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The Other World Cup: Who To Expect On Team USA

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The FIFA World Cup is one of the most amazing sporting events in the world. Much like the Olympics, it brings people of different countries together, bridges cultural and physical barriers, with everyone in the world sharing the same goal: To make fun of Brazil as much as possible once they lose.

Now that Brazil is finished as the world’s punching bag, it’s time to start the other World Cup, the one USA is expected to dominate: the FIBA World Cup. Though this isn’t 1992, The Dream Team isn’t blowing countries out of the water while they watch, dumbfounded, and then ask for autographs during the post-game handshake. Spain will give the US a fight, so who have Director Jerry Colangelo and Coach Mike Krzyzewski called upon to fill the 12 roster spots on Team USA this year?

 

Stephen Curry G
Kyrie Irving G
John Wall G
Kyle Korver G
Klay Thompson G
James Harden G
Derrick Rose G
Damian Lillard G
Bradley Beal G
Paul George G/F
Gordon Hayward G/F
DeMar DeRozan G/F
Kevin Love F
Kevin Durant F
Kenneth Faried F
Chandler Parsons F
Blake Griffin F
Anthony Davis F/C
DeMarcus Cousins C
Andre Drummond C

Here’s the roster we started with back in mid-July, with a couple of edits thrown in to match some of the changes we’ve seen so far. John Wall was just added to the roster on Friday, while Blake dropped out because he is “preparing for the upcoming season with the Clippers.” Per the USA Basketball website, Love has decided to forgo the World Cup as well, due to “his current status” (a.k.a. ‘I don’t want to get injured and risk being stuck with Minnesota next year’).

There are also some notable names missing from this list. LeBron James will not be participating, which has been expected for some time now. The same can be said for Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul, as they’re in need of more rest at this point in their careers.

Team USA will also be missing Russell Westbrook (cautionary rest for his knee), Dwight Howard (cautionary rest for his back) and LaMarcus Aldridge (cautionary rest for his wallet in a contract year). That being said, there are still a lot of stars on that list; who will be wearing the stars and stripes in Spain this year?

Bet Your First Born: Locks to Make the Squad

Kevin Durant – Colangelo stated that with LeBron likely done with international play, Durant is “kind of the face of USA basketball going forward.” You don’t leave the face of the team at home, particularly after he set the NBA world on fire last year, usurping King James as MVP and leading the league in scoring. I would literally bet my life on this happening. He’ll be there.
Amazingly, that’s it. Love would be here, as both Coach Krzyzewski and Mr. Colangelo are huge proponents of Love’s game, and he has experience from the 2012 Olympics. With the number of big names sitting out this year, roster spots are up for grabs, and everyone below has a real chance of watching these games from home.

Bet Your Second Born: Almost Probably For Sure Going to be There

Anthony Davis – He’s almost at the Kevin Durant level of confidence for Team USA, but not quite. I asked myself if I would bet my life on it, and I hesitated, so he’s one rung down instead. Coach K has been in love with the young big’s versatility and foot speed. It’s rare that you find someone at 6’10” who can keep up with some small forwards when needed. It’s no secret that Krzyzewski likes to play small ball in international play, and playing Davis at the five gives you plenty of speed and spacing without sacrificing size. I mean, watch him reject Deron Williams from 15 feet out, then finish with a dunk on the other end. And he’s only 21 years old! (Disclaimer: I’m a huge Brow fanboy. He’s going to be the next breakout star in the NBA. I’d bet my second born on it)
Paul George – I was a little wary to put George this high up on the list, particularly after the bizarre season the Pacers had and the way George faded down the stretch. Then I saw that Iguodala, a Team USA favorite, won’t be making the trip to Spain to rest his surgically repaired knee. That leaves George as the best lock-down wing on the team and a perfect complement for Durant. If he can regain his early 2013/2014 form, expect to see him starting.

Throwing your Car Keys into the Pot: The Odds are in their Favor

Chandler Parsons – This is a bit of a reach, I’ll admit. Yet, Colangelo sees Parson’s fitting an important role on Team USA.

The stretch four is a staple of international play, and while Parson’s defense can leave a bit to be desired, the ability to stretch the floor with his three-point shot is a valuable commodity at the position. Plus, Chandler should be looking to prove himself after Harden basically called him a second class player. Speaking of Harden…
James Harden – Wouldn’t it be amazing if these two shared the court after their beef just a week ago? I debated putting Harden in the rung above: He’s played on Team USA before, he committed early to the team, and he’s still one of the best scorers in the league. However, for every amazing Euro-step finish in traffic, there’s a defensive play that makes me want to gouge my eyes out. Luckily, YouTube user How U has put together the “highlights” of James Harden from the 2013-2014 season. Warning: it’s really bad. Even with that defensive prowess, I expect to see him in Spain, hopefully glowering at Parsons while losing international players on backdoor cuts.

Main Events: Positional Battles

DeMarcus Cousins vs Andre Drummond – With Love bowing out of the show this year, that leaves a need for a big man to back up Anthony Davis and perhaps even play next to him while Davis moves to the four. That leaves these two, both young guys with high upside but a few glaring problems. Drummond is a terror in the paint, a giant of a man who deters driving guards like Roy Hibbert. Yet, his offense still needs some work. He won’t be scoring in the post much, and most of his points come from his insane offensive rebounding, where he led the league by grabbing an incredible 109 offensive boards more than DeAndre Jordan. Cousins is almost the complete opposite; a monster on the block, but lacking a bit on the defensive side of the ball (though he still rebounds like a champ). The tipping point is Drummond’s failure at the charity stripe. He’s never made it up to 50% on his free throws, and that just can’t happen in international play. Here’s hoping Boogie Cousins can keep his act together in Spain.
Winner: DeMarcus Cousins

Kyle Korver vs Klay Thompson – These two are a lot alike; they’re listed at the same height, with a whopping 7 pounds difference between them. Klay is the better positional defender and all around scorer, but Korver is the better shooter percentage wise (47.2% from 3 last year!). Korver has more time playing the three however, which is an important factor on a team lacking size. Shooting is always needed, and both of these guys are lights out, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see both of them on the squad. But if I had to pick one, I’d take Thompson. He’s the better defender, and his youth means he could become a cornerstone for Team USA for the rest of the decade.
Winner: Klay Thompson

Bradley Beal vs DeMar DeRozan – This is a tough one, as both of these guys can shoot from any range and have shown they can get to the hoop as well. Honestly, I think there’s a decent chance that neither of them makes the team. The two guard position is simply not as important with the crop of point guards on Team USA. Why have DeRozan or Beal when you can slide Irving over and play him next to Damian Lillard? Sorry guys, I don’t see either of you making the team.
Winner: Neither

Bettors Beware: The Point Guards

Everyone knows the NBA is incredibly deep at point guard, but even so, I see three spots being open for five great players: Stephen Curry, John Wall, Kyrie Irving, Derrick Rose, and Damian Lillard. Kyrie is the most likely to get the nod. While his defense is subpar, he has the size to move to the two if needed, and versatility is key. Plus Coach K has seen him before, as he played on the Select team in 2012. Lillard has made the leap, as Rockets fans will be the first to tell you. Colangelo agrees, stating “It’s going to be awfully hard to keep him off the team.” So says Jerry, so it shall be. That leaves one spot for Rose, Curry, or Wall. I don’t see Wall making it, he was the just added to the roster, and that doesn’t bode well. He deserves to be there, possibly over Kyrie, but he may have to wait until the Olympics. That leaves Rose and Curry. Rose is a Coach K favorite, and he’s played with the team before. Curry is the better shooter, and has actually played in the NBA in the last decade. Curry is the smart choice, but Rose has the coaches on his side (Tom Thibodeau is an assistant coach). If Rose is anywhere as healthy as he claims to be, this will be an interesting battle. I say Curry gets the spot, but don’t be surprised if he gets snubbed so Thibs can get Rose ready for the NBA season.
Winners: Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillad, Stephen Curry

The Toss Up

Gordon Hayward vs Kenneth Faried – What’s more important to Team USA: another shooter or a real power forward? Faried might be the only traditional four on the team, but he cannot shoot, and Hayward is lights out when open (something that didn’t happen much in Utah). I can honestly say I don’t know who will get picked. Hayward can play the stretch four, but he’d get beaten up by the international big men. I’ll take the Manimal’s high energy defense and rebounding over Hayward’s shooting; Team USA can score without Hayward, but their defense will be the issue.
Winner: Kenneth Faried

The Wildcard

That leaves one spot, and Team USA loves having a college young guy to groom for the future. Sometimes it works out (see: Anthony Davis), sometimes it doesn’t (see: Christian Laettner). The two names that keep coming up are Marcus Smart and Doug McDermott. McBuckets just had a great Summer League and Smart plays at the stupidly deep PG position, so I’ll take McDermott. They could also use this spot to take another guard (Steph or Beal/DeRozan) or keep Hayward from watching at home. For all I know they’ll put one of the Monstars at this last spot; there’s a reason I called this the Wildcard.
Winner: Doug McDermott

Your Roster:

 

 

Starters
Kyrie Irving PG
Paul George SG
Kevin Durant SF
Anthony Davis PF
DeMarcus Cousins C

 

Bench
Damian Lillard Chandler Parsons
Stephen Curry Kenneth Faried
Klay Thompson Doug McDermott
James Harden

See you after the roster is set, when this will all be proven wrong!

Author: Anthony Zaffino

I’m just a kid from the Midwest with an obsession for hoops. Hit me up on Twitter or Facebook if you want to chat Nuggets, NBA, or that sweet new play you just drew up for your intramural team.

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