Tuesday, August 17, 2004
By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider
True story.
In June 2003, I was in Chicago at the pre-draft camp and spent the day following future Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony. After lunch, Carmelo and I started talking about the other players in the draft. Carmelo was especially having a hard time figuring out why Joe Dumars, a guy he obviously respected greatly, would ever pass on him to take a 7-footer from Yugoslavia -- the infamous Darko Milicic.
As we went down a draft list riddled with international players, Melo shrugged his shoulders and said something to this effect.
"Those foreign dudes can't play, man."
I followed up. Melo never had seen any footage of Milicic, or any of the other top international draft prospects for that matter. Didn't matter. The same way it hasn't mattered for millions of fans or the handful of NBA scribes who venture into the subject.
Guys like Dirk Nowtizki and Peja Stojakovic are the aberrations, they claim. Europe is mostly filled with the Vitaly Potapenkos of the world, they write.
After watching the season play out, you had to figure that Melo's opinion wasn't that far off. Melo was dominant, turning in one of the most impressive rookie seasons in recent history. Darko was the towel boy on the world championship Pistons.
Fast forward 14 months to Jacksonville, where Team USA readied itself for international play. Melo, along with 11 other NBA stars, were preparing to win the gold medal in Athens.
"We're guaranteeing a gold medal. We're bringing it back," Anthony boldly predicted on his first day of practice. What is ironic is that Melo had played for Team USA once before and hadn't come home with a gold. He was a member of the 2002 USA Junior World Championship Qualifying Team that traveled to Venezuela (and lost to its team) before winning the bronze medal.
Still, coach Larry Brown, the guy who openly pined for Carmelo over Darko, didn't do much to hold his young star back.
"That's just a young kid saying that," Brown said. "But as long as he respects the people we're playing against and understands how good they've got, I don't have any problem with that."
Do you think he does now? Respect and understanding are two of the biggest commodities that many members of Team USA lack. After watching their team get blown out in the prelims and in the opening game of the Olympics, Brown and Anthony (who played just 3 minutes on Sunday) have a problem.
Whether they want to believe it or not, the foreign dudes can play. They might not be as quick or strong. They won't win a dunk contest any time soon. Their stats are rarely ever gaudy. But when it comes to team play, zone defenses, and perimeter shooting under intense pressure with the pride of their country on the line, Team USA is the one that doesn't measure up.
Puerto Rico, which is not a favorite to medal, outplayed the United States in every aspect of Sunday's game. Puerto Rico outshot, outexecuted, outdefended, and most importantly, outhustled the Americans. For those of you claiming Team USA was just waiting for the real thing to turn it on -- the U.S. men didn't get the message.
Puerto Rico was led by a virtually unknown (and undrafted) point guard, Carlos Arroyo, who just so happened to put up pretty good numbers (12.6 ppg, 5 apg) for the Utah Jazz last season. On Sunday night, Team USA's porous defense made him look like the second coming of John Stockton.
If you think Arroyo and the Puerto Ricans were a handful, it only gets worse from here.
Here's Insider's preview of who the United States will have to face and beat if it wants to make it to the quarterfinals. Remember, Team USA only has to place in the top four to have a chance to win gold. A month ago, that was a layup. After Monday's loss, things no longer look like a slam dunk.
Greece (Aug. 17)
The Greek team is not a favorite to medal, either, but they are going to enjoy one of the most intense home-court advantages that the Olympics has ever seen. Greeks are crazy about their basketball. The last time I watched the Greeks play, their top team, Panathinaikos, lost and the local fans stormed the team bus after the game, turning it over.
An Olympic crowd will be quieter because the tickets are more expensive and in short supply. But there will still be enough rowdiness to peel the paint off the walls. If Team USA players and coaches thought the crowds were hostile in Serbia and Turkey, they haven't seen anything yet.
Team USA should be the heavy favorites to beat the Greeks. Then again, it was the heavy favorite to beat Puerto Rico and Italy. The Greeks play more of a power game than many European teams, but they also have the shooters to light it up if the U.S. defense attempts to pack it in.
The power game starts with center Lazaros Papadopoulos, a big, 6-foot-10 center who received serious consideration from several teams for the 2002 NBA draft. The 24-year-old big man is coming off the the best season of his career, averaging 14.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 2.0 apg. Papadopoulos does a little bit of every thing. He's strong, can be an aggressive rebounder, knows how to score in the paint and is one of the better passing big men in Europe. He scored 21 points and grabbed nine boards in Greece's stunning opening-round blowout of Australia.
Antonis Fotsis could create matchup problems for the U.S.
The Greek's top forward is Antonis Fotsis, a 23-year-old, 6-10 shooter who spent 2003 playing with the Memphis Grizzlies. Last year he played for Real Madrid, averaging 12.7 ppg and 5.9 rpg. Fotsis spends most of his time outside, but will take smaller defenders on the block and post them up. He's not very physical and considered a below-average defender, but he'll create some matchup problems for Team USA. Look for Larry Brown to put Lamar Odom on him. Odom is about the same size and has the ability to defend him both inside and on the perimeter.
The team also has an experienced backcourt led by veteran point guard Theodoros Papaloukas, a 6-5 athletic passer who can be murder in the open court. Papaloukas spent the past two years playing for Euroleague power CSKA Moscow. He had 11 points and four assists in the opener versus Australia. He's backed up by Dimitris Diamantidis, a 6-4 point guard known as one of the best defenders in Greece.
Vasileios Spanoulis was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks and then traded to the Houston Rockets in June. The 22-year-old guard is considered the best young point guard in Greece, though he probably won't see much time on the court because of Papaloukas and Diamantidis.
The top backcourt shooter is Nikos Chantzivrettas, who can be a dead eye from long range. He missed all five of his 3-pointers versus Australia, but he's lethal if left alone out there. And just to show you what level of competition Team USA is really up against, Nikos Zisis, the team's back-up two guard, was the starting guard from the YMCA team of Thessaloniki just a few years ago. YMCA? That's old school.
If Team USA plays with the same lackluster attitude it showed against Puerto Rico, Greece will shoot the Americans out of the gym.
Australia (Aug. 19)
Things don't get any easier on Thursday, when Team USA faces an Australian team that finished fourth behind the United States, France and Lithuania in the 2000 Olympics. Like most European teams, Australia relies on guard play and the perimeter shooting of its big men. They too have several potential NBA prospects who can make life difficult for Team USA.
Shane Heal is Australia's best scorer and floor leader.
Australia's team captain and top point guard is Shane Heal, who played six games for the San Antonio Spurs last season. Heal is a sharp-shooter who averaged 17.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3.1 apg in the Greek league this year. Despite his age, the 34-year-old is the team's leading scoring option as well as its top floor leader.
He's joined in the backcourt by Jason Smith, another thirtysomething sharp-shooter, and Glen Saville, a younger, quicker outside threat. You'll also see C. J. Bruton, an athletic point guard who played in the summer league for the Blazers a few seasons.
The Australians have three legit NBA prospects in their frontcourt.
Andrew Bogut just finished his freshman season at Utah, where he averaged 12.5 ppg and 9.9 rpg for the Utes. He burst onto the scene at the World Junior Championships in Greece in 2003, when he led Australia to a gold medal over the Americans. He averaged 26.3 ppg and 17 rpg during that stint, and dropped 22 and 18 in a win over Team USA. Shortly thereafter, scouts began mentioning him as a possible future lottery pick.
The 6-10, 245-pound big man does a little bit of everything. Bogut is an excellent, physical rebounder with nice hands. He's an excellent passing big man who averages a couple of assists per game in international play. He's very difficult to guard because of his ability to score in both the high and low post. Overall, he just has an excellent feel for the game. He's not as athletic as the American big men, and, at just 19, he's awfully young. Still, the Australians will need him to have a big game if they expect to beat the United States. Bogut dropped 16 points and 11 boards on Angola on Tuesday.
Center David Andersen (6-11, 240) was drafted in the second round by the Atlanta Hawks in 2002. He had a career game in the semifinals of the Euroleague Final Four in May, scoring 17 points for Siena. He's very active, can score around the basket and is pretty athletic. He'll struggle if the Americans get physical with him in the post, but if they give him some room to operate, he could have a big game.
Forward Matt Nielsen was the Australian league MVP this season, averaging 23.5 ppg and 10.1 rpg. The 6-10, 235-pound forward played all the summer with the Denver Nuggets trying to find a spot in the NBA. He averaged 9 ppg and 6.5 rpg in 20 mpg at the Rocky Mountain *****, leading the Nuggets in rebounding and drawing rave reviews from scouts.
The Australians were stunned in the opening game of the tournament, losing by 20 to Greece. This is a very young Australian team. Some of the former Australian legends like Andrew Gaze and Chris Anstey aren't here to provide veteran leadership. Australia isn't a favorite to medal and should struggle against a more seasoned Team USA.
Still, with so much shooting ability and potential, they can give the Americans a hard time.
Lithuania (Aug. 21)
Team USA, despite recent missteps, still must be considered the favorites to defeat Greece and Australia. Lithuania is a different story all together. The reigning European champs and 2000 Olympic bronze medalists are, along with the United States, Argentina and Serbia and Montenegro, considered the favorites to win the gold medal in Greece.
Lithuania is led by veteran point guard Sarunas Jasikevicius. Jasikevicius, who played college ball at Maryland, has been the starting point guard on the past two Euroleague champs, F.C. Barcelona and Maccabi Tel Aviv. He is, in a word, fearless. The gritty point guard is well rounded. He can score by taking his man off the dribble, hit jumpers from just about anywhere and is an aggressive floor leader who seems to come up big in the biggest games. Several NBA teams have pursued him the past few years, but he's making great money in Europe and seems to revel in being a star there.
His backcourt mate, Arvydas Macijauskas, plays for Tau Vitoria in Spain and is widely regarded as the best perimeter shooter in Europe. At 6-3, he's undersized to play the two in the NBA, but in Europe it isn't a problem. He averaged 19.4 ppg in Euroleague play last season and shot a scintillating 50 percent from 3-point range in the Top 16 Euroleague tournament last season. Macijauskas has good strength and quickness for his position and can play the point in a pinch. Like Jasikevicius, he's a clutch player who demands the ball when the game is on the line. He came up huge for Lithuania in the European Championships last season and was 5-for-8 from 3-point range against Puerto Rico on Tuesday.
Darius Songalia isn't afraid to mix it up in the paint.
The team also has three big men of note. Darius Songaila starred at Wake Forest during his collegian years and had a solid rookie season for the Sacramento Kings last year. He's a versatile big man who can play both the four and the five. He can play with his back to the basket, but really excels on the pick and pop and playing in the high post. Songaila, unlike many European big men, isn't afraid of contact and will bang and scrap in the paint for rebounds. He's an intense, physical player. However, his rugged game often gets him into foul trouble.
Aurelius Zukauskas is a 7-2 center who has already helped Lithuania win two bronze medals in the past eight years. He has been one of Europe's top shot blockers over the past decade and was originally drafted by the Sonics in the second round of the 1995 draft. Zukauskas had 15 points and 11 boards in the opener.
Their other big man, 6-10 center Kristof Lavrinovic, dominated in the Russian Superleague this season, averaging 16.6 ppg and 6.9 rpg. Kristof spent the past two years in prison for the rape of a teenage girl before his release Jan. 20. After the initial conviction, the victim recanted her story, suggesting it was consensual, and actually married his brother, Darjus.
While in prison, Lavrinovic spent six to seven hours a day playing basketball, and by the accounts of several NBA scouts who saw him play this winter, he was awesome. The Raptors actually flirted with offering him a contract this summer, but instead Lavrinovic took a deal with Euroleague power CSKA Moscow. He had 15 points and nine rebounds in the opener versus Angola.
The Lithuanian team is tough and experienced. The Mavericks' Donnie Nelson Jr. is an assistant coach and he has played a huge role in helping the Lithuanians develop their national team. Legendary NBA player Arvydas Sabonis has also contributed, creating a basketball school that has been the top training grounds for young players in Eastern Europe. If Team USA doesn't defend Lithuania's shooters, it's going home with a loss.
This game could take on huge importance if Team USA loses to either Greece or Australia. The top four seeds from each bracket head to the quarterfinals. Angola isn't going to make the cut -- but three losses by the U.S. might mean that Team USA would be the other team not to make the cut.
Angola (Aug. 23)
If we lose to Angola, then all is lost. Angola has been an African powerhouse for more than a decade thanks to a huge infusion of cash and modern training facilities for their national team.
However, the team has just one win, versus Croatia in an exhibition match, this year. The team has no NBA prospects of note. It's led by Miguel Lutonda, a 33-year-old guard and captain of the Angola National Team. He often plays the point guard position because of his experience, but he's best as a shooting guard. He can really light it up from long range.
Joaquim Gomes lacks the bulk to battle with elite big men.
The team's best player is Joaquim Gomes. The 24-year-old has spent the past four years playing college ball at Valparaiso. Last season he averaged 13.1 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.7 bpg. Gomes (6-8, 220) is an unbelievable athlete and leaper who plays with great energy on the court. He's a terrific rebounder and shot blocker. However, he's very thin and isn't able to take advantage of his paint skills against more physical players. Gomes has been working on a pretty solid jumper and has learned how to create his own shot off the dribble. He had 14 points in the opener versus Lithuania and nine points and nine rebounds versus Australia.
Angola should be Team USA's easiest opponent. If the United States reaches the quarterfinals, several other tough teams -- such as Argentina (my favorite to win the gold), Serbia and Montenegro and Spain -- will be waiting.
The road to the gold never has looked harder for the United States. Now Carmelo and Larry Brown understand why.
By Chad Ford
ESPN Insider
True story.
In June 2003, I was in Chicago at the pre-draft camp and spent the day following future Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony. After lunch, Carmelo and I started talking about the other players in the draft. Carmelo was especially having a hard time figuring out why Joe Dumars, a guy he obviously respected greatly, would ever pass on him to take a 7-footer from Yugoslavia -- the infamous Darko Milicic.
As we went down a draft list riddled with international players, Melo shrugged his shoulders and said something to this effect.
"Those foreign dudes can't play, man."
I followed up. Melo never had seen any footage of Milicic, or any of the other top international draft prospects for that matter. Didn't matter. The same way it hasn't mattered for millions of fans or the handful of NBA scribes who venture into the subject.
Guys like Dirk Nowtizki and Peja Stojakovic are the aberrations, they claim. Europe is mostly filled with the Vitaly Potapenkos of the world, they write.
After watching the season play out, you had to figure that Melo's opinion wasn't that far off. Melo was dominant, turning in one of the most impressive rookie seasons in recent history. Darko was the towel boy on the world championship Pistons.
Fast forward 14 months to Jacksonville, where Team USA readied itself for international play. Melo, along with 11 other NBA stars, were preparing to win the gold medal in Athens.
"We're guaranteeing a gold medal. We're bringing it back," Anthony boldly predicted on his first day of practice. What is ironic is that Melo had played for Team USA once before and hadn't come home with a gold. He was a member of the 2002 USA Junior World Championship Qualifying Team that traveled to Venezuela (and lost to its team) before winning the bronze medal.
Still, coach Larry Brown, the guy who openly pined for Carmelo over Darko, didn't do much to hold his young star back.
"That's just a young kid saying that," Brown said. "But as long as he respects the people we're playing against and understands how good they've got, I don't have any problem with that."
Do you think he does now? Respect and understanding are two of the biggest commodities that many members of Team USA lack. After watching their team get blown out in the prelims and in the opening game of the Olympics, Brown and Anthony (who played just 3 minutes on Sunday) have a problem.
Whether they want to believe it or not, the foreign dudes can play. They might not be as quick or strong. They won't win a dunk contest any time soon. Their stats are rarely ever gaudy. But when it comes to team play, zone defenses, and perimeter shooting under intense pressure with the pride of their country on the line, Team USA is the one that doesn't measure up.
Puerto Rico, which is not a favorite to medal, outplayed the United States in every aspect of Sunday's game. Puerto Rico outshot, outexecuted, outdefended, and most importantly, outhustled the Americans. For those of you claiming Team USA was just waiting for the real thing to turn it on -- the U.S. men didn't get the message.
Puerto Rico was led by a virtually unknown (and undrafted) point guard, Carlos Arroyo, who just so happened to put up pretty good numbers (12.6 ppg, 5 apg) for the Utah Jazz last season. On Sunday night, Team USA's porous defense made him look like the second coming of John Stockton.
If you think Arroyo and the Puerto Ricans were a handful, it only gets worse from here.
Here's Insider's preview of who the United States will have to face and beat if it wants to make it to the quarterfinals. Remember, Team USA only has to place in the top four to have a chance to win gold. A month ago, that was a layup. After Monday's loss, things no longer look like a slam dunk.
Greece (Aug. 17)
The Greek team is not a favorite to medal, either, but they are going to enjoy one of the most intense home-court advantages that the Olympics has ever seen. Greeks are crazy about their basketball. The last time I watched the Greeks play, their top team, Panathinaikos, lost and the local fans stormed the team bus after the game, turning it over.
An Olympic crowd will be quieter because the tickets are more expensive and in short supply. But there will still be enough rowdiness to peel the paint off the walls. If Team USA players and coaches thought the crowds were hostile in Serbia and Turkey, they haven't seen anything yet.
Team USA should be the heavy favorites to beat the Greeks. Then again, it was the heavy favorite to beat Puerto Rico and Italy. The Greeks play more of a power game than many European teams, but they also have the shooters to light it up if the U.S. defense attempts to pack it in.
The power game starts with center Lazaros Papadopoulos, a big, 6-foot-10 center who received serious consideration from several teams for the 2002 NBA draft. The 24-year-old big man is coming off the the best season of his career, averaging 14.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg and 2.0 apg. Papadopoulos does a little bit of every thing. He's strong, can be an aggressive rebounder, knows how to score in the paint and is one of the better passing big men in Europe. He scored 21 points and grabbed nine boards in Greece's stunning opening-round blowout of Australia.
Antonis Fotsis could create matchup problems for the U.S.
The Greek's top forward is Antonis Fotsis, a 23-year-old, 6-10 shooter who spent 2003 playing with the Memphis Grizzlies. Last year he played for Real Madrid, averaging 12.7 ppg and 5.9 rpg. Fotsis spends most of his time outside, but will take smaller defenders on the block and post them up. He's not very physical and considered a below-average defender, but he'll create some matchup problems for Team USA. Look for Larry Brown to put Lamar Odom on him. Odom is about the same size and has the ability to defend him both inside and on the perimeter.
The team also has an experienced backcourt led by veteran point guard Theodoros Papaloukas, a 6-5 athletic passer who can be murder in the open court. Papaloukas spent the past two years playing for Euroleague power CSKA Moscow. He had 11 points and four assists in the opener versus Australia. He's backed up by Dimitris Diamantidis, a 6-4 point guard known as one of the best defenders in Greece.
Vasileios Spanoulis was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks and then traded to the Houston Rockets in June. The 22-year-old guard is considered the best young point guard in Greece, though he probably won't see much time on the court because of Papaloukas and Diamantidis.
The top backcourt shooter is Nikos Chantzivrettas, who can be a dead eye from long range. He missed all five of his 3-pointers versus Australia, but he's lethal if left alone out there. And just to show you what level of competition Team USA is really up against, Nikos Zisis, the team's back-up two guard, was the starting guard from the YMCA team of Thessaloniki just a few years ago. YMCA? That's old school.
If Team USA plays with the same lackluster attitude it showed against Puerto Rico, Greece will shoot the Americans out of the gym.
Australia (Aug. 19)
Things don't get any easier on Thursday, when Team USA faces an Australian team that finished fourth behind the United States, France and Lithuania in the 2000 Olympics. Like most European teams, Australia relies on guard play and the perimeter shooting of its big men. They too have several potential NBA prospects who can make life difficult for Team USA.
Shane Heal is Australia's best scorer and floor leader.
Australia's team captain and top point guard is Shane Heal, who played six games for the San Antonio Spurs last season. Heal is a sharp-shooter who averaged 17.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 3.1 apg in the Greek league this year. Despite his age, the 34-year-old is the team's leading scoring option as well as its top floor leader.
He's joined in the backcourt by Jason Smith, another thirtysomething sharp-shooter, and Glen Saville, a younger, quicker outside threat. You'll also see C. J. Bruton, an athletic point guard who played in the summer league for the Blazers a few seasons.
The Australians have three legit NBA prospects in their frontcourt.
Andrew Bogut just finished his freshman season at Utah, where he averaged 12.5 ppg and 9.9 rpg for the Utes. He burst onto the scene at the World Junior Championships in Greece in 2003, when he led Australia to a gold medal over the Americans. He averaged 26.3 ppg and 17 rpg during that stint, and dropped 22 and 18 in a win over Team USA. Shortly thereafter, scouts began mentioning him as a possible future lottery pick.
The 6-10, 245-pound big man does a little bit of everything. Bogut is an excellent, physical rebounder with nice hands. He's an excellent passing big man who averages a couple of assists per game in international play. He's very difficult to guard because of his ability to score in both the high and low post. Overall, he just has an excellent feel for the game. He's not as athletic as the American big men, and, at just 19, he's awfully young. Still, the Australians will need him to have a big game if they expect to beat the United States. Bogut dropped 16 points and 11 boards on Angola on Tuesday.
Center David Andersen (6-11, 240) was drafted in the second round by the Atlanta Hawks in 2002. He had a career game in the semifinals of the Euroleague Final Four in May, scoring 17 points for Siena. He's very active, can score around the basket and is pretty athletic. He'll struggle if the Americans get physical with him in the post, but if they give him some room to operate, he could have a big game.
Forward Matt Nielsen was the Australian league MVP this season, averaging 23.5 ppg and 10.1 rpg. The 6-10, 235-pound forward played all the summer with the Denver Nuggets trying to find a spot in the NBA. He averaged 9 ppg and 6.5 rpg in 20 mpg at the Rocky Mountain *****, leading the Nuggets in rebounding and drawing rave reviews from scouts.
The Australians were stunned in the opening game of the tournament, losing by 20 to Greece. This is a very young Australian team. Some of the former Australian legends like Andrew Gaze and Chris Anstey aren't here to provide veteran leadership. Australia isn't a favorite to medal and should struggle against a more seasoned Team USA.
Still, with so much shooting ability and potential, they can give the Americans a hard time.
Lithuania (Aug. 21)
Team USA, despite recent missteps, still must be considered the favorites to defeat Greece and Australia. Lithuania is a different story all together. The reigning European champs and 2000 Olympic bronze medalists are, along with the United States, Argentina and Serbia and Montenegro, considered the favorites to win the gold medal in Greece.
Lithuania is led by veteran point guard Sarunas Jasikevicius. Jasikevicius, who played college ball at Maryland, has been the starting point guard on the past two Euroleague champs, F.C. Barcelona and Maccabi Tel Aviv. He is, in a word, fearless. The gritty point guard is well rounded. He can score by taking his man off the dribble, hit jumpers from just about anywhere and is an aggressive floor leader who seems to come up big in the biggest games. Several NBA teams have pursued him the past few years, but he's making great money in Europe and seems to revel in being a star there.
His backcourt mate, Arvydas Macijauskas, plays for Tau Vitoria in Spain and is widely regarded as the best perimeter shooter in Europe. At 6-3, he's undersized to play the two in the NBA, but in Europe it isn't a problem. He averaged 19.4 ppg in Euroleague play last season and shot a scintillating 50 percent from 3-point range in the Top 16 Euroleague tournament last season. Macijauskas has good strength and quickness for his position and can play the point in a pinch. Like Jasikevicius, he's a clutch player who demands the ball when the game is on the line. He came up huge for Lithuania in the European Championships last season and was 5-for-8 from 3-point range against Puerto Rico on Tuesday.
Darius Songalia isn't afraid to mix it up in the paint.
The team also has three big men of note. Darius Songaila starred at Wake Forest during his collegian years and had a solid rookie season for the Sacramento Kings last year. He's a versatile big man who can play both the four and the five. He can play with his back to the basket, but really excels on the pick and pop and playing in the high post. Songaila, unlike many European big men, isn't afraid of contact and will bang and scrap in the paint for rebounds. He's an intense, physical player. However, his rugged game often gets him into foul trouble.
Aurelius Zukauskas is a 7-2 center who has already helped Lithuania win two bronze medals in the past eight years. He has been one of Europe's top shot blockers over the past decade and was originally drafted by the Sonics in the second round of the 1995 draft. Zukauskas had 15 points and 11 boards in the opener.
Their other big man, 6-10 center Kristof Lavrinovic, dominated in the Russian Superleague this season, averaging 16.6 ppg and 6.9 rpg. Kristof spent the past two years in prison for the rape of a teenage girl before his release Jan. 20. After the initial conviction, the victim recanted her story, suggesting it was consensual, and actually married his brother, Darjus.
While in prison, Lavrinovic spent six to seven hours a day playing basketball, and by the accounts of several NBA scouts who saw him play this winter, he was awesome. The Raptors actually flirted with offering him a contract this summer, but instead Lavrinovic took a deal with Euroleague power CSKA Moscow. He had 15 points and nine rebounds in the opener versus Angola.
The Lithuanian team is tough and experienced. The Mavericks' Donnie Nelson Jr. is an assistant coach and he has played a huge role in helping the Lithuanians develop their national team. Legendary NBA player Arvydas Sabonis has also contributed, creating a basketball school that has been the top training grounds for young players in Eastern Europe. If Team USA doesn't defend Lithuania's shooters, it's going home with a loss.
This game could take on huge importance if Team USA loses to either Greece or Australia. The top four seeds from each bracket head to the quarterfinals. Angola isn't going to make the cut -- but three losses by the U.S. might mean that Team USA would be the other team not to make the cut.
Angola (Aug. 23)
If we lose to Angola, then all is lost. Angola has been an African powerhouse for more than a decade thanks to a huge infusion of cash and modern training facilities for their national team.
However, the team has just one win, versus Croatia in an exhibition match, this year. The team has no NBA prospects of note. It's led by Miguel Lutonda, a 33-year-old guard and captain of the Angola National Team. He often plays the point guard position because of his experience, but he's best as a shooting guard. He can really light it up from long range.
Joaquim Gomes lacks the bulk to battle with elite big men.
The team's best player is Joaquim Gomes. The 24-year-old has spent the past four years playing college ball at Valparaiso. Last season he averaged 13.1 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.7 bpg. Gomes (6-8, 220) is an unbelievable athlete and leaper who plays with great energy on the court. He's a terrific rebounder and shot blocker. However, he's very thin and isn't able to take advantage of his paint skills against more physical players. Gomes has been working on a pretty solid jumper and has learned how to create his own shot off the dribble. He had 14 points in the opener versus Lithuania and nine points and nine rebounds versus Australia.
Angola should be Team USA's easiest opponent. If the United States reaches the quarterfinals, several other tough teams -- such as Argentina (my favorite to win the gold), Serbia and Montenegro and Spain -- will be waiting.
The road to the gold never has looked harder for the United States. Now Carmelo and Larry Brown understand why.
