Rajon Rondo and 10 NBA Stars Who Flamed Out in International Play
Rajon Rondo is easily one of the best point guards in the league.
While he is as versatile as they come, he is a poor shooter by NBA standards. When you're playing international ball, where shooting comes at a premium—even centers and power forwards are generally expected to have decent range—you come under even more scrutiny.
Such is the curious case of Rondo and Team USA. After publicly stating his belief that he was a potential candidate to be the final cut, Rondo quickly bowed out of the Men's National Team.
His reason? Family and health.
More likely reason? To save face from the embarrassment of not making the team.
Even though Rondo is not an ideal fit, his talent alone should have been enough to supersede his shortcomings. His poor play and general lack of commitment to the team was his ultimate downfall.
(Dis)Honorable Mention: Paul Pierce
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Joining current Celtics' teammate, Rajon Rondo, is the enigmatic Paul Pierce.
While still relatively young, Pierce was largely considered to be the best player on the 2002 Men's National Team. Lead by coach George Karl, the team was not stacked with superstars or even full of All-Stars for that matter. Even so, the team was more talented as a collective unit than anything assembled on an opposing roster.
The 2002 World Championship was the first time in international play that a team comprised of NBA talent was defeated. Pierce, being one of the leaders, will always be tied to their results. His growing tension throughout the tournament with Coach Karl only compounded things.
Pierce's troubles started in a game against Argentina. After attempting to trip an Argentinean player, Pierce continued to unnecessarily foul and found himself on the bench during crucial moments in play. Argentina would go on to win as Paul watched helplessly from the bench.
This would be a recurring theme as Team USA would go into scoring droughts with Pierce sitting out. His poor defense certainly did not help his cause.
After the loss to Argentina, Team USA would follow up with another dud against Yugoslavia—knocking the team out of contention for a medal.
"When we got beat and were told to be humble and take our losses like warriors, he decided to jump out there and fight the negativity. And because I was the head man, I had to call him out on it. None of us wanted to play those last two games [after being eliminated from the medal round]. None of us wanted to watch film. But you've got to do that. And Paul just pushed the line, pushed the line. His reaction to the negativity, to a crisis, was that we all have to protect ourselves, our own egos."
- Coach George Karl to the Boston Globe (2005)
This failed experiment resulted in a severely disappointing sixth place finish in a loss to Spain—a game in which Pierce was benched for the entire fourth quarter. While it would be unfair to place sole blame on an individual's shoulders, Pierce played a large role in both their success and ultimate failure.
(Dis)Honorable Mention: Isiah Thomas
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When the 1992 Dream Team was formed, Isiah was expected to be named one of the point guards for the powerhouse team. Nearing the end of his playing days, he was still a veritable star during his era.
Instead, John Stockton was given the starting nod. At this point in their careers, Stockton was not yet able to challenge Isiah's superiority over him.
Even after Stockton was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his leg during the qualifying tournament, no call was ever made to the Piston's bad boy. Stockton fought through it and traveled with the team when it was apparent he was better off resting.
There were many theories and assumptions made over his exclusion from the team, but it was oft-reported that Michael Jordan, among others, had personal issues with Isiah and refused to partake in international play if he was included. It wasn't until recently, in Magic Johnson's book When the Game Was Ours, that there was an admission of guilt regarding the collusion of players to keep Thomas off the team.
"Isiah killed his own chances when it came to the Olympics. Nobody on that team wanted to play with him....Michael didn't want to play with him. Scottie [Pippen] wanted no part of him. Bird wasn't pushing for him. Karl Malone didn't want him. Who was saying, 'We need this guy?' Nobody.''
Was it fair that Christian Laettner made the team over him? Absolutely not.
In Laettner's own words, “I was the bag boy, the water boy.” Not exactly a necessary cog.
However, when you're a bad sport with a volatile temper and a propensity for angering those around you, you have no one to blame but yourself.
Boris Diaw
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Boris Diaw—the French's very own Swiss Army knife—is a true diamond in the rough. In the right system and role, he is a lethal weapon.
Diaw was chosen as captain for Team France in Tony Parker's stead—who opted to forgo this year's tournament in order to rest his body.
Normally a natural floor leader, Boris has led the French National team to a 3-2 record, good for third best in the group.
For the tournament, Diaw is shooting a dreadful 39.2 FG% in six games. His 22 assist to 15 turnover ratio is also nothing to be envious of.
His most recent performance, in which he scored a respectable 21 points with five rebounds and four assists, was not enough as they recorded a loss to the host country, Turkey.
Eliminated from contention, France will be knocking on Tony Parker's door begging him to return for London.
Brook Lopez
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Brook Lopez—one of the few young centers capable of contending with Dwight Howard—was invited to try out for the U.S. Men’s National Team.
After catching a case of mono last spring, Lopez lost a significant amount of weight. Slow to recover, Lopez gradually gained back the 25 pounds he lost during a lengthy recovery period.
His conditioning was a different issue.
It wasn’t until the week before tryouts that he was cleared for basketball activities. Brook’s lack of stamina during practice sessions was apparent as he turned in a string of poor performances.
Lopez finally decided to take himself out of the running and focus on getting ready for the upcoming season.
JaVale McGee
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JaVale McGee—Washington's promising young center—was invited to try out for the U.S Men's National Team this past summer.
After being cut early, JaVale was invited back after Brook Lopez stepped out. With only one true center—Tyson Chandler—on the team, JaVale's case for making the team was strengthened by default.
Still, the coaching staff decided to shy away from a conventional team and stick with a smaller, faster squad. They had to let McGee go in order to make room for more shooters.
Even after being cut, he was expected to at least travel with the team to Europe but couldn't even get an invitation for that.
Asked about any concern regarding the lack of height on the team, Coach Krzyewski said, "McGee wasn't playing before. So it's the same concern we had with McGee. We don't have bulk. JaVale is really good; he didn't have bulk, either."
Tyson Chandler
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Continuing the theme of disappointing big men is Tyson Chandler. As the only true center on Team USA, one would think he would play a large role.
That has clearly not been the case for Chandler thus far.
Playing on very limited time, he has failed to impress. Coach Krzyewski has opted to use more guard and forward oriented lineups instead.
At times, Chandler looks inept on defense. He has blown assignments and has had to foul in order to keep his man from scoring.
Known to be a shot blocker, he hasn't done enough to keep opposing players from driving on him.
Unable to stretch the floor with awful shooting, he doesn't add much to Team USA other than size.
Hedo Turkoglu
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After an abysmal season with the Toronto Raptors, Hedo's poor play has transferred overseas.
Even after getting his wish to be traded—to the Phoenix Suns—he continues to show that he is past his prime and an overrated player.
It may be the home court advantage, but Turkey has managed to compile an undefeated record in spite of Hedo's inferior play. His paltry 36.7 FG% certainly isn't helping his case.
Still, while he has been a non-factor for the majority of this run, they are winning. With Hedo playing poorly, one wonders if they would play even better off without him.
Andre Iguodala
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Andre Iguodala came into the tournament a favorite among the coaching staff. Praises were being heaped on him during training and exhibition matches.
With the tournament under way, Iguodala has not played as strong of a role as initially expected.
Averaging a disappointing 5.3 PPG, Andre has failed to make an impact with steady minutes being given to him. Even his assist to turnover ratio is a bit uncharacteristic as he is widely considered to a better distributor with solid court vision.
Normally a smart defender, Iguodala has been fouling at an alarming rate. This has, in turn, helped to keep him off the floor for stretches of play. His intense defensive level is also probably a reason for all of this.
Iguodala hasn't exactly hurt his image with his substandard play, but it hasn't done him any favors either. His incredibly strong defense is the only thing keeping him from being a complete disappointment.
Danny Granger
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Following in Andre's footsteps is Danny Granger. He too was expected to play a large role on Team USA.
Having trouble with his shooting touch, Granger is shooting a team low 41.4 FG%. Unable to take advantage of the significantly shorter three point line, he is shooting 25% from behind the arc.
Without a strong offensive presence, he was at least expected to step up his defensive pressure. That has been non-existent thus far.
Granger was rumored to be one of the earlier cuts during trial sessions. While some of that was injury related, he hasn't done anything to prove that he is worthy of being in Turkey.
During a closely contested match against Brazil, Danny didn't even see the court. He got a DNP-CD (Did Not Play-Coaches Decision).
Not exactly a confidence booster.
Jeff Green
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Joining fellow Thunder teammate’s Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook was Jeff Green.
This young forward was invited to tryout based on his versatile skill set. His ability to play against bigger forwards was seen as an advantage with solid mid and deep range on his jump shot.
Despite the match and need for some size, he was passed up on in favor of more talented forwards.
Part of the final roster cuts, Green played strong enough to last through the first round of cuts. However, it was not enough to ultimately get the axe.
Gerald Wallace
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Gerald Wallace, fresh off his first All-Star appearance, saw his trial run with Team USA end early.
Not exactly a perfect match with his mediocre shooting touch, his strong defensive instincts and world class athleticism made him a strong candidate regardless.
Often considered to be a reckless player—as evidenced by his nickname, “Crash”—the coaching staff apparently did not feel he was a fit for the team. Wallace didn’t make it very far during player cuts.
A disappointing turn for a young player just starting to really get his confidence up.
Stephen Curry
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Stephen Curry appears to have hit his sophomore slump early.
Brought onto Team USA for his deft shooting stroke, Curry has seen limited time due to his poor shooting and overall uninspired play.
Hitting only 44.4% of his shots, he only slightly exceeds Granger's low shooting percentage. His 31.2 three point FG% only damages his case even more.
Another player not present during Team USA's most closely contested match against Brazil, it's obvious the coaching staff has reservations about using him during important moments.
