NBA stars head home with plenty to ponder

SAITAMA – US players are going to have to work harder than they wanted next year after finishing third at the World Basketball Championship, but the experience could pay golden dividends in 2008 at Beijing.

America’s National Basketball Association stars beat Argentina 96-81 in a consolation game after a 101-95 semi-final loss to Greece that ended US dreams of reclaiming the global throne and taking a spot at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Instead of having next year off, US players who made a three-year pledge to play on the US squad must compete for two available Olympic berths at the Tournament of the Americas in Venezuela.”It’s not the end of the world.We learned a lot from this experience and we will continue to get better,” US scoring leader Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets said.”We have to prepare for next season.Coming in, we wanted to win the world games, then take next summer off and get ready for Beijing in ’08.Now, we’ve got to get ready for next summer in Venezuela and again in ’08 in Beijing.”Nobody would have needed a break more than Dwyane Wade, who led Miami to the NBA title in June, trained with the US team in July, played the worlds into September and will start NBA training camp in another month.”We lost the gold.But we are going back with our respect.We’re going back with our heads up high,” US star Dwyane Wade said.”We’re a very talented team, a confident team, and they beat us.We’ll have to come back and try to win in 2007.This is a first step.We’re not crying over losing.We wanted to win and it didn’t happen.We got some experience.”Reigning Olympic champion Argentina will be trying to qualify in Venezuela.So will Brazil, which only lost 90-86 to the US in a pre-worlds game, plus the world-qualified hosts and Puerto Rico, a 2004 Olympic winner over the US men.”It wasn’t what we had planned,” US forward Antawn Jamison said.”It’s going to be interesting.Hopefully we can stay positive and do the things we need to be successful “Instead of being together for a week next summer, we have to go through another tournament.That’s the price you have to pay when you don’t come out and win.Playing more games under international rules next summer might create a better US team in Beijing, the true target being Olympic gold after placing sixth at the 2002 worlds and third at the 2004 Olympics.”We have two more summers of growth.This is the beginning,” US co-captain LeBron James said.”We’ve improved since 2004.We’ve improved since training camp began.We just have to keep getting better.”With a pool of 24 players, including Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, next year’s team could feature some new faces, although building upon the chemistry and work with teammates from the past six weeks will be vital.”Don’t question our chemistry,” Anthony said.”We did a great job putting this team together.We got along off the court.That was the difference between this year and ’04.Hopefully we can keep this group together.”Newcomers must forget NBA one-on-one heroics and join a team concept.”After playing a whole season, everybody will get back to their NBA ways,” US forward Chris Bosh said.”As long as those guys come in and we’re looking forward to working with each other, we’ll continue to build.”Everybody has to have a team mind going into next summer.”Nampa-AFPInstead of having next year off, US players who made a three-year pledge to play on the US squad must compete for two available Olympic berths at the Tournament of the Americas in Venezuela.”It’s not the end of the world.We learned a lot from this experience and we will continue to get better,” US scoring leader Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets said.”We have to prepare for next season.Coming in, we wanted to win the world games, then take next summer off and get ready for Beijing in ’08.Now, we’ve got to get ready for next summer in Venezuela and again in ’08 in Beijing.”Nobody would have needed a break more than Dwyane Wade, who led Miami to the NBA title in June, trained with the US team in July, played the worlds into September and will start NBA training camp in another month.”We lost the gold.But we are going back with our respect.We’re going back with our heads up high,” US star Dwyane Wade said.”We’re a very talented team, a confident team, and they beat us.We’ll have to come back and try to win in 2007.This is a first step.We’re not crying over losing.We wanted to win and it didn’t happen.We got some experience.”Reigning Olympic champion Argentina will be trying to qualify in Venezuela.So will Brazil, which only lost 90-86 to the US in a pre-worlds game, plus the world-qualified hosts and Puerto Rico, a 2004 Olympic winner over the US men.”It wasn’t what we had planned,” US forward Antawn Jamison said.”It’s going to be interesting.Hopefully we can stay positive and do the things we need to be successful “Instead of being together for a week next summer, we have to go through another tournament.That’s the price you have to pay when you don’t come out and win.Playing more games under international rules next summer might create a better US team in Beijing, the true target being Olympic gold after placing sixth at the 2002 worlds and third at the 2004 Olympics.”We have two more summers of growth.This is the beginning,” US co-captain LeBron James said.”We’ve improved since 2004.We’ve improved since training camp began.We just have to keep getting better.”With a pool of 24 players, including Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, next year’s team could feature some new faces, although building upon the chemistry and work with teammates from the past six weeks will be vital.”Don’t question our chemistry,” Anthony said.”We did a great job putting this team together.We got along off the court.That was the difference between this year and ’04.Hopefully we can keep this group together.”Newcomers must forget NBA one-on-one heroics and join a team concept.”After playing a whole season, everybody will get back to their NBA ways,” US forward Chris Bosh said.”As long as those guys come in and we’re looking forward to working with each other, we’ll continue to build.”Everybody has to have a team mind going into next summer.”Nampa-AFP