Jefferson Disturbed By Criticisms Of Team USA 02/10 -
5:43 AM

Richard Jefferson went on WFAN radio on Wednesday and was asked about his experience in the Olympics and how he felt about the criticisms that Team USA faced.

"I really felt after coming back here (from Greece), we were attacked," Jefferson explained. "Mind you, we didn't play well, I understand that. But it was a little excessive. It wasn't the J-Kidd, Grant Hill, Michael Jordan group. It was A.I. (Allen Iverson), Carmelo Anthony, Stephon Marbury, so it was easy for people to tear us down.

"All I kept hearing was stuff like, 'They need somebody like Fred Hoiberg.' You know what I'm saying? It was little, indirect things like that. It was a chance to tear us down -- especially considering who controls the media -- because they were calling us lazy, (suggesting) that we didn't want to be there, and everyone jumped on that bandwagon and destroyed us."

"Here's the thing: How do you call Tim Duncan lazy, Allen Iverson lazy, myself -- who has done nothing but work hard -- and say we didn't want to be there?" Jefferson said. "They went through 30-something players to find 12 who wanted to be there, and then you criticize the ones who showed up? C'mon, it would be very easy for any of us to say, 'We don't want to go,' but we chose to represent our country. Put it this way: When we were winning, it was Team USA. When we were losing, it was 'Those 12 hip-hop guys that don't care.'"

I'd blame the selection committee for not putting together a good group of players.