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August 21, 2004 10:38 pm

Column: Men's basketball team turning off fans

By Deron Snyder

The (Fort Myers, Fla. News-Press)

Anti-American sentiment has surfaced, just as expected at the Olympics, but the intensity is shocking and overwhelming. I never imagined the level of loathing and contempt reaching so high.

Then again, I never imagined most of it coming from the homeland.

The NBA style of play, at its current point in evolution, has driven away hordes of devotees and hoops fans in general. Another turnoff to many nonfans is the NBA lifestyle, enjoyed by bejeweled young men who join the recording industry, Hollywood, Madison Avenue and TV in driving pop culture.

Now the league has flexed muscles we didn't know it had, overpowering the fever-pitch patriotism in a charged international climate. The NBA has done the unthinkable.

It has led Americans to root against their own.

Not me, though. I'm pulling hard for the 12 NBA players who comprise the U.S. men's team. I want them to win and I expect them to win, because we always win this particular event (except when cheated in 1972).

But watching this team struggle is also quite enjoyable. I'm delighted that it must claw and scratch for a measly 2-2 record. I derive immense pleasure in seeing this one-dimensional team fight to maintain its dignity, bombarded with three-pointers and ensnared in dense zones.

However, don't confuse me with fellow Americans who hope the team fails, those who root inwardly or outwardly for every team the U.S. plays. Some could barely conceal their glee after Puerto Rico's rout, or Lithuania's thriller. I'm unaware of another U.S. Olympic team that seemed to have so many countrymen against it.

They're angry and upset about the state of basketball in the NBA. I don't blame them. But the United States doesn't have to lose the Olympic tournament for everyone to learn the lesson. We got the message after our sixth-place finish in the 2002 World Championship, when the NBA stars lost three games.

Hey, I don't like us losing any time, whether we play ``the right way'' or the NBA way. But for the true hardwood fan, it really doesn't matter who wins the gold medal.

Because basketball is the ultimate winner.

The Detroit Pistons' team-first approach was a welcome change from the NBA's norm - an overemphasis on isolation plays, clearing out, and working two-man games. The world's success of late should increase the Pistons' ripple effect, nudging the NBA to change and influencing youngsters everywhere to remember the fundamentals.

This should lead players to spend more time on shooting, less on dunking. More time on passing, ball-handling and movement, less on slashing, lobbing and posting. The U.S. team is poorly constructed and woefully inexperienced at the international game, but those facts would be mitigated if our players did the ``little things'' better.

They've never had to before. They could beat the world on athleticism alone. But that doesn't cut it anymore. International foes are no longer in awe of the United States, and they're better at certain facets of the game.

Watching the U.S. men adjust on the fly and adjust to the changed landscape is a blast and great for the sport.

Just grab the gold while you're at it.

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