Colangelo’s next order of business is building the new roster. It’s likely going to start with around 20 or so players before narrowing to 12. Unlike 2000 and 2004, there will be plenty of good players who will do whatever they can to get on the 2012 roster.
The 2012 roster should have five or six of the same players on the 2008 roster. It seems pretty safe to say that James, Dwayne Wade, and Carmelo Anthony will be among the first additions to the team.
The U.S. will have plenty of talent to choose from, but the real test is going to be how the Americans play two and four years from now. Team USA achieved the goal of winning the gold medal but now that it is back on top, the question is if the NBA players are still going to have that desire.
Many of Team USA’s current rivals aren’t going to be competitive in 2012. Argentina could lose as many as five of the top six in its rotation.
Almost the entire Lithuanian team will have to be scrapped as its best players will be well past their prime, and possibly even retired. Spain has a young core that might make it competitive, but there will be some big losses.
Spain could lose as many as eight players, including Pau Gasol from its roster. However, it will retain Rudy Fernandez, Ricky Rubio, Jose Calderon, and Marc Gasol. Spain seems to have little problem finding talent in its system so it should be a medal contender, especially if Pau comes back.
The point is that this is not the end of the international threat. In fact, there will be even more competitive teams and better talent.
The U.S. blew out every team besides Spain in the gold medal game during the Olympics, but the wins weren’t as easy as they looked. Aside from weeks of preparation, the coaching staff scouted every team four hours at a time.
We're going to send you the most entertaining NBA articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
0 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete