| 11 July 2010
The world's premier international competition ended Sunday when Andres Iniesta sent Spain to its first World Cup title. The world's next big international competition will tip off in Turkey in mid-August.
The US national basketball team will try to build off its success in the 2008 Olympics and win the FIBA World Basketball Championships. This is a tournament the nation typically does not take too seriously. But it is the World Cup of basketball. And a competition the rest of the world takes very seriously. To most nations, this is THE basketball competition and much more important than the Olympics.
When US basketball reorganized itself following the 2004 Olympics, where the team won the bronze medal, it made it a condition that players would participate in both the World Championships and the Olympics. Remember it was clear there were problems in the program when the team finished sixth and had trouble getting top players to play at the 2002 World Championships, which the U.S. hosted.
The Orlando Sentinel is now reporting Howard has decided not to suit up in the red, white and blue for the next major tournament. This is bad news for Team USA, but probably good news for the Magic.
Howard has been burning it on both ends completing his obligations to the national team while working to improve his individual game. Dwight's individual game has improved by leaps and bounds even while fulfilling his national team duty. But you can clearly feel and see that he has not necessarily had the time to spend a full summer playing basketball and improving his game. He has had other responsibilities as a basketball player in the summer that one could argue kept him from working on his offense.
After all, his role while playing with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant was to be the defensive stopper and rebounder. It undoubtedly made him a better defensive player as he had to focus on virtually only playing defense at a very high level for an entire offseason. It led to him winning back-to-back defensive player of the year awards and the rebounding and blocks title. Of course the fact he is a physical specimen insanely athletic for a man his size also might have led to that.
What has improved slowly is his offensive game. In previous summers, would Howard have had the time to go to Hakeem Olajuwon to work on his post game? Probably not. But he had last summer too.
The Olympics and the national team was overall a great experience for him and showed him what his peers were doing to win (it also may have inadvertently created his biggest challenge to overcome for a title).
As bad as it is to say, Howard has gotten all has has needed from the national team. For him to grow as a player and improve, he needs to work on his own and take the summer off from competitive basketball (the other marketing stuff maybe too, but this is the business time of the year for these players). The international game is a lot harder for centers like him to adjust their skills to. Most centers overseas are not hulking big men but rather guys with finesse who can step out and take jumpers and even 3-pointers. Howard is not that kind of center and rarely dominated the international games the way he dominates NBA games.
Now is the time for Howard to spend his time in the gym honing that short jumper he unleashed occasionally this year. It is time to work on that footwork with Olajuwon that will allow him to break down any defender.
The Heat laid down a gauntlet to Howard and the Magic. The team's success ultimately will determine whether Howard has answered that challenge. But, as always, the star bears the brunt of the burden. And Howard needs this summer to prepare.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
