FIBA and NBA news: Dario Saric, Deandre Ayton, and Argentina’s woes

Did Argentina completely fail to capitalize on their golden generation?

Remember when Manu Ginobili led Argentina to an Olympic Gold medal in 2004? Remember when they had him, Luis Scola, Carlos Delfino, Andres Nocioni, and Fabricio Oberto in the NBA? Remember Pablo Prigioni dropping geriatric dimes for the New York Knicks?

Basketball will never be bigger than soccer in Argentina, but over the past two decades, it seemed like it was going to establish itself as a close second.

Argentina even won the silver medal at the 2019 FIBA World Cup, losing in the final to Spain at the end of their incredible run behind Facundo Campazzo.

They won’t be participating in this summer’s FIBA World Cup though after they failed to qualify.

And Bahamas fairytale story is Argentina’s nightmare. Their loss in the final to the Bahamas guarantees they won’t be in next summer’s Olympics as well.

With Campazzo heading back to Real Madrid they now have zero players in the NBA, and they haven’t won a medal at the U17 and U19 levels in over 12 years.

This is an abject failure to capitalize on their golden generation, and they are going to have to dig deep and seriously think about their future if they want to get back to the heights they once reached.