BEIJING -- From the minute Team USA lost to France in the quarterfinals earlier this week, USA Basketball had to begin preparing itself for 10 months from now and the Olympics in Tokyo.
Fair or not, that is shaping up to be a referendum on the state of the national team.
The modern era of Olympic basketball started in 1992 in Barcelona. And for all the Olympics since, the Americans have sent a team loaded with All-Stars and high-level role players who represented the birthplace of the game at the highest level. Even when they were beaten, it was not because of talent issues.