ssoly080608.menhoops

On the homepage

Vikings

Vikings respond to challenge

Out There

Artcetera

Biggest album release day of the year

Table Talk

Thanksgiving recipes: Pear Tarte Tatin

Home | Sports

Men's basketball: Team USA rosters and predictions

Last update: August 5, 2008 - 4:51 PM

TEAM USA ROSTER

Name Pos. Ht. 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

OTHER NBA PLAYERS IN THE OLYMPICS

Argentina Australia

Manu Ginobili (San Ant.) Andrew Bogut (Milw.)

Andres Nocioni (Chicago) Germany

Fabricio Oberto (San An.) Chris Kaman (L.A. Clip.)

Luis Scola (Houston) Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas)

Spain Lithuania

Jose Calderon (Toronto) Lina Kleiza (Denver)

Rudy Fernandez (Port.) Darius Songaila (Wash.)

Marc Gasol (Memphis) Russia

Pau Gasol (L.A. Lakers) Andrei Kirilenko (Utah) China

Yao Ming (Houston)

Yi Jianliang (New Jersey)

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: Saturday-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

United States

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Dwyane Wade (Team USA)

The reserve guard seems to be regaining his legs after an injury-marred NBA season. In a victory last week over Turkey in an Olympic tuneup, Wade scored 13 points off the bench with several highlight plays, including one in which he knifed between two defenders and threw down a reverse dunk. "I've been working real hard to get my explosiveness back, and I think now I jump as high as I have in a long time," he said.

Theo Papaloukas (Greece)

The Greek team doesn't have an NBA player on its roster, but the brilliant playmaking of this flashy guard was enough to guide Greece to the silver medal at the 2006 world championships.

Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian (China)

The secret to Chinese success centers on the play of the two talented 7-footers. Yi is unproven (coming off an uneven rookie year in the NBA), while Yao has been the mainstay for China for many years (though his recovery from a stress fracture in his left foot will be one of the keys to the home team).

TWO KEY STORY LINES

Welcome to our home: Host China will be the first team to play the gold medal favorite Team USA. One of the darkest days in Chinese basketball happened when these teams met in the 1996 Games in Atlanta. That's when the U.S. rolled to a 133-70 laugher that stands as a painful reminder of the low point in Chinese basketball. But those days are long gone (see Yao Ming, above, et al.).

Three's company: The three medalists from the 2006 worlds -- Spain (gold), Greece (silver), United States (bronze) -- will meet in the preliminary round. The battle for the fourth spot (and a chance at a medal) could be fierce. Anything less than a top-eight finish for China would be a disappointment, but the host will have to go through Germany's Dirk Nowitzki to get there.

MEN'S MEDAL PREDICTIONS

Team USA: Too much talent and a no-nonsense approach brings back memories of the original "Dream Team."

Spain: The reigning world champs are led by Pau Gasol and Juan Carlos Navarro, but they're as deep as any team other than the United States.

Argentina: The defending Olympic champion has several NBA players on its roster. One issue might be the health of NBA Sixth Man Award winner Manu Ginobili, who is recovering from a sprained left ankle.

Recent Sports stories

Mauer's main competition - August 5, 2008

Mauer's main competition - Led the American League with 122 RBI and tied for first with 39 home runs while helping shore up the Yankees' defense at first base. More