The 2014 FIBA World Cup tips off on Saturday. Over the next 16 days, we'll see 24 countries compete for the first FIBA World Cup gold medal, after it was previously known as the World Championships. While we have some key players out for different countries, there will be more than enough talent and competition to give us a great tournament. Before we get down to the tournament action, we'll have six days of group play.
Will Spain rule Group A and get themselves the top seeding for the single elimination tournament on their home floor? Do Brazil, Serbia, and France have enough to topple the group favorite? Will Argentina, Croatia, or Greece find a way to take command of Group B?
Even without all of the stars for USA Basketball being present, is this team still good enough to continue Team USA's success in international play under Coach K? Can Turkey re-establish itself as a threat to the US? Can any country challenge Lithuania in Group D for this tournament?
Let's take a look.
GROUP A
BRAZIL
Strengths: The size and skill of this Brazilian team is hard to ignore. Three NBA quality big men with Nene, Tiago Splitter, and Anderson Varejao can all have big games at any given time regardless of the opponent. Nene will likely be their leader on offense, but Splitter's game over the last two years has shown he's capable of taking over for stretches on either end of the floor. Varejao may not be as involved and play as many minutes as he did in the past but he'll still be a valuable leader. The backcourt of Leandro Barbosa and Marcelinho Huertas will be dynamic as well, but they'll need consistent shooting from outside.
Weaknesses: This isn't a team that's going to deal well with an up-tempo game. They can certainly play that style for stretches, but their bread and butter will be dominating a slower pace inside. Other than Barbosa, there isn't a lot of talent or depth on the wings. They could have used Bruno Cabloco on this team, even as an energizer off the bench, because it's such a position of need for them. Also, will this team be able to keep up with teams that are good 3-point shooting squads?
Players to watch: Huertas is a phenomenal playmaker and one of the better passing point guards in this tournament. How he plays in transition and conducts the pick-and-roll with the star bigs will be key. Raul Neto is a player the Utah Jazz own the draft rights to. He could provide them with some youthful exuberance and solid guard play off the bench. Nene in an environment like this could have a couple of dominating offensive performances.
EGYPT
Strengths: There isn't a lot of talent on this team. All of these guys are in the top league of Egypt, but that's about as far as they go. Ramy Ibrahim and Haytham Kamal are the key big men. Wael Badr is a point guard who is pretty much the same size (6'4") as a lot of the small forwards. This team went on a random tournament run in FIBA Africas championship to make it here, and they'll likely have the "just happy to be here" mentality.
Weaknesses: This team just doesn't have any size and their ball skills aren't that well developed. They also don't have much depth or outside shooting. But other than that...
Players to watch: Ibrahim is fairly athletic and the Badr-Sharif Genedy backcourt is a veteran group. Let's just say I wouldn't get too attached to Team Egypt.
FRANCE
Strengths: There are some real playmakers on this team. Boris Diaw's stock has never been higher and he's always good for some incredible passing and timely scoring in FIBA competition. Nicolas Batum will be the star of the team with Tony Parker sitting this one out, and Batum's expanding game over the years makes him a real threat for opponents. We'll get to see more of a youth movement with France too. The point guards are young, Evan Fournier is getting a big chance, and Rudy Gobert could see some consistent minutes. If all of those young players can bring energy, this France team could play at a tough pace to keep up with.
Weaknesses: France is also missing some key talent. No Parker. No Joakim Noah. No Nando de Colo. No Alexis Ajinca. These are all NBA level players, two of them All-NBA level players and it will hurt some consistency on offense. Antoine Diot and Thomas Huertel are going to really have to prove themselves right away. Can they handle the defensive pressure on this stage? That's something that will make or break this team's chances.
Players to watch: There are worse things to watch than Batum and Diaw showing their basketball brilliance on the court. Keep an eye on them and you'll have a great viewing experience. It will be interesting to see how Gobert protects the rim. With so many young players getting a chance, one of them is bound to break through.
IRAN
Strengths: Iran has some tough size. Hamed Haddadi is their best player and his size will give plenty of frontcourts fits. Outside of Haddadi, this team has several guys in the 6'11" and 7'0" range for height. In theory, they could dominate the paint with a zone and rule the boards, but you can question their hands and ability to secure the ball. Arsalan Kazemi is their main, young wing player to pay attention to.
Weaknesses: There isn't much shooting or dribble penetration coming from this team. The skill set of their team is far behind many other teams, meaning their size has to be dominant. It probably won't be.
Players to watch: I gues Kazemi is the real guy to pay attention to. He was a second round draft pick of the Philadelphia 76ers, so it'll be fun to see what he could possibly give them down the road.
SERBIA
Strengths: This team has shot creators, scorers, and playmakers. Milos Teodosic has often been one of the best players in Europe. Bogdan Bogdanovic was just taken by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2014 draft. Nemanja Bjelica has a good scoring ability and Nenad Krstic is a scoring force inside in the international game. They've got plenty of size and toughness to throw around with Miroslav Raduljica, as well. Offense should not be an issue for them, but they do have pressure to be elite on offense, as opposed to just very good.
Weaknesses: How does this team play defense, and especially how do they play defense inside? They have decent size but there isn't a lot of athleticism there. They also show very little dedication to trying to get better on the defensive end. The effort is inconsistent. This is a very talented team though. If defense doesn't end up mattering because their offense is so good, they could be just fine.
Players to watch: If Teodosic is on his game, he's going to be a force in this tournament. He can break you down off the dribble, set up teammates, and get just about any shot he wants. Seeing what the Suns have in the future with Bogdanovic will also be fun, and again Krstic just manages to get it done in these tournaments. Also, you never know when he's going to throw a chair at someone.
SPAIN
Strengths: Not only is this team loaded but they're also playing in their home country. Look at almost every part of this roster and there is NBA and international star power. The trio of Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol, and Serge Ibaka will be tough for any country to compete against. And Felipe Reyes is a very solid role player. They're three deep at point guard with Jose Calderon, Ricky Rubio, and Sergio Rodriguez. Even Juan Carlos Navarro and Rudy Fernandez can handle the ball and make plays as passers or scorers. They're easily the biggest competition for any country, including Team USA.
Weaknesses: If there is one area to criticize this Spanish roster, it's on the wings. Fernandez and Navarro are legitimate, but Alex Abrines and Victor Claver aren't really guys who should be playing much. They'll probably go small on the perimeter and big with the interior, but will that hurt them trying to keep up with a small, athletic lineup that USA Basketball will undoubtedly throw at them?
Players to watch: Really, everybody is a fascinating choice here. Marc Gasol is going to be the star of the team this time around. Pau in a reduced role could catapult his effectiveness. We can check out how Ibaka is coming back from his injury. Will Rubio be an effective player at all times? Does Navarro still have that scoring magic? Is Calderon the real leader of this team? Will they be able to handle the pressure of playing at home?
GROUP B
ARGENTINA
Strengths: This isn't the same Golden Age team we're used, due to Manu Ginobili and Carlos Delfino being out. But the talent is still here. Several NBA players and NBA quality players are on this squad, led by Luis Scola, Pablo Prigioni, and Andres Nocioni. Most people should be familiar with the Scola God Mode by now. And even though he's one of the oldest players in the competition, he's still incredibly effective in the FIBA game. They can ride him, get timely shooting from the wings, and get quite far in this tournament.
Weaknesses: Their is a little lack of playmaking on the wings because of Ginobili's absence. There is also not a lot of depth inside unless they decide to play Walter Herrmann as more of a stretch-4 type of guy. Ginobili is their heart and soul, often pulling them through tough stretches or extending great stretches. Can anybody step up in his absence? If they don't have that spark, they might not medal.
Players to watch: It's always Scola in these competitions. Luis Scola is one of the best international big men we've ever seen in the FIBA games. There's plenty of talent to watch, but few players impact the international game and take over like he does. This may be the last tournament for a lot of this group, so let's cherish this incredible run for Argentina.
CROATIA
Strengths: This is another European team with a lot of good, young talent. Ante Tomic is a monster of a man and will need to be the anchor of this shaky defense. Roko Ukic is a very solid point guard. Bojan Bogdanovic will give Nets fans a preview of what he's capable of doing on the basketball court. He's their best scorer. Mario Hezonja and Dario Saric will be able to show what they'll eventually bring to the NBA and Damjan Rudez is a sharpshooter from outside.
Weaknesses: Still, much like the Serbian team, you have to wonder how Croatia stops anybody for key stretches. If Tomic is so improved that he can handle the assignment of protecting the rim, they'll be relatively fine. But medaling for this team is going to be tough because you can't always count on the youth, especially on defense.
Players to watch: Nets fans get to watch the scoring brilliance of Bogdanovic. Sixers fans get to watch what Saric could bring them in a couple of years. These are two exciting young players that will be key NBA players for their teams. Let's see if they have the good so far.
GREECE
Strengths: This isn't the big, rough and tumble Greek team of the past that could push you around, but the skill set is arguably much better. Giannis Antetokounmpo is becoming the star of this national team, and he'll be serving as the Nicolas Batum for them. Kostas Papanikolaou is a recent signing of the Houston Rockets and will provide some good scoring. Georgios Printezis was an NBA prospect big man at one point, and there is considerable size. The question is whether or not the backcourt can work the magic Vasilis Spanoulis used to give them.
Weaknesses: The point guard play is a legitimate question. Nick Calathes is an NBA point guard, but he has to be perfect in his decisions for how he handles the pressure and how he tries to pick apart defenses with his passing. More likely than not, Giannis will be the primary playmaker, but if he's hit with a great wing defender, where do they go? And where does the outside shooitng come from on this team?
Players to watch: You already know Giannis is the guy to watch. The internet loves him. You love him. YouTube loves him. Vine loves him.
PHILIPPINES
Strengths: I know almost nothing about this team, but I do know Andray Blatche is on the roster! He gives them much needed size and a legitimate NBA player. Outside of him, I don't know what this team can do.
Weaknesses: What happens if a team zones up against them to take away Blatche? Will he end up being the de facto playmaker on the perimeter? Is that a good thing in any way? Does it even matter since we get to relive what it was like for Blatche in high school?
Players to watch: Blatche. It's all Blatche, all the time.
PUERTO RICO
Strengths: The point guard play of this team is sensational. Carlos Arroyo has been bringing it in these competitions for a decade, and JJ Barea may not be a fan favorite in the NBA, but he can score with the best of them in internaional play when given spacing on the floor. The wings are decent complements and Ricky Sanchez is a very nice scoring big man. But they really don't have much size. Renaldo Balkman needs to be Shawn Marion for them.
Weaknesses: Renaldo Balkman is unlikely to be Shawn Marion for them. Being able to compete on the boards will be tough for them. Why isn't Peter John Ramos on the team? He's not great but he's a giant of a man. This team will probably get destroyed inside.
Players to watch: The Arroyo-Barea combo is really fun to watch. No, I'm not drunk while I'm writing this. They are fun in international play. Also, Daniel Santiago looks like Adam Carrolla, so if you pretend it's him playing, that adds to the entertainment.
SENEGAL
Strengths: Did you stop watching the Minnesota Timberwolves halfway through last season? Then you stopped watching double-double machine Gorgui Dieng have a nice little stretch of games. He gives great size next to Hamady Ndiaye and protecting the rim will be their greatest strength as a team. Get to know the future center of the Wolves. He'll be the one cleaning up the missed shots of this young core of athletic wings.
Weaknesses: Outside of the interior size, this team doesn't have much. The backcourt might be able to handle consistent pressure, but I'm not sure I'd hold my breath on this team having a good performance from outside. They're very raw and underdeveloped on the perimeter.
Players to watch: Dieng's hunger for rebounds and willingness to hunt out blocked shots is pretty fun. Plus, he'll be going against several Wolves' teammates during this tournament, including trying to shut down JJ Barea for at least one game.
GROUP C
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Strengths: This team could give the competition a lot of trouble. Edgar Sosa is a very good, attacking point guard when he's on. James Feldeine is a fun scoring option from outside and when attacking the basket. Francisco Garcia is always good for playmaking and outside shooting. Jack Michael Martinez is a ball of energy and effort inside, almost like a poor man's Kenneth Faried. This team will have good moments.
Weaknesses: But will they have consistency? The outside shooting can be streaky and if those shots aren't falling, it's hard to see them having an equalizer inside. There isn't a lot of talent inside and they'll need Eloy Vargas to be a big presence. They can rely on their backcourt quite a bit, but somebody big has to step up.
Players to watch: JMM, as the kids call him, is really fun to watch. He's tenacious, he's tough, and he's going to mix it up with anybody in front of him. He doesn't backdown. Feldeine should be good for a couple of highlights, and the potential trash talking from Garcia is going to be epic in at least one game.
FINLAND
Strengths: Petteri Koponen is one of the better point guards in this tournament, and he'll have help from veterans like Sasu Salin and Hanno Möttölä. Koponnen can take over in big stretches and really be the star in a single elimination contest. Erik Murphy has a chance to establish a nice presence on the boards and scoring inside. There is depth in the backcourt but there isn't much size you feel good about.
Weaknesses: Does Möttölä have enough left in the tank to be a go-to scorer for Finland? Somebody has to be able to take the pressure off Koponnen so he's fresh at the end of games. And between Tuukka Kotti and Gerald Lee, guessing which big man will be someone you want on the floor is like that game where you spin around with your head on a bat and then try to run to first base.
Players to watch: Koponnen is one of my favorite international guards to watch and he shouldn't disappoint this time around. Let's see if he can win some games for them and Finnish off the competition. I will not apologize for that.
NEW ZEALAND
Strengths: This New Zealand team has some actual talent. Thomas Abercrombie is a high-flyer for them who will dunk on anybody foolish enough not to box out. Kirk Penney can go off in high volume scoring situations. Corey Webster is a very solid guard. Rob Loe gives them a good, versatile big man. This team isn't going to go out and rule the tournament by any means, but they could end up being a tough match-up for a few unsuspecting teams.
Weaknesses: The fact that Steven Adams isn't playing for New Zealand is very disappointing. They need size and he's actually a good center who can give them defense and toughness. Without him, the small frontcourt is going to get abused. They need Webster, Penney, and Abercrombie to have big games from outside if they want to win a couple contests.
Players to watch: Abercrombie will have an incredible athletic moment and Penney can be the Kiwi version of Steph Curry during these competitions. And if they can't win, you know the post-game rugby match is all theirs.
TURKEY
Strengths: Once again, Turkey is sporting a lot of size. Asik is as giant as they come and he helps a team that is typically quite tough defensively. The backcourt of Tunceri, Arslan, and Güler can be a handful for opposing defenses, as well. If a rotation of Preldzicc, Aldemir, Asik, and one more big man can dominate the boards and shut down the interior, they'll make some games very ugly and winnable. Think of them as the Buls of last year after everybody got hurt.
Weaknesses: Missing Hedo Turkoglu, Ersan Ilyasova, and Enes Kanter hurts them. They have enough size inside to make up for Kanter's absence, but he was their only low scoring threat. They'll really miss the outside touch of Ilyasova and Turkoglu, unless Cenk Akyol can have a big tournament. He probably can't.
Players to watch: I wouldn't say you want to really watch these games unless you're a huge fan of Asik. It will be ugly.
UKRAINE
Strengths: The backcourt of Pooh Jeter and Sergii Gladyr will fuel this team. They're both competent scorers and will have the ball in their hands most of the time. If they're hot from outside, they'll be tough to eliminate or break. There is very good size in the frontcourt but it's very raw size. Perhaps somebody can break through for them, with Kravstov as the most likely candidate.
Weaknesses: There isn't any playmaking outside of Gladyr and Jeter. If you trap them and take them out of the play, what does the Ukraine do on offense? They can't really dump the ball into anybody and the wings aren't trustworthy as playmakers just quite yet.
Players to watch: Jeter is fun, Gladyr is fun, and you get to say replay this epic TV scene over and over.
USA
Strengths: Even with all of the stars sitting out this session of summer hoops, this team still has the most talent of anybody in the tournament. They have playmakers on the perimeter with Derrick Rose, Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden. They have energy guys like Kenneth Faried and Rudy Gay to give teams problems at the power forward position. Anthony Davis looks ready to keep breaking the mold of big men in the league and his defense can be tournament-changing.
Weaknesses: Is this team strong enough with their wing players without stars like Kevin Durant and Paul George playing? Will DeMarcus Cousins, Andre Drummond, and Mason Plumlee be ready to contribute consistently? There's a lot to love with this team but there are also a lot of young players who will be asked to be effective.
Players to watch: Rose is probably the one guy to watch over anybody else. There will be questions about how much he can play with five games in six days happening right off the bat. Is he going to be the star we remember and is he going to be able to handle the schedule? But really, you can pick anybody on this team and have a good time paying attention to what they bring.
GROUP D
ANGOLA
Strengths: I'll give Angola this. You can blow them out but you can't break their spirit. They're very competitive and just don't really seem to give up. But that typically only works out in Disney movies and buffet-eating competitions.
Weaknesses: There just isn't a lot of skill here. They have quality athletes and players for the African leagues, but there is a huge gap in talent between the FIBA Africas tournament and going up against the rest of the world.
Players to watch: Uh... are you guys all caught up on the Big Bang Theory?
AUSTRALIA
Strengths: This Australian team is starting to look pretty legitimate. It would be nice if they could have tricked Kyrie Irving into playing for them instead of Team USA, but Matthew Dellavedova and Dante Exum are quality guards. Exum could even break out and get us all a twitter for his rookie season in Utah coming up. Joe Ingles is a quality swing man, Brad Newley is a quality shooter, and this five-man interior is legitimately tough. Aron Baynes, Cameron Bairstow and Brock Motum will all be in the NBA this year. David Andersen and Nathan Jawai are former players.
Weaknesses: As good as Exum and Dellavedova might be, they're not the scoring threat Patty Mills was for Australia. He could win them a game or two with his high volume of points. Does anybody have that ability to take over the crunch time stretches for Australia? Will this squad be able to keep up with a fast paced team?
Players to watch: Exum. Exum. Exum. There are quality players on this team, but everybody wants to know if he's the real deal. He looked good and fun in Las Vegas Summer League, and a big tournament and advancing out of group play could truly help push his development. Let's see how great he can be.
KOREA
Strengths: I have no idea. I honestly don't.
Weaknesses: This is a tiny team. There is very little size and the tall people aren't exactly built like David West.
Players to watch: I just don't know.
LITHUANIA
Strengths: This is probably the third best team in the world right now. They're loaded with talented size. They have playmakers on the perimeter. Martynas Pocius has been known to go off for big stretches of these tournaments. Jonas Valanciunas is finally being unleashed for this Lithuanian team and they have great size to put next to him with either Lavrinovic, Donatas Motiejunas, and Kuzminskas. They should dominate almost every team inside, as long as they stay out of foul trouble.
Weaknesses: Without Sarunas Jasikevicius, this team could be in trouble for leadership on the floor. The absence of Linas Kleiza is also tough for them, although they probably will fair just fine. He could be a bit of a chucker, but when he was on, he was great. Are the guards going to be consistent enough in keeping the fabric of this team together in tight games? It's a real question for them.
Players to watch: Watch Jonas. Watch Donatas. But mostly, watch the crowd they bring with them. It's the most entertaining group of fans that travels for these tournaments and there's always a random fan wearing a wolf mask. That is real.
MEXICO
Strengths: With Brooklyn Nets' guard Jorge Guttierez and Gustavo Ayon, there is NBA talent on this Mexico roster. But they need both of those guys to be incredible leaders and play nearly perfect basketball. The rest of the team can be scrappy, but again, this isn't a Disney movie.
Weaknesses: Even with Ayon, they're likely to get dominated inside. They also don't really have a lot of shooters on the roster. They'll struggle to score points against the better competition, even in this weak of a group.
Players to watch: Even with Guttierez and Ayon, there isn't a lot of excitement on the roster. You can probably skip some of these games.
SLOVENIA
Strengths: UNLEASH THE DRAGIC! Goran Dragic and his brother Zoran Dragic fuel this team. The luxury of having an All-NBA Third Team guard on the roster should get them through group play, even though they don't have a lot of help outside of him. Alen Omic and Uros Slokar need to be big for them and Jaka Klobucar could be a fun spark off the bench. But this is all Dragic, all the time.
Weaknesses: There isn't scoring outside of the Dragic brothers. They like to play a fast pace, but we saw how that worked out for them against a talented team like the USA. Against the better competition, their affinity for playing fast will only spotlight their weaknesses.
Players to watch: Double Dragic. Let's have fun.
