from the U.K. anchor victorious European Team
- Luke Donald - England
- Paul Lawrie - Scotland
- Graeme McDowell - Northern Ireland
- Rory McIlroy - Northern Ireland
- Ian Poulter - England
- Justin Rose - England
- Lee Westwood- England

Rory McIlroy - Northern Ireland - PGA Champion; PGA Player of the year and leading money winner on Tour.

Andy Murray - U.S. Open tennis champion and Olympic gold medalist

David Beckham - Retires from MLS soccer with a Cup for LA Galaxy

Athletes of the UK - 65 Olympic Medals, including 29 Gold Medals
- Men's super heavyweight boxing
- 7 golds in cycling
- 4 golds in rowing

Basketballers:
- Chris Finch and Great Britain Olympic basketball qualified for the Men's Olympic tournament
- Strong showing, including games by Luol Deng
- The only Olympic team to represent all of Great Britain

Traditional sports:
- Leeds Rhinos Win Rugby Super Challenge
- Chelsea FC claimed the 2012 UEFA Champions League Cup

The Grande Finale:
- The crowning moment – Sir Bradley Wiggins, knighted this weekend, was the winner of the British Broadcast Corporation (BBC) Sports Personality of the Year as Britain’s first-ever Tour de France winner and its most decorated athlete of all-time, winner of seven Olympic medals, including gold at London 2012.

So-says the Editor-in-Chief of DigitalSportsDesk: “When the year was complete, many Brits couldn’t believe their very own eyes. The success was astounding, and the applause came from a truly global audience who witnessed the Olympics and Paralympics being staged at a level of expertise unfathomable to the sporting public.  The timing was perfect, and it came as the Games opened to such splendor only days after American presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, head of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, decided to lob a rather unpleasant stink-bomb into the planning cycle of his Olympic brethren.

"The Olympic Games were followed by outstanding performances on a global stage, including Andy Murray winning the 2012 U.S. Open tennis championship and Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy becoming, well, the best damn golfer in the world,” said Terry Lyons, the founder and head of DigitalSportsDesk.com and the journalists of the world agreed."

“Brits tend to be quite insecure as far as sports concerned, especially internationally” said longtime Brit journalist Ian Whittell, one of the most widely respected and knowledgeable reporters on the planet. “Our soccer team disappoints in every major tournament as we’re still waiting for our first World Cup win since 1966, as you know.

“Like the United States, the country is struggling from the recession, times are hard, and there was a genuine feeling of foreboding about the Olympics from a long way out.  The critics claimed, ‘stuff wouldn't be ready, the infrastructure wouldn't cope, we'd bankrupt ourselves, we wouldn't win enough (gold) or any medals.

“That criticism intensified the week before, when the private security company hired to do the security for the Games admitted they had screwed up and weren't ready. (Editor’s note: Whittell did not mention Mr. Romney’s comments). Whitell continued, “But the mood changed dramatically with that incredible opening ceremony that graphically reminded people of why we're Great Britain. He noted, eloquently, “From day one, everything was fantastic. Our public transport ran without a hitch, the volunteers were amazing, everything worked and was on time. The TV coverage was superb and, after a couple of minor disappointments, we had our best ever Olympics. For a country used to so many shortcomings in international sport, the seemingly never-ending list of successes went beyond anyone's wildest dreams.”

Here, here!

The most skeptic critic of the Olympic movement or the most analytical curmudgeon of a journalist could not find a single thing wrong with the Games of the XXXth Olympiad. And, from the list of both Olympic and non-Olympic accolades, one must be singled out to conclude this tribute to the People of Great Britain.

That is the fact that Chris Finch, the coach of the British Olympic basketball team, gathered a group of basketball wannabes, folded them into a single unit complete with a few NBA stars (Loul Deng), current and future prospects to represent the entire United Kingdom as one.  For that, Sir Finch, you deserve special mention.

So, to the People of the U.K., to the Queen and to William and Kate (Godspeed, Kate!), to the entertainers, the sportsmen, the Olympians and Paralympians, to the tremendous passion of the volunteers for both Games, to Mick, Sir Paul, Roger & Pete - the rock stars, to the .007 Spies  fueled by the imagination of Ian Fleming.  And, lastly, to the collection of British Rock ‘n Roll bands who descended upon New York’s Madison Square Garden for the culminating moment of 2012 – the 12.12.12 Concert for Sandy Relief, we simply say, “Thank you.”

London 2012: Olympic Hoops Predictions

The boys in Vegas won't be shocked with my chalk-laced prediction that the United States will successfully defend its 2008 title as gold medalists at London 2012. But the forecast for Team USA's road to gold will come with severe storm warnings. 

To those close to the team, we might replace the Olympic motto of "Faster, Higher, Stronger" with the predicted outcomes of "Close, Closer, Closest." The USA's all-out dominance of men’s basketball – dating back to the ’36 Olympics but underlined in 1956, ’60 and ’92, then re-established by the 2008 "Redeem Team” – will be replaced by one huge factor which will determine the outcome of each and every game, and that will be the USA's ability to force turnovers and score in transition.

It's that simple.

Russell Westbrook of USA vs Tunisia.

"If we win the gold medal, it will be because of how well we play defensively," stressed USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski after his team won-out over Brazil in its recent exhibition game because of a 20-5 second quarter run.

The philosophy developed for the 2012 version of USA Basketball's elite is born from a combination of many factors. That philosophy began the day after the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, then it transpired throughout the 2010 World Championship in Istanbul, and it further unfolded during the basketball season leading up to the 30th Olympiad.

So, let's get one man's take on the big picture surrounding the current USA Olympic basketball team.

First, on the day after the Beijing Olympics, USA guard Jason Kidd hung-up his "USA" jersey and announced he’d played his last game for the national team. Kidd's presence and the obvious addition of LA Lakers guard Kobe Bryant to the '08 squad, were monumental.

While Bryant's ability to guard the perimeter might be over-looked by some, his uncanny leadership skills – along with his willingness to step-up and hit big shots – was an element that put Team USA over the top. So, while Bryant's game made the USA exponentially better, it was Kidd's locker-room demeanor, confidence, and "We're not going to lose on my watch" attitude that gave the younger members of the '08 team a level of swagger that the 2006 USA bronze-medal world championship team did not possess.

Kidd, David Robinson and Ray Allen are unquestionably the best international players the USA had on its roster since the '92 Dream Team passed the torch, along with the impossible task of living up to the legendary efforts in Barcelona. Don’t overlook the fact - losing Kidd hurt.

At the '06 worlds, the USA left home with a backcourt that could not defend the bigger, stronger guards of international play. While the likes of 6-foot Chris Paul, 6-foot-3 Kurt Hinrich and 6-4 Dwyane Wade played defense with tenacity and skill, they were simply outmuscled by a Greek team that ran its pick and roll offense to perfection. Coach K and Team USA – joined by with USA Basketball head-honcho Jerry Colangelo – countered by sliding Lebron James to play the point, but James' defensive abilities in 2006 were nowhere close to his "D" in 2012.

Secondly, after the triumph and relief of '08, the United States had to field a team for the 2010 FIBA world championship.

Gone were Bryant, Wade, James, Kidd, Paul, Deron Williams and the entire core from '08. Instead, Team USA stocked up with a ton of big-time, versatile guards such as Chauncey Billups, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook and a bevy of 6-6 to 6-9 swingmen like Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala and Rudy Gay.

Meanwhile, as the 2011-12 basketball season and playoffs unfolded, several players – including former NBA MVP Rose, center Dwight Howard and forward Chris Bosh – all suffered nagging injuries that kept them from pushing their bodies through a grueling summer of try-outs, exhibition games and, ultimately, eight tough Olympic games.

The loss of Howard and Bosh, in particular, combined with the personal trials and tribulations of C-F Lamar Odom (possibly the MVP of the 2004 and 2010 national teams), handed the USA with a roster void of big men, the so-called traditional centers. The result: the United States headed to London this past week with a team that might jump "higher" and is infinitely "faster" but is under-sized and certainly not "stronger" in any sense of the word.

The rest of the world’s teams have all studied Team USA closely and will calculate different ways to defeat the Americans. Certainly, it will involve getting the USA's only true center, Tyson Chandler, into early foul trouble. It will involve the defensive strategy to allow the USA to penetrate and pitch for long, outside jumpers.

If the likes of Carmelo Anthony, James, Iguodala, Bryant or Durant are hitting from three-point land, it will translate to 20-plus point victories for Team USA, no matter who the opponent. However, if an Anthony or James struggles with the outside shooting, like Mr. Melo did in the 2006 elimination game against Greece in Japan – or even as the entire USA squad did in its Washington, D.C. exhibition game against Brazil – the upset vultures will be circling, much the way they did when Lithuania ran with the USA until the waning moments in Sydney in 2000.

***

While there wasn’t much suspense to the bold prediction that the USA will win gold at London 2012, the first part of this preview begs an answer to the question; Who might upset the US in men’s basketball?

That's easy, but with these predictions, you’ll be reading about more chalk. The likely contenders for medals, along with the USA, will be the same three teams that graced the medal stands over the last three FIBA world and European competitions. Those are: Spain, Argentina, and Lithuania with Russia and France as sleepers.

Editor’s note: Turkey (2012 silver), Serbia (2010 4th place) and some of the other traditional powers, like Croatia and Italy did not qualify for London.

Here are thumbnail sketches on the medal contenders in London:

SPAIN: The frontcourt size of 7-footers Pau Gasol and his "little" brother, Marc, will be reason for concern for the undersized USA but the key factor for Spain when it faces the USA in medal-round action will be the play of guards Jose Calderon, Juan Navarro, Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Rodriguez. If the backcourt can hold its own and not turn the ball over against the pressure USA defense, Spain will be in the game. Spain has no fear of the USA and will pound the ball into the bigmen in an attempt to get to the free throw line. Spain won the 2011 European championship, no small accomplishment. If both the USA and Spain win their respective pool play rounds, the likely meeting will not come until the gold medal game.

ARGENTINA: Similar to the “last go ‘round” for the core members of the 2006-2012 US national team, the Manu Ginobili-led Argentines know this is the end of the trail. Add that to the potential for the Olympics to be a tournament for 23-and-Under tikes, and it only underlines the fact that Argentina will be competing with heavy hearts and the intangible of sentiment and desire. Ginobili, himself, can become a USA defense-breaker or a turnover machine while Carlos Delfino is a suitable international guard.  Upfront, Luis Scola and Andreas Nocioni are as tough and experienced of an international tandem you will see. Argentina is dangerous, especially to the team that will see them in the quarterfinals and the semifinals.

FRANCE: Seven current or former NBA players dot the roster of the French national team, the runner-up at the 2011 European championship. While the name Tony Parker, the MVP of the 2007 NBA Finals, flows from the mouths of world basketball fans like fine champagne in a NYC nightclub, the key factor for the French team is the absence of one, Joakim Noah, the 6-11, New York City-bred, pain-in-the-ass center of the Chicago Bulls. Because of Noah’s French heritage (nearly every sportsman knows his father, Yannick, was a world class tennis star), and his friendship with many a player on the current French national team, Noah was ready to suit up until a left ankle injury curtailed his 2012 NBA Playoffs and continues to require extensive rehabilitation work. While the French team can do some damage in London, Noah, the NCAA champion from Florida, would’ve made a huge difference when it came to to play Spain, Lithuania, Brazil or the USA.

LITHUANIA: Every time you look up, Lithuania is right there. Whether it’s a European championship, a world championship or the Olympic Games, Lithuania comes to play and they come with size, rebounding and shooting. A pair of Toronto Raptors team members, Linas Kleiza and Jonas Valanciunas will be most familiar to North American fans, along with Darius Songaila of Wake Forest fame and guard Sarunas Jasikevicius, formerly of the University of Maryland. Fans might remember it was Jasikevicius’ potential game-winning three-pointer that was in the air but fell short, partially because of tenacious defense by Jason Kidd and also because of a partial block by Antonio McDyess at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. At London 2012, look for Lithuania to be in the mix for a medal.

RUSSIA: When FIBA created the current system for Olympic qualifying, they sliced off three tournament berths and created a pan-continental, pre-Olympic tournament and money maker. In doing so, they also created “the hot hand.” In the summer of 2012, Russia is the hot hand, coming off the first-pace finish at the recently completed tournament held in Caracas, Venezuela. Coach David Blatt is one of the top international coaches in the world and he’ll bring Andrei Kirilenko, a signee by the Minnesota Twolves, Denver Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov and NBA newbie Alexey Shved.

BRAZIL: As the USA experienced in one of their five friendly games leading up to London, Brazil’s formidable frontline of Nene (Washington Wizards), Tiago Splitter (San Antonio Spurs) and Anderson Varejao (Cleveland Cavaliers) along with quick, sharp-shooting guards, like Marcelinho Huertas or Leandrinho Barbosa, can create some havoc unless Brazil’s opponent forces a ton of turnovers. Aside from the USA, no other team features a game-long, relentless full-court attack, so Brazil can advance deep into the medal round, if the big fellas stay focused, out of foul trouble and relentless on the boards.

The Medal Pretenders:

Australia and Great Britain could all leap-up to grab a medal round berth, especially Great Britain with Chicago forward Luol Deng carrying his national team on his shoulders in front of the hometown fans, who would rather be at Wimbledon, Equestrian or a local cricket game. Australia’s Boomers come to London equipped to grab a fourth place berth in Pool B and from there, a match-up with the Americans, as long as the Americans win-out in their side of the preliminary round.

Happy to be there:

China, Nigeria and Tunisia do not figure to be in play for one of the eight medal round berths. Nigeria surprised all in gaining the third slot at the pre-Olympic qualifying tournament. China has taken a giant step backwards with the loss (retirement) of Yao Ming while Yi Jianlian cannot fill the huge roll left from Yao’s departure, although his tremendous athleticism will be on display for all to see.

***

2012 Men's Basketball tournament odds (courtesy of #DigSportsDesk)

USA 1/8

Spain 13/2

France 25/1

Argentina 25/1

Lithuania 30/1

Russia 30/1

Brazil 40/1

Australia 100/1

China 125/1

Great Britain 250/1

Nigeria 250/1

Tunisia 1000/1

Olympic Memories: '84 --> '88 --> '92

The twin-propeller airplane was the first flight out from LaGuardia Airport in New York to Providence, Rhode Island. My destination was the Providence Civic Center, site of the very first in a series of pre-Olympic tune-up games between the 1984 Men’s Olympic Basketball team and a group of National Basketball Association stars thrown together in each city leading up to the opening ceremonies of the Los Angeles Olympics.

Upon arrival at the small arena in downtown Providence, I dropped my bags in the locker room designated for the NBA stars, and John Bagley, a prominent Boston College shooting guard and then-starter for the Cleveland Cavaliers, shouted out, “Hey, what size d’you wear?” 

I wore size 11, larger than the average 20-something male, but tiny in terms of the needs of most NBA stars.  Bagley wore 15s, and he grabbed my cheap pair of PONYs and squeezed his ‘big dogs’ inside as best he could.  He was ready.

Barkley congratulates Kurtinaitis in '92

As I counted some 9-10 NBA stars scattered around the locker, I remember walking down the small corridor to check in with my ABA-USA colleagues whom I knew distantly.  The head of the federation, Bill Wall, was busy hanging a small ABA-USA banner on the scorer’s table, while production assistants from ABC Sports tacked up wrinkled ABC Sports banners in strategic locations courtside. The banners were the type cheesy sports bars would steal and mount to their ceilings or bar room walls. I shook my head. This is sports marketing at the highest level? The Olympics?

Next step was to check in with our opponents, the 1984 USA Olympic Team, mainly to see my college buddy, Chris Mullin, who had just been named to the team. The players were all dressing, pulling on athletic socks and preparing for the Sunday afternoon game.  I figured the “right” thing to do would be to introduce myself to USA head coach Bobby Knight, then the vaunted coach of the Indiana Hoosiers.

“Coach,” I exclaimed with some bravado and confidence, “I’m Terry Lyons of the NBA, and I’m helping out with our players for today’s game.  If there’s anything I can do to help you out, please let me know.”

Simple enough, right? Knight’s response was classic. 

“If we need any help from you, we’re in big bleepin’ trouble,” he said.

I looked him dead in the eye, pivoted, and never looked back. I didn’t speak a word and haven’t said a word to him ever since.  I’m sure he realizes it’s his loss, right?

The USA played its series of games against the NBA stars, and all was well as they took the gold medal at the Games with the likes of Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and Mullin - all fresh out of college – leading the way.  Standing in that locker room in Providence, I would never have imagined that eight years later, I would be inside the USA locker room in Barcelona, preparing the 1992 USA Basketball Dream Team to walk out to accept their gold medals, minutes after their resounding victory over Croatia and completing a month-long frenzy that was the birth and coronation of the greatest team in team sports history – The Dream Team.  Just like it was yesterday, I recall the Barcelona volunteer from Olympic basketball operations handing me the official Olympic Games boxscore, a pink page from the “triplicate” hand-written and old-school form.

Four years earlier, I had worked with the 1988 team as it trained throughout the USA before its trip to the ’88 Seoul Olympics under Coach John Thompson, the legend of Hoya Paranoya at Georgetown, the BIG East powerhouse. My lasting memory of that team was some quality time with then College Player of the Year, Danny Manning, who admitted to me that he thought the team was in trouble and that he honestly doubted their ability to bring home the gold. It was a combination of his honest review of their roster and its lack of scoring/shooting and a feeling of total burn-out, even before the team had left U.S. soil.

Indeed, he was right.  The then-Soviet Union defeated the USA and won the gold medal with the likes of the late Coach Alexander Gomelski, future Hawks forward Alexandre Volkov , future Golden State Warriors shooting guard Sarunas Marciulionis , center Arvydas Sabonis, legendary Naismith Hall of Fame inductee and sharp-shooter Rimas Kurtinaitis, who shot the lights out in ’88 and scored from three-point range at will, as USA defensive specialist Dan Majerle couldn’t stop nor contain him.

Whether it was those early days in ’84, the challenge of the ‘88 Games or the pinnacle in 1992, I was very proud to have “USA” on my polo shirt and honored to have played a small part in bringing the NBA players to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics medal ceremony. What many didn’t realize was that I was just as happy to see Lithuania’s Marciulionis accepting his bronze and, even happier for Croatia’s Drazen Petrovic as he accepted his silver. I was extremely proud of my friend Mully, who was now wearing his second Olympic gold.

The times had changed and, because of my job as the NBA Vice President of International Communications. I was thrust into this amazing world of international basketball intrigue.  From the heights of ’92 to the “near scare” in 2000 in Sydney to the lows of 2002 (in the World Championship) and 2004 in Athens when we managed only a bronze, it was a long, strange trip. Even as current USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo and the great Duke coach and multi-year head coach of the senior national team Mike Krzyzewski took to the helm to re-build the USA Basketball men’s teams and, more importantly, their pride, I had a front-row, courtside seat at the table. 

This is the first post in a series of blogs on the Olympic Games. Most will focus on my personal experiences at the Olympics (1992 to 2004), while some entries will come from working alongside the teams in ’84. ’88 and 2008. I will also post interesting viewpoints from the non-basketball Olympians, all gold medal winners. I will post some insights from the Dream Team, conduct a give and take, back and forth Q&A with Jack McCallum, the author of a great 20-year reflection on the Dream Team, and I look forward to providing some insight into the current USA athletes, all representing the USA with the dream of winning an Olympic medal. 

Please stay tuned to the Huffington Post and to my online magazine, http://www.DigitalSportsDesk.com for commentary beginning today and going through the closing ceremonies of London2012.

NBAE Super-Slow Mo Cameras on USAB

Check out the latest in super-slow-mo tech -- the Phantom Cam - from NBA Entertainment - covering the USA Basketball Olympics Team as it makes its way to London:

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.

Posting Up

Be sure to visit Jack McCallum's new blog which will be promoting his new book, DREAM TEAM.  

Monroe in ARG for FIBA Americas

Do you need your basketball fix and feel afraid you'll only have the collegiate action to watch this fall?  Get your Tivo/DVR ready. It's Olympic basketball qualifying time and there are great games to be seen. (However, in the USA, you'll have to watch online on ESPN3).

The FIBA Americas and the European Championships have tipped off in Argentina and Lithuania, respectively, and berths to the 2012 Olympic basketball tournament are on the line.

Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News is in Argentina for the Americas tournament, and its quite a bit further than the trip to Las Vegas back in 2007 to cover the beginning of the Olympic gold medal sojourn for Team USA 2008. He is the only reporter from the States that made the trip which shows the dedication of the San Antonio faithful for the sports of hoops.

Here is his opening report from Argentina where not an team representing the USA can be found since the Americans have already qualified for the Olympics by virtue of their 2010 World Championship victory:

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN BUENOS AIRES AND MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina — The bus taking 42 basketball fanatics to the FIBA Americas pre-Olympic basketball tournament bounces along Argentina’s Route 2 past open spaces that look a lot like South Texas, minus the scorching heat. It is late winter in the Southern hemisphere, after all, and the temperature today is a delightful 53 degrees.This is a non-scheduled bus, but the first of only two Aerolineas flights from Buenos Aires’ Jorge Newbery Airport was canceled. A plume of volcanic ash from the Puyehue volcano in Chile apparently made it too dangerous for the small aircraft that makes the short hop to Mar del Plata.
Aerolineas’ second flight isn’t until 6:50 p.m. and there are basketball games to be seen, so Ivan Rivera, wearing a J.J. Barea Dallas Mavericks jersey, springs into action. Rivera is an officer of the Asociación de Turistas Olímpicos de Puerto Rico, which he announces loudly as he descends on the kiosk of a bus company serving the airport.
After 20 minutes of negotiations, Rivera has secured the names of the passengers willing to pay a premium to have a bus to Mar del Plata added to the day’s schedule. These include one American sports reporter grateful for the chance to tag along, at what seems a very reasonable $60 — a price that seems to outrage the others.
“They want $500 extra for the driver, but when you are a fan, you are a fan,” says Rivera, who has been to international tournaments from Beijing to Athens in support of Puerto Rican athletes. “When they said there was no airplane, I knew we were going to find a bus. Nothing holds us back.”
After fares are collected, the hoops dreamers cluster around their luggage and debate the tournament that will begin its first day without them, but not end before they have taken their seats at Malvinas Argentinas Stadium. These include plenty of Argentines — from Cordoba, in the Northwest, to Patagonia, in the South.
Danilo Ventura, a 44-year-old worker at an electrical company in Cordoba, speaks perfect English, having benefited from a year as a high school exchange student in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
“I began playing when I was young, 8 or 9,” he says, “but the game I knew was different from what I discovered when I went to America. It was 1985, and Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were the best in the NBA, although there was a young player named Michael Jordan.”
Ventura never dreamed Argentines would someday be stars in the NBA, but everything changed for Argentine basketball fans once Manu Ginobili joined the Spurs. Now Ventura is but one of the basketball-loving Argentines happy to assist in chartering the bus to see the team that is a national treasure.
“I bought my tickets the day they opened the sales on the Internet in July,” he says.
He chats at length with Cristian Kuhot, a Patagonian who calls Puyehue “el traitor volcano.” They agree making the tipoff justifies extreme hardship.
Five thousand miles from Route 2, David Stern and his NBA lieutenants will sit today across a table from Billy Hunter, Derek Fisher and other representatives of the NBA players’ union and scowl as the NBA lockout approaches its third month.
Ventura doesn’t understand how owners who offered big contracts they now contend have ruined their business can expect the players to save them from themselves.
But nobody at the FIBA Americas pre-Olympic tournament cares much about the gloomy doings in New York.
This tournament is about the love of the game, and it is about national pride, as is the Eurobasket tournament in Lithuania, where Tony Parker will begin play in a few days.
There are business issues that must be resolved in New York. But when you see the passion with which Ginobili and his teammates represent the host country, you wonder how anyone can be as committed to taking meaningful basketball away from the basketball-loving world as some of the league’s owners now seem.