Jottings from the Granite Studio

This has nothing to do with China, the Qing dynasty, or history. It’s about sports. This will happen occasionally, just bear with me.

Chuck Klosterman has a great article on ESPN.com that could save USA basketball. How?

As Klosterman explains:

“Right now, there are dozens (maybe hundreds) of wonderful 18- and 19-year-old D-I and juco basketball players who probably should not be in college. They have no interest in academics; they are attending school only because it’s the best potential avenue for playing basketball professionally. This is bad for the integrity of the university system (obviously), and it’s often bad for the individuals themselves (this desperate dream sets them up for disappointment without preparing them for life). But these are the very kids who could save American basketball. Why don’t we select 15 of these non-scholar-athletes and turn them into the U.S. national team? It would seem to solve a lot of problems at once.

Have this national team play barnstorming games around the world. During NBA All-Star weekend, they could serve as the opponents for the Rookie Game; on Sunday night during the Final Four, they could play a nationally televised exhibition against whoever won the NIT championship. They could play random games in Europe and China. They could challenge the Globetrotters, for all I care. But here is the thing: THEY WOULD ALWAYS BE PLAYING TOGETHER. Always. And then — after they unexpectedly win the gold (or after they valiantly lose) — they could declare themselves eligible for the NBA (or the CBA) draft. And unlike most of their peers, they’d actually understand why basketball is a team game.”

Brilliant idea. Will it ever happen? Probably not.