What will the 2012 team look like?

The way the Olympic men’s basketball team won the gold medal has set the stage for a 2012 team that will have to repeat the feat.

There is a proven blueprint now, showing those that wish to join the team what it’s going to take to win the gold.

One of the best things that came out of the 2004 team’s failure in Athens is there has no longer been a shortage of superstars willing to commit to Team USA.

But what is the next team going to look like? Jordan and others sat out in 1996 because they had been there, done that. He claimed a want to give someone else the opportunity to win gold, but the real reason was how much the Olympics ate into his summer vacation. For a player that would play golf during off days of the NBA finals, having a block of free time that large occupied by what were essentially unpaid exhibition games wasn’t too appealing for for a superstar like Michael Jordan, who's team's were always playing in June.

Ideally, Olympic basketball director Jerry Colangelo would like to return Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Deron Williams, Dwayne Wade, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul for the 2012 team. They would be locks. All they have to do is say they want to play and show commitment.

Jason Kidd is out. Tayshaun Prince and Michael Redd are going to have to compete for their positions again. Both appear to be in their primes right now, and if their games slip in their 30s, they’ll be out.

Carlos Boozer and Chris Bosh are still possibilities. Boozer will have to be content sitting the bench again. If he is, he could be valuable. Bosh could be a main player again, given his rebounding capabilities and the fact that he’s a big man that can shoot free throws. He'd get a chance to play more at the four with Oden, who was already on the Olympic team roster this year, healthy.

Al Horford from the select team would be a top candidate to replace Boozer. That’s going to be direct competition there. All things being equal, Horford is younger, bigger and stronger.

Kevin Durant is the only true lock to make it from the select team. He’s a bona fide star on the rise and in his fifth year in 2012, he should be on the same plain as the current smattering of franchise players.


Robin Lopez, Kevin Love, LeMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Duran, Jeff Green, Luther Head, Andre Igudala, Kevin Martin, O.J. Mayo, Derrick Rose and Rodney Stuckey were also on that select team. If Colangelo gets the players back that he wants to from this year’s team, the only thing he’ll be looking for out of this group is specialists. None appear to be that right now. There are some good players there now, but someone's going to have to show they can do something great.

Hawks guard Joe Johson and Gilbert Arenas are also on the current team. Johnson is a better option that Areneas. They both are prolific scorers, but Arenas appears to have the same mentality as Marbury or Iverson. Players that can’t play team basketball and be effective. He’s supremely skilled, but it’s about team ball now and that’s not going to change in 2012.