USA Olympic Basketball Team 2012: Players Who Must Fill New Roles to Ensure Gold

The 2012 USA Olympic basketball team is loaded with talent, but there are also some big holes in the team's lineup. These holes come at the positions played by the big men. 

Due to injuries and various circumstances, this squad is sorely lacking in height. Tyson Chandler is the only true center, and he doesn't have a lot of help from traditional power forwards. Kevin Love and Anthony Davis are the only players who fit that bill.

Still, this team is loaded with talent. The players just have to put their skills to use in the right areas to ensure they come together as a team. Here are three players that can help that happen. 

LeBron James

LeBron James got a good primer for the kind of role he should fill with this team as the Heat's postseason progressed. Miami went with an increasingly small lineup, and James spent more time at power forward. 

James has begun to develop a nice post game, and he can be a monster on the boards. This is exactly what James needs to focus on doing for this team. They need his rebounding and low-post scoring—and some defense on opposing power forwards will also be a plus. 

Carmelo Anthony 

Like James, Anthony is also going to need to focus on rebounding, defense and low-post scoring. Anthony and James will likely spend a lot of time on the floor together, which should free up Melo to play his more traditional small forward. But that doesn't mean he needs to hang out on the perimeter all game. 

If this team is going to get hurt, it is on the boards. Anthony is a capable rebounder, and he needs to make that a priority. He can still go to work on getting his points, but that must take a backseat to the boards. 

Kobe Bryant 

The Black Mamba is used to playing on a Lakers team whose offense almost completely revolves around him. Kobe dominates the ball and shots for LA. This does not have to be the case on this team. 

Kobe's ability to create his own shots will still come in handy for this team, but it just doesn't need to come in handy as often. Bryant needs to focus on becoming more of a facilitator on this squad. 

This team is loaded with people who can score, and with the right ball movement, they should be able to find a good look on almost every possession. Kobe must let these games come to him.