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Authored by Jarrod Rudolph - 22nd July, 2008 - 5:37 pm
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After a long wait, the time has come for Team USA to start the real redemption process. Training camp for the star-studded bunch opens on July 21 in Las Vegas before playing a few tune-up games in route to Beijing. The guys are ready to re-establish USA basketball as the best in the world; Dwight Howard is at the top of the list.
“We want to win,” Howard said. “We don’t want to go over there and come back with a silver medal, a bronze medal; we want to win the gold medal.”
The task seems simple enough, but Howard’s role in the process promises to be more difficult than any of the other Redeem Team members. As the team’s only true center, he’ll have to control the paint on both ends of the floor and stay out of foul trouble while banging with the world’s other big men. Many people looking at the team from the outside feel that having just one center is a major concern and weakness, but Howard doesn’t seem worried at all.
“I’m not worried,” he said. “This is the Olympics. I’m representing something better than myself. I have the chance to do something incredible with a great basketball team, and I’m just happy to be a part of the USA team.”
It’s refreshing to hear Howard sound so relaxed and excited about the challenge that is in front of Team USA. Many of his fans were concerned that he would miss time with the team due to the fractured sternum that he suffered during the playoffs, but he says he’s healed, rested, and feeling good.
“I’m not concerned about it. I’m healed,” he said.” I think it was the best thing for me. I’ve never had a chance to take off any time like I did this summer, so I think it was good for me and my body.”
The 22-year old star may not be worried or hurt, but he should know that the team’s lack of centers, combined with the sternum injury, has replaced the Superman logo that has been attached to him with a bullseye.
Still, Howard is determined to enjoy his time with his teammates in Beijing.
As a child he dreamed about winning a gold medal. Like many other players he believes that being an Olympic champion is the biggest achievement in team sports, even bigger than winning the NBA championship.
“Winning a world championship for the USA team is for everybody in America,” he said. “It’s not just you taking it back home and saying ‘I got a gold medal’ it’s, ‘we got a gold medal, we did it together. An NBA championship is not on that level, but to win an NBA championship is something that every NBA player dreams of.”
Despite the positive attitudes of the team, many fans aren’t convinced that Team USA will come back with the gold.
The third place failures of the 2004 Olympic team – thank you, Larry Brown – and the 2006 World Championship team have made fans a little hesitant about co-signing this collection of players. So they’re facing a dynamic that other teams haven’t had to deal with.
There is the pressure of living up to the hype of USA basketball and the success of the teams of the past. The first three installments of the Dream Team set the bar very high. So high that it doesn’t matter if this team wins the gold or not. In many people’s opinions, they’re playing against those great teams, not the rest of this year’s Olympic field. In reality, they may never measure up to the mystique of USA basketball.
They’re also dealing with restoring the dominance of the program and trying to make people forget about the bronze medal performance of the 2004 Olympics – thank you again, Larry Brown – and 2006 world championship.
This team is dealing with more pressure than any of the other U.S. basketball teams have faced, even before playing a game that counts.
“I wouldn’t say pressure,” Howard said. “Everybody wants to see us win, and they are counting on us to win."
"So, we really need to be focused going over there. We have to keep a level head and stay humble. I think that is the biggest thing since I’ve started playing with the USA team three years ago, making sure all of us stay humble and keeping myself humble. That way I won’t get a big head or we won’t get a big head as a team. If we do, anyone can beat us.”
It will be interesting to see what Team USA we’re going to see. One thing is certain, Dwight Howard is ready. He’s the best center in the NBA, and pretty soon he may be recognized as the best center in the world. |
