ITALY CRUSHES U.S. MEN'S OLYMPIC TEAM

Well, it was good that it happened now. I watched most of the game today and it was embarrassing to watch Italy beat the U.S. 95-78. Their lack of perimeter shooters seemed to be the main problem, but also they seemed to be tentative. Players didn't attack the zone enough and there were careless turnovers.

When the U.S. lost three times during the 2002 FIBA World Championship, I blamed and still blame George Karl. Coaching still makes a difference at the NBA level, which Larry Brown proved this year, and it makes more of a difference for such a short-term team. Karl had the talent and the perimeter shooters back in 2002, but didn't utilize them enough and effectively. I remember Ray Allen sitting on the bench frustrated and wondering why Karl wasn't putting him in.

Karl also messed up when he was part of a great Seattle Supersonics team that won 63 games during the regular season and the No. 1 seed in the NBA Western Conference playoffs, but lost to the No. 8 seed Denver Nuggets in 1994. Later on, he coached what I thought was a talent-stacked Milwaukee Bucks to an early exit in the playoffs a few years back. They had Sam Cassell, Glenn Robinson, Ray Allen, and Anthony Mason, but no chemistry.

Some sports analysts say that it's harder to manage talent than building up a young team, as they point to Phil Jackson's coaching greatness, which I agree with to some degree. In Jackson's case, it is a matter of managing egos effectively, but I don't believe his coaching style would have won the past two U.S. teams a championships or a gold medal. You need a coach that knows the game, how to effectively teach it, and how to manage talent. Brown is the right coach for this. As for Karl, he doesn't have any of these abilities... yes, it's George Karl-hater day.

UPDATE: A view from ESPN's Bill Simmons. He asks where Michael Redd and Rip Hamilton are.