Olympic Basketball Previews: Group B

With the 18th Olympic Basketball Tournament kicking off on July 28, and pre-tournament warm-up games well under way, I'm breaking down each team and examining their hopes and expectations, key players, olympic history, and more. (Note: Click on 'de

Group B

Australia

FIBA Ranking: 9th

Head Coach: Brett Brown

Key Players: Patrick Mills, Matthew Nielsen

Olympic Appearances: 10 (0 medals)

Qualified: 2011 FIBA Oceania champions

Nickname: Boomers

This will Australia's tenth Olympic tournament appearance, making them on of the most frequent games participants. Their medal hope have already been hit a severe blow, with star center Andrew Bogut out injured, so the Boomers will have to do their best to get by. Getting to the knockout rounds would be considered a solid tournament, and this seems a realistic expectation. Australia lack star quality and so they'll be looking for contributions from throughout the team to propel themselves to victories. One player who does have the ability to make a real difference for them though, is San Antonio Spurs guard, Patty Mills. Mills will do most of the ball handling, and Australia will need him to take on a scoring role, if they're to be successful.

Depth Chart

Tournament Prospects: Australia will expect to make the quarter-final stage at least, and the should have enough talent to do so. At the very least, they'd expect to beat Great Britain and China, which would put them through. However, given the strength of opposition from Group A, teams will be looking to get the best seeding possible from the Group stage. I see Australia probably getting the fourth seed, and being blown out by the USA in the knockout-round.

Brazil

FIBA Ranking: 13th

Head Coach: Rubén Magnano

Key Players: Nene, Leandro Barbosa

Olympic Appearances: 15 (bronze medal winners in 1948, 1960, and 1964)

Qualified: 2011 FIBA Americas runner-up

Brazil could be a dark horse at this tournament. They have four NBA players on their roster, and a nice balance of scoring and defense. Leading the way offensively for Brazil will be Nene, of the Washington Wizards, and Leandro Barbosa, an NBA free agent. Barbosa is quick and cunning and he'll score in droves at these games. Nene will compliment that perfectly, by dominating in the paint against smaller and less talented opposition. Anderson Varejao will also play a key role for Brazil. The Cavaliers veteran, will be Brazil's defensive anchor and alongside Nene will provide an intimidating front-line. With Tiago Splitter as the sixth man, to back them up, Brazil look to have one of the best front-court rotations at these games. Barcelona's Marcelinho Huertas will man the point and should be a solid contributor, but Brazil lack depth at the guard spots and are particularly weak at the three.

Depth Chart

Tournament Prospects: I really like this Brazilian team, and I think they could challenge for the bronze medal at these games. Their depth up front is a distinct advantage and they'll be a match-up nightmare for most teams. I expect Brazil to qualify comfortably from this group, probably in second place. From there, the quarter-final draw will have a big impact but I would give them a very good chance against any of France, Argentina or Lithuania. If they can beat one of those teams in the quarter-finals, they'll be playing for a medal.

China

FIBA Ranking: 10th

Head Coach: Bob Donewald

Key Players: Yi Jianlian, Liu Wei

Olympic Appearances: 10 (no medals)

Qualified: 2011 FIBA Asia champions

China come into these games as somewhat of a mystery. They're a longshot for a medal now, with their key player, Yao Ming, retired. Instead, Yi Jianlian will lead the way for Team China at these games. The have solid depth on their roster. Most of these players play domestically in the CBA, which is one of the better international leagues. The lack leadership though, and will rely heavily on Yi to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

Depth Chart

Tournament Prospects: China have a good chance at making it out of the group, and they'll be competitive in every game. That said, I think they'll just miss out on a place in the next round. Spain, Brazil and Russia just seem to have much more talent, so I see them scrapping it out with the Boomers for the last quarter-final place. China could well and surprise me, but I find it difficult to have faith in a team whose best player is Yi Jianlian ('The Chairman'),

Great Britain

FIBA Ranking: 43rd

Head Coach: Chris Finch

Key Players: Luol Deng, Joel Freeland

Olympic Appearances: 2 (no medals)

Qualified: Hosts

Team GB will be the lowest ranked team competing in the Olympic basketball tournament. At a lowly forty-third, in the world rankings, they've only qualified as hosts. British basketball does have some Olympic history though. They made their one and only previous appearance at the 1948 games, also held in London. In that competition they won a single game and lost seven in crashing out at the first round. Winning a single game at these games would constitute a massive success. That's not to say that GB don't possess talented players. Luol Deng is an NBA All-Star. Deng is an excellent two-way player, who will provide both scoring and elite perimeter defense. Up front the also have some talent in new Portland Trailblazer Joel Freeland, and former NBA big man Pops Mensah-Bonsu. These three veterans will provide leadership for GB. Twenty-two year old Andrew Lawrence will be their point guard, and he's been developing his game nicely in recent years. The Olympics will be a great learning curve for him and he'll benefit from being around guys like Deng and Freeland. Britain's downfall though is their total lack of depth. The rest of the starters and their bench are comprised of very average players, who'll struggle to make an impact and contribute at this level. They'll really miss Ben Gordon, who had agreed to play, but never showed up for their training camp. Gordon has struggled in the NBA in recent years, but give him the ball and the playing time and he can still be an incredible scorer. Alongside Deng, he could have led this team in London. Sadly, it wasn't to be. There was also some hope that Team GB would secure the services of Bryon Mullens of the Charlotte Bobcats - a young NBA talent who is eligible for the team. However, circumstances conspired against them and Mullens won't be on the GB roster. Missing out on those to players will be a massive blow to Britain's hopes of making an impact on these games.

Tournament Prospects: Progressing to the next round seems much to big a task, so for Britain just being competitive, and maybe even winning a game would constitute an enormous success. They really lack any kind of quality guard who can play at this level, which will be a major disadvantage given that they'll have to face Juan Carlos Navarro, Alexey Schved, and Patty Mills during the group stage. The presence of Deng in particular, should be inspiring though. His journey, from war-torn South Sudan to the NBA via London, is the kind the Olympics champion. He'll make an impact, and I think maybe, GB might just find enough in the tank to steal one win from somewhere. If they do, they'll be more than happy with that.

Russia

FIBA Ranking: 11th

Head Coach: David Blatt

Key Players: Andrei Kirilenko, Timofey Mozgov

Olympic Appearances: 3 (no medals)

Qualified: 2012 FIBA Qualifying tournament

Russia are another one of the dark horse nations that will have a good chance of winning a medal at these games. Russia's main man is obviously Andrei Kirilenko, the current Euroleague MVP, and a former NBA All-Star. He's still an elite perimeter defender, and he'll have no trouble scoring against international opposition. Around him, the Russians have a assembled a nice cast, that fits together well. They have plenty of shooting on the perimeter, with new Timberwolves signing Alexey Shved leading the way there. Look for Shved to make a bit of a name for himself in this tournament. Inside they have plenty of size in Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov, and former NBA forward Viktor Khryapa. With Andrey Vorontsevich coming off the bench to back up the aforementioned players, as Russia's sixth man, they have one of the stronger front-court rotations in the competition.

Depth Chart

Tournament Prospects: I expect Russia to be among the betters teams at this tournament. Looking at Group B, Spain seem the clear number one, but I expect Russia and Brazil to be vying for the number two spot. The balance, and defense presence that Russia possess should see them comfortably into the quarter-finals where they would likely face one of France, Argentina or Lithuania. I think Russia probably will having the beating of however the end up playing there (as long as it's not USA!). I can't seem them pulling a semi-final upset over Spain or USA through. Russia may well find themselves facing Brazil a second time in this tournament, in a showdown for the bronze medal.

Spain

FIBA Ranking: 2nd

Head Coach: Sergio Scariolo

Key Players: Pau Gasol, Juan Carlos Navarro

Olympic Appearances: 11 (Silver medal - 1984, 2008)

Qualified: 2011 FIBA EuroBasket champions

Having one gold at the last two consecutive EuroBaskets, and won a Basketball World Cup in 2006, Spain come to London looking to take home the only international basketball gold medal that has thus far eluded their 'golden generation'. This is a Spanish squad that should have a real chance, given their star power, and strength in depth. Central to Spanish fortunes, as ever, is Pau Gasol. Gasol has endured a disappointing last two seasons with the Lakers, amid trade speculation and increasing age, but he should be able to dominate on the international level like the Pau of old. There seems now to be some certainty about his future with the Lakers, and I expect to see him return to his old self in the upcoming season, beginning with these games. Alongside Pau up front will be his brother Marc, an NBA All-Star last season. The Gasol brothers give Spain the kind of size and interior presence that no other team in the tournament possesses and they'll be able to dominate on the block and in the paint against most opponents. Completing their big man rotation is new Spanish citizen Serge Ibaka and the ever dependable Felipe Reyes. Ibaka can make a huge difference for Spain. He adds even more size to their front-line and his tremendous shot blocking abilities will discourage opponents from driving the lanes. Spain should be one of the better defensive teams at this games, and their defense begins and ends with Ibaka's intimidating presence in the paint. On the wings, Spain are also very deep. Rudy Fernandez and Juan Carlos Navarro will likely start at the three and two respectively, and they'll providing elite shooting and an ability to move the ball. The shooters Spain have on the wings, are the ideal complimentary players to take advantage of double-teams that might be directed at the Gasol brothers. Jose Calderon and Sergio Rodriguez will share the point guard duties. Those two are veterans of the international game and they know exactly how the play their roles. Both will put an emphasis on finding their teammates in good positions, and they're able to knock down open shots that come their way.

Depth Chart

Tournament Prospects:  Spain are going to be USA's main challengers for the gold medal at these Olympics. The Spanish should progress comfortably through Group A and I would expect them to win all of their group stage games. If they do that they'll likely face Lithuania in the quarter-finals. At the semi-final stage I can see Russia or Brazil giving them a tough time of it but I expect Spain to progress to the gold medal game. Though it seems unlikely, I do give Spain a shot a beating the USA. If Spain could pound the ball inside to their bigs on the block, and shoot the lights out from the perimeter, they could pull an upset. I wouldn't bet on it though, and realistically, I expect Spain to take home another Olympic silver medal.