USA Olympic Basketball Team 2012: Expectations and Predictions for Every Player

The USA men's basketball team has but one tune-up left on its schedule—against mighty Spain in Barcelona on Tuesday—before arriving in London ahead of the 2012 Summer Olympics.

But with their eyes fixed on the gold medal and La Roja the most likely challenger to their supremacy, don't expect the Americans to reveal any of the tricks head coach Mike Krzyzewski has hidden up his sleeve.

As such, Coach K's rotation for the Olympics should be all but set before Team USA lands in the shadow of Big Ben. His 12-man squad may not be on par with the 1992 Dream Team, but it'll be favored to come home with the top prize next month nonethelesss.

As well it should. No other national team can come close to matching the depth of talent—11 NBA All-Stars and the reigning college Player of the Year—that the Red, White and Blue have on hand.

Not that talent alone guarantees major tournament titles, though it certainly helps. But how does each member of Team USA fit into Coach K's gold-plated scheme?

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Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant's no longer at the center of Team USA's pursuit of gold, but he still cuts a crucial figure on the floor and in the locker room. At the age of 33, the Black Mamba is far and away the "elder statesman" of this year's squad.

He served as a closer of sorts at the 2008 Beijing Games, taking and making crucial shots down the stretch, most notably in the gold medal game against Spain. Kobe will be called upon to score from the perimeter once again, just not as the sole option in crunch time.

Certainly not with the likes of Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and even LeBron James by his side.

Still, Kobe is as mentally destabilizing a weapon as the Americans have at their disposal. He may not be the high-flying terror of old, but Bryant's crafty game and ability to create space for his shot under all circumstances make him a valuable threat on the international game. Expect him to be a double-digit scorer on average, with many more of his attempts than usual coming on set shots from the perimeter.

LeBron James

Versatility has long been the name of LeBron James' game and will continue to be the case with Team USA in London. His ability to contribute effectively in just about every facet of the floor will be invaluable to America's cause.

LeBron's arguably the best low-post scorer who plays significant minutes in Coach K's rotation and can man the center position on either end of the floor if need be.

In all likelihood, though, James will be looked to as a ball-handler and facilitator who scores within the flow of the game rather than out of any force of his own will. Don't be surprised if he ranks second or third in points, rebounds and assists among the Americans during the Olympic tournament.

Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant has led the NBA in scoring in each of the last three seasons and should do the same for Team USA if all goes according to plan. The Oklahoma City Thunder star has paced the squad in scoring through four exhibition games, with more than half of his 51 field-goal attempts coming from beyond the arc.

Not that there's anything wrong with that; he's hit 14-of-26 three-pointers so far.

In essence, Durant is the designated sniper on a squad that, for all of its collective talent and skill, lacks a marksman whose sole job is to float around and hit shots from the corners.

Durant won't be "limited" to "just" scoring, though. At 6'9", he'll be one of the tallest players on the floor for Team USA and, as such, will be expected to pull down a handful of rebounds a game to make up for the lack of size down low.

His ability to handle and pass the rock will come in handy, too. At the end of the day, though, it'll be up to the Durantula to carry the scoring load for USA Basketball on the road to the gold.

Chris Paul

As far as assists are concerned, Chris Paul will certainly be in the running for the title of "Most Prolific Dime-Dropper" for Team USA.

The Los Angeles Clippers point guard has been somewhat "eager" to subjugate his own scoring to that of his high-volume teammates, as well he should. USA Basketball doesn't exactly need CP3 to score, so long as Kobe, LeBron, Durant and Carmelo can find the range and get to the cup.

Paul's job, rather, is to make it easier for those guys to get the shots they like and put them in position to succeed more often than not.

That shouldn't be too much to ask of the best point guard on the planet.

Nor should expecting CP3 to be a defensive catalyst. With his quick hands, uncanny instincts and cat-like reflexes, Paul figures to continue to come up with steals at an excellent rate, to stifle the opposition and fuel America's high-octane fast break. 

Tyson Chandler

What Chris Paul is to assists and steals, Tyson Chandler will be to rebounds and blocks for Team USA.

Chandler, the reigning Defensive Player on the Year, isn't on this squad to score—as his 10 points through four exhibition games suggests—though he's more than capable of contributing in the pick-and-roll and off putbacks.

Rather, Chandler's job is to patrol the paint, protect the rim and rip down rebounds as the only true center on this squad.

Nothing fancy, though a small Team USA will need his particular talents against opponents with considerable size inside, most notably Spain.

Carmelo Anthony

Quick—who's the longest-tenured Olympian on his way to London with Team USA?

Is it Kobe Bryant? He's the oldest player on the team, but he didn't partake in Olympic play until 2008.

How about Andre Iguodala? He's the second-oldest, but has never set foot on the Olympic stage.

The answer? It's a tie, actually, between LeBron and Carmelo Anthony. Both played for Larry Brown at the 2004 Athens Olympics, when they had just finished their respective rookie seasons and rode the bench for an iteration of Team USA that came home with a measly bronze down under.

Times have certainly changed for USA Basketball, just as they have for 'Melo. His role, be it as a starter or a scorer off the bench, will likely depend on matchups, with Coach K favoring him over Durant at the "three" against bigger, stronger opponents.

Anthony's time may also be contingent on his overall performance. He's never been a particularly proficient defender (to say the least), and his expertise as an isolation scorer isn't exactly compatible with the pass-happy international game.

Still, if Team USA's second unit ever needs a bucket in a pinch, 'Melo will be the man to deliver.

Deron Williams

Last but not least among Coach K's "starting seven" is Deron Williams. The newly-minted Brooklyn Nets superstar will likely challenge Chris Paul for the Team USA assist title and might even earn a starting nod or two over him if the matchups allow for them.

D-Will is more of a scorer by nature than CP3 is, though that doesn't mean he can't or won't devote most of his energy to handling the rock and setting up his teammates with pinpoint passes.

Despite being the biggest and strongest point guard on the roster, Williams isn't quite the defensive presence on the perimeter that Paul is. That being said, his physicality on both ends of the floor will be welcome whenever he's in the game, be it as a starter or as a reserve.

Andre Iguodala

Team USA will call upon Andre Iguodala to be the "glue guy" off the bench, just as he was (though in a more prominent role) with the squad that took home gold from the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey.

An athletic, jack-of-all-trades-type wing, Iggy will be of greatest value on the defensive end, where he can lock down opposing perimeter scorers and crash the boards on occasion.

Whatever Coach K can squeeze out of Iguodala on offense will simply be icing on the cake.

Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook may well be the biggest game-changer of all off the bench for Team USA, if not the most dangerous reserve in the entire Olympic tournament. 

Few players in the world, if any, can hold a candle to Westbrook's unstoppable combination of speed and athleticism, particularly at the point guard position.

Though, in reality, Westbrook might be better described as a combo guard who's capable of distributing the ball when asked. He won't lead USA Basketball in any statistical categories in London.

That is, unless the official scorers decide to keep track of YouTube-worthy highlights, of which Westbrook figures to provide plenty.

Kevin Love

But while Westbrook should see regular playing time for Team USA, the same can't quite be said of his former UCLA teammate, Kevin Love.

To be sure, USA Basketball could use a player of Love's particular talents in a more prominent role. Love's game is tailor-made for FIBA rules, thanks to his expertise as a low-post scorer and passer as well as his ability to knock down three-pointers.

All of which is rather impressive for a 6'10", 260-pound power forward (the best at his position in the NBA today, by the way).

Unfortunately for K-Love, Coach K has yet to use him in a way that would suggest he's going to get much run in London. He's averaged all of 11.8 minutes per game through four exhibition dates, much of which has come during "garbage time."

It's a shame, too, seeing as how Team USA—which currently relies on the streaky effectiveness of shooters and slashers to succeed offensively—could use a helping hand from a player to whom the rest of the squad can throw the ball in and come up with easy points.

As such, Love's numbers will depend largely on how quickly (and how often) Coach K's chief rotation players are able to build up insurmountable leads.

James Harden

The same goes for James Harden, who has the added disadvantage of being redundant on USA Basketball's roster.

Like Love, Harden possesses a skill set that's well-suited to the international game. He's a solid shooter who can get to the rim with sneaky handles and even sneakier athleticism. Above all, though, Harden is a willing and creative passer when given the opportunity to do so.

Thing is, those opportunities will be few and far between for Harden, who's currently buried on Coach K's depth chart at the wing. Whatever time and production Harden sees in London will come during mop-up duty.

Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis may well be the centerpiece of USA Basketball by the time the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games roll around.

For now, though, the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NBA draft will have to settle for the ambiance of playing in the Olympics with a cast of All-Stars, just as Christian Laettner did with the Dream Team back in 1992.

Not that Davis won't make good use of the run he's given or that he wouldn't be an impact performer if granted a more prominent role. His size, length, athleticism and shot-blocking prowess would come in handy on the defensive end behind Tyson Chandler, as would his ability as a screener and oop-catcher on the offensive end.

The key for Davis is to take it all in, enjoy the experience and come back hungry for more in four years.