1.) Spain
Calderon / Rubio
Navarro / Llull
Fernandez / Mumbru / San Emeterio
Reyes / Garbajosa / Claver
M. Gasol / Vazquez
No Pau Gasol? No problem. Spain more than makes up for it with his brother Marc Gasol and the athletic Fran Vazquez. Rubio and Calderon handle the playmaking duties, while Navarro and Fernandez take control of the scoring on the wings. San Emeterio, Mumbru, Reyes, and Garbajosa bring veteran presence, scoring, and toughness off the bench. Llull, Claver, and Vazquez provide the necessary athleticism needed to combat USA bench players. The most complete team in the tournament.
2.) Team USA
Rondo / Rose / Westbrook
Billups / Curry
Iguodala / Gay / Granger
Durant / Odom
Chandler / Love
Team USA is always a threat to win it all but with this depleted roster, it's far from a lock. Kevin Durant will be the go to guy for this team with Derrick Rose playing second fiddle...after that it's a large drop off. The guard situation is still unclear but it appears that Stephen Curry and Chauncey Billups are locks and will be needed against the zone defenses Team USA will face. Rudy Gay might be the third option that this team needs offensively as well as an athletic spark off the bench. Lamar Odom will need to be consistent and Chandler has to stay healthy for the US to claim gold.
3.) Greece
Diamantidis / Zisis
Spanoulis / Calathes / Vasiliadis
Perperoglou / Printezis
Fotsis / Kaimakaglou
Bourousis / Schortsanitis / Tsartsaris
Known in the past for slowing down the pace of the game and running lots of pick and rolls, new coach Jonas Kazlauskas has this team looking like a fast paced, well oiled offensive machine. Spanoulis will always be the go to guy on this team, while Bourousis and Schortsanitis are two huge bodies in the post that have vastly different skill sets. The mercurial Fotsis is an X factor for this team similar to Lamar Odom, while Tsartsaris is a tough defender and scorer off the bench. Nick Calathes brings some youth and energy off the bench and has the ability to play both guard positions while Vasiliadis is a prolific scorer and the zone buster for this team. Diamantidis has been known for years as one of the premier defenders in Europe and can guard 3 positions effectively, knock down the 3 ball, and handle the playmaking duties - an extremely important piece for this Greek team.
4.) Brazil
Huertas / Nezinho / Neto
Barbosa / Alex
Marcelinho / Vinicius
Varejao / Guilherme / Becker
Nene / Splitter
In a tournament where several elite big men are missing, Brazil stands out from the pack. Possibly having the best triumvirate of bigs in the tournament, the South American squad also brings excellent perimeter shooting and athleticism to the table. Marcelo Huertas was one of the best point guards in the ACB and a crucial piece to Caja Laboral's ACB title. Barbosa is an electrifying scorer whose speed may only be matched by a few players in the world. Alex Garcia and Marcelo Machado are elite 3 point threats and Marcus Vinicius is a former NBA player who brings athleticism and versatility on the defensive end. Despite coming off the bench, Tiago Splitter will get a ton of playing time and give Spurs fans a preview of what he's capable of when he destroys opposing bench bigs. NBA fans already know what Varejao and Nene are capable of. I rate this team higher than most.
5.) Serbia
Teodosic / Markovic
Tepic / Rasic
Keselj / Bjelica
Velickovic / Macvan / Savanovic
Krstic / Perovic / Radulijca
Last year's surprising Eurobasket finalists and the "OKC Thunder" of the World Championship look primed to make another deep run in the WC. Reigning Euroleague MVP Milos Teodosic is fearless and is an elite shooter and playmaker as well as possessing excellent size for either guard spot at 6'5". Tepic and Bjelica are two tall, young wing players that can play the 1,2,3 giving the Serbian squad excellent ball movement. Velickovic is a young combo forward that is already one of the better forwards in Europe. Nenad Krstic is the elder statesmen at age 27 and is a reliable presence in the post. Milan Macvan, an NBA prospect, is the Serbian version of Kevin Love and it should really interesting to see them go up against each other. Kosta Perovic didn't fare well in the NBA but has proven himself to be a very effective player in Europe. This team is loaded with tons of young talent (Radulijca, Keslj, Bjelica) and extremely schooled in its fundamentals at the helm of the great coach Dusko Ivkovic. Watch out for the young Serbs.
6.) Argentina
Prigioni / Cantero
Delfino / Quinteros
Nocioni / Jasen / Kammerichs
Scola / L. Gutierrez
Oberto / Gonzalez / J. Gutierrez
Does this aging group of veterans have on last medal left in them? That's what we'll find out in a few weeks time. Returning all the major players from the "golden era of Argentine basketball" minus Manu Ginobili and Walter Herrmann, Argentina looks dangerous and poised to make a run in this year's WC. Prigioni brings a reliable presence at the point guard spot and knows how to control the tempo of the game. Delfino will be relied upon to bring perimeter scoring and toughness, while Scola is always a beast internationally will be the go to guy for this team and might be the best big man in this tournament. Oberto and big Roman Gonzalez will be relied upon to clean up the boards and protect the rim. Hernan Jasen could be a crucial piece for this team if Andres Nocioni isn't at full strength. Quinteros is a lights out shooter and along with Jasen will be vital piece off the bench. Cantero and Leo Gutierrez are both good shooters and will need to knock down shots to relieve the starters some minutes.
D A R K H O R S E S
7.) Turkey
Tunçeri / Arslan
Onan / Güler / Buker
Turkoglu / Akyol
Ilyasova / Gönlüm
Asik / Erden / Savas
Lots of "experts" are rating the home town team high and as legitimate contenders but I'm not sold on them. Ersan Ilyasova is the go to guy on this team and is a stud in international play. Hedo has never been spectacular internationally but still holds the key to this team's success as their best playmaker and leader. NBA newcomers, Asik and Erden, as well as the wide Savas will hold down the 5 spot and should prove to be one of the best defensive group of centers in the tournament. Gonlum brings toughness while Ilyasova stretches the floor. The real question here is the guard play. Can Tunceri, Arslan, and Onan keep up with the Rose's, Rubio's, and Spanoulis' of the world? I don't think so.
8.) Slovenia
Lakovic / S. Udrih
Dragic / Becirovic / Klobucar
Nachbar / Jagodnik
Slokar / Zupan
Brezec / Vidmar / Rizvic
Pound for pound, Slovenia may be the best basketball nation in the world but they're missing 3 of their top 5 players as well as several other key rotation players. While Beno Udrih walking out on the team is a big loss, it's nothing compared to the decision of big man Erazem Lorbek to rest this summer. Lakovic is a gunner and essentially a Slovenian Eddie House, while Sani Becirovic is a scorer off the bench and can play both guard positions. Goran Dragic is talented and will need to be consistent for the Slovenians to make a deep run. Most saw how capable he is of putting points on the board during the playoffs against the Spurs. Boki Nachbar is familiar to most Nets fans and will also need to knock down shots and lock down the opposing teams best wing player for Slovenia to be successful. The weakness here lies in the big men, with Brezec being a very mediocre player and Vidmar and Rizvic being very average backups. Slokar can stretch the floor but has been a foul machine in friendlies.
9.) Croatia
Planinic / Popovic / Stipcevic
Ukic / Kus
Tomas / Delas / Peric
Loncar / Banic
Tomic / Zoric
The Croats are always tough and should be a thorn in side of the top teams once again. Ante Tomic has emerged as one of the best young players in Europe and will be accompanied up front by the tough Kresimir Loncar. Roko Ukic, Zoran Planinic and Marko Tomas are all big guards and will lead the perimeter attack while Popovic and Kus are snipers from the bench.
10.) Puerto Rico
Barea / Rivera
Arroyo / Ayuso / Dalmau
Lee / Vassallo
Sanchez / Balkman / Peavy
Ramos / Santiago
Puerto Rico consistently brings the same brand of fast paced, high scoring, and "AND1" style basketball to the international scene but is hardly viewed as a legitimate contender. It's pretty much the same story this year with an important addition in the form of Renaldo Balkman. Balkman has been a major rebounding and defensive presence as PRs 6th man and helps to solidify their bench. Barea and Arroyo are undersized but can play with any guards in the world. PJ Ramos has emerged as a major offensive option for this team and is an NBA caliber talent. Ricky Sanchez, Carmelo Lee, and Larry Ayuso are great long range shooters but don't really have much else to hurt you with. AD Vassallo could emerge as a major player for this team.
