There’s A Rough Road Ahead For U.S. National Team

It's now time for the national team to put up or shut up. With guys like LeBron 
James, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade, Team USA is a lock to win the 2010 FIBA 
World Championship in Istanbul, Turkey. Oh, that's right the 2010 National Team 
doesn't possess one player from the "Redeem Team," so what does that mean for 
their chances to win? Will they still win the whole thing? Well, it's not going to be as 
easy for the new crop of players to win it all. Not just because they're 
inexperienced but also cause the European and other international teams in the 
tournament have a head start on Team USA. 

Most of the teams in the tournament consist of players that have played together 
for years, and also have played more warm up games than Team USA. Teams like 
Spain, yes the same Spaniard team that almost beat Team USA in Greece, and 
Argentina have a very legitimate chance of defeating Team USA. 

Spain is a very intriguing team. They are stocked with solid guards, Ricky Rubio 
being one of them, and should shoot better from the field next time the two 
clubs meet. Rubio along with Juan Carlos Navarro (who finished with 20 points, 
six assists and one turnover) will be a problem for Team USA's guards just like 
they were in the first match up. Portland Trailblazer forward, Rudy Fernandez 
struggled the first time the teams met, but the chances of him repeating his 
subpar performance are slim. Marc Gasol, on the other hand, will be a positive 
and negative for Spain. 

Gasol will be able to dominate the "big men" from USA again (17 points, & six 
rebounds) but will be a liability on the defensive end. Gasol appeared to be 
flat footed when he was forced to defend the pick and roll. Team USA's "big men" 
are very mobile and will force Gasol to play out of his comfort zone. Lamar Odom 
was able to do this throughout the later moments of the first game. Spain is 
very talented and should not have too much trouble surviving pool play. Their 
biggest threat in Pool D should either be France or Lithuania, but if they come 
to play look for them to survive.

Argentina, on the other hand, is the real deal. They are well rounded, and like 
Spain, they also consist of a few NBA players also. The team did take a 
humungous loss when they announced that forward Philadelphia 76ers forward Andres Nocioni will miss the 
2010 FIBA World Championship due to a left ankle sprain he suffered at practice. 
However, they still have big names like Luis Scola, the formidable Houston 
Rockets' forward, so they will be ok. 

Argentina showed their resiliance by defeating Lebanon 89-82 on Saturday. 
Lebanon fought to the very end in a quite valiant response to Argentina's 
intensity. However, Argentina was too much for them to handle. As crazy as this 
sounds, if Argentina faces Team USA, they will rely heavily on the paint 
presence from Scola and Washington Wizards forward Fabricio Oberto. Argentina's 
only possible threats in Pool A are Serbia, and Germany. Honestly, it seems that 
Argentina is too talented and disciplined to not survive pool play.

Team USA without a doubt has the most athletically gifted team in the 
tournament. But will that translate to them becoming the best team? That is the 
million dollar question. My answer is no, but I do think it will help them get 
by and win the whole thing. Will it be hard? Yes! But can they do it? Yes. 

So in the wordz of NFL Superstar Terrell Owens, "get your popcorn ready" because 
the 2010 USA Men's National team's "road to glory" is going to be a long and 
hard one to travel. But if anyone can pull it off, Team USA can.