After the Olympics: What’s the future of Spain?

The Spanish national team is the most successful European team of recent years. The silver medal at the Olympics only confirmed this trend. Besides the coaching question that reigns at the moment, I will today look at the future in terms of player material.

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Monday’s cigarettes

And here we go again for the cigarettes you absolutely need to start the week.

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Thanks to Spain and USA for a great basketball game

So the Redeem Team won the gold medal in Beijing. What in the end looked like no surprise must actually be considered a deserved win by the best team of the tournament: Nothing more and nothing less. The final game showed that the gap between the USA and the rest of the world is not widening again, but that USA needs to prepare and bring their best players in order to beat a Spanish team by only 11 points.

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Olympics Live: Argentina vs. Lithuania, USA vs. Spain

If Manu Ginobili is out (because of his ankle injury against Team USA), Lithuania is the favorite in this game and will once again go home with the bronze medal from the Olympics. (Broadcast starts with the 2nd half!)

The Gold Medal game will feature the current World Champion Spain and the Gasol brothers against the USA Redeem Team that wants to get back the Gold Medal they lost in 2004 against Argentina. Read more

Today’s Chinese cigarettes

With the highly awaited Olympic basketball tournament approaching, here are some of the thoughts I found throughout the internet about the mega-event in Beijing.

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The Olympics are just around the corner

Only a few days are left before the Olympic Games start in Beijing. On 8/8/2008 at 8.08, the opening ceremony will be the start of another exciting event. And of course, the basketball tournament will be our main target here at BallinEurope.com.

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Ricky Rubio will play in Olympics

Today, Spanish national team coach Aito Garcia Reneses announced the twelve guys that will compete for the current World Champion in the Summer Olympics in Beijing. And super-talent Ricky Rubio is among the twelve that will travel to China.

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The token American responds: Be afraid

My main man Tobias is, as we’d say in the ‘States, fighting the good fight this morning with his “US national team announced - are you scared?” Mr. T. engaged in some positive cheerleading for Europe in stating that teams like Lithuania, Spain and Russia need not be scared at all of Team USA.

Do European national teams play at Team USA’s level? Absolutely. Should the Europeans be afraid of the American Dirty Dozen? Well, a little creeped out, to be sure; just look at the arsenal one more time. Will Team USA take the gold in Beijing? Yes.

While only now in the ‘States is the mainstream willing to admit that national-level European ball has “caught up with” that of the US, this writer believes the world will learn a valuable lesson about the new Team USA: Namely, that the red, white and blue can in fact play the best team ball in the world.

Blinded by the star power in 1992, people forget that the Dream Team of lore was an incredible team, always making the extra pass, sharing the ball and playing tight D. Along the way to bottoming out in 2004, the Team USA roster had become polluted by the showboating Vince Carters of the world; great leaders like George Karl were at the helm; and USA Basketball the organization just didn’t seem to get it.

It’s different now, though, I’m telling y’all here on The Continent.

Wrote Tobias:

You still need to have a team and really take pride in representing your nation. I do know guys like Dirk Nowitzki are busting their a** off right now, with three or four training sessions a day, just to qualify for the Olympics. Do you really think one of the guys above does care that much?

Yes, I do. Kobe Bryant. On whom do you think Kobe is going to take out his frustrations at barely competing in the NBA Finals? Um, Lithuania, Russia and especially Spain. Today, Kobe reckons that Pau Gasol is soft, and Bryant will be taking it to the hole against the Gasol Brothers all day long in a semifinal matchup.

And please, world in general, make a note of the attitudinal change reflected in some of these post-announcement quotes as well:

“I’ve always seen greatness in the Olympics, but that was never one of my dreams. I never really expected to be on the Olympic team, especially in my first year. I didn’t have a clue what I was getting into. … Now, we respect the game so much. We respect the team basketball that they play internationally so much.” – Dwayne Wade

“Going through that experience [at the 2004 Olympic debacle] really helped me to learn the international game.” – Carmelo Anthony

“We’re a team already. The thing that this program has done is … provide continuity and relationships. … We’ll hit the ground running.” – coach Mike Krzyzewski

Assuming that Team USA can play the team game, here’s how the Continental competition looks on the other side of the Atlantic:

• Germany is Nowitski’s one-man show and German basketball is at an ebb in general. When was the last time a German team placed in the Euroleague Final Four? Or final eight? The 1980s? And how many Germans are playing in the NBA right now?

• Spain lacks stamina. Here’s what the NBA Finals and EuroBasket 2007 taught me: Spanish ballers have a problem with a long grind of games. Check out the Russia-Spain final again. The fresh-looking Team Russia runs rings around haggard and possibly hungover Team Espana while shutting down a much better (and home!) team to eke out the win. This level of slightly less than 100 percent energy doesn’t increase your longevity in the Olympic tournament.

• Russia can’t play Team USA’s game, but Team USA can play Russia’s. In terms of T-E-A-M, Russia has a nice advantage on most teams in the tourney, as many of these guys run with two or three pro teams in the big country; plus, Andrei Kirilenko almost always shows that latent virtuoso ability typically repressed in Salt Lake City on the international stage. But Russia may be the most “American” of all the Euro teams in style, playing a (relative) power game favoring lots of action in post down low. The strongman Russian style has been in effect since the CCCP days, though, and it didn’t work against Team USA back then, either.

• Lithuania … well, they’re a bit of an enigma. But, um, the USA is not afraid.

Tell you what, though, Tobias and I see 100% eye-to-eye on two things:

You might be the best guy in the world, but if somebody wants it more than you do - you will lose…

and

As excited as I am about the start of the Euroleague season, I’m excited about this year’s Olympics…

This American’s pumped as well; can’t wait to see Team USA on the court…

Cheers!

The NBA Finals game 3

So I made it to Los Angeles. After a long! cab ride to the Staples Center, I picked up my media credentials and went into the arena at about 2:30 .. and never left it until about 10.30 local time. Yes, I spent seven hours in a basketball gym. And it was worth it! Read more

National team announcements

These days, a few countries announced their first selections for the National teams for their upcoming competitions. We took a closer look at Spain, Serbia and France today.

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