OLY: Men's Basketball Preview

The 2016 Olympic games are just over a month away, and as usual, men’s basketball will have a spotlight hanging over it. There will be two groups of six teams each, the top four teams from each group advancing to a single-elimination tournament. Nine of the required 12 teams have qualified, while 15 countries are vying for the final three spots. Group A consists of Australia, China, United States, Venezuela, and two to-be-determined teams. Group B is the more difficult collection with Argentina, Brazil, Lithuania, Nigeria, Spain, and one unknown opponent. I will break down each Group and team, touching on the rankings, rosters, and who the three unqualified teams could be.

Argentina (7th appearance, ranked No. 4 in the world): There are only a select few teams that have a possibility of challenging the United States, and this is one of them. Argentina has five players that have spent time in the NBA: Pablo Prigioni, Manu Ginobili, Andres Nocioni, Luis Scola, and Carlos Delfino. Ginobili has had the most success, winning four championships, making the All-Star team twice, being selected to the NBA All-Third Team twice, and winning the 2008 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award. He has declined slightly over the past few seasons, as he is 38 years old, but he still has a ton of talent. His teammates, including Scola, really seem to pick it up and play to their full potential when sporting their national colors.

Australia (14th appearance, ranked No. 11 in the world): The Australians have one of the most well known band of players, as six of their men play in the NBA. The guards are the strength of this team, Patty Mills (San Antonio Spurs) averaged 8.5 points and 2.8 assists per game last season, and his backcourt mate, Matthew Dellavedova (Cleveland Cavaliers) averaged 7.5 points and 4.4 assists. Both players have won a NBA championship during their career, which will give them an upper hand in the experience category. Other Australian notables are Joe Ingles (Utah Jazz), Cameron Bairstow (Detroit Pistons), Aron Baynes (Detroit Pistons), and Andrew Bogut (Golden State Warriors).

Brazil (16th appearance, ranked No. 9 in the world): Brazil has nine players that have played in the NBA, which is the third most (behind United States and Spain). But the nine players are far less talented than other countries. Leandro Barbosa is probably the team’s best player, and he averaged just 6.4 points and 1.2 assists for the Golden State Warriors last season. Other notables are Raul Neto (Utah Jazz), Bruno Caboclo (Toronto Raptors), Nene (Washington Wizards), Anderson Varejao (Golden State Warriors), Marcelo Huertas (Los Angeles Lakers), Tiago Splitter (Atlanta Hawks), Scott Machado (Current Free Agent and Former Houston Rockets), and Christian Felicio (Chicago Bulls). The big men of Brazil have been pretty dominant in world competition.

Spain (12th appearance, ranked No. 2 in the world): Spain won the silver medal in 2008, losing to the United States 118-107. Then they won the silver medal in 2012, losing to the U.S. 107-100, trailing by only one point heading to the fourth quarter. This is the team that has the best chance to take down the men from America. 11 of their players have spent time in the NBA, including two perennial All-Stars in Marc and Pau Gasol. Spain also has Ricky Rubio, who was selected with the 5th overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Serge Ibaka, who has been selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team three times. Other big name players are Jose Calderon (Chicago Bulls), Juan Hernangomez (Denver Nuggets), and Nikola Mirotic (Chicago Bulls).

United States (18th appearance, ranked No. 1 in the world): The U.S. is by far the best, most experienced, and most gifted team in the world. After finishing third in the 2004 games, the United States has responded well, winning back-to-back Gold medals. 11 of the 12 players have appeared in at least one All-Star game, 4 of the 12 players have won a championship, and one player (Kevin Durant) won the NBA MVP in 2014. The U.S. has won virtually every national tournament they have entered in the last decade and has the best chance to again. The backcourt consists of: Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson. The forwards are Durant, Carmelo Anthony, and Draymond Green. And lastly, the bigs are DeMarcus Cousins and DeAndre Jordan.

Predictions:

G: United States

S: Spain

B: Lithuania

Photo Credit: The Source.