The USA Basketball team is the clear cut favourites to win this year's FIBA World Cup that is currently on going in Spain. The hosts are also seen as legit contenders but when it comes to talent level, the ballers from North America will just dominate everyone. With this, the only enemy left for the team to battle is their inexperience and complacency.
The 2014 squad features many new players, some of them don't even made it to the 2013-14 NBA All-Star. The players called up for the Spain tournament are Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Derrick Rose, Kenneth Faried, DeMar DeRozan, Rudy Gay, Kyrie Irving, Mason Plumlee, DeMarcus Cousins, James Harden, Anthony Davis, and Andre Drummond. Eight of these players didn't play in the all-star. The 2010 is more star studded headlined by Chauncey Billups, Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, and Russell Westbrook. If you'll compare them to the team that went into war during the 2010 edition of the FIBA World Cup that US eventually won, 2014 squad team is less brighter. Still, according to USA basketball director Jerry Colangelo, this year's squad is better than 2010's.
Speaking to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, Colangelo said that the team sent this year in 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain is 'by far' better than the one sent in Turkey four years back.
By far," Colangelo told ESPN.com. "Because we have a couple of Olympic gold medalists on this roster in Anthony Davis and James Harden. We have three players from that team in 2010 in Steph Curry, Derrick Rose and Rudy Gay. And they're not 21 this time. They're 23 or 24. A little bit older and more mature. We like our team. We really do."
Well, the players in Spain seems don't want to let down Colangelo. The team is off to a rousing start in their title defense as they massacred Finland, 114-55, in their opening match in Group C. The team's next opponent on August 31 is 2010 runner-up Turkey. The 2014 FIBA World Cup will be held from August 30 to September 15.
