Time to retire Dream Team name

HELLINIKO, Greece — Angry chants reverberated throughout the building.

"Exo! Exo! Exo!"

The translated message — kick them out! — wasn't intended for the U.S. basketball team, although it certainly matched the mood of the evening.

It was directed at four American fans that become involved in a little tussle with the surrounding Greek fans, attracting immediate attention from numerous police officers.

By choice, the four fans were escorted out of the building before the game ended, which meant they missed Dream Team IV salvaging a shred of dignity with a ridiculously close win over Greece.

But nothing more than a shred.

"People want to see us flying around, but nobody wants to see us win," Richard Jefferson said. "If we win by 20, there's no story. If we lose, that's when you sell papers. That's when the ratings go up. That's what everybody wants to see."

Clearly, Phoenix's Leon Bolton was not of that opinion. He and his friends took offense when earlier chants of "Puerto Rico!" erupted among the partisan crowd, so he stood up and told the gathering behind him that Puerto Rico — a team that blew the U.S. out of the building — was yesterday's news.

It was then that someone shoved a Greek flag near Bolton's face. That's when Bolton's friend, Chris Conobre, grabbed the flag. That wasn't a good move, and then it got ugly, so ugly that Conobre left the building with blood on his shirt.

It should be noted that the tempers cooled, the game ended, and the overflow crowd was so tickled with the close shave that everyone went happy.

While the victory may soothe our own national angst for the moment, particularly the stellar play of LeBron James, the declining state of USA basketball is a problem that's not going away.

"I think we need to re-evaluate how we go about forming the team," Phoenix Suns' general manager Bryan Colangelo said. "I'd be very surprised if this didn't lead to some changes."

That would be long overdue.

Currently, the team is chosen by a 10-man committee, which is made up of NBA officials, general managers and two player representatives. One of them is Colangelo, which helps explain the presence of two Suns on the roster, Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire, who aren't exactly lighting up the scoreboard.

Then again, it's not like Team USA had players waving their passports and volunteering in droves.

There were some institutional failures by the committee. When Ray Allen quit the team due to security concerns in Greece, they failed to replace him with a solid perimeter shooter. Problem is, most of the great shooters in the NBA happen to be European.

For now, part of the solution can be found by simply popping in a tape of "Miracle." The late Herb Brooks, head coach for the 1980 Olympic hockey team, ignored all other delegation input and handpicked his own team with a distinct focus on teamwork. Likewise, USA Basketball needs to give its coach complete autonomy over the selection process, thereby avoiding any bad choices or clouded agendas.

The rest of the matter isn't so clear. Other countries have gained so much ground on the U.S. that a collection of college players would never have a chance. Sending the NBA champions wouldn't work either, especially if it were a team that relied on one or more international players during the regular season. It would be impossible to fund a dedicated national team, and even if they could, stocking a team with CBA players would carry zero appeal.

Of course, it would be nice if the elite NBA players felt an obligation to the game and to their country. They do not, and their sense of entitlement is infuriating, particularly when the game has made them rich beyond belief.

The overlooked factor in all of this stems from the shocking losses Team USA incurred at the World Championships in Indianapolis. This required the indignity of actually qualifying for the Olympics in Puerto Rico last summer, and the team dispatched to make it happen won all 10 of its games. That was a better team than the group here in Athens. That one featured Allen, Vince Carter, Jermaine O'Neal, Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin and Tracy McGrady. That one went 10-0.

Sadly, many of those players felt like they had done their time, and wouldn't commit to another summer on international soil.

As it stands, the current process reeks of arrogance. The intimidation factor doesn't exist anymore, and giving Team USA a basketball and three weeks to prepare is clearly a recipe for trouble. Even Allen Iverson said as much on Monday, moaning that the difference could be found in the chemistry of international teams that have practiced together for years. This is highly ironic seeing that Iverson once mocked the very concept of practice.

Truth is, had Antonio McDyess not made a single sensational play — leaping over a Lithuanian player for a put-back basket at the 2000 Olympic semifinals — the deconstruction of the Dream Team would've occurred in Sydney. Now, it's simply manifest destiny.

"I hope, for one, that this term — Dream Team — goes away," Colangelo said.

That will happen soon.

The other hope is that there is some form of redemption, that this Olympiad doesn't continue to digress into a tornado of negative attention or the really young guys on this team — Stoudemire, James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade — will never want to wear the uniform again.

And like it or not, ready or not, they are the future of the NBA.