LeBron James, the greatest basketball player alive, is not a member of the United States Olympic
basketball legends team. However, after witnessing the Americans' struggles, he expresses a desire to be on the field himself. He, on the other hand, is not. Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, and a handful of other elite players aren't any better.
As much as we would like sophisticated explanations for Team USA's troubles, the explanation may be lot more straightforward: This team isn't nearly as talented as previous dominant squads, and the evidence supports this claim. Obviously, guys like James and Curry feel comfortable sitting out, which lowers the quality level. However, it also means that the team will have to adapt to a large number of new players in a short period of time, which will make it more difficult to win games. Despite the fact that Team USA still has a significant talent edge, this creates a chink in its armor.
