In less than a week the FIBA World Basketball Championships will tip-off in Turkey with the top 24 teams competing for the title of World Champion. The United States, Spain, Argentina and Greece are the four favorites for the semifinal spots, with a champion emerging from this group. Spain are the defending World Champions, beating Greece in Japan four years ago. The US have not won this competition since 1994 when the tourney was held in Canada. The competition divides the 24 teams into four groups of six, with the top four teams in each group advancing to the knock-out stages. Over the next couple of days PBP will look at each group and try to provide a concise preview. It's time for Group B! Enjoy!
Brazil
FIBA Rank - 14th
Key Player - Leonardo Barbosa
Brazil are heading into the World Championships on the back of a gold medal at the FIBA Americas Tourney and are led by Ruben Magnano, the Argentine coach that led Argentina to their glory years in the early 2000s. Brazil are missing Nene, but still have Barbosa, Splitter and the Transvestite, Varejao to lead the charge. Their early exit from the 2006 tourney gave the Brazilians the extra motivation to assemble the best team possible and succeed at the tournament of the Americas in 2009. Not only did they provide a great offensive display, but overall they were the best defensive team in the tournament, losing only one game on their way to the gold medal. The key for Brazil in this year's tournament is the play of their guards and whether Leonardo Barbosa can be a consistent offensive contributor.
Brazil are heading into the World Championships on the back of a gold medal at the FIBA Americas Tourney and are led by Ruben Magnano, the Argentine coach that led Argentina to their glory years in the early 2000s. Brazil are missing Nene, but still have Barbosa, Splitter and the Transvestite, Varejao to lead the charge. Their early exit from the 2006 tourney gave the Brazilians the extra motivation to assemble the best team possible and succeed at the tournament of the Americas in 2009. Not only did they provide a great offensive display, but overall they were the best defensive team in the tournament, losing only one game on their way to the gold medal. The key for Brazil in this year's tournament is the play of their guards and whether Leonardo Barbosa can be a consistent offensive contributor.
Croatia
FIBA Rank - 15th
Key Player - Roko Leni-Ukic
Croatia have excellent pedigree in the World Championships having been led to medal finishes by Toni Kukoc and the late Drazen Petrovic. This year's edition of the Croatian basketball team is led by Roko Leni-Ukic of Toronto Raptor fame. Ukic will lead the team from the point guard position. Croatia also has a very young yet talented front court led by Ante Tomic and Marko Banic. Croatia will have to be ready as they will play their opening game against the United States, the reigning Olympic champions. They will also have the opportunity to take their revenge against Slovenia, who eliminated them in the quarter-finals at last year’s EuroBasket in Poland. Brazil will also provide tough opposition, and no mistakes will be allowed against Tunisia and Iran if Croatia want to qualify for the playoff rounds.
Iran
FIBA Rank - 21st
Key Player - Hamed Haddadi
Iran will be led by Hamed Haddadi, their only NBA player. Haddadi won the 2009 Asian Championships MVP as Iran won the tournament for the second time. He also had four games in the 2008 Olympics where he had at least 15 points, and had an impressive 17 point, 15 rebound, and 3 block effort against group mate Croatia. Samad Nikkhah has also been a strong international performer in the past couple years whose perimeter scoring complements Haddadi’s inside game. Arsalan Kazemi of Rice University was the first Iranian to play in major NCAA basketball last year, and was one of the few bright spots averaging 10 points and 9 rebounds per game on a rebuilding Owls team. While Iran has improved by leaps and bounds over the past few years, it would take a huge upset if they win more than one game in Turkey. They had the misfortune of falling into a draw with four teams who have the big men capable of handling Haddadi on the block.
Slovenia
FIBA Rank - 20th
Key Player - Goran Dragic
No national team has bucked convention for assembling their roster quite like Slovenia. Over the past two summers, the team has let go Sasha Vujacic and Beno Udrih. While Vujacic was plainly told that his services were not wanted, Beno and the national team agreed to part ways in July after Udrih was told he would not start for the squad. While it is incredibly rare for such a small country to let go of their two highest paid professionals, the Slovenians are not going to lack for backcourt talent. Goran Dragic, Jaka Lakovic, and Sani Becirovic give them a formidable trio. While Udrih was not too pleased with the news that he would need to backup Jaka Lakovic, the Barca point has had a better international body of work. Udrih has not played in a major tournament for Slovenia since 2006 while Lakovic has been one of their leaders during that time. Dragic has taken a starring role on the team, and highlighted an MVP performance in the pre-Worlds Stankovic Cup with a triple-double effort with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Slovenia will look to push the tempo due to their strong guard play but might find things tough if faced against teams with significant size.
Tunisia
FIBA Rank - 43rd
Key Player - Amine Rzig
As the lowest ranked team by FIBA in the World Championships, Tunisia seems destined to receive a humble pummeling in group play. Only four players on their roster are paid professionals, and most play for semi-pro club teams in Tunisia. The underdog’s tuneups for the tournament have included a 92-68 thrashing at the hands of non-qualifier Finland and a 77-44 loss to France. The team will be led by 30-year old shooting guard Amine Rzig whose minute-heavy workload is a big reason they qualified as the bronza medalists at last summer’s African championships. He along with Marouan Kechrid, Atef Maoua, and Naim Dhifallah will be a part of this 3-point heavy lineup. Tunisia will need for Rzig and Kechrid to catch fire against Iran to have any chance of winning a game.
United States
FIBA Rank - 2nd
Key Player - Kevin Durant
Despite being without their biggest stars, the USA still have a multi-talented core of players. Kevin Durant is a former NBA Rookie of the Year and won the league’s scoring title last year and he will be the alpha dog for this version of the Stars and Stripes. Derrick Rose is also a recipient of the Rookie of the Year award and, like Durant, a superstar in the making. Mike Krzyzewski will also have some valuable experience and proven winners at his disposal with former NBA champion and Finals MVP Chauncey Billups as well as versatile forward Lamar Odom, who has helped the Los Angeles Lakers to consecutive championships these past two years. The Americans will not be a very big team and this could be their weakness considering some of their biggest rivals, Spain and Greece, have adequate size in the middle. Tyson Chandler is the only true center on the team, while Kevin Love and Odom will play the 4/5 positions. The US will rely on pressure defense to disrupt their oppositions offensive rhythm which could create plenty of turnovers and fast break baskets for the US. All in all, the US are the favorites for the gold medal based on talent. The key is if they can build the chemistry needed to succeed in such a short time.
Projected Order Of Finish
1st - United States
2nd - Brazil
3rd - Slovenia
4th - Croatia
5th - Iran
6th - Tunisia
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