USA Olympic Basketball Team: 2012 Roster Analysis and Predictions

Thought you didn't get enough basketball? Perhaps missing those essential months of premier basketball in November and December is leaving a hole in your heart?

No need to worry because we are only two months away from the start of the 2012 Summer Olympics. Held in London this year, the United States will be looking to win a second consecutive gold medal after taking back the crown of the world's best basketball team with a win in Beijing in 2008.

Known as the "redeem team," the team was created with the intention of putting the United States back on top of the basketball world after a disappointing 2004 run ended with their second bronze medal in American Olympic basketball history.

The 2008 squad featured Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade as its top trio, with Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard also chipping in their share of the work. As a result, the United States went a perfect 8-0, capped off by a gold medal win against Spain that ended 118-107 following a classic shootout.

With the exception of that final game against Spain, the United States steamrolled through every team they faced. It's tough to believe that the 2012 team will have any sort of trouble with any other team. The 12 players on the roster will blow your mind in terms of talent.

Let's take a look at the United States' national team for the upcoming Olympics and marvel at the potential it possesses.

Who's Missing the Cut?

LaMarcus Aldridge

A tough break for LaMarcus Aldridge. He was sure to garner a spot on this USA team after two stellar seasons in the absence of Brandon Roy.

However, hip surgery in April has Aldridge uncertain about his participation. Skipping it altogether may be his wisest decision.

Chauncey Billups

Billups' chances of making the 2012 roster was already slim. The torn ACL he suffered early in the regular season confirmed his spot off the rotation.

Anthony Davis

The 1992 United States basketball team made the mistake of allowing Christian Laettner to take up a perfectly good roster spot.

We're not comparing Anthony Davis to Laettner, but we are saying a rookie won't make the team when there are several other established big men who have the advantage of possessing professional experience.

Rudy Gay

Rudy Gay has the talent and athleticism to make it on the Olympic team. However, that talent doesn't exceed that of LeBron James, Kevin Durant or Carmelo Anthony.

A tough break for Gay having to compete with the two leading MVP candidates and one of the game's most prolific scorers.

Eric Gordon

A terrific scorer with All-Star potential, Eric Gordon caught a bad break of hurting himself early on in the regular season and failed to truly prove himself after a breakout 2010-11 campaign.

Gordon has a chance, but he'll be competing with Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade for a spot at the 2, as well as Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Russell Westbrook at the 1.

James Harden

An incredible athlete and scorer who can seemingly go off for 40 points at will, James Harden was one of the most recent additions to the Team USA roster.

Unfortunately, like Eric Gordon, Harden will have some tough competition at the 1 and 2 spots. He'll have to hope for Dwyane Wade to pull out of the running if he wants a significant chance.

Dwight Howard

He had back surgery a week before the playoffs; think he'll make it for this?

Andre Iguodala

A terrific, skilled defender who can cover a lot of ground and positions, Andre Iguodala also has the unfortunate circumstances of missing out because of stiff competition.

Lamar Odom

Did you not watch what he did with Dallas? It'll be difficult to believe he'll excel in practice, and even if he does, he's got the difficult assignment of beating out a few All-Stars and the reigning DPOY.

Derrick Rose

See Chauncey Billups.

The 12-Man Roster

Point guards

Chris Paul

We saw shades of the MVP-caliber Chris Paul in last year's playoffs. He didn't stop there, either, as he has continued to play like an MVP with the Los Angeles Clippers.

After spending the first six years of his career with the New Orleans Hornets, Paul was sent to the Clippers after originally being sent to the Lakers in a separate trade that was nullified. When Paul landed in the Clippers' lap, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan responded to the news by calling their team "lob city."

Paul averaged 20 points, nine assists, four boards and a league-leading three steals per. He shot 48 percent from the field and 37 percent from beyond the arc. He's currently leading the Clippers in the playoffs and has come up huge in each close game they have been involved in.

Deron Williams

Don't judge Deron Williams by his team's record. You could have given Michael Jordan in his prime the lineup Williams had and he'd barely make it into the postseason. Instead of having Dwight Howard as a teammate, Williams was forced to play alongside rookie MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries and Gerald Green as his top teammates.

Williams' shooting percentages obviously lowered, but he maintained solid stats across the board in his first full season with the Nets, averaging 21 points, nine assists and three boards per. He also converted on a career-high two three-pointers per.

Some may have forgotten Williams over in New Jersey, but he quickly reminded us how prolific he could be when he dropped in an NBA season-high 57 points against the Charlotte Bobcats. It may just be the Bobcats, but 57 points isn't something that can just happen against any team.

Russell Westbrook

It just got even realer. Not only will the United States' basketball team have Chris Paul and Deron Williams facilitating, they'll also have arguably the league's most athletic point guard in Russell Westbrook.

Aside from being incredibly athletic, Westbrook can also flat out score. He possesses one of the quickest first steps you'll see and has the solid mid-range shot to accompany it. Wherever he is within the perimeter, Westbrook is going to find a way to score.

He averaged a career-high 24 points per game on a career-high 46 percent shooting from the field. His range is limited and his assist totals actually fell to only six assists per, but Westbrook's athleticism and uncanny ability to score will only add to this incredible depth the Americans have at the point.

Shooting guards

Kobe Bryant

Kobe loved winning a gold medal so much in 2008 that he decided to go for one more round.

Bryant will turn 34 in August and will probably still be ailing from the various injuries he plays with throughout the season, but it's going to take a lot more than that to keep him off the USA basketball roster.

Even with a bad wrist and a bad finger, Bryant still managed to have one of the best years of his illustrious career. He finished averaging 28 points per, percentage points behind the scoring champion, five boards and five assists per, while shooting 43 percent from the field and 30 percent from deep.

Without Lamar Odom in the lineup, Bryant decided to make up for the loss of the Lakers' sixth man by having his best statistical season in years.

Dwyane Wade

Wade has made some questionable and bewildering comments about USA basketball and compensation when asked about the possibility of him joining the 2012 team.

He's also not even certain about participating this year. Wade dealt with injuries this year for the first time in three seasons since receiving numerous surgeries to repair his shoulder and knee in 2008, and he is now uncertain when asked if he will join the squad.

If he does decide to play, he'll combine with Kobe Bryant to form quite possibly the scariest shooting guard duo since 2008 when they were teammates in Beijing. Even though both players are beginning to show their age, Bryant and Wade are still the two players you want on your team when it comes down to coming up huge in the fourth quarter.

The 12-Man Roster Continued

Small forwards

LeBron James

Tough denying the future 2011-12 MVP a spot in the starting lineup, especially after the year he had to earn that MVP.

LeBron James played the best year of his career. He didn't lead a team to 66 wins or lead the league in scoring. Instead, he became a better all-around player and teammate. He's made the proper adjustments to complement his superstar teammates and the rest of the roster. The growing pains that occurred last year are now in the past.

In his second season with the Miami Heat, James averaged 27 points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals per. He also shot a career-best 53 percent from the field and another career-high 36 percent shooting from deep. The higher percentages are a direct result of James' initiative at the beginning of the season to limit his jump shots and take it inside more frequently.

As a result, James is the best basketball player in the world and should be given the honor within the coming weeks.

Kevin Durant

Winning that MVP won't be easy for James, however, as there is another small forward in Oklahoma City who would also enjoy having that trophy on his mantlepiece.

Kevin Durant has played outstanding this year. He just won his third consecutive scoring title after averaging 28 points per. He shot a career-high 50 percent from the field, led his Thunder to the No. 2 seed, grabbed a career-high eight rebounds and dished out a career-high four assists per. He became more aggressive and showed it off with more drives and improved defense.

He's 23 years old. By the start of next season, he'll be a month past hitting 24. You sometimes forget that when watching Durant play.

Durant will have a permanent spot in the Olympic rotation after what he did in the FIBA's for the United States. He led the Americans to a clean sweep of their nine opponents that was capped off by a gold medal victory against Turkey. Durant averaged 23 points, six boards and two assists per while saving his best performances for last.

A 33-point performance against Russia in a 10-point win, 38 points against Lithuania in a 15-point win and a 28-point showing against Turkey to secure the gold medal.

Carmelo Anthony

You would think that LeBron James and Kevin Durant would be enough at the small forward position, but when is enough ever truly enough?

Why not throw Carmelo Anthony into the mix? A member of the team that won gold in 2008, Anthony played a key role as a prolific scorer and quality rebounder.

He now finds himself in New York, currently struggling to acclimate to his new surroundings and teammates. He came alive recently in April when he averaged 29 points per for the month, but he is having a great amount of trouble in beating the Miami Heat by himself in the playoffs.

Nevertheless, Anthony still averaged 23 points, six boards and a career-high four assists per in his first full season with New York. He'll become the third head on this already gargantuan beast.

The Power Forwards and Center

Power forwards

Kevin Love

In order to compete with a team like Spain that will have the likes of Pau and Marc Gasol in its frontcourt, the United States will need scorers around the rim, rebounders and bruisers.

Kevin Love will help to lead that front. An MVP candidate for a large majority of the season, Love played the best basketball of his career and showed off the skills it takes to become a multidimensional offensive threat, as well as an incredible rebounder.

Love continued his onslaught of the boards by recording 13 per, but it was his offensive game that captured our vision. We knew that he could crash the boards and score around the rim with ease, but not many knew that he also had excellent range and could shoot from beyond the arc. Love proved many wrong this year by shooting 37 percent from deep.

Blake Griffin

Is he one-dimensional? Absolutely. Blake Griffin has absolutely no jump shot, flops too much, doesn't utilize his athleticism to block shots and can hardly play one-on-one defense. However, there is one reason I want to see Griffin in London this summer: athleticism.

There aren't many basketball players outside the United States with the athleticism that any average NBA player possesses. I can just about guarantee there are none that can compete with Blake Griffin. With Griffin in the game, you're going to have a player who can't be stopped when he has momentum and is absolutely unstoppable when he lifts off.

He can't create his own shot? It's a good thing that he has Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Russell Westbrook running the point.

Chris Bosh

With LaMarcus Aldridge and Dwight Howard set to recover from surgeries, Chris Bosh will be the player to fill a vacant spot in the frontcourt.

It's not too bad of a replacement, either. Bosh is still one of the league's most versatile forwards thanks in part to a consistent mid-range jumper and a quick first step that the majority of the league's power forwards are too slow to keep up with.

Bosh has been adjusting to his new surroundings in Miami and has since found his way. He averaged 18 points and eight boards per this year. Low for his standards, but incredible when you think that he's a third option to two players who do the majority of the ball-handling.

Center

Tyson Chandler 

No Dwight Howard and no Andrew Bynum? What other choice does USA basketball have at center?

Well, they do have that reigning Defensive Player of the Year that everyone is talking about. You remember the guy. Tyson Chandler I think his name was? The same Tyson Chandler who provided the defensive anchor to the Dallas Mavericks' improbable championship run in 2011.

It's the same Tyson Chandler that turned the Knicks from one of the league's worst defensive teams to somewhat respectable. He's an intimidating figure in the post who also happens to be an incredibly smart defender. He knows how to play defense without fouling, which has become difficult for the league's big men.

Not only will he be on this team for defensive purposes, but he'll also be hooking up with Chris Paul for alley-oops. Shades of New Orleans in its glory days would be a sight to see.

Overall

Deron Williams, Russell Westbrook, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Blake Griffin and Chris Bosh.

That's the bench. I could end the article right here and that should be enough to convince you the United States team is going to end up walking with a second consecutive Olympic gold medal.

The bench is composed of nothing but All-Stars, athletes, scorers, passers, rebounders and attackers. The second line is so good that it may even give the starting lineup a run for its money. When there's a possibility that Chris Bosh and Russell Westbrook won't get playing time because of the competition, you know you have a scary team on your hands.

Accompany that bench with a starting lineup composed of Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Love and Tyson Chandler, and things start to get even scarier. This team is considerably better than the one in 2008 and might even rival that of the 1992 squad. There are so many players on this team that can beat you in so many ways.

And to think that this team is a few surgeries away from having an MVP and a three-time Defensive Player of the Year on the squad. I suppose Russell Westbrook and the reigning DPOY in Chandler will have to do for now.

This may be the best team to ever represent the United States in the Olympic games. MVPs, Finals MVPs, a Defensive Player of the Year, scoring champions, assist champions and slam dunk champions will inhabit London this summer with gold on their mind.

They'll have some healthy competition from Spain, but it's tough to believe that Spain will have the tools to keep up with the the starting lineup and bench of what is going to be one of the most prolific rosters in basketball history.