fordronken
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http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news;_y...wN0bQ--?slug=lb-spiel0820&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
Beil's spiel
by Larry Beil, Yahoo! Sports
August 20, 2004
Matt Bullard, where are you when your country needs you? And you too, Fred Hoiberg. Reggie Miller – Uncle Sam wants you! And so does coach Larry Brown, because nobody on Team USA can make a jump shot. At this point, Jason Kapono or Dana Barros would be worth their weight in baklava.
We could spend lots of time and space lamenting the decisions made by Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to pass on the Summer Olympics in Greece. Likewise, we could easily rip USA Basketball officials for selecting a team better suited for selling sneakers than making jumpers. But that's all been said and done.
I figure if we're gonna talk shooting – or lack thereof – let's talk to a shooter.
Casey Jacobsen of the Phoenix Suns can fall out of bed and hit threes. He's making millions in the NBA because he can do something that most of the league can't – SHOOT. A former sniper at Stanford, Jacobsen shot 42 percent from downtown last season, good enough for ninth in the NBA. He's played alongside Stephon Marbury and Shawn Marion in Phoenix and doesn't believe the U.S. squad is simply the gang that can't shoot straight.
"These players are capable of shooting," says Jacobsen, "especially from the international line, 20-feet 6-inches. But when you start missing, then it becomes mental. Against the zone, they're daring you to shoot. You'd rather have a hand in your face than be standing there wide open."
As has become woefully apparent, Jacobsen does not believe a group of all-stars or great athletes gives you the best chance of capturing gold. He'd like to see a couple of specialists, like rebounding machine Ben Wallace and tenacious defender Ron Artest, on Team USA. The presence of the hot-tempered Artest would dramatically increase the chances of an international incident, but "that's better than the international incident that occurred when we played Puerto Rico," says Jacobsen, recalling the American's 92-73 loss.
With each game, the U.S. shooting statistics become more gruesome. We're talking William Hung singing bad, Gigli the movie bad, Enron the investment bad. We're talking 10 of 62 from 3-point range in three Olympic games, an as-bad-as-you-wanna-be 16 percent.
Not one to criticize his comrades, Jacobsen believes the lost art of shooting is understandable, a natural part of hoops evolution. There are so many incredible athletes who can run, jump, get into the lane and dunk, shooting has been ignored.
"If I don't live on a lake, then why do I need a boat?" asks Jacobsen.
Now the question is whether anybody on Team USA can throw it in the sea in Greece.
Beil's spiel
by Larry Beil, Yahoo! Sports
August 20, 2004
Matt Bullard, where are you when your country needs you? And you too, Fred Hoiberg. Reggie Miller – Uncle Sam wants you! And so does coach Larry Brown, because nobody on Team USA can make a jump shot. At this point, Jason Kapono or Dana Barros would be worth their weight in baklava.
We could spend lots of time and space lamenting the decisions made by Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to pass on the Summer Olympics in Greece. Likewise, we could easily rip USA Basketball officials for selecting a team better suited for selling sneakers than making jumpers. But that's all been said and done.
I figure if we're gonna talk shooting – or lack thereof – let's talk to a shooter.
Casey Jacobsen of the Phoenix Suns can fall out of bed and hit threes. He's making millions in the NBA because he can do something that most of the league can't – SHOOT. A former sniper at Stanford, Jacobsen shot 42 percent from downtown last season, good enough for ninth in the NBA. He's played alongside Stephon Marbury and Shawn Marion in Phoenix and doesn't believe the U.S. squad is simply the gang that can't shoot straight.
"These players are capable of shooting," says Jacobsen, "especially from the international line, 20-feet 6-inches. But when you start missing, then it becomes mental. Against the zone, they're daring you to shoot. You'd rather have a hand in your face than be standing there wide open."
As has become woefully apparent, Jacobsen does not believe a group of all-stars or great athletes gives you the best chance of capturing gold. He'd like to see a couple of specialists, like rebounding machine Ben Wallace and tenacious defender Ron Artest, on Team USA. The presence of the hot-tempered Artest would dramatically increase the chances of an international incident, but "that's better than the international incident that occurred when we played Puerto Rico," says Jacobsen, recalling the American's 92-73 loss.
With each game, the U.S. shooting statistics become more gruesome. We're talking William Hung singing bad, Gigli the movie bad, Enron the investment bad. We're talking 10 of 62 from 3-point range in three Olympic games, an as-bad-as-you-wanna-be 16 percent.
Not one to criticize his comrades, Jacobsen believes the lost art of shooting is understandable, a natural part of hoops evolution. There are so many incredible athletes who can run, jump, get into the lane and dunk, shooting has been ignored.
"If I don't live on a lake, then why do I need a boat?" asks Jacobsen.
Now the question is whether anybody on Team USA can throw it in the sea in Greece.
