Is there enough pride for Team USA to return to international prominence

Friday, Aug. 4, 2006 | 7:23 a.m.

A lot of people - well, a few die-hard basketball fans, anyway - want to know when Team USA is going to return to its old Dream Team, Charles Barkley-taunting-a-skinny-Angola-player-after-throwing-him-to-the-floor ways. This concern arose as Team USA was getting thrown to the floor itself by the Argentinas and the Puerto Ricos of the international basketball world during its last few forays into the land of the 3-point shot and trapezoid free-throw lane.

Remember what Barkley said? "You hit me, I'll hit you - even if it doesn't look like he's eaten for a while."

Man, that seems like such a long time ago.

That was when the Dream Team used to pose for photographs with the other team before beating it 116-48.

Now, Team USA mostly postures instead of poses, as evidenced by its 15-12 record the last three times the world has gotten together for a friendly game of hoops.

Those who care about our reputation as a basketball-playing superpower are constantly offering remedies to cure this slam-dunk funk we've been in.

We need to reach out to our best players. Or our best coaches. We need somebody who can shoot the 3. Or defend it. We need a national team that stays together. Or plays together.

Whatever we need, we need it now, before Manu Ginobili starts launching 3-point howitzers from the Buenos Aires suburbs.

What we really need to do is return the favor. Instead of letting Argentina take another page from our book, we need to nick one from theirs.

It's not that crucial to get a hand in the shooter's face. It's not the end of the world if we don't help on defense, or block out on the boards, or adjust to the referee's whistle, although that would certainly make things easier.

All we really need is about a dozen guys to learn the words to the "Star-Spangled Banner." And then we need them to shout it out loud, before the game, like the Kiss Army. Like it means something.

Like they do in Argentina and so many other places around the globe where you are born with national pride, instead of developing it.

During the recently concluded World Cup, the cameras picked up Diego Maradona, the Argentine soccer legend, during the playing of "Himno Nacional Argentino," his country's national anthem.

Maradona was singing like one of the Three Tenors. Tears were streaming down his face. He was sitting in the middle of the stands, wearing an Argentina jersey, which was remarkable in itself, considering he retired in 1997.

What are the chances that Michael Jordan will be sitting in the stands at next month's World Basketball Championships in Japan, singing the national anthem while wearing his Dream Team jersey?

As slim as that Angola player that Sir Charles put onto his keister, I would guess.

Mike Krzyzewski, the new Team USA coach, gets it. In an attempt to instill a little national pride in his troops, he had them visit with real ones.

Last week, Coach K brought in one of his former players from the Army, Col. Robert B. Brown, and three of Col. Brown's soldiers who were wounded in Iraq, to talk to the NBA stars.

One of the soldiers, Capt. Scott Smiley, was blinded while fighting for his country.

Kind of makes taking a charge seem inconsequential, doesn't it?

"It puts it into perspective, what those guys have gone through," said Dwyane Wade, who along with Gilbert Arenas wore wireless transmitters to communicate with Smiley during practice. "What we go through, this is just a game."

Earlier this week, Krzyzewski had Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., another war hero who was held captive for 5 1/2 years in Vietnam, address the team.

You think Argentina's zone is tough? Try being bayoneted on your broken leg by angry Vietnamese soldiers.

"He talked about his service to his country, which we'll never be able to duplicate," Coach K said. "He stayed at a different Hilton than we do."

To prove my point, or because I needed them to see that far, I took my binoculars to the Thomas & Mack Center Thursday night and trained them on the USA players during the national anthem. None was singing. None was lip-syncing. But four at least placed their hands over their hearts.

Then the USA, its vocal cords well rested, went out and beat Puerto Rico, 114-69.