Is the International/Euro Craze Over?

[Baseline Runner]

I remember a few years ago everyone thought that International basketball was surpassing American basketball. The US bronzed out of the olympics, getting their ass handed to them by teams like Lithaunia, a country with 1% of the US population. People thought Kirilenko would have a better career than Lebron James. Nowtizki, Yao Ming and Ginobili were all the rage and every NBA lottery featured several much hyped Euro players like Darko and Bargs that were going to change the way basketball was played.

Fast forward to today: the US just dominated the olympics winning the gold, most of the lottery picks were stiffs, Kirilenko wasn't the next Scottie Pippen but just a decent role player, and the last two drafts have been full of American players at the top. While guys like Nowitzki and Ginobili truly are great players and haven't dissapointed, the whole Euro craze was overblown, a lot of hype and a lot of wasted lottery picks. American basketball is still dominate and will continue to be in the foreseeable future.

[Duiz]

Dude... Manu Ginobli is a poor man's Rudy Fernandez... and Ricky Rubio is the next LeBron James. Euro craze has just begun baby.


PS-See people, another person calls Ginobli a European player. I told you Argentina is in Europe. Between Malta and Wales, right in there.

[rade]

You don't know it yet? Europe it's everything outside USA.

I'm sure that if you say in some post that Ginobili is an american player, someone will answer you with some kind of "WTF"

[senfono]

Bargnani ruined it all


i don't think anyone stated that International basketball was "surpassing" American (ok, maybe in true basketball fundamentals), just that the gap was becoming closer and the USA team weren´t anymore unbeatable without a good preparation and playing with the arrogance and disdain for the rivals they showed in the past. The skills, depth and specially the athletic superiority were always there.

[CBS7]

It does say International/Euro

[Rasho Brezec]

Is the International/Euro Craze Over?

Nope. We will never leave. Deal with it.

[Frosty]

I could have sworn I just saw the US team get pushed in a Gold Medal game by a team that lost it's starting PG and subbed a 17 yr old.

International craze hasn't gone anywhere. Fans that expect International players to play for their own personal stats are the ones that will be disappointed. International players play much more team oriented ball and the casual fan would call many a bust for doing so.

[OmniDEN]

I could have sworn I just saw the US team get pushed in a Gold Medal game by a team that lost it's starting PG and subbed a 17 yr old.

International craze hasn't gone anywhere. Fans that expect International players to play for their own personal stats are the ones that will be disappointed. International players play much more team oriented ball and the casual fan would call many a bust for doing so.

This.

I don't think USA will be surpassed for a long time in terms of pure talent, but those international teams just play so well together. Anything is possible, all it takes is one game.

[Devilzsidewalk]

I could have sworn I just saw the US team get pushed in a Gold Medal game by a team that lost it's starting PG and subbed a 17 yr old.

thats what I'm saying, did people watch the game? It used to be only bigmen could hang in the NBA, then some good SFs started coming over, now with guys like Rubio and Rudy F hanging with all-NBA first team players its proof that its only a matter of time

that game stressed me out, Rudy Fernandez is the truth

[dacher]

I want it to get stronger and stronger everywhere. Every basketball fan should. Basketball >>> soccer, football, baseball, life and needs to be the global sport.

[Wizenheimer]

lost sense of proportion, I'd say...

The US has over 300 million people.

To make things even, take Spain's best players, add in the best players from Germany (Nowitski), France (Tony Parker) Lithuania (you spell the names) & Italy. That about evens the populations.

A team with the Gasols, Calderon, Rudy Fernandez, Tony Parker & Dirk Nowitski and others would have been a much tougher nut to crack. Or you could take out Lithuania or Italy or France and instead, add in Argentina. Ginobli and Nocioni among others.

[raleigh]

^^^Does that mean that China has to field like six different teams?

[Rooster]

I could have sworn I just saw the US team get pushed in a Gold Medal game by a team that lost it's starting PG and subbed a 17 yr old.

International craze hasn't gone anywhere. Fans that expect International players to play for their own personal stats are the ones that will be disappointed. International players play much more team oriented ball and the casual fan would call many a bust for doing so.

That excuse only works if the guy plays defence.

I stayed up until 4:30AM to watch the gold medal game and it was worth it. Hats off to Spain, but did anyone have them winning even when it was 93-89? It was like the BOS/ATL series all scrunched into one game.

[10scott10]

I could have sworn I just saw the US team get pushed in a Gold Medal game by a team that lost it's starting PG and subbed a 17 yr old.

International craze hasn't gone anywhere. Fans that expect International players to play for their own personal stats are the ones that will be disappointed. International players play much more team oriented ball and the casual fan would call many a bust for doing so.

your a bargini, fan aren't you?

[BubbaTee]

The problem with the Euro craze had nothing to do with the guys actually being Euros, but by basing draft decisions solely on measurables and 1 on 1 (or 1 on 0) workouts without every looking at a minute of game tape, and believing suddenly every 17 year old was going to reach their ceiling just because Dirk did.

It happened with American kids too. Kwame Brown, anyone?

[GuyverX]

I could have sworn I just saw the US team get pushed in a Gold Medal game by a team that lost it's starting PG and subbed a 17 yr old.

thats what I'm saying, did people watch the game? It used to be only bigmen could hang in the NBA, then some good SFs started coming over, now with guys like Rubio and Rudy F hanging with all-NBA first team players its proof that its only a matter of time

that game stressed me out, Rudy Fernandez is the truth

Sure, Fernandez was awesome in that game but let's separate the NBA from international play. I remember not so long ago when Jasikevicius and Arroyo had stellar performances and absolutely torched the U.S. for embarrassing losses. They go to the NBA and people were expecting more of the same...not so. Neither player is in the NBA anymore.

We'll see if they can play this way with NBA players for 82 games and make an impact. NBA basketball and international basketball are two different animals.

[CellarDoor]

No it isn't over. As basketball gains popularity around the world it will only grow.

[CircleCitysportsfan]

What craze? I must of missed it.

[Frosty]

your a bargini, fan aren't you?

Negative, never been a fan of jump shooting 7 footers. Even less of a fan when a team drafts a player like this and hopes he can be changed into a center....AND their best player already plays the position the guy naturally fits. I'm Canadian so I do follow Raps basketball and this pick made me cringe.

But it's magnified only because he was Euro and a number 1 pick . If Toronto picks Morrison nobody would be all over it as he isn't a Euro. Darko had a lot of hype and never lived up to it. I never got the same sense of hype over Barg's but everyone wants to see another Darko because they think it validates their beliefs that Euro flop.

[aroba]

Interesting.
If Europe could join together to barely match USA total population, we could have a really strong team.

Europe won twice as total medals in this olympics as USA or China did...with smaller total population.