USA vs. Brazil Result Shows U.S. Need for Designated Rebounder

If the Americans want to take home gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics, a stronger inside presence is needed to dominate the paint.

In the pre-Olympic Games exhibition versus Brazil, Team USA was out-rebounded 38-30 and LeBron James led the US with six. So, it was no surprise that the U.S. was down 27-17 at the end of one quarter and had to make a quick turnaround before getting upset.

Team USA is fortunate though, because if a start like that occurs against better teams like Russia, Argentina or Spain during the actual Olympics, a disappointing outcome will happen. Now by no means is Brazil a cakewalk either, but after the Americans won the second-quarter 20-5 along with the second half, it's clear who the better team was.

Looking ahead to the London Games, let's break down why the U.S. has to get better production inside and, if need be, designate someone to strictly rebound.

Full view of official boxscore vs. Brazil courtesy of USA Basketball.

2012 Summer Olympic men's basketball rosters courtesy of London2012.FIBA.com.

Tough Competition From Group A

Group A in the men's basketball competition of the Olympics is the stronger of the two groups. Argentina has won a medal in the past two Summer Games, one of which was gold in 2004. France, on the other hand, presents solid NBA talent in guys like Tony Parker, Boris Diaw and Nicolas Batum.

Facing either of those teams could spell disaster while lacking presence on the glass, because each presents an impressive offense that can push the pace. Well, the best way other than defense to shutdown and limit their scoring is to rebound.

Doing so will prevent any additional possessions and keep the game tempo in favor of the U.S. And although it's a reasonable forgone conclusion that Team USA gets past group play, the competition only heats up as the Olympics progress.

Therefore, the Americans will need to find a plan that addresses their strengths.

Restricting Roles to Create Favorable Matchups

With so much talent on one team it's impossible to get the utmost production out of every player. So, limiting a player's role to be more specific will enhance Team USA's level.

Frontcourt beasts like Tyson Chandler and Kevin Love must get designated to solely focus on rebounding. Each are among the NBA's best around the glass and have the ability to beat any opponent one-on-one in the paint.

This then allows the true scorers like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant to blaze past any would-be defender on the perimeter. Point guards Chris Paul and Deron Williams can focus strictly on dishing the rock around and setting up the offense.

Combine everything together and it all begins with rebounding. The U.S. can score at will, but the best way to gain a major advantage is by making their best rebounders control inside. In turn, Team USA sees many more possessions, scoring opportunities and chances to put games away in the first half.

Potential Medal Round Opponents

If there's one team from Group B that can match up with Team USA it's Spain.

Spain, for the most part, is basically another NBA team with guys like Pau and Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka, Rudy Fernandez and Jose Calderon. Now compared to the U.S., Spain doesn't have all the NBA talent, but they enough to be a solid challenge.

To that end, Spain is better at rebounding, can score effectively, is defensively sound and possesses a reliable bench. Considering how sluggish the U.S. began against Brazil, Spain would simply keep rolling.

Team USA, however, can win one-on-one matchups as they're more athletic. Nevertheless, failing to control the game inside opens the door to exploiting the American's vulnerability on the perimeter. Namely a lack of ball movement and defensive rebounding.

The 2012 team may be the favorites, but countries like Spain and Argentina are not far behind.

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