There was a time not so long ago when the effort in constructing the American roster was about as scientific as Joe Fan punching an All-Star ballot. The names made sense. The results didn't, as USA Basketball lost games and its aura of invincibility.
"They learned the hard way," said Richard Jefferson, a member of USA Basketball teams from 2003-04.
Jefferson remembers players just being shuffled through the national team without much rhyme or reason. He must have played with more than 20 teammates during his short stint, he said. Chemistry and continuity were difficult to establish.
"At first they just threw the superstars out there and said, 'OK, we can beat everybody with our talent,'" said Tyson Chandler, the starting USA center at the recent World Championship. "Well, it doesn't always work that way because some superstars can't play with each other. A lot of superstars in our league are used to dominating the ball and controlling the tempo of the game."
Is there a parallel in Miami? Duh. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are franchise talents sharing the same franchise. As the only NBA team that can approach the wattage of previous Team USA offerings, they're learning to share the ball, responsibility and spotlight. The scrutiny is a given.
"We're all critics," LeBron said, echoing a one-time Nike slogan from those bygone Cleveland days.
The pedestrian 9-8 start, punctuated by four losses in their last five games, is weighing on the Heat even if they insist that outside critiquing rolls off their backs. Internally, the strain is beginning to show. Bosh yelled at his teammates during a timeout Saturday in Dallas. Spoelstra and James bumped into each other during another stoppage, with neither budging or acknowledging the jacket-displacing jolt.
"Yeah," Spoelstra said when asked about it. "That's the way it should be."
He spoke about the hurt associated with losing: "Until we feel that pain and accept it enough to make a change these will be the results." An accountability session followed the 11-point loss, as the players closed the locker room for 45 minutes to say what needed to be said.
LeBron, Wade and Bosh were supposed to address the media together when the doors finally opened. LeBron and D-Wade delivered the state of the union, with their 6-foot-11 counterpart noticeably absent. Heat leadership appears to be a two-man job. And for now it's a delicate balancing act between the homegrown BMOC and the (chosen) one who's led everywhere else he's been.
So what's the solution? Chandler believes Miami needs more dirty-work guys willing to do the intangibles -- set picks, d-up, accept their roles, blend. USA Basketball had that this summer, he said, in Kevin Love and Danny Granger. Short of Riley trading for Love and Granger, the mindset of the latest USA squad would also play in Miami.
Read More: Struggling Heat should consider the lessons of Team USA
"They learned the hard way," said Richard Jefferson, a member of USA Basketball teams from 2003-04.
Jefferson remembers players just being shuffled through the national team without much rhyme or reason. He must have played with more than 20 teammates during his short stint, he said. Chemistry and continuity were difficult to establish.
"At first they just threw the superstars out there and said, 'OK, we can beat everybody with our talent,'" said Tyson Chandler, the starting USA center at the recent World Championship. "Well, it doesn't always work that way because some superstars can't play with each other. A lot of superstars in our league are used to dominating the ball and controlling the tempo of the game."
Is there a parallel in Miami? Duh. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are franchise talents sharing the same franchise. As the only NBA team that can approach the wattage of previous Team USA offerings, they're learning to share the ball, responsibility and spotlight. The scrutiny is a given.
"We're all critics," LeBron said, echoing a one-time Nike slogan from those bygone Cleveland days.
The pedestrian 9-8 start, punctuated by four losses in their last five games, is weighing on the Heat even if they insist that outside critiquing rolls off their backs. Internally, the strain is beginning to show. Bosh yelled at his teammates during a timeout Saturday in Dallas. Spoelstra and James bumped into each other during another stoppage, with neither budging or acknowledging the jacket-displacing jolt.
"Yeah," Spoelstra said when asked about it. "That's the way it should be."
He spoke about the hurt associated with losing: "Until we feel that pain and accept it enough to make a change these will be the results." An accountability session followed the 11-point loss, as the players closed the locker room for 45 minutes to say what needed to be said.
LeBron, Wade and Bosh were supposed to address the media together when the doors finally opened. LeBron and D-Wade delivered the state of the union, with their 6-foot-11 counterpart noticeably absent. Heat leadership appears to be a two-man job. And for now it's a delicate balancing act between the homegrown BMOC and the (chosen) one who's led everywhere else he's been.
So what's the solution? Chandler believes Miami needs more dirty-work guys willing to do the intangibles -- set picks, d-up, accept their roles, blend. USA Basketball had that this summer, he said, in Kevin Love and Danny Granger. Short of Riley trading for Love and Granger, the mindset of the latest USA squad would also play in Miami.
Read More: Struggling Heat should consider the lessons of Team USA
