Name Pos. Ht. NBA team
Carmelo Anthony F 6-8 Denver Nuggets
Carlos Boozer F 6-9 Utah Jazz
Chris Bosh F/C 6-10 Toronto Raptors
Kobe Bryant G 6-6 L.A. Lakers
Dwight Howard C 6-11 Orlando Magic
LeBron James F 6-8 Cleveland Cavaliers
Jason Kidd G 6-4 Dallas Mavericks
Chris Paul G 6-0 New Orleans Hornets
Tayshaun Prince F 6-9 Detroit Pistons
Michael Redd G 6-6 Milwaukee Bucks
Dwyane Wade G 6-4 Miami Heat
Deron Williams G 6-3 Utah Jazz
Head coach: Mike Krzyzewski
WHAT DOES TEAM USA NEED TO DO TO WIN?
NBA.com's John Schuhmann offers up three keys to a U.S. team victory in the competitive men's basketball tournament in Beijing:
1 DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE
It's good to know that the U.S. players are stressing it on Day 1 of this week's camp, because they need to be focused on the defensive end of the floor from start to finish. Specifically, they need to defend the pick-and-roll that Greece used to kill them in Japan two years ago. All five defenders need to be on the same page, working together ... to take away open lanes to the basket and open jumpers.
2 MAKE PERIMETER SHOTS
In the aforementioned loss to Greece, Team USA took 28 of its 66 shots (42 percent) from beyond the arc. And made just nine of them. There's a reason Michael Redd is on the 2008 team, and it's to make jumpers. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul can all beat their men off the dribble, but when the help comes, the other Americans on the floor need to stick the open jumper.
3 KNOW YOUR OPPONENT
There's the idea out there that Team USA didn't know Greece well enough before their semifinal matchup in 2006. If that's true, you know that Mike Krzyzewski won't let that happen again. Thoroughly scouting upcoming opponents seemed to become a priority last year at the FIBA Americas championship, and it will continue to be this year in Beijing. Everyone knows Theo Papaloukas' name now.
OTHER NBA PLAYERS IN THE OLYMPICS
Argentina
Manu Ginobili (San Antonio)
Andres Nocioni (Chicago)
Fabricio Oberto (San Antonio)
Luis Scola (Houston)
China
Yao Ming (Houston)
Yi Jianlian (New Jersey)
Australia
Andrew Bogut (Milwaukee)
Germany
Chris Kaman (L.A. Clippers)
Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas)
Lithuania
Linas Kleiza (Denver)
Darius Songaila (Washington)
Spain
Jose Calderon (Toronto)
Rudy Fernandez (Portland)
Marc Gasol (Memphis)
Pau Gasol (L.A. Lakers)
Russia
Andrei Kirilenko (Utah)
THE FORMAT
The tournament starts with a round-robin preliminary round, with each team playing the other five teams in its group once, and then morphs into a single-elimination event afterward.
THE SCHEDULE
Preliminary round: Sunday-Aug. 18
Quarterfinals: Aug. 20
Semifinals: Aug. 22
Gold and bronze medal games: Aug. 24
THE GROUPS
Group A
Argentina
Australia
Croatia
Iran
Lithuania
Russia
Group B
Angola
China
Germany
Greece
Spain
U.S.
U.S. TEAM'S 2004 RESULTS
Preliminary round (3-2)
Team USA lost 92-73 to Puerto Rico in the first game of the tournament in Athens. It was the United States' worst loss in international competition. After two victories, Team USA lost to Lithuania and then beat Angola to advance to medal play as the lowest seed.
Quarterfinals
Team USA 102, Spain 94
Semifinals
Argentina 89, Team USA 81
Bronze medal game
Team USA 104, Lithuania 96
NOTES
• The three losses were the first Team USA losses since NBA players were allowed to compete in the Olympics in 1992.
• Team USA also won only a bronze medal in the 2006 World Championships.
• The U.S. team is 44-0 with Jason Kidd on the roster, including an 8-0 sweep at the Sydney Olympics.
• Five players have Olympic experience: Jason Kidd in 2000; Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade in 2004.