I have been there.
Yes, you feel useless.
If so, then you either be happy about it or look for others ways to help.
Looking back, I should have done more when I tried to join a college org in my third year. I was placed in a committee I did not like by sophomores.
I was pretty salty about it because I tried my best to make that college org work. The current one I had, playing StarCraft, Counterstrike, or Wolfenstein in between classes, is just a computer shop where I sometimes go to cut class. I wanted to learn about directing and I was sent to solicitation. I don't like borrowing money because I have trouble begging for it. Going door to door in malls, even if they have a "no solicitations" sign is just embarrassing. Again, I wanted to learn about directing.
That prompted me to go.
If I wasn't such a prude, maybe it could have been a way to fine tune my sportscaster passion.
ANYWAY!
Again, I have been there. We have all been there. I like Tyrese Haliburton's analogy of doing nothing in a group project and getting an "A" in the process. I don't get why people are salty about him and Jayson Tatum getting benched and again, I am a Boston Celtics fan.
Then again, this also prompted me to be a fan of Tyrese Haliburton.
I am so taking care of this card.
Again, coaches have a say on who makes the team and who gets to play top dog minutes. I know Charles Barkley and the other media people want to see Tatum. I think this is also the thing raised about the 3X3 team. Instead of G-Leaguers, we all want to see NBA All-Stars or former NBA stars there. However, this is always going to be an official decision.
If Steve Kerr is comfortable of having Lebron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant playing for a bunch of minutes, then he has the luxury to do it. Team USA has won all of their games in the Olympics.
Meanwhile, Team USA's 3X3 team failed because Jimmer Fredette got injured. I know this seems a crap excuse, but it's not the case especially if you consider the difference between 5V5 and 3X3 basketball. A 3X3 game is extremely fast-paced because you have to think of defense while playing offense. They enforce a 12-second shot clock and instead of getting a rebound and passing, some run for the rebound, run to the other side of the rim so you can clear the ball and at times, throw a fadeaway three-pointer just to keep the opponent off-guard. Sometimes, players get injured because they twist their body wrong.
You can't walk to the halfcourt because there isn't one. You can't rest in the shaded area because it's so goddamn busy, and if you see the other team swapping players and you can't, that's psychological trauma right there.
Jimmer is the top 3X3 player in the world and there are only four players in a 3X3 team. And as per Olympic rules, you can't replace a player if you already submitted a roster.
This is why Steve Kerr made the call to replace Kawhi Leonard with Derrick White.
So yeah, Team USA's 3X3 team is toast.
But maybe this is where Team USA can do better. If they believe the NBA has the best players in the world and they have been playing multiple positions for some time now, then why can't guys like Haliburton, Tatum, and Jayson Brown play in the 3X3?
And to save money, maybe they can just get some of the 5V5 players. Not only will this be another avenue to present NBA stars, it could strengthen the 3X3 game moving forward. In the PBA, they shelved the 3X3 because it isn't as bankable.
That said, if the NBA started the four-point play, then we're probably going to follow their trend without the doubt.
Inasmuch as Big3 is helpful in putting the game in the US, it's hard to take the game seriously when the stars of the league are former NBA players.
At first they had legends, but as the years went by, they have become journeymen and busts. Yes, Michael Beasley is thriving in this setup along with Joe Johnson, but maybe this is the right to introduce the NBA players to do this. Maybe it's time for these dudes to make them prove that they are the best. Americans think 3X3 is nothing but a shootaround as most countries are trying hard to legitimize the sport.
The original four NBA players COULD have 1992 Barcelona Game vibes if they do this.
Okay, so maybe that's a stretch. I doubt if the rest of the Olympics would fear NBA starters in this situation. But what if they get the four biggest names in the league, a la Lebron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and even Kyrie Irving and Kawhi Leonard for that matter?
Even in their worst, Team USA finds a way to conquer basketball. Now it's time for them to conquer ALL forms of basketball.