The Bronze Medal was a disgrace.

Am I the only one

Who thinks that the NBA Champs

Should simply win the honor of competing in the Olympics?

LB's Pistons would have wiped the floor with Argentina...



Larry: Coach K fit for USA



By FRANK ISOLA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Larry Brown bleeds Carolina blue and always refers to Dean Smith as "coach." But despite those deep Tar Heel roots, Brown can still support a coaching legend from rival Duke.

Brown yesterday endorsed the selection of Mike Krzyzewski to succeed him as head coach of the U.S. Olympic team. The formal announcement of Krzyzewski's hiring is expected within a few days.


"It's a great selection because he's a great coach," Brown said following the Knicks' final practice at the College of Charleston. "The fact that he's going to be the world team coach and the Olympic coach, he gets to build his program. It's tremendous."


The hiring is the latest in a series of sweeping changes initiated by USA Basketball in the wake of last year's disappointing third-place finish at the Athens Olympics. The result is the one glaring blemish on Brown's Hall of Fame resume, which includes both an NBA and NCAA title.


The U.S. had gone undefeated in Olympic competition since it began using NBA players in 1992, but over 18 days in Greece, Brown's team lost three times.


The team was hurt by several absences, as Jason Kidd, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen turned down invitations to play. Many of the players were young and inexperienced - LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire, Emeka Okafor - and Brown complained that USA Basketball was responsible for the flawed roster.


"We didn't have our team until two weeks before we went," Brown said. "The circumstances altered our plans for the team we had, but I think they're going to have guys that are going to make the commitment. They're going to have guys who truly want to go."


Inexperience was a major factor and one that couldn't be solved with just a few weeks of training. Other teams, including gold-medal winning Argentina, had played together for years.


Many NBA executives felt that if Brown had more practice time, the gold medal would have been a foregone conclusion. It's a lesson worth remembering as Brown takes over a Knicks team that is young, unproven and trying to adjust to a demanding coach.


The Knicks finished 33-49 last season, and, despite some improvements to the roster, they are no lock to reach the playoffs. The X-factor, however, is Brown, who has a history of turning losing teams into winners.


"I know we are a long way from where we need to be," Brown said before the Knicks returned to New York. "But we did well. We got better."


The Knicks' opener is three weeks away and their early schedule is brutal, with nine of their first 13 games on the road. The possibility of them getting off to a slow start is very real. But Brown has a knack for getting his teams to gradually improve. Last season, the Knicks were 16-13 before their season fell apart.


Brown wasted no time attempting to change the culture around his new team. His practices are physical and detail-oriented. "He's tough but he's fair," Jamal Crawford says. "He's only tough because he wants you to get better. He's not trying to belittle anyone."


It would have been a nearly perfect camp if not for the rain and injuries to several key players. Quentin Richardson, Allan Houston, Channing Frye, Maurice Taylor and Jerome James missed most if not all of camp. Eddy Curry, the starting center, was acquired 10 days ago and didn't practice until Friday.


The one advantage Brown has is that unlike most teams who have already started their exhibition schedule, the Knicks will have had 11 days of practice before their first preseason game, Saturday against the Nets in Bridgeport, Conn.


"I wish," Brown said, "it was three months."


He's not kidding.

Originally published on October 13, 2005



[Edited by - tru on 10-13-2005 06:51 AM]