Jordan would’ve saved hosts?

INDIANAPOLIS — With the US unceremoniously booted out of medal contention, fans are wondering if Michael Jordan could’ve made a difference if coach George Karl accepted his offer to suit up at the World Basketball Championships here.

Jordan volunteered to play for the Stars and Stripes when Ray Allen withdrew from the US squad a few weeks before the start of the 16-nation competitions. The scuttlebutt was the US Selection Committee made "overtures" to Jordan about joining the team but it was later confirmed by sources that the 39-year-old National Basketball Association (NBA) star had, in fact, offered his services.

Instead of enlisting Jordan, Karl decided to elevate former Duke University guard Jay Williams–one of two alternates (the other is 6-9 Nick Collison of Kansas) in the US roster.

Allen backed out because in his words, "I am making great progress on my knee rehabilitation and would like that to continue." Earlier, NBA All-Star guard Jason Kidd cited a groin injury as his excuse for withdrawing from the team. He was replaced by Baron Davis. The consensus is Allen and Kidd could’ve played if they wanted to.

The word is Jordan was rejected because of his age. Karl probably thought Jordan–who’s still deciding whether or not to play another year for the Washington Wizards–wouldn’t be able to keep pace with the youngsters in the US lineup.

But after the US lost back-to-back decisions to Argentina and Yugoslavia, fans said Jordan should’ve played instead of Williams who didn’t log a single second in both defeats. At least, Jordan would’ve brought more fans in to cheer the hosts.

As it turned out, the fan support for the US was miserable. Attendance averaged only 6,000 in both playing venues–the 32,500-seat RCA Dome and the 18,000-seat Conseco Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers. Whatever noise the US fans made in the stands was easily drowned by the catcalls, war yells, and chants for the other side.

When the US lost to Yugoslavia in the quarterfinals last Thursday, organizers slashed ticket prices to save today’s semifinals and tomorrow’s finals from turning into a box office disaster. Some 10,000 tickets are still unsold for the last few games. The lowest-priced semifinals ticket has dropped in value from $65 to $20. A finals ticket went from $95 to $20. The other prices remained the same with the top finals ticket going for $110.

It was obvious in the US defeats that the NBA style has gone stale in the international stage. Applying the NBA style of offense and defense proved catastrophic for Karl. Worse, he couldn’t do a thing to make his players adjust to the international style of constant motion where the accent is pass, screen, drive or kick out.

The problem facing Philippine team coach Joseph Uichico is the same. In the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) which is a carbon copy of the NBA, players got used to the pro style of one-on-one where isolation at the post is the primary option. With the opposition bigger and better, Uichico–and Karl–now realize what worked in the past no longer applies in today’s level of competition.

Wendell Alexis, a former Syracuse University star who played six years as an import in Germany, told The Star the other day the unfamiliarity with the international style led to the US downfall here.

"In the NBA, there’s a lot of the two-man game, the isolation at the post," he said. "They don’t switch much because players just stay on the ball by fighting over picks. They rely on their individual skills more than team play. You can’t expect to win with that style against international teams that play like a unit."

Alexis, 38, flew here from his New Jersey home to help out the Der Speigel newspaper staff in analyzing the games. In 1998, he was one of 12 players picked to represent the US at the World Championships in Athens when NBA stars refused to suit up because of the lockout. "I’m grateful for the opportunity to play for my country," he said. "You can’t turn your back on your country if you’re asked to play."

Yugoslavian center Vlade Divac, one of five NBA players in the squad, said, "You have to understand the international game is so different from NBA. You need so much time to get used to the rules. And it’s frustrating for them. International guys take advantage of it."

The unfamiliarity was evident in the loss to Argentina. The Americans didn’t play defense as a team and were badly burned in backdoor setups. Individually, they were superior to the Argentinians but as a team, they stunk.

Italian national coach Carlo Recalcati, who planed in to scout the opposition for the next European championships, said if the US only had a dominant center like a Shaquille O’Neal or an Alonzo Mourning, its fate could’ve been different.

"The US team in Sydney was tougher because the big men–Mourning and Kevin Garnett–were dominant," said Recalcati. Antonio Davis and Ben Wallace alternated at center for the US here. Neither proved to be dominant.

Recalcati, incidentally, said he was pleased to learn of the Philippine team’s progress in preparing for the Asian Games. "I hope the Italy trip helped out," he added, referring to the Filipinos’ recent four-game swing in Milan and Sondrio where they played Recalcati’s national squad.

As for finding a solution to the US problem in international competitions, Alex Wolff of Sports Illustrated ruled out the option of bringing back college players to represent the country and said the backtrack would unfairly pit US boys against the men of Yugoslavia, Argentina, and the rest.

The UShas learned a bitter lesson here. Before losing to Argentina and Yugoslavia, no US team made up of NBA players had ever lost in international competition. The streak of 58 straight wins was snapped by Argentina.

Maybe, Jordan would’ve kept the streak alive. He would’ve brought more fans in to inspire the US to play harder. He would’ve lifted the spirits of his teammates. He would’ve awed the opposition out of their jerseys. Then again, maybe he wouldn’t have.

What the US needed was all-out support from the NBA stars. Karl made do with whomever answered the call to fight for flag and country. The marquee stars stayed away because they couldn’t be bothered vacationing in the NBA offseason.

O’Neal, Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, Mourning, Tim Duncan and the other missing NBA marquee players should be blamed for the US humiliation not Karl’s makeshift squad.

Postscript. Watch Solar TV’s telecast of the semifinals on RPN-9 at 7 p.m. tonight. The first semifinals game will be shown at 1 p.m. with a replay at 7 p.m. The second will be aired at 9 p.m.