Olympics Basketball 2012: 9 NBA Teams Dreading the Olympics

Although the Olympics is a magical time for athletes and sports fans, some NBA front offices must feel as if they're walking on egg shells while watching players from their roster compete in Olympics basketball.

Representing one's country in the Olympics is perhaps the highest honor an athlete can hope to achieve. It would be mighty difficult to prevent athletes from competing against their will. And honestly, who would want to deny them the opportunity?

Well, perhaps the following NBA teams wouldn't mind pulling their players from the fray.

Here are nine NBA teams that are dreading the Olympics as they watch one, two, three or more of their best players competing on the highest stage, risking possible injury and fatigue when the NBA season kicks off later this year.

Knock on wood owners, we certainly don't want to see any injuries this summer.

9. Washington Wizards

Players in Olympics:

Nene, PF/C, Brazil

Kevin Seraphin, PF, France

Although the Washington Wizards should probably be dreading another lackluster year like the 20-46 showing last season, they should be apprehensive that two key players will be competing in the Olympics this summer.

Nene will help anchor Team Brazil's frontcourt this summer alongside Anderson Varejao. Brazil already had an extremely solid showing against Team USA in an exhibition game in Washington D.C., so they shouldn't be taken lightly.

Although the Wizards now have a deep frontcourt with Nene, Emeka Okafor and Kevin Seraphin on the roster, their depth could be shattered if Nene gets hurt or is too fatigued to play through an 82-game season following a lockout-shortened one.

The Wizards' other Olympic competitor, although a name Wizards fans are probably fond of, may not be well known to the casual fan.

Seraphin, who fell into obscurity on a bad Wizards team for much of last season, blossomed when he found court time.

In the final month of last season, Seraphin averaged 15.5 points and seven rebounds per contest (while notching 32.7 minutes per game).

Seraphin had an extremely solid month of April, and if he can continue that play in the Olympics, he could raise some eyebrows.

The Wizards would love to start the season with Nene and Seraphin healthy next year, as their much improved starting five of John Wall, Bradley Beal, Trevor Ariza, Nene and Emeka Okafor could be a team on the rise.

8. Chicago Bulls

Player in Olympics:

Luol Deng, SF, Great Britain

Luol Deng will be seen as the main offensive and defensive threat for Great Britain this summer. Because of this, the Chicago Bulls should be worried that Deng will be asked to shoulder too heavy a load.

As the second or third best option on the Bulls, Deng has carved a niche and even made his first All-Star appearance last season. As Great Britain's best option on both sides of the court, however, he may be asked to do too much.

The Bulls have to feel wary watching Deng compete this summer considering Derrick Rose is already on the shelf following an ACL tear.

Chicago played admirably during the regular season when Rose sat out with injury, with a record over .500 in games Rose missed. A lot of the credit for that needs to go to Deng.

The Bulls are already preparing to start the next NBA season short-handed, so if Deng gets hurt as well, or is too fatigued following a summer of competing in the Olympics, Chicago could hurt their chances of gaining home-court advantage in the playoffs.

7. Memphis Grizzlies

Player in Olympics:

Marc Gasol, C, Spain

Although seeing O.J. Mayo leave for the Dallas Mavericks this summer may not be seen as a huge loss in some fans' eyes, his lack of scoring punch off the bench will place added pressure on Marc Gasol and company.

I certainly believe Gasol is up to that task considering he's arguably a top-three NBA center, but he'll need all the energy he can muster in order to have a career year.

Will Gasol have the stamina following an Olympic showing with a very talented Spain team? That remains to be seen.

Gasol is the backbone to success in Memphis, so fans and front office personnel alike have to be concerned about his Olympic involvement and the possibility of injury.

6. New York Knicks

Players in Olympics:

Carmelo Anthony, SF, USA

Tyson Chandler, C, USA

The New York Knicks are already under fire for letting Jeremy Lin walk away and replacing him with Fat Albert's cousin, sorry, Raymond Felton, as well as Jason Kidd's mugshot. They can't afford anything to go wrong for them this summer via the Olympic games.

Along with Carmelo Anthony, who has solidified his position as the star player on the Knicks moving forward, last year's Defensive Player of the Year award winner, Tyson Chandler, will also compete for Team USA.

With Dwight Howard unable to play this summer because of back surgery, Team USA will rely heavily on the size and defensive prowess of Chandler. The injury to Blake Griffin will raise the workload even higher for Chandler as far as defending the paint is concerned.

Both of these players are extremely athletic. They live and breathe basketball, so the Knicks may be able to take it easy.

Even so, there's always the threat of fatigue and injury. After the injury-riddled mess of last season, New York can't afford any setbacks.

5. Miami Heat

Player in Olympics:

LeBron James, SF, USA

Even if Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh aren't competing in the Olympics this summer to rest their bodies, any time a three-time MVP and the best player on the planet is putting his own body on the line, the team with so much invested in him has to be knocking on wood.

LeBron James has proven that he's not only the best player in the game, he's also extremely durable.

I'm still not 100 percent sure that James isn't a basketball-playing android from outer space, so the thought of him getting fatigued just doesn't compute.

Nevertheless, no matter how invincible James looks out on the court, the risk is always there. As the Miami Heat look to repeat as champs next year, they'll need LBJ to be the undisputed leader, not the drained superstar.

4. Los Angeles Clippers

Players in Olympics:

Chris Paul, PG, USA

Blake Griffin, PF, USA (Injured)

The Los Angeles Clippers have already seen one of their two superstars get hurt this summer when Blake Griffin tore the meniscus in his knee. No offense to Griffin, but Chris Paul is much more valuable to the team's success next season.

The best point guard in the NBA is the Clippers' floor general and the engine that makes the team run so efficiently. His presence single-handedly turned around the franchise from laughingstock to contender last season, so his health is a huge X-factor for Los Angeles moving forward.

Luckily for Clippers fans (never thought those four words would ever be uttered), Paul can kick back this summer and use his passing abilities and defense to dominate games.

Paul won't be leaned on as a go-to scorer, he just has to get the ball to players who are.

Even so, Clippers management has to be dreading the Olympics following what happened to Griffin.

3. San Antonio Spurs

Players in Olympics:

Tony Parker, PG, France

Manu Ginobili, SG, Argentina

Boris Diaw, SF/PF, France

Tiago Splitter, PF/C, Brazil

Patty Mills, PG, Australia

Ike Diogu, PF/C, Nigeria

The fact that you could create a solid starting five just by using San Antonio Spurs players in this year's Olympics should be proof enough that the Spurs have a lot to worry about.

The Spurs have stars Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, steady role players Boris Diaw, Tiago Splitter and Patty Mills, and even one scrub: Ike Diogu.

Diogu was a draft bust out of Arizona State University who was drafted one choice before Andrew Bynum by the Golden State Warriors. He only played two games for the Spurs last season, but for the sake of being thorough, I threw him on the list.

Obviously the Spurs' main concerns are Parker and Ginobili this summer. Ginobili had trouble staying healthy again last season and Parker couldn't even avoid getting injured at a nightclub earlier this offseason, so there's some bad juju there.

Anyway, the sheer amount of Spurs players competing this summer has to be a concern for the team following a brutal lockout-shortened schedule.

Diaw, Parker and Ginobili aren't exactly young, so it will be interesting to see how they respond once the NBA season begins.

2. Los Angeles Lakers

Players in Olympics:

Kobe Bryant, SG, USA

Pau Gasol, PF/C, Spain

What speaks volumes about the Los Angeles Lakers' talented roster is the fact that they have a team leader for two teams in the Olympics this summer.

Kobe Bryant has established himself as the alpha dog of Team USA, while Pau Gasol is the best player and leader of Spain.

Both of these players are at the tail end of their careers, but both are basketball machines who have made a name for themselves through their durability.

Even though both of these leaders appear poised to perform well in the Olympics and come back strong for the 2012-2013 NBA season, there's always a risk playing competitively over the summer, especially following the grueling shortened schedule.

1. Oklahoma City Thunder

Players in Olympics:

Kevin Durant, SF, USA

Russell Westbrook, PG, USA

Serge Ibaka, PF/C, Spain

James Harden, SG, USA

The four best players on OKC's roster are putting their bodies on the line by playing in the Olympics this summer. Need I say more?

All of these players are young, athletic, willing to learn from their Olympic experiences and can improve their games simply by competing, so there's a lot of positive aspects hidden within the negatives.

Even so, all four superstars Oklahoma City has to offer are playing key roles during the Olympic games.

Fatigue following the 66-game schedule was already a concern, especially after the run the Thunder made by reaching the NBA Finals. Those concerns get magnified by Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka and Harden all playing Olympic basketball this summer.

The Thunder has the best young core in the NBA right now, and a championship trophy has to be on the players' minds. However, representing their respective countries on arguably the biggest stage is too good to pass up.

Avoid walking under any ladders or spilling the salt though, Thunder fans.