2008 Olympics Basketball

[yokam]

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^^ Wala. Murag gireserve nila for next year.

[thadzonline]

naa kaha gitaguan nga ace under their sleeves ang Argentina? seems like they are not as dominating as I expect, especially the games against Panama and Puerto Rico

[yokam]

USA vs Puerto Rico and Argentina vs Brazil. Two more teams bound for Beijing next year. This is an all-out battle between Argentina and Brazil. Barbosa and the rest of the Brazilians can pull an upset here.

[yokam]

2008 Olympics Men's Basketball Groupings:

Group A: Argentina, Australia, Iran, Lithuania, Russia, Qualifier A
Group B: Angola, China, Spain, United States, Qualifier B, Qualifier C

Teams fighting for the last 3 spots: Brazil, Canada, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Korea, Lebanon, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, and Slovenia.

Group A

Argentina: Key eligible players are Manu Ginobili, Andres Nocioni, Luis Scola, Carlos Delfino, Fabricio Oberto, and Ruben Wolkowyski.

With a lot of players having NBA and international experience, Argentina is one of the teams expected to give the powerhouse USA Team a good challenge. 2004 Gold medal winning team members Pepe Sanchez and Walter Hermann have retired from the team.

Australia: Key eligible players are Andrew Bogut, CJ Bruton, Sam Mackinnon, Brad Newley, Jason Smith, Aaron Bruce, Chris Anstey, Nathan Jawai

NBA player Andrew Bogut is the only standout from the Australian National team but is surrounded by former NBA players and NBA prospects. Bruton was drafted by the Vancouver Grizzlies in 1997 while Newley was drafted by the Houston Rockets last season. Jawai is said to be an NBA prospect. Australia is not one of the teams favored to advance though.

Iran: Key eligible players are Mehdi Kamrani, Aidin Bahrami, Mohammad Nikkhah, Hamed Hadadi, Hamed Afagh, Jaber Rouzbahani

The most "unknown" team in the Olympics so far since it's players don't play international basketball professionally. One player to look out for is ace scorer Hamed Hadadi and 7'5 Jaber Rouzbahani. Rouzbahani gained attention by declaring his eligibility for the 2004 NBA Draft.

Lithunia: Key eligible players are Linas Kleiza, Darius Songaila, Arvydas Macijauskas, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Ramunas Siskauskas, Rimantas Kaukenas, Robertas Javtokas, Ksystof Lavrinovic, Darjus Lavrinovic, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

Another team to look out for in the Olympics. Lithaunia is loaded with accurate shooters and hard nosed veterans. One name that stand out is Sarunas Jasikevicius who is considered as one of the best players outside the NBA. Linas Kleiza's surge during the NBA's 2007-08 season will be a big help for Lithunia and if Zydrunas Ilgauskas will be healthy and suiting up for the team, it can create some match-up problems against the heavily favored USA Team.

Russia: Key eligible players are Andrei Kirilenko, Viktor Khryapa, J.R. Holden, Sergei Monya, and Anton Ponkrashov

Naturalized citizen J.R. Holden will be interesting to see playing for Russia. Holden brings back the memories after hitting the game winning basket against erstwhile champions Spain with 2.1 seconds left to give Russia the title. Another attraction for Russia is 6'7 point guard Anton Ponkrashov who's expected to create a lot of mismatches inside and is an up-and-coming NBA prospect. Russia also has the reigning Eurobasket MVP in Andrei Kirilenko and one of the best coaches in the Olympics in David Blatt. Russia is one of the better defensive teams in the Olympics.

Group B

Angola: Key eligible players are Olimpio Cipriano, Armando Costa, Milton Barros, Luis Costa, and Joaquim Gomes

By far not one of the favorites in the Olympics but is an upset capable team. Angola finished 0-5 in the 2004 Olympic Games but finished 3-2 in the 2006 FIBA World Championships and gave scares to powerhouse teams Spain and Germany before bowing out after losing to France. Angola is the best team in Africa so far in recent years and they boast of 6'8 big man Joaquim Gomes who was named as the 2007 Africa qualifiers MVP.

China: Key eligible players are Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Wang Zhizhi, Sun Yue, Liu Wei, Li Nan, Chen Jianghua

Arguably the second most popular team in the Olympics next to USA. China boasts of high quality big men with NBA experience who are expected to give USA a good challenge inside. Yao Ming stands 7'6, Yi is 6'11, and former NBA player Wang Zhizhi stands 7'1 making China one of the bigger teams in the tourney. Despite being out of the remainder of the 2007-08 season, Yao is expected to play for China during the Olympics. If they're lucky enough, China might advance but USA and Spain stands in their way.

Spain: Key eligible players are Pau Gasol, Juan Carlos Navarro, Marc Gasol, Jose Calderon, Jorge Garbajosa, Rudy Fernandez, Felipe Reyes, Carlos Jimenez, Ricky Rubio, Sergio Rodriguez, Fran Vasquez.

Spain is dubbed as the best team to give USA a tough challenge. With numerous players playing in the NBA decently and competitiely, Spain is one of the teams favored to win it all or at least end up high. Spain's got more players than roster spots for now and experienced national team players are not yet guaranteed to play in Beijing. What's expected is that the core group will be made up of Pau Gasol, Navarro, Calderon, and Fernandez. International games veteran Jorge Garbajosa is doubtful after undergoing an operation on his ankle. One attraction for Spain though is kid sensation Ricky Rubio who has just turned 18 but has been an impact player professionally at Europe. One thing's for sure, no matter what kind of team Spain sends, they'll be making noise, especially after coming off a heartbreaker against Russia.

United States: Projected roster is Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire, Chauncey Billups, Tyson Chandler, Tayshaun Prince, Mike Miller, Michael Redd, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Shane Battier, Joe Johnson.

Nothing less than a gold medal is expected from this team and who wouldn't? They've got 3 of the the game's current best scorers, the most athletic and well conditioned players, and a veteran and proven leader in Jason Kidd. One thing is still uncertain though, there's no word coming from Dwyane Wade yet whether he'll suit up or not for the Olympics.

[mab]

wala d i italy?

[yokam]

wala d i italy?

Wala, Italy didn't qualify. They finished 9th during the 2007 Eurobasket. Top 6 lang ang naa chance makasulod sa Olympics.

[thadzonline]

hahayz, kung wa lang unta madaot sa politics basin naa pa unta Pinas diha in a longshot :mrgreen:

[thadzonline]

hahayz, kung wa lang unta madaot sa politics basin naa pa unta Pinas diha in a longshot :mrgreen:

[neox30]

nindot ni oi

[kingsoft29]

wlay phils ani