Awful luck

Team USA's most serious problem in the 2004 Olympics was a lack of outside shooting. Opposing teams would play zone, our guards would become frustrated, and Iverson and Marbury would blindly attempt jumpshots.

Now, I am somewhat optimistic about our chances in the 2006 world championship, if only because we won't have black holes/terrible defenders like Marbury and Iverson. But I can't escape the fact that neither Redd nor Billups, who would have been our best outside shooters, will be able to attend this year's tournament. That might be a serious problem.