Is the USA team’s golden age over? | NBA

For his last job as US employer (he will be replaced by Grand Hill), Jerry Colonzalo tried everything to end his tenure at the Tokyo Olympics.

Despite the strong choice, Team USA is already confused. In the first preparation, they lost to Nigeria against Australia and to France in the first match of the Olympic campaign. One more hammer blow when the Americans finished seventh in the last World Cup.

As all members of the U.S. Confederation recall the evolution of the balance of power between the United States and the rest of the world, and the internationalization of basketball that changed the situation, Jerry Colonzalo pointed out the team’s recurring difficulty. America is bringing in its best players. The idea of ​​building a “Dream Team” like in 1992 or a “Rhythm Team” like in 2008 is not possible today.

“I think at that time we had a good time hiring the best players who believed in everything we provided. But the truth is that we lived in a different world 15 or 16 years ago., Did he announce?. “Like it or not, players’ money, their careers and things like that are more important today than they were then.”

Injuries, termination of contracts, career choices, involuntary rights …

Between injuries and personal choices, American training has actually left some of its superstars among the likes of Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Caviar Leonard, Kyrie Irving or James Horton. Other components also come into play.

“There were a few players, they didn’t want teams to play. They were looking at it from their own point of view, from their team’s point of view, so I can understand it. So that removed some of those people. Contracts also played a role.”, He said, reminds us that Team USA is fortunate to have an exceptional pool with the highest level players.

Although not selected in the selection for the Tokyo Games, Jerry Colonzalo was delighted to see that Trey Young had posted bitter news on his networks.

I’m glad he wants to play for the USA team. We kept him in one of our camps and we knew him well. He performed very well in the NBA, but compared to our needs, he did not meet our expectations this time. He is a young player. He has a future with the USA team, but our staff felt that now is not the time.