Kobe Bryant is right about Team USA’s harsh new reality…kind of

The rest of the world may have caught up to Team USA basketball, but before we blame this loss on external forces, it’s time we face a few harsh internal realities.

After Team USA lost its second consecutive game at the FIBA World Cup, Kobe Bryant opined that international competition would never again be a cakewalk for the United States, not because we’re worse, but because the rest of the world is fully caught up to where we are as a basketball power. I had two takeaways from these statements:

1) Since when do we need to get Kobe’s thoughts on this stuff? Like…is this going to be a thing from now on? Getting his opinion on all things hoops-related? I am not prepared for this reality. More importantly…

2) He’s not totally wrong.

Of course other countries have gotten better, some immensely so. Still, in theory, our best of the best should still be able to enter one of these tournaments as something more than a slight favorite. If anything, this year’s Spanish team isn’t quite as good as the one that gave the U.S. fits in the gold medal game a decade ago.

We still won of course, and it wasn’t at all a surprise. That’s because almost immediately in the wake of the 2004 disaster, everyone knew the talent coming down the pipeline would be enough to tilt the scales once again.

It all started with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony. They were members of the ’04 squad, but all had just finished up their rookie years. They weren’t yet ready for the burden of international play, but four years would make a night-and-day difference for the three future Hall-of-Famers.

Throw in their draft classmate Chris Bosh and recent first overall pick Dwight Howard, and there were two replacements-in-waiting for departing center Tim Duncan. Meanwhile, a certain dynamo had just finished his freshman year at Wake Forest and was already being talked about as the best pure guard prospect since Jason Kidd.

Oh, and a 25-year-old Kobe had recently wrapped-up his third consecutive season on the All-NBA First Team, having established himself as the most dominant wing scorer since Michael Jordan and the guy who would bridge the gap from Mike to LeBron. He was their ace in the hole.

Put it all together, and Team USA still had more than enough cards to play to not only get back in the game, but put forth a dominant effort when they were firing on all cylinders.

It’s this recent reality that makes the 41-year-old Bryant’s comments hard to accept. The United States isn’t just in trouble because everyone else got better; it’s in trouble because there are no ready-made reinforcements waiting in the wings like there were after 2004.

If that seems preposterous, take a look at the All-NBA Teams from last season. Of the 11 American players to make it, none is in the prime of his career. Six are on the wrong side of 30, and Damian Lillard, Paul George and Kemba Walker are all 29. Kawhi Leonard is 28, but with the importance he places on rest and recovery, there’s zero chance he enters the fray. That leaves Kyrie Irving, who, umm…might not be the Captain America you’re looking for.

The reality is that these tournaments continue to be won on the perimeter, and all of the United States’ most promising young players — Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson would top my personal list — man the middle. There are no ready-made, future Hall-of-Fame wings or guards in or near their prime just waiting for a chance to shine.

There are names, to be sure, but no one to match the caliber of what was coming down the pipeline a decade and a half ago. Devin Booker, DeAaron Fox and Bradley Beal — all of whom either dropped out or removed themselves from consideration early — are the three most likely ones, but does anyone think they would’ve changed the ultimate result this year? Maybe at some point, Trae Young or Ja Morant could have it in them to carry a roster for stretches of time, but the physical play of this tournament doesn’t lend itself to someone who is 175 pounds soaking wet.

All told, even with the “call to arms” that figures to follow this loss, it’s doubtful that much will change. We’ve entered a new reality of international play. The days of winning easy, and maybe winning at all, are gone.

Just don’t say it’s all about the other guys getting better. Larry Bird ain’t walking through that door, and by the look of it, no one that comes remotely close is either.