2012 Summer Olympics: Teams with the Talent to Knock off USA Basketball Squad

The quest for winning gold medal No. 14 at the 2012 Olympics is not going to be as easy as you think for the American basketball team.

Sure they are the heavy favorites to repeat their gold medal performance of 2008, but the competition has significantly improved.

With the lack of depth in the paint and the absence of Dwyane Wade, the US roster is not as stacked as it once was. They have glaring holes inside with only one true center currently on the roster (Tyson Chandler) after Anthony Davis’ ankle injury. Foul trouble is going to be a huge problem. The rule changes that come with FIBA basketball will negatively impact the Americans as well. 

They still have LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony, but will have to play their best against the following three teams to ensure they don’t endure a shocking upset in London.

1. Spain

They are ranked second in FIBA’s world rankings behind the USA for a reason.

Despite losing Ricky Rubio (T-Wolves) to an ACL tear, they still have Pau Gasol (Lakers), Marc Gasol (Grizzlies), Rudy Fernandez (Nuggets), Serge Ibaka (Thunder) and Jose Calderon (Raptors).

The Gasol brothers and Ibaka are going to expose the weaknesses of the Americans down low, and will likely turn a game against the US into a half court slugfest that will test the physicality of the red, white and blue.

The US team is going to really struggle getting easy shots. If jumpers aren’t going down, Spain will be in this game well into the second half where the pressure will weigh down the Americans.

Kevin Love (assuming he makes the roster) will have to play his best in this potential matchup if the US is in big trouble.

2. France

Who cares if they are only ranked 12th in the world, this team has a ton of NBA talent.

They have the most NBA players outside of America (seven) led by Tony Parker (Spurs), Nicolas Batum (Trail Blazers) and Boris Diaw (Spurs).

That’s a superb mixture of talent that can minimize the Americans ability to penetrate, while holding their own on the offensive end with plenty of sharp shooters as well.

While the Americans have much more depth and will hold a strong advantage on the perimeter, this is not a team to take lightly.

3. Argentina

While they may not have the NBA talent of Spain or France, they have much better depth.

Alongside Manu Ginobili (Spurs) and Luis Scola (Rockets), the roster is filled with scrappy Euro stars that know their roles and cater to the talents of their two NBA teammates.

Remember, this was the team (with both Ginobili and Scola) who shocked the world by winning the gold medal in the 2004 Olympics.

Follow Eric Ball on Twitter.