National Articles

Team USA's Stakes Are Moderate And Staying Motivated Is A Struggle

by Colin McGowan

Jul 26, 2021 5:53 PM

The United States have become complacent again with a roster of abundant ability but not much synergy. Read more »

Tags: United States, NBA, National, National Olympics, National Teams

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Olympic Basketball Preview From An NBA POV

by Keith P Smith

Aug 5, 2016 7:44 PM

With the Olympics beginning, we break down the players on each national team with some sort of NBA Connection. Read more »

Tags: NBA, National, National Olympics

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Team USA Providing Glimpse Into The Future Of DeMarcus Cousins

by Colin McGowan

Aug 2, 2016 4:20 PM

At this point, Team USA is defined mostly by its ancillary uses: namely, team plane karaoke Instagram videos and operating as a safe space for DeMarcus Cousins. Read more »

Tags: DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings, NBA, National, National Olympics

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Team USA And The Genesis Of NBA Superteams

by Christopher Reina

Without the development of friendships as teammates and the on-court test drive of playing with each other as part of Team USA, the 2010 Heat and 2016 Warriors probably never happen. Read more »
Pau Gasol Vs. Rudy Gobert In the Eurobasket Semifinals

by Jonathan Tjarks

It could have been a passing of the torch from one generation to the next. Instead, the 35-year-old showed the 23-year-old just how much more he still has to learn. Read more »
The Future Of Canada's Big Men

by Jonathan Tjarks

Canada is set in the backcourt. The real question is what happens upfront, as they have a huge number of fringe NBA big men who are all trying to figure out who they are at the next level and what type of players they will become. Read more »
Dirk, Pau And The Next Great European 7-Footer

by Jonathan Tjarks

For more than a generation, NBA teams were drafting international 7-footers with a pulse and a jumper because of Dirk and Pau. More than 15 years later, as the two wind down their careers and play in their final EuroBasket, the league still hasn't found anyone who can fill their shoes. Read more »
How Nicolas Batum Continues Evolution Of His Game, Mindset

by Shams Charania

All around the Blazers, they’re pushing Nicolas Batum to be more assertive, to find the next echelon, and he promises one thing on his health and his game. “It’s coming.” Read more »
USA Fully Restores Order In Basketball Universe

by Jonathan Tjarks

The scariest part about the United States' performance is that this wasn’t even the team Mike Krzyzewski and Jerry Colangelo envisioned sending to Spain, yet they still haven't lost a game since 2006. Read more »
The 250-Pound Swiss Army Life Of France And San Antonio

by Jonathan Tjarks

Boris Diaw served as France’s primary playmaker and one of the main hubs of their offense in their upset win of Spain. The upset is a culmination of a remarkable year of basketball for Diaw, both internationally and in the NBA. Read more »
Spain And The Beautiful Game

by Jonathan Tjarks

Everyone in Spain’s rotation is an NBA-caliber player and they can all shoot, pass and make decisions on the fly. If they keep this level of play up, they could go down as the best international team of the modern era. Read more »
The Storylines Of The Basketball World Cup

by Brett Koremenos

Every national program involved enters this tournament with the goal of trying to make their country proud. For some countries, that means toppling the mighty U.S.A. For others, it’s one last shot at glory. And a few programs lurking in the shadows are hoping to use this platform to announce themselves as the world’s newest global power. Read more »
Behind Serbia's EuroBasket Run

by Jonathan Tjarks

Through the first two rounds of EuroBasket 2013, there’s been no country more impressive than Serbia. Despite having the youngest team in Slovenia, with an average age of 24, they are tied for the second-best record. Read more »
The AAU System And How The NBA Could Fix It

by Jonathan Tjarks

Because there is no professional structure to youth basketball in the United States, a poorly organized and often self-defeating culture has developed in its place. If AAU basketball is bad for business, the NBA has the power to fix it and instead look to the models of Europe. Read more »
Building USA's 2016 Olympic Team

by Danny Leroux

Numerous international tournaments (FIBA U-19, adidas nations, etc) occurring during the summer between the 2012 Olympics and 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup triggered for me the thought of what the next USA Olympic basketball team can and should look like. Read more »
Team USA's Next Generation

by Jonathan Tjarks

Team USA changed the peer group of the NBA’s best young players. While their NBA teammates changed every year, their USA teammates stayed the same. It fostered the relationship between LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh that led to a dynasty with the Heat and it could do the same with Paul George, Kyrie Irving, etc. Read more »
Basketball's Ambassador-In-Chief

by Jonathan Tjarks

LeBron James is an ambassador for the game of basketball, a game that can and does change people's lives for the better. That's a tremendous responsibility, and asides from one foolish primetime TV special, he's handled the blinding media spotlight and the celebrity fishbowl that comes with it about as well as could possibly be expected. Read more »
2012 Olympics: Final Advanced Player Stats

by Dan Hanner

LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Pau Gasol, Patty Mills, Manu Ginobili and Andrei Kirilenko were the stars of the Olympics. Here is how their offensive ratings measure up. Read more »
One Last Chance For Argentina's Golden Generation

by Jonathan Tjarks

While Team USA was turning over its entire roster every two years, the same core of Argentine players have been getting older. Now, in Friday’s Olympic semifinal, the “Golden Generation” has one final chance to defeat the Americans. It will be a much harder task in 2012: Team USA has been built in their image -- except faster, stronger and more athletic. Read more »
Let The Valanciunas, Anthony Davis Comparisons Begin

by Jonathan Tjarks

Like almost all young centers, the development of Jonas Valanciunas and Anthony Davis will depend heavily on the environment their team puts them in. Davis has a higher ceiling than Valanciunas, but the difference between the two isn’t nearly as high as their pre-draft publicity would suggest. Read more »