The World is Flat...

When I told Rob I'd do a column on the Olympic Men's Basketball competition, I quickly decided it would have to be two columns. One column would deal with Team USA and the other column would handle the rest of the contending countries in the competition. Because, for better or worse, that's what this competition comes down to...America and everybody else. Now I'm not saying that I think the USA is a lock to win the gold, far from it actually, just that Team USA is on a completely different level in terms of popularity, press and worldwide fame than all of their counterparts, possibly combined.

I tackled what I felt were some of Team USA's problems in the last column and thus far my fear about a lack of pure shooters on the team has proven justified. Tomorrow morning, Team USA will face a Greek team that is well equipped to exploit two of America's other major weaknesses, pick and roll defense and half-court offense. This, among other reasons, is why Greece is one of 3 or 4 teams with a realistic shot of upsetting America and taking the gold medal. How about we get to the list then...

Greece: Not a single player you've heard of, unless you remember Vasilis Spanoulis from his one year with the Houston Rockets, but they might be the best "team" in the entire Olympics. Spanoulis is Greece's best player and will be guarded by Kobe Bryant tomorrow. He's a combo guard that is the table setter for Greece and America will benefit greatly if Kobe is able to disrupt Spanoulis and force him into turnovers. As a team, Greece will look to slow the pace down and make the game a physical, grind it out game. Defensively, they are the epitome of a team playing to the edge of the rules (think Miami Heat circa 1996) and I wouldn't be surprised to see them draw a technical from Carmelo or Kobe. On offense, Greek will look to victimize America by using the pick and roll by employing a lineup that uses three point guards, (one of whom is 6'7") often at the same time. Don't be surprised if you see the Greeks run three consecutive pick and rolls in one possession. Don't be surprised if America is losing in the 4th quarter tomorrow.

Argentina: We all know the story with Argentina. They play exquisite team basketball and take advantage of the slightest lapse in concentration by their opponents defensively. They can score with any team in the world and have one of the most decorated players in international basketball to lead them. As a result of this, they are the defending Olympic champs and have a history of playing extremely well in international competition against America.

However, this Argentina team is not as formidable as the squad of 2004 or 2006. Their core group of players has gotten older (Pepe Sanchez retired) and there has not been an large influx of young talent. With that said, Argentina is still amongst the most physically talented teams in all the world. Led by Manu Ginobili, Argentina also boasts a very solid frontcourt with Luis Scola and Fabricia Oberto. Scola was the MVP of last year's Tournament of the Americas and is one of the better scoring big men in all of international basketball, while Oberto is a terrific defensive anchor in the middle as well as one of the world's biggest floppers. (Of course, he's no Manu) While Argentina is one of the favorites in this competition, I get the feeling that this team is one the downslide collectively, due to age and some extended NBA seasons, and doubt we'll be watching them in the gold medal game.

Lithuania: Probably not a real threat to America based on the way they were handled by Team USA during the exhibition schedule. However, Lithuania has already upset Argentina and boasts a team full of experienced and fearless competitors highlighted by elder statesman/leader Sarunas Jasikevicius and the newest, brightest Lithuanian star Linas Kleiza. A very good team, but a team that's caught in between generations right now, and thus not fully capable of competing at the level we saw in 2000 or 2004.

Russia: Another team that I don't see as a true gold medal threat but one that is certainly capable of pulling off an upset or two that throws the tournament on its ear. Watching Andrei Kirilenko play in the summers for Russia must drive Jazz fans crazy (well, that and the incest). He's spectacular for this team, doing a little of everything and then taking over offensively in crucial moments in a multitude of ways that you rarely out of him in the NBA. It makes you wonder if Jerry Sloan burns him with cigarettes every time he commits a turnover or something. The team's next best player is a black guy from Pittsburgh who played at Bucknell (J.R. Holden) and is a hero in Russia after he beat Spain with a buzzer beater to win last summer's European Championships. The team is coached by an American who has installed the Princeton offense and managed to resurrect a national program that was in shambles when he took over 8 years ago. Talent wise, there are a few failed NBA players like Sergei Monya and Viktor Khryapa that also supply some scoring punch but they aren't going to carry this team very far on their own. Bottom line: The ruskies will go as far as Kirilenko takes them.

Spain: Without question, this is by far the most talented team outside of America. By my count, they boast 7 players who play/played in the NBA with an 8th on the way in wunderkind Ricky Rubio. I also have to award them the mantle of biggest group of douchebags now that they managed to steal the title from Argentina, thanks to this photo.

On the court, Spain likes to push the pace behind Jose Calderon (the best PG in this tournament outside of Team USA and a possible future All-Star) and score points in transition but they also have the biggest frontcourt in the entire competition with the likes of Pau and Marc Gasol as well as Jorge Garbajosa protecting the rim. On the perimeter, Spain shoots it better than any other team in this tournament. Both Juan Carlos Navarro and Rudy Fernanadez are terrific coming off screens and creating offense for themselves or teammates and Raul Lopez provides solid play as the backup PG. Rubio has been somewhat of a defensive ace in the early going for Spain, a blessing considering the deficiencies of Navarro and Fernandez on the defensive end as well as the fact that, at age 17, many thought Rubio wouldn't find his way onto the Spanish squad. Spain's definitely weaker on defense than a number of the other favorites due to their penchant for gambling and a lack a physicality defensively. However, they possess such a deep offensive arsenal that they are often able to survive these defensive lapses through the strength of their varied offensive attack. Going into the competition, I had Spain picked to meet America in the gold medal match and I still think that's where this will all end up. Actually, I hope thats how it all ends up.

I'll be in the comments in the morning to guide you through the first real test for Team USA in almost 2 years.