Mar 27, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott talks with guard Kyrie Irving (2) during the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers defeated the Cavaliers 103-85. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

With the Olympics now over, the focus of the basketball world is now on the NBA, which kicks off its season in a little less than two months. Here are some news bits and nuggets from around the association.

• According to Coach Byron Scott, the only guaranteed starters for 2012-2013 Cavaliers are Kyrie Irving and Anderson Varejao. This makes the upcoming training camp an interesting time for Cavs fans.  (Via The News-Herald)
• According to a video interview on hoopshype.com. Former NBA star Antoine Walker wants to coach some day. Walker, amongst other troubles, declared bankruptcy in 2010. The interview is a much watch.
• Michael Jordan’s high school coach is in dire need of help, and Thomas Lake of SI.com openly ponders why MJ hasn’t helped his former mentor. It also notes that MJ may not have been truly cut in high school like he has claimed. This is a must read.
• Manu Ginobili may be done playing for Argentina. The Spurs star has openly pondered if the London Olympics were his last go around. If he retires, Argentinians will lose the best player they’ve ever had. (Via Yahoo! Sports)
• According to reports, the Houston Rockets have signed Carlos Delfino.  The 6’6 Delfino just finished playing for Argentina in the Olympics, and is coming a solid season in Milwaukee. No final word has yet been given the length or terms of the contract. (Via espn.com)
• And lastly, Andrew Bynum may be headed to Germany for knee treatment. According to sources, the non-invasive treatment will be the same one that Kobe Bryant, Grant Hill, and Alex Rodriguez have all had. The treatment should take place in early September, giving him ample time to recovery.  The seven-year pro was recently traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in the Dwight Howard megadeal.  (Via espn.com)

Fans of USA of basketball should remember that Mike Krzyzewski will not be back in 2016. He’s won two gold medals, so what else is there for him to do anyway? His tenure as coach of Team USA is over, and he will go back to solely focusing on his Duke Blue Devils. Doc Rivers is considered the current favorite, but other candidates like Greg Popovich of the Spurs, Doug Collins of the 76ers, and Billy Donovan of Florida are likely to be considered.

The roster will change – that is certain. Each position could potentially have new, younger faces on the roster. And for all we know, the “23 and under” rule will be in effect by then, changing the whole landscape of Olympic basketball.  But assuming that rule doesn’t come to fruition, let’s take a look at the potential 2016 Olympic Roster, position by position.

Point Guard

2012 Olympians: Russell Westbrook (age 27 in 2016), Deron Williams (age 31), Chris Paul (age 31)

2016 Possibilities: Derrick Rose (age 27 in 2016), Kyrie Irving (age 24), Rajon Rondo (age 30), Stephan Curry (age 27)

Analysis: This group of point guards played well. They got the job done, and were never really outmatched. They were the perfect compliment to the scoring wings, which what was needed. Jerry Colangelo, the GM of USA Basketball, will have to decide if he wants to stay with his Olympic veterans (Williams and Paul) or go young with Irving and/or Rose.

2016 Roster Prediction: I’m willing to bet Colangelo goes young. Westbrook will stay on, and be backed up by Irving and Rose. Irving, especially, is an intriguing prospect. He impressed in scrimmages against Team USA, and it’s likely he’ll be top three-point guard in four years. Don’t be surprised if he’s the starter in Rio.

Apr 23, 2012; Memphis, TN, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (2) shoots the ball against Memphis Grizzlies forward Dante Cunningham (44) during the first half at the FedEx Forum. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-US PRESSWIRE

Shooting Guard

2012 Olympians: Kobe Bryant (age 37), James Harden (age 26)

2016 Possibilities: Eric Gordon (age 27), Dwayne Wade (age 34),  Tyreke Evans (age 26), Joe Johnson (age 35)

Analysis: Bryant has already said that he is retiring from international competition, so he’s out of the question.  With Wade’s aggressive style, I doubt his body will up for a long summer of basketball in four years. And out of the others, Gordon is the best long-term prospect.

2016 Roster Prediction:  Harden stays on the roster, and becomes the starter for Team USA. The backup position comes down to Gordon and Evans, with Gordon winning out. Without Kobe, the position is the weakest on the roster.

Small Forward

2012 Olympians: LeBron James (age 31), Kevin Durant (age 27), Andre Iguodala (age 32), Carmelo Anthony (age 32)

2016 Possibilities: Danny Granger (age 33), Rudy Gay (age 29)

Analysis: This is deepest position for the Americans. All four 2012 Olympians could stay on, and it’s likely that they do. They all played incredibly well, and with no young stud waiting in the wings, I’m expecting this group back for Rio. If one were to be dropped, however, I’d expect it to be Iguodala.

2016 Roster Prediction: The roster will be trimmed down to three to make room for an extra big. Iguodala is the odd man out, and the trio of James, Durant, and Anthony is the scoring juggernaut of Team USA.

Power Forward

2012 Olympians: Kevin Love (age 27)

2016 Possibilities: Chris Bosh (age 32), Blake Griffin (age 27), LaMarcus Aldridge (age 31)

Analysis: Kevin Love is awesome. He played a key role for Team USA, and I’d be shocked if he wasn’t back in four years. LeBron was essentially his backup, and while he can play there, look for Colangelo to add depth to this position for 2016.  With Bosh on the wrong side of 30, Griffin is the logical choice.

2016 Roster Prediction: Love and Griffin make a great duo that is a handful for other teams. LeBron continues to play the four at times, with Love shifting to the five. Griffin, in his first Olympics, adds to mass highlight reel of Team USA with his monstrous dunking ability and other skills.

Center

2012 Olympians: Tyson Chandler (age 33), Anthony Davis (age 23)

2016 Possibilities: Dwight Howard (age 30), Andrew Bynum (age 28)

Analysis: This position had me nervous in London. Chandler is a solid player and all but the Americans were beat up by the Gasol brothers in the Gold Medal game. Assuming Howard and Bynum are healthy in 2016, they’ll be a welcome addition to the roster, especially since they’ll both be in their primes. Expect Davis to stay on as well.

2016 Roster Prediction: Center is second strongest position on Team USA’s roster behind small forward. Howard, Bynum, and Davis are a trio that no one in the world can even hope to match.

The 2016 roster, at it’s maximum potential, could make for a much better team than the 2012 squad team. It’ll be deeper up front, maintain its scoring ability, and probably be better on defense. It’ll be the perfect mix of youth and established NBA superstars.  Kind of like the 1992 team, but not quite that good.

Now the Cavs are still in the beginning of their rebuilding stages, but fans are hoping with the talent we have on the roster, there is no reason we can’t compete for an eight seed in the playoffs.  A playoff spot is available for Cleveland and is definitely a possibility, but it won’t be because the Cavs are good enough, but because the Eastern Conference is just going to be that weak.  Besides the Indiana Pacers, the Cavs, Bulls, Pistons, and Bucks all have holes in the roster.  The way the team’s rosters look now, the four bottom teams in the Central Division will not stick out from each other.  Here are the power rankings:

Apr 23, 2012; Memphis, TN, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving (2) dribbles the ball up the court during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum. Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-101. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-US PRESSWIRE

The Cavs are sporting a young roster with two first round picks from last year, Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson, and two first round picks from this year, Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller.  No Antawn Jamison, no Anthony Parker.  Our most veteran player is Luke Walton with nine years under his belt, but I don’t know how much experience you can say he has.  The Cavs front office made a lot of noise in free agency with being involved in the Dwight Howard trade, but didn’t really do anything.  The Cavs have approximately $16 million in cap space, and refused to invest in any key free agents.  Friday it was announced that Cleveland and C.J. Miles agreed to terms.  Other than that, claiming Jon Luer off waivers and dealing D.J. Kennedy for Jeremy Pargo have been the off-season moves.  I’m okay with the lack of activity in the offseason because any acquisition wouldn’t have taken us over the top.  This season will be crucial to the development of the team.  We have the core of our team in place; head coach Byron Scott will be grooming them as a team.  He must prevent the young players from getting into bad habits.  I don’t think the number of wins will reflect how successful this season will be, but I predict the Cavs to compete for an eight seed late in the NBA, but come up short and re-enter the lottery one last time.

The Chicago Bulls come into this year with an almost identical roster as last year except for one big change; they will be without their All-Star point guard, Derrick Rose.   After Game 1 of their opening round playoff series against Philadelphia, the Bulls were only able to win one more game after Rose went down.  Without Rose for most the season, the Bulls will win a decent amount, but depending on when Rose returns, I expect Chicago to win a good amount of games and finish with a six or seven seed in the playoffs.

May 22, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert (55) battles for low post position against Miami Heat center Ronny Turiaf (21) in the first quarter during game 5 of the 2012 NBA eastern conference semi-finals at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

Last year the Pacers turned some heads in the playoffs when they went up on the Miami Heat 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.  They would then lose three straight and their season ended.  The size they have at each position proved to be a big benefit on the court.  They were able to resign their All-Star center Roy Hibbert, and brought in D.J. Augustine from Charlotte to backup George Hill.  These aren’t moves that will take your team over the top. Even with Larry Bird out as team president, this team will still receive home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs, but still aren’t good enough to be Eastern Conference champs.

The Detroit Pistons are on the same road as the Cavs, the rebuilding road, but Detroit’s ride seems to be a little rockier. They also drafted the highly questionable Andre Drummond in the first round.  Their problems are that they have too much money invested in players who aren’t any good anymore.  Brandon Knight and Greg Monroe showed promise last year, but they are the lone bright spots on this roster.  Financially they aren’t in good shape They did make the right move by trading Gordon and shedding an extra year of a guaranteed contract.

Mar 31, 2012; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova (7) during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at the Bradley Center. The Grizzlies defeated the Bucks 99-95. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

They were never a major player in free agency, but they were able to resign their guy, Ersan Ilyasova.  Ilyasova can do a lot of things offensively and will play good off Monta Ellis.  They received an extra bonus when they saw their lottery pick, John Henson, play in summer league.  Henson turned some heads this summer and they hope he can make an immediate impact for this team.  Other than Ellis, Ilyasova, Henson, and Brandon Jennings, the Bucks do not have enough players on their roster to compete.  I predict Milwaukee to finish about the same as the Cavs, just missing the playoffs.