Sports
 

Hoop heroes drop ball

By Tom Carpenter
The Daily Cougar

Terrorism has become a Damocles' sword for NBA players. It hangs in the air by the gossamer thread of a threat, its presence unseen. The constant menace jeopardizes the fortunes of men rich enough to be kings. But unlike kings, NBA players can abdicate their thrones when it benefits them.

Security concerns, ever the bane of the protected and pampered, have created a clearly defined demarcation line between those who will play for Old Glory and those who won't play for the United States, the land that elevated these athletes to celebrity status and showered the wealth of the world upon them to reward their superior athleticism.

Greece plans to spend an unprecedented $1.2 billion to ensure the safety of the athletes and fans who participate in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens next month, while America will provide the hosts with the most advanced surveillance technology our government possesses to make the games as secure as possible. 

While no amount of money can guarantee anyone's safety anywhere on earth, it's enough for Larry Brown, head coach of the NBA champions the Detroit Pistons and head coach of the U.S. men's basketball team.

Brown will be there, along with Tim Duncan, Ben Wallace, Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, Shawn Marion, LeBron James, Richard Jefferson and Amare Stoudemire. Carlos Boozer and Dwyane Wade will replace the latest pros who turned down an invitation, Mike Bibby and Jermaine O'Neal.

The players who rejected an invitation to play on the U.S. Olympic team besides Bibby (he "wants to rest") and O'Neal (leg injury) include Jason Kidd (knees need to heal), Tracy McGrady (safety concerns), Ray Allen (getting married), Karl Malone (old and drained), Kevin Garnett (security), Kenyon Martin, Kobe Bryant (rape trial), Vince Carter, Elton Brand and Shaquille O'Neal -- all icons of the NBA.

Injury certainly qualifies as a legitimate reason to reject an Olympic berth, but what about getting married or wanting to rest?

What happened to Garnett and the war rhetoric he spewed when his Timberwolves were playing the Kings in the NBA playoffs? 

"I'm loading the Uzis. I'm ready for war," Garnett said.

He sounds like the perfect addition for a security-conscious team.

Bryant gets a free pass from the Olympics because he must go to court to face the consequences of a previous character meltdown.

Rejecting an opportunity to represent your country in the Olympics is not exactly the type of decision ordinary folks expect from their heroes. It lacks, for want of a better word, character, especially when every woman who received an invitation to play basketball for our country accepted the honor.

Terrorism continues to hone the ill-conceived definition of a sports "hero." I can think of about a dozen men who were just shaved from the list..

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