Results tagged “usabasketball”

While Gothamist set out to write about every sport once, we ultimately did not accomplish that. What can we say? We're human. There were several disappointments in our mind, the obvious being the performance of USA Basketball. Dream Team? We think not. And where is USA Baseball? Great stories to us include the performance of two Americans in the men's and women's marathons. Winning two medals on the original course. We also loved the performance of the US Rowing teams. The men took gold, while the women won silver, ending droughts for both teams.

- Silvers for the men's team and women's team, golds for Hamm and for Patterson.

Hmmmm…perhaps Tracy McGrady and Jermaine O’Neal were on to something when they cited “security issues” as a reason for not representing their country at the Olympics. Team USA played their final warm up exhibition in Istanbul, Turkey yesterday just hours after two bombs exploded in tourist hotels miles from where the team was staying. Two people were killed and 11 more were injured.

Frankly, Gothamist don't understand why the NBA players are so reluctant. We understand the security concerns and that if you're over 6' tall, you're not really going to blend in very well, but representing your country really is the opportunity of a lifetime. And it's not like you're not going to be protected. If anything, the members of USA Basketball will be protected more than the average Olympic athlete. Gothamist commends Swin Cash and her WNBA cohorts. We also realize that the the professional athletes in the NBA are in a unique situation and that more often than not, everybody would love to represent their country.

- The Mediocre Knicks and their cost.

More and more the USA Basketball committee that is selecting the 12 players for this summer’s Olympic basketball squad are hearing "I’m out", especially since the recent bombings in Athens. All this makes Gothamist wonder, who's in? Players that have turned down bids to play for Team USA include Seattle’s Ray Allen (fiancé giving birth this summer), Jersey’s Jason Kidd (nagging injuries), Toronto’s Vince Carter (getting married this summer), Minnesoata’s Kevin Garnett (fatigue from prolonged playoff run), and a trio of Lakers which include Karl Malone (needs time to recover from injury filled season), Kobe Bryant (pesky pending rape trial) and Shaquile O’Neal (doesn’t really want to go). Although he has not declined his invite yet, sources say Indiana’s Jermaine O’Neal is considering pulling out because of safety concerns in Athens.