This year was supposed to be different for Team USA basketball; instead, it was just more of the same.

After declaring to the nation that this would be the year America reclaimed its prestige at the FIBA World Championship, the new-look team finished just like those of the last four years: in complete and utter disappointment.

While Team USA's 101-95 semifinal loss to Greece came as somewhat of a shock, the team's shortfall in international play has almost become an expectation.

But with the best players in the world, it shouldn't.

USA should be winning every game by a considerable margin. However, the reasons it is not are painfully obvious.

The previous two head coaches, George Karl and Larry Brown, received a great amount of heat for the U.S.'s failure, and so should Mike Krzyzewski.

It appeared as though Krzyzewski would have no problem coaching a squad full of NBA all-stars, but in the end, he did. He should've known better — they don't play defense in the Association, and the loss to Greece proved it.

Yet even with a team that plays no 'D,' Krezyzewski could have done a better job. The Greeks won with one play and one play only: the pick-and-roll. Not exactly the most difficult offensive scheme to game plan for.

Defense wasn't Team USA's only problem, though. It never had a regular line-up to work with, and that falls all on Krzeyzewski. I mean, how is Dwyane Wade not starting when he's scoring nearly a point-per-minute? Yes, I know he took himself out of the starting lineup for one measly game, but still.

As bad as USA's defense was against Greece, its personnel decisions in the second half were even worse. Dwight Howard dominated the first half but was nowhere to be found in the second.

The team's other big men — Brad Miller, Chris Bosh and even Coach K.'s former Dukie Elton Brand — didn't receive much more tick, either, leaving Sofoklis Schortsanitis, aka "Baby Shaq," to have his way in the lane on the Greeks' pick-and-roll.

And Krzeyzewski's offense was a joke. One-on-five isolation plays work in the NBA but nowhere else. This team was supposed to play like a real team, but it looks as though "Starbury's" impact stayed with them.

It's hard to believe, but every other country had some sort of offensive game plan that was superior to Team USA's. Backdoor cuts, pick-and-rolls, even simple ball movement beats isolation plays. US Assistant Coach Mike D'Antoni must've been itching to call some plays from the bench.

Even USA Basketball Director Jerry Colangelo's plan of having the same group of players bound together in preparation for the Olympics and future international play has gone astray.

You know, the players who declined to participate this year will want a crack at the Olympic team in two years — though none of them will probably want to go to Venezula next year to qualify — and the U.S. can't reject the likes of Chauncey Billups, Michael Redd and Kobe Bryant when outside shooting is somewhat of a necessity in the international game.

Speaking of Colangelo, who ever made him the supreme overlord of American basketball? Sure, he's been an influential owner in the sports world, but this isn't exactly a franchise in the same sense. Give me someone like Spike Lee instead — at least he's got street cred. Hey, he made all those cool Michael Jordan commercials and has seen the best and worst of Knicks basketball up close and personal.

Sorry about the random tangent, but seriously, USA Basketball is going downhill. The rest of the countries around the globe are getting better, and America isn't as good as it once was. But the US still ought to be the world's top team.

Michael was born in Ceiba Sur, Puerto Rico and, thus, couldn't really care less about USA Basketball. He can be reached at [email protected]