Team USA doomed to fail without immediate changes

	Dunks have been plentiful for LeBron James and Team USA, which won by an average margin of 23 points per game in the first round. Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images

Warning: The following column contains pessimism and player-hating to the highest degree.

So Team USA has advanced to the medal round in the FIBA World Championship. Big deal. An elite high school team could have taken Senegal. So the U.S. beat its group-play competition by an average of 23 points per game. So what? The Americans were one Carmelo Anthony injury away from getting spanked by Italy.

I'm on record as saying I don't believe the U.S. will win the World Championship. Do I think the Americans are the most talented? Yes. Do I think they work hard? Absolutely. Do I think they stand a chance against Argentina? Not even a little.

That's what it's all about, really. Argentina. The Argentines are the Patriots to the U.S.' Colts. They are Ali to our Quarry. Jordan to our Ehlo. You get the idea. Watching the Americans play is exciting; they are a fast-breaking, high-flying circus act capable of putting up points in bunches. So is the AND1 Mixtape Tour.

The truth is, Team USA has fallen into the same trap it did at the 2004 Olympics. It runs no plays. And if it has set offenses, it never uses them. It still runs isolation plays on nearly every possession. It has no shooters, a weakness that will be exposed when the competition improves.

And it will improve. Should the U.S. get by Australia (which features Bucks center Andrew Bogut), it will likely have to face Dirk Nowitzki and Germany, whom the U.S. needed an Allen Iverson prayer at the buzzer to beat in Athens. After Germany comes the survivor of the France-Greece-China troika. Then Argentina. It just keeps getting better.

Watching the U.S. play reminds me of a scene from The West Wing. It's when Alan Alda's character, Senator Vinick, has to choose his running mate for the fall election. His staff gives him two choices. One guarantees a win, but not a big one. The other won't guarantee a win, but if done right could mean a sweep of all 50 states. The Americans might be able to run every team out of the building. They have the talent to do it. But if they would run an offense, an effective offense that puts every player in motion and utilizes the team's superior size and athleticism, it would guarantee a victory. Maybe not a lopsided victory, but a win nonetheless.

The U.S. should take the next few days and learn an offense. Any offense. Run the triangle if you have to. It's the only way you can win in international competition. Pound the ball in the post with LeBron James and Dwight Howard and open up lanes for slashers like Dwyane Wade and Anthony. Utilize Brad Miller in the high post. Set a screen for someone not dribbling the ball. Pretend an NBA playoff berth is on the line.

As it stands, the Americans seem either unwilling or unable to make that commitment. They continue to be indifferent when defending the three-point line. Wait until Manu Ginobili and Andres Nocioni start teeing them up. They think they can run everyone else out of the building. Doesn't work when Argentina plays defense like a hockey team, dropping two defenders back after every shot. As the old saying goes, those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

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