Hammon to play for Russia in Olympics

Was she blackballed or did USA Basketball just think she wasn't good enough? I don't know -- I'm asking. Sometimes really good players get left off Olympic teams, and isn't it possible that for whatever reason, the selection committee didn't consider Hammon one of the best two or three PG options for this team? I haven't seen anyone make the case that she should have been an absolute slam-dunk no-brainer.

 

She was runner-up for WNBA POY last year. That's good enough.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2008-04-08-3248367860_x.htm

She wasn't included in a pool of 29 players trying out for 12 spots. You're trying to tell me that someone with Hammon's credentials wasn't even good enough to be among the 29 players trying out for a spot?

You must be kidding. And no, Broadway Joe, I'm not picking on you. But something's fishy and it's not Hammon's choice. Anne Donovan's "traitor" comment was cheap.

 

Except for the fact that both the WNBA and the Olympics are irrelevant, I can certainly see why this topic is worthy of a thread........

 

That added much food for thought to the discussion.

 

People keep hinting that Hammon was left out of the pool for some non-basketball reason, but I haven't seen any indication of what that reason could be. Why wouldn't the committee invite this cute, white, girl-next-door type to the trials unless they thought she had no shot? I know what she's done in the WNBA, but I also see a lot of talented guards on the team like Bird, Taurasi and others who can play the point and who aren't 31, like Hammon. Seems like maybe she wasn't blackballed, she just wasn't picked. She still has every right to go play for Russia if that's what the rules allow, but I don't get why people are assigning any of the blame for this to USA Basketball.

 

When one of the WNBA's most marketable and best players has to go play for Mother Russia, it's a pretty big story.

There are a lot of politics involved in making the Olympic teams. If one coach doesn't like you, you're done.

Over the years plenty of great players have been left off for some absurd choices.

Barkley should have been on the 1984 team. Isiah should have been on the 1992 team. I forget which Indiana player made the 1984 team over Barkley, but it was a ridiculous choice and a straight out of college Laettner made it over Isiah, who granted, was blackballed by Jordan.

 

It was on OTL this morning and she hinted that Lisa Leslie could have spoken up on her behalf, but didn't.

 

On second thought -- this whole "scandal" is manufactured by the WNBA.

I mean, without it -- would ANYONE be talking about the WNBA and did anyone, outside of her teammates, know who Becky Hammon -- an attractive white straight superstar -- is?

The league is getting desperate for attention, but I do think this was a good ploy. Hell it made it to Outside the Lines, which means, the 11 people who watch that show now know that WNBA is a women's basketball league and Becky Hammon is a player in that league....

 

OK, Zag. The WNBA's irrelevant and you don't care about it. We got you the first time.

 

It was absurd/idiotic/insane that ANY college player, especially Laettner, was included on the 1992 team. Once the decision was finally made to quit screwing around with fraudulent "amateurs," it was time to go big time, all the way.

If ANY college player was going to be selected to the team, it should have been Shaq. Anyway, after seeing the heart of his championship teams, Isiah Thomas, screwed over in favor of Laettner, Chuck Daly should have announced publicly, at a press conference, that Laettner was never going to see the floor unless the U.S. had a lead of 100+ points.

As far as Becky Hammon is concerned, it doesn't make her a commie sympathizer, etc etc., but it is something that should be stamped out -- athletes should only be allowed to compete for another nation other than their native country, if they have become a full legal citizen at least 10 years prior to the Games in question.

That would put an end to nation-hopping for the purposes of the Olympics -- nobody really knows if they're going to be an Olympic-class athlete in the Games 12 years in the future.

Or, just throw open the Pandora's box, and say you can play for anybody you like.

 

I hope Russia gets three chances to inbound with 0:03 left, and Hammond scores the layup to beat the USA for the gold.

 

If Anne Donovan is smart, she'll work things so the US has about a 50-point lead with 0:03 left.