This morning’s Bronze medal win over Argentina aside, for Team USA, it’s time for the 2nd guessing to go into overdrive. From the San Antonio Express News’ Mike Monroe.
According to a reliable USA Basketball snoop, Team USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski decided the final roster spot for the FIBA World Championships was center Brad Miller instead of Spurs’ forward Bruce Bowen.
Bowen supposedly got the ax because Coach K wanted one more big man for the tournament in Japan and because Miller had shot the ball better from 3-point range in exhibition games in Asia.
Hindsight, of course, is flawless, but in light of Team USA’s 101-95 loss to Greece on Friday, that was an idiotic decision because Coach K did not see fit to even play Miller in the game that ended America’s dream of regaining the top spot in world basketball.
Greece won Friday’s game by running the same play, a high pick and roll, over and over and over.
John Stockton and Karl Malone never ran it better.
And Krzyzewski never made the right adjustment to stop it.
How stubborn do you have to be to not try a little zone defense when you’re being eaten alive by a pick and roll?
Bowen discovered that Coach K was clueless about his own defensive versatility when the coach questioned Bowen’s ability to defend Puerto Rican point guard Carlos Arroyo in an exhibition game. Bowen suggested he consult assistant coach Mike D’Antoni, well aware the Phoenix Suns head coach had seen Bowen defending Shawn Marion, Boris Diaw, Raja Bell and, occasionally, Steve Nash.
After Friday’s loss Krzyzewski said Team USA needed to learn the international game better.
Perhaps D’Antoni, who coached in Italy for eight years and obviously knows NBA personnel better than Krzyzewski, would have been a better choice for head coach.