Scream team

The Dream Team is a marketer's dream, but a coach's nightmare | John Dawson

If the USA men's basketball team's loss to Italy in exhibition play was a wake-up call, what was the 19-point loss to Puerto Rico? It's not the possibility that the United States remains asleep that's troubling. It's what they might see if they wake up: The Dream Team is a marketer's dream, but a coach's nightmare.

As much as stars do, role players push NBA teams to championships. Detroit defeated the star-laden Lakers not only with scorers like Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton but also with Tayshaun Prince and Ben Wallace. Championship teams score but also rebound, defend, and pass. But Team USA's roster is stacked with players looking for picks, not setting them. That may work in an all-star game, but international play is too competitive. The NBA style of basketball does not translate well into Olympic competition where zone defenses prevail—especially when no one bothered to add any zone-killing jump shooters to the roster. The Americans' pure talent no longer trumps the cohesive teams of the world, some of which have been playing together for years.