Predicting Team USA for the 2012 Olympics

Team USA Basketball is coming off a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics. They have a plethora of good, young players that should be able to compete and be successful for years to come. This is a prediction of who I think will be on the 2012 team.

Guards:

Chris Paul

Paul was the main reserve guard in the last Olympics, but will take over in 2012 as the starter now that Jason Kidd won't be on the team. Paul is unquestionably the best point guard in the NBA and is the perfect guy to run the team.

He has great court vision and is one of the best passers in the game. He also plays high pressure defense and gets a lot of steals. Paul is still developing his outside shot, but it should develop well in the next three years.

Deron Williams

Williams was the third guard on the 2008 Olympic team, often playing alongside Paul, giving Team USA an ultra quick back court. Williams will be the primary backup in 2012 which will be a great luxury for the United States.

Williams doesn't have the court vision that Paul has, but he is a much better scorer. He can drive by his defender or spot up for three, making him a potentially lethal player for the USA. He is also pretty big for a point guard, allowing him to slide over and play the shooting guard position.

Derrick Rose

Rose won Rookie of the Year last year in the NBA and has a lot of untapped potential. He is still only 20-years old and should be a budding superstar when the 2012 Olympics roll around.

He is nearly unstoppable on the drive, and is very strong when he gets to the basket. He still needs to develop his outside shot to be a great player, but he is still very young.

Dwyane Wade

In last year's Olympics, Dwayne Wade led Team USA in scoring with 16 points/game. He played sixth man for the United States and flourished in that role. He seemed to have no lingering effects of the knee injury he suffered in the 2006-07 season.

Wade is an explosive scorer who can do it all. He is able to drive to the hoop and spot up outside. He has a knack for getting big blocks and steals, and has been known to hit a clutch shot.

Brandon Roy

Roy is one of the most complete players in the game today and is still just 25 years old. He has a very good offensive game and is an underrated defensive player. He averaged over 22 points/game last season for Portland.

Roy has great versatility because he is able to play both guard positions and small forward. He has a knack for getting to the basket, and he can knock down the free throws if he gets fouled.

Forwards:

LeBron James

LeBron is LeBron. He is arguably the best player in the game today, and has the potential and ability to be the best ever. He has a great all-around game and can play any position on the floor.

It is impossible to stop him from getting into the paint, and with the closer three point line in international basketball, he is very capable of knocking it down. He will be a mainstay for Team USA for the next decade.

Carmelo Anthony

Carmelo is yet another great all-around scorer on Team USA. He has a great arsenal of moves and can score from anywhere on the court. He has the ability to play both forward positions, and, if needed, even a little bit of center.

Last season, Carmelo showed that he was beginning to make a commitment to defense, even guarding Kobe Bryant in crunch time during the Western Conference Finals. If he continues to improve, it could be an added bonus for Team USA.

Chris Bosh

Bosh finished the 2008 Olympics as the back up big man behind Dwight Howard. Still only 25-years old, Bosh has a very reliable jump shot and is an underrated rebounder. He still has yet to have a breakout year in the NBA.

Bosh can play both power forward and center, something desperately needed in case the opposing team goes big. He has above average quickness for a big man and has recently shown a tenacity he did not have before.

Rudy Gay

If Gay makes the 2012 Olympic team, he would be one of a few newcomers. Gay has rapidly improved in each of his three seasons in the NBA, and, at 22, he still has a lot of room to grow. He is a freak athlete with a humongous wingspan.

He would most likely take over the role of defensive stopper on Team USA, but it would be hard for him to find minutes on this All-Star team. Last season in the NBA, Gay averaged nearly 19 points/game, so he is also a capable scorer.

Kevin Durant

Durant should finally get his chance to shine on Team USA. He is a premier scorer who, at 20-years old, is still very young and should only get better. He finished last season sixth in the NBA in scoring with 25.3 points/game.

At 6-9, he is a tall, lanky player with an excellent overall game. He has the versatility to play shooting guard and both forward positions. He will be a great addition to Team USA because he has good length and is able to stretch the floor with his shooting.

Centers:

Dwight Howard

Dwight Howard played on last year's Olympic team and was the starting center for coach Mike Krzyzewski. He is already a dominant player in the NBA, and with three more years worth of work, he could be an absolute monster.

He is the best rebounder and shot blocker in the NBA, and opponents should fear going into the lane. He is still developing his offensive game, but many people forget that he is still developing at 23-years old.

Brook Lopez

Lopez is coming off a very successful rookie season. He averaged 13 points and eight rebounds in just 30 minutes/game. He has a solid foundation of skills that should be able to translate into international success.

Lopez is one of the few true centers in the NBA and would be a great addition to Team USA. He works hard in the paint and does all of the dirty work needed to have a successful team.

Other Possibilities:

F Blake Griffin

Griffin has yet to play a game in the NBA, but he has all the tools to be a successful player for a long time, both professionally and internationally. He would be able to play all three front court positions depending on what the other team does.

He plays with a toughness that not many other guys have. He is quick, explosive and strong. He has all the skills required to dominate the game at both ends of the floor.

G Kobe Bryant

Bryant is a question mark for the 2012 Olympics because he will be 33 when those Olympics roll around and Team USA might want to go in a more youthful direction. Around that time he will be on the decline of his very successful career.

In the 2008 Olympics, Kobe started at shooting guard and took over the role of defensive stopper. He rarely looked for his own shot, but it doesn't hurt to have Kobe Bryant as your third or fourth option.

G OJ Mayo

Last season for the Grizzlies, Mayo averaged 18.5 points/game on 43.8% shooting. Those are both really solid numbers for a rookie in the NBA. He may not have great all-around numbers, but he sure does know how to score.

He might be needed for Team USA if they are in desperate need of a good shooter, but they might have that role filled already with Kevin Durant, Deron Williams, and the developing shot of Chris Paul.

G Jerryd Bayless

Bayless did not get much playing time last year with the Blazers, and with the addition of Andre Miller, he may not see much in his second year. He finished last year with a scoring average of 4.3 points/game.

He is a lightning fast guard capable of blowing by nearly any defender in the league, but he is still very raw. He would most likely have to compete with Derrick Rose for the third point guard spot on Team USA.

G Stephen Curry

Curry, like Blake Griffin, has yet to play a game in the NBA, but he has success written all over him. He was drafted seventh overall out of Davidson by the Golden State Warriors.

Curry can shoot like it's nobody's business. Open shot, hand in the face, fade-away, leaning in, he can do it all. If Team USA is in desperate need of a great shooter, Curry could fill the same role that Michael Redd had last year.

G Rajon Rondo

Rondo showed flashes of greatness in the playoffs last season. He is a good, young point guard in the Jason Kidd mold. He has to run a team with three perennial All-Stars, so running Team USA would not be much different.

He has great court vision and is one of the better rebounding guards in the league, but he couldn't shoot if his life depended on it. He is very quick and has decent size, but he would be a liability on Team USA because his man would be able to double team one of the better players on defense.

F Michael Beasley

Beasley finished last season as a solid contributor on a good Miami Heat team. He was the sixth man for the Heat and did a fine job of coming into the game and giving Miami a scoring punch it needed.

He is one of the most talented players in the league, and has the ability to be great. He can handle the ball very well and can shoot it from deep, but then he can post up and grab rebounds with the best of them. Consistency is the only main concern with Beasley.

F Jeff Green

Green had a very good second season in Oklahoma City where he put up solid numbers all across the board. He is a good young player that would be a good addition to Team USA if chosen.

He can play both forward spots and has great versatility. He can step out and drain the three, but is also a good rebounder. He can guard pretty much on the court outside of the quicker point guards. 

F Al Jefferson

Jefferson had a disappointing season last year in which he missed 32 games because of a torn ACL. He is one of the most promising young big men in the game today, although he is a little small to be playing center where the Timberwolves have him.

He has a good variety of post moves down low and is a very reliable scorer. He is one of the better rebounding big men in the game and has the ability to play both power forward and center.

C Greg Oden

In his time in the NBA, Oden could be considered a bust, but he has only played one season and he is still just 21-years old. He is a great defensive center with natural instincts that don't happen very often.

He has a limited offensive game as of right now, but he could develop a consistent arsenal of post moves in the next three years if he works hard enough. Just having a shot blocker like Oden in the middle makes everyone else on the team better.

Projected Starters:

PG: Chris Paul

SG: Rudy Gay

SF: Carmelo Anthony

PF: LeBron James

C: Dwight Howard

Reserves:

PG: Deron Williams, Derrick Rose

SG: Dwayne Wade, Brandon Roy

SF: Kevin Durant

PF: Chris Bosh

C: Brook Lopez