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.

The key play of this game was a LeBron James dunk with fifteen minutes to play.  Off a Kevin Love pick, he threw down a loud dunk that set the Americans off on a 13-2 run that sealed the game.

The Americans won this game with physical play, good defense, and as usual great shooting. It was a performance that should give them confidence going into their game with Spain.

The game with Spain is a rematch of the 2008 Olympic final in Beijing. Expect a hard fought, physical game that is America’s to lose. They are too talented to lose to Spain, but it is possible. If they cannot contain the brothers Gasol, then look out. Either way, Sunday’s Gold Medal match is a must see.

For all their inconsistencies, Team USA still has to be the Gold Medal favorite. They have the world’s best basketball player (LeBron James), the second best (Kevin Durant), and the third (Kobe Bryant). They shoot the three like no one else in the tournament. Their role players (Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, etc.) would be stars on most other teams.  But even though they are the clear favorites, it’s not going to be an easy road to the Gold.  Just take a look at the bracket.

As of noon today, the Russians had already KO’ed the Lithuanians, who gave the Americans their toughest game yet. They play the winner of Spain and France later this week, and having already beat Spain, Russia has to be the favorite on that side of the bracket. But if Russia or Spain comes out of that side, Team USA will face a tough challenge for Gold. Both teams have big men that the Americans will have a tough time matching up with man-to-man. The potential game with Spain especially be tough because of the brothers Gasol and Serge Ibaka, who present potential matchup nightmares for the Americans.

But this side of the bracket isn’t the only side of it that can cause the Americans some severe headaches. They should dispatch of Australia easily, but after that it gets interesting. The winner of Brazil-Argentina promises to give the Americans a tough game. Argentina, lead by my Olympic MVP Manu Ginobli, already gave Team USA all they could handle for a half, and whose to say they can’t do it again. And if Brazil wins, they have three NBA big man (Anderson Varejao, Nene, and Tiago Splitter) that have skills. That’s the same number Team USA has with Tyson Chandler, Anthony Davis, and Kevi

Don’t get me wrong – I think Team USA is going to get the gold medal. This won’t be the 2004 Olympics again, where the Americans had to settle for an embarrassing bronze medal. But it’s not going to be a cake walk. The Spaniards, Russians, Brazilians, and Argentinians all provide real threats to American basketball dominance. And if Team USA has an off night shooting like they did against Lithuania, then anything is possible.