Man Bites Dog -- Italy Beats the U.S.

Big news on the sports headlines this afternoon was that the Italian national team, which does not have one NBA player on it, beat the U.S. team by 17 points. My guess is that the captains of the Italian team don't fuss about making practices or getting to team meetings on time. Memo to USA Basketball: the international game is all about shooting. Remember when the Brazilians ageless Oscar used to singe the twine for 40 a game against the U.S.? Understand now that many Europeans have better fundamentals than the U.S. squad? Wonder why your team of young superstars got blasted by a team of lesser talents? Join the club.

Great quote from U.S.A. team co-captain Allen Iverson: "This is a wake-up call for us."

Let's hope that the Answer answers the wake-up call in an unusual fashion for him -- on time.

Memo to Larry Brown: figure this team out soon, or else, believe it or not, they might remember your Olympic losses more than your NBA championship.