Is there such a thing as anti-billboard material? Typically before a tournament as big as the 2010 FIBA World Championship, you’d expect a little posturing a la the “We’re the team to beat” variety.
This is absolutely not the case with prospective Team USA player Lamar Odom. Over at Spanish-language Sport.es, a piece suggestively entitled “España es la mejor selección del mundo,” the Los Angeles Laker cites coach Sergio Scariolo’s presence plus the full global reach of basketball as making Spain the one to look out for in Turkey.
“Spain can play,” said Odom, “and [they] have very good players,” including presumably Marc Gasol and Rudy Fernandez, two Spanish studs Odom singled out in the piece.
“Spain is a great team that plays disciplined and [...] we have to be prepared,” said Odom after declaring that, when playing at full potential, Spain is indeed the world’s top team in this tournament. (“Creo que España, al máximo nivel de su potencial, es la mejor selección del mundo.”)
Naturally, Odom still likes his own team’s chances as well: “We are young, but our team wants to compete and win. Things will work out.”
Tags: 2010 FIBA World Championship, FIBA, Lamar Odom, Los Angeles Lakers, Marc Gasol, Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Scariolo, Team Spain, Team USA
1. Spain is the reigning champ – so yes they are the team to beat.
2. What a difference compared to LeBron in the Olympics of 2008 guaranteeing the gold!
I don’t understand how Spain earned the latest title of “World Champions”… Wasn’t the 2009 tournament for Europe only?
If so, how does that take away USA’s 2008 world title (in which they played teams from all around the globe)?
Just don’t get it.
You are just confused (and I am not surprised anyway!):
Spain won the last World Championship (in Japan) in 2006 – it takes place every 4 years.
Spain lost to the US in the last Olympic Games (2008).
Spain won the European championship last year (in Poland) in 2009. It takes place every 2 years.
I know it´s weird (worlds every 4 years, euros every 2), but that’s the way it is…
[...] you see anything missing from that starting five?) ain’t going nowhere. As Lamar Odom put it, “Creo que España, al máximo nivel de su potencial, es la mejor selección del mundo.” [...]
The Olympics is not a world title. It’s an Olympic title. Two different things. USA has not won an actual world championship since 1994.