What's next for Team USA men's basketball?

I have no doubt the team will find other talented small forwards to replace Carmelo, but assuming this is Coach K's last Olympics, who takes over the "program?"

Does it take a special coach to bring these guys together, or was Larry Brown just that bad in 2004?

 

Popovich will be the coach in 2020:
Introducing Team USA's next coach: Gregg Popovich

 

Didn't a lot of better players not play in 04 and some of the ones who did not really care? don't think anyone can coach and win, but there's definitely more than a few guys who could.

 

2004 was mostly an organizational flustercluck. As long as USA Basketball stays with the system set up by Jerry Coalangelo, all will be well.

And remember, James and Curry stayed home.

 

Brown really was that bad in 2004.

He was more concerned with getting the team to "play the right way" than he was with winning, constantly pissed and moaned about the roster (which he had heavy input in selecting) and kept LeBron for the most part bolted to the bench.

I've been reading stories that LBJ and Curry are both second guessing themselves for sitting out this year, and may give it a shot in 2020.

 

Trying to quit to take the job with Mozambique didn't help.

 

To say nothing of LeBron and Curry staying home, so did Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis. And Kawhi Leonard and Chris Paul. And LaMarcus Aldridge and James Harden. Plus whatever young players emerge between now and then -- Karl Anthony Towns and Japari Parker would be two examples.

2020 could easily be this roster with their ages in 2020
guards
Paul 34
Westbrook 31
Curry 32
Thompson 30
Irving 28

Forwards
LeBron 35
Durant 31
Davis 27
Leonard 29
George 30

Centers
Cousins 30
Towns 24

 

It would be strictly ceremonial, but I suppose the NBA could institute a leaguewide policy that Olympic players would not be required /expected to report to training camp the following season until five days prior to regular season tipoff.

Some (maybe most) players would actually prefer to report earlier, but 3-4 extra weeks off might ease the all-summer grind a little bit for the Olympians.

And the vast majority of all All-Star caliber players, if they showed up to camp on time and then sprained an ankle or yanked a hamstring the first day of camp, would sit out until the final days of preseason anyway.

 

You won't be seeing Towns play for Team USA.

 

Is Popovich the right man for the job? Maybe, but I'm not convinced. He won't be on Larry Brown's level, but I hope people aren't underestimating the impact Mike Krzyzewski has had on the Team USA program.

 

I don't think Barkley and others are wrong when they say that Team USA focuses too much on 1-on-1 basketball. That's fine if your 1 is LeBron, Curry, Durant or Melo, but it's more of an issue when non-All NBA players are taking up significant minutes. If guys like Curry and James can't or don't want to play, then construct it more like a traditional team - with 3-point and rebounding specialists, for example - as opposed to just taking the next-best All-Star you can find.

 

Popovich has shown himself to be a pretty nimble tactician - look at how different the Spurs teams he won with were, in terms of personnel and how they played.