http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2014/08/14 ... ra-begins/
CHICAGO – DeMarcus Cousins watched the end of practice sitting on a trainer’s table, his knee wrapped in an ice pack. A trip to a hospital awaited, where an MRI would bring further news: no structural damage.
Nobody knew quite for sure earlier Thursday whether Cousins’ injury was serious as Team USA resumed training camp, but they did know one thing for certain: Never has there been a U.S. team preparation period quite like this one, with players dropping out, getting injured or just plain staying away.
There is no chance Cousins will play Saturday night in an exhibition game against Brazil, and the Americans’ depth in the frontcourt is even thinner than it was at the start of the day. Cousins was injured when Kenneth Faried landed atop him beneath the basket as the team scrimmaged.
Add in the fact that the entire U.S. team’s offensive scheme has to be redrawn to account for the loss of Kevin Durant, and this definitely qualified as a borderline FUBAR moment for the squad we are calling the C-Deem Team.
“I didn’t need to see another big guy go down,” USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo told SheridanHoops as practice wrapped up a few blocks away from the United Center, where Tiago Splitter, Nene and Anderson Varejao are the NBA frontcourt players that await Team USA in what should be a very tough test in this team’s first exhibition game Saturday night.
Just two weeks ago, this team was counting on having Paul George and Kevin Durant account for 30 or so shots per game. Now, George is done for the next 12 months, Durant is touring sneaker company headquarters (UnderArmour on Wednesday, adidas next?) and the remainder of the roster is incorporating major adjustments to the offensive schemes that were originally planned.
“Well, the very first thing is we had a whole camp where we were building what we were doing around (Durant),” Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “You have really one of the great scorers at the four. How does that change your offense? It changes your offense immensely. You have to do more to get your guards shots. I mean these guys are really good, but we were complementing one another – Kevin and those guards – with a good inside game. Now, we have to look at developing our inside game and getting those guards more shots.
“We’ll have a lot of hands raised to volunteer for them. We have a lot of shooters with (Stephen) Curry and (James) Harden, Klay Thompson, (Kyle) Korver. We have guys that will put the ball in the basket, but it’ll be spread out. It’s one of those things – you don’t replace Kevin Durant. You look different. And we have today and tomorrow to look different before we play a really good team, and that’s a concern for me.”
Krzyzewski went on to say that Team USA had its “best camp ever in Vegas since I’ve coached.”
But that camp came to an abrupt halt as George’s injury forced the cancellation of the intrasquad scrimmage early in the fourth quarter nearly two weeks ago. That started a string of events that have been decimating, if not devastating.
Krzyzewski is 19-0 in exhibitions with Team USA, and that undefeated mark is certainly at risk. The last two times Brazil played Team USA, it led for much of the first half of a friendly two years ago in Washington and lost by just two points during pool play at the Worlds in Turkey four years ago.
Team USA has one player over the age of 27 – Korver, who is 33. Brazil has 10 players who are at least 29.
I’ll go ahead and say it: There is a good chance the Americans could lose Saturday night. But I’ll also say this: Team USA will not see a team as good as Brazil until the semifinals of the World Cup. Every opponent between New York (exhibitions against Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico) and Barcelona (pool play is in Bilbao against Finland, Turkey, Dominican, New Zealand and Ukraine) is a cupcake by comparison.
So if a loss happens Saturday, it will be virtually meaningless. All it will serve to do is get people’s attention.
Having covered the World Championship since 2002, I can tell you this: The American viewing public simply does not care – unless the team loses. And if the U.S. team is going to suffer its first loss since 2006, the best time to do it is now, when it counts for nothing.
If Cousins recovers and is able to stay on the team, he will be a difference maker down the road. With so many other difference makers now dearly departed, it would be nice for a change if one of the calamities to befall this team turns out to be only temporary. We shall see.
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http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2014/08/14 ... TMgTyW7.99
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os brasileiros falando em tentar ganhar dos EUA sábado
os americanos com medo...
da pra sonhar.. rs
