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Early Look at the 2006 World Basketball Championships January 8, 2006 by Tim Adams It's been almost four years since the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis. What happened in Indy that summer was a watershed moment in basketball. The absolute domination by Team USA on the rest of the world abruptly ceased as the U.S. walked away with a 6th place finish. The Olympics came and went with the U.S. winning bittersweet bronze. So now we're only months away from another championship and based on the recent developments, this World Championship is shaping up to be as exciting as ever. The host country is Japan and the games will be played in multiple arenas throughout the country from Aug. 19-Sep.3. FIBA has increased the field of teams from 16 to 24, making this the largest such tourney to date. FIBA now has more member countries (205) than FIFA; soccer's governing body. All of this should create for the most spectacular basketball event the world has seen, and at this point begs many intriguing questions. Is there a favorite? Can a restructured Team USA return to prominence? Can Argentina build on their Olympic gold success? Will Serbia return to the upper echelon after poor showings in the Olympics and European qualifying tournament? Can Turkey come together as a team and prove they were worthy of a wild card spot? Is Greece really the top team in Europe? Is Germany more than just Team Dirk? Can an African or Asian team make it past the preliminary round? Has China become a contender? Some of the more interesting questions involve the handling of the games themselves. Can Japan, a country with little basketball following or tradition, run a tight ship? Will fans show up to the games? Also, can FIBA rebound from the criticism of officiating at the Olympics, where it was forced to use non-FIBA refs, and keep officiating controversy out of these games? What is known at this point is the line up of all 24 teams. The four wild cards have been announced; Italy, Turkey, Serbia & Montenegro, and Puerto Rico are in, and teams such as Croatia, Russia and Canada are out. The 24 teams will play in four separate groups of six teams for a preliminary round robin. The top four teams from each preliminary group will advance to a 16 team tournament of single elimination games. Below are the teams and some of the top players from each country. At this point there is no certainty as to who will be representing their respective countries so the players listed aren't locks to play by any means. Africa 1. Angola Africa's top team, Angola has been the African representative at the last two Olympic tournaments and the 2002 World championship. Angola is a country with experience at the top level, but unfortunately they have not had much success. With the expanded lineup that includes several raw and inexperienced Asian and African teams this could be the time Angola gets out of the cellar. Angola, though is still a ways from being a contender. 2. Senegal This will be Senegal's first W.C. since 1998, and only the third time it has qualified. Senegal has several players playing internationally, but the national team will probably have a hard time winning a lot of games in Japan. 3. Nigeria This will be Nigeria's first W.C. appearance since 1998 and it is only the second time the country has made the field. Like the other two African teams, Nigeria will have a tough time getting past the preliminary round. This tournament can only help the national team build for the future, specifically for challenging Angola for the top spot in African basketball. Oceania 1. Australia The Aussies are a tough hard nosed bunch. Andrew Bogut and David Anderson could together make for a formidable pair down low. Australia should provide a tough out for any teams it plays, but it might be a stretch to say this is a championship caliber club. 2. New Zealand The Kiwis had a magical run in the '02 W.C. in Indy, making it all the way to the semifinals before finishing fourth. It was a great accomplishment for a team that has usual been forced to sit out the top international competitions due to Australia's domination of the Oceania zone. New Zealand can now thank themselves for this spot in Japan. By making it so far in '02, FIBA rewarded the Oceania zone with two representatives at this years event. Americas 1. Brazil Brazil was able to beat out Argentina and the U.S.'s B teams to win the Americas qualifier in 2005. Although Brazil has played third fiddle to those other two Americas teams recently, there is plenty of talent in Brazil these days for this team to go quite far, even against anybody's A team.2. Argentina Argentina has blossomed into a powerhouse in a rather short amount of time. After shocking the basketball world by beating the U.S. in Indianapolis, they ended up second in the W.C. and then finished with the gold in Athens. Argentina should be considered one of the top candidates for a first place finish.3. Venezuela Venezuela was able to beat out the U.S. for the third spot and earn a W.C. spot over other Americas teams such as Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico without any well known international players. Venezuela's chance may not be too good, but playing in the top tournament can only help the national program.4. U.S. The U.S. finished forth in the Americas qualifier with a group of CBA players, knowing that even if it didn't qualify it would surely receive a wild card. Obviously it will take more than CBA talent to compete in Japan, so Team USA is in the process of creating a team that can hopefully restore America's status as the top dog. The U.S. should invariably be considered a top team.5. Panama Panama was able to nab a spot in Japan with a fifth place finish in the Americas qualifier. This team will be lucky to get out of the preliminary round with more than a couple wins.Asia 1. China China has become the powerhouse of a rather weak Asian zone, so it has had plenty of experience in the top international tournaments. Unfortunately China usually is in the bottom of the pack. China could be considered a burgeoning basketball powerhouse, but it is still somewhat of a one man show (Yao Ming).2. Lebanon This is Lebanon's first appearance in the World Championship. Lebanon finished a surprising second in the Asian qualifier. Lebanon will be hard pressed to get past the preliminary round.3. Qatar Along with Lebanon, this Qatar's first appearance in the W.C. Any victory for Qatar would be a big win for the country.Europe 1. Greece Greece is the European champion of the 2005 qualifier tournament and should come into Japan with a confident, collective stride. Greece is the definition of a team. There are no superstars who average 20 points, but a deep unit of quality players. Hopefully for Greece most of the players from last year's team will want to return to continue their recent success. If so, Greece will be a tough team.2. Germany Germany had a fabulous run in the European Championships this past summer, losing to Greece in the championship game. Germany relies on one single player (Dirk Nowitzki) more than any other top team in the world. Nowitzki is the bread and butter and then some for this team. If he decides not to play, Germany's chances fall dramatically. If Nowitzki is in Japan, he is a virtual lock for the all tournament team, and could get Germany quite far.3. France France is becoming a major player in international basketball. France hasn't had much success in the past, but it's time is coming. If the top players commit for Japan this could very well be a championship caliber team. Tony Parker is a very crucial piece for France's success so his decision wether or not to play will be very important.4. Spain Spain is a country capable of putting together a talented lineup at any international tournament, although to no great end thus far. Pau Gasol is a key ingredient for Spanish success as he gives them first class talent down low. This is a country with some good guards, so if Gasol comes to play, Spain could be a darkhorse for the top spot.5. Lithuania Lithuania should be one of the favorites in Japan as this is a country with many players playing at the top level across Europe and in the NBA. Although this is dependent on which players decide to make the commitment. One player in particular; Zydrunas Ilgauskas has never played for the national team and at his age isn't likely to start in 2006. The country's talent pool is quite deep and Lithuanian basketball is a well oiled machine, so regardless who shows up it should have a quality team on the court.6. Slovenia Slovenia is a small country with some very good basketball players. It beat out usual powerhouses Croatia and Serbia as the only ex-Yugoslavian country to earn a European qualifying spot, although Serbia did get in as a wildcard. This is a team that could have enough talent to get quite far.Wild Cards Italy Italy finished with the silver in Athens and that helps explain the wild card position. Italy was able to go far in the Olympics with a solid core of veteran players. It's uncertain how many of those older players return in Japan, but Italy also has a group of young talented players. Italy could do very well with a good mixture of the experienced veterans and the young up and comers.Puerto Rico Players:Serbia & MontenegroCarlos Arroyo - 6'2" G Detroit Pistons On the good side, Serbia is the defending World Champs. On the bad side, Serbia hasn't played up to its usual high standards of late. Serbia finished in second to last place in Athens, and tied for 9th place in the European qualifier. To Serbia's credit, some of the top players have not played in these recent tournaments. Serbia is a team that could easily challenge for the title or falter out of the gate.Turkey Turkey was able to get a wildcard berth despite just average results in recent years. Turkey hasn't been able to mesh its talent into winning results lately, but there is never the less enough talent for Turkey to make a run in Japan.Japan (Host Country) Japan will have the home court advantage in these games, and they will need all the help they can get. Japan is still a long way from being a potential top team. It would be a nice achievement if Japan makes it to the round of 16. Tim Adams
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