Why is the quality of the NBA deteriorating?

Let me ask you one thing. Why the most important players wasn't in US team?

I think its mainly because our best players don't want to go for fear of health, injury, safety, and I don't blame them because they also want time with their family. If somebody from the NBA finals plays in the Olympics thats a very long year of basketball and can take a huge toll on their bodies. That means they start training camp in early October then preseason then the season until April, then you got playoffs until mid-June, and then the Olympics which last til late August. That leaves them a very short time off with their families. I kinda went off topic you asked why the US has been losing? You also gotta take note that other countrys are indeed getting better and also alot of NBA players that are foreigners are playing for their own country which is another reason. Don't worry we still are the best basketball country.

I don't believe that the American players want it as bad as they once did. They dont play very hard. They play less like team, compared to other nations teams.

The US team has gone down because the "1st string players" or the players that the US initially wanted to play either are injured or don't want to play and waste their energy in risk of getting injured before the next NBA season. Shaq declined to play because he didn't want to exert that much more energy for fear of being fatigued during the regular season. I think Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett did the same thing, but I may be wrong. Back in the day, there was more pride I think for players representing the US. Guys like Jordan, Larry bird, Magic, Kareem, and other superstars just dominated everyone. Countries dreaded playing us. I think if the players that were chosen first actually played, then we would be right back up there as a legitimate gold medal contender.

I think that the NBA is not getting any worse; in fact, it is getting better if anything. The problem is, other countries are catching up with US Basketball, and becoming powerhouses themselves. Also, the European style of basketball, a faster- paced style where even big men can lead breaks, is prevailing over the big- man American style. I think the NBA has realized that putting 12 super- stars on a bench does not a team make. I like the idea of starting from ground- up, and honestly, I believe Americans are getting back to the top of the basketball nations of the World.

I don't believe the quality of the NBA is deteriorating. Today, the NBA is at its best because of the best players coming from different parts of the world it harnessed, motivated, trained, and showed in the world of basketball. Before say during the 1960's through the 1980's, only few international players had join the NBA, and most of the players were americans. But, nowadays, starting the 1990's, the NBA is now played by international players from various countries all over the world, be it americans, canadians, europeans, south americans, asians, and even africans. This only means that the NBA, is now the centerstage of the basketball world with the entries of international players. With this overwhelming progress, the NBA is the epitome of success in the arena of basketball. Therefore, with this success the NBA had never been deteriorated. The unsuccessful bid of the US team to win the basketball olympics or world championships this recent years, is not the failure of the NBA. Other countries winning the olympics or world championships do always have NBA players in their rosters. It is now a fact that, international players that played in the NBA, are better that american NBA players who have been participated in the US Team. The NBA is a great organization, and is now emerging and evolving as the ultimate arena in the world of basketball, showcasing the best of the best of the world.

yeah, it dropped down now.