International Basketball has always been inferior to the NBA. Many people have always payed no attention to the Euroleagues, unless there is a young prospect coming out of there. They are classified as equivelent to the D-League as a place for NBA rejects to resort to and International busts to go back to.

I think that this most recent USA loss shouldn't be reguarded as a loss. It should be regarded as a victory for everybody. USA has regained its honour while at the same time not blowing out everyone else as it did before. We get actual competition and some exiting games, not a 100-78 blowout of yadda team in the gold metal game.

Now you are probobly wondering, "How does this help the international game?" It it proving that even though the USA assembled a great well balenced team with a legendary coach and having an essentially home court situation in Japan, they still lost to the "trash" international teams. There is not one player of Greece that is in the NBA, they all play in the Euroleague. Even other nations, such as China, who has only one player in the NBA are getting consistently better and are proving it can produce NBA Talent (Yi movement!) People are starting to respect the international game, and realize that the US isn't the center of the basketball world anymore.

You may say, "Well then why have so many people come over to the NBA and then had no impact and just returned?" I'll give you a case. Take Arvydas Masialskas (sorry about spelling)from Lithuania. He dominated the euroleague and shot like a god. He comes over the the United States and is on the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. The Coach there is Byron Scott, and he gives Masialskas 0 playing time, and even benches their best shooting guard, J.R. Smith. As a result, when Masialskas does get playing time, he's overshadowed by J.R. Smith hogging the ball and dunking on 3rd string centers, and noone notices his skills. After a year of saying nothing, he's pissed, and decides to leave the Hornets, and signs with a team for the biggest contract in Euroleague, and will probobly continue to dominate Euroleague rather then sitting on the bench for the Hornets. Now, was he really a bust? Probobly not, although he might of been, because he was never given a CHANCE. Thats why many players from Euroleague, Australian League (most notably Shane Heal), et cetera, are considered busts and are shipped back home. I said many, not all. Wang Zhi Zhi would be an example (although he is still one of my favourite players).

So after the evidence, I present my Question to you: Do you now consider International Basketball on the same level as United States Basketball?

(I apologize if my thoughts are unorganized and don't make sense, I'm not a very good writer, just a good thinker.)

-Zorgon