Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant led Team USA to a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. (GETTY IMAGES)

USA Basketball recently announced the 20 finalists who will compete for the 12 spots on the senior men’s national team that will represent the U.S. in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Among the finalists are holdovers from the 2008 gold-medal winning team in Beijing: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Carmelo Anthony. Assuming all eight accept invitations to London, there are 12 players fighting for four spots which leaves USA Basketball president Jerry Colangelo and head coach Mike Krzyzewski the dirty task of having to cut star players without embarrassing them in public.

RELATED: USA Basketball selects the 20 finalists for the 2012 London Olympics (July-August)

Injuries will certainly play a big part of the selection process, especially with Bryant (wrist) and Wade (foot). Both have hinted they would love to play in London, but it’ll depend on how their teams finish and if their injuries will get worse should they play through the summer. Not having Kobe or Wade in the Olympics will be a huge blow to Coach K but those two were the go-to guys in Beijing. When Team USA needed a basket in the fourth quarter, Coach K called on Kobe’s number first and then Wade was a very close second. That was evident in the gold-medal game against Spain when Wade was the catalyst in the first half and Kobe closed the deal.

With or without Bryant and Wade Team USA should field a dynamite team in London and be heavy favorites to win gold again. But just like the 2008 team Colangelo and Krzyzewski can’t pick a team based on star power or All-Star game appearances. Talent alone won’t get it done in London, just ask the 2006 U.S. squad that lost to Greece in the FIBA World Championships. The 2012 Olympic squad needs to be balanced and flexible enough to adapt to any situation. The guards must be physical enough to play through a lot of contact because the international referees oftentimes will allow physical play, the forwards have to knock down 3-pointers, and the big men must be quick enough to defend the perimeter.

Here are the 12 players who should make the 2012 U.S. Olympic team:

CENTER: Dwight Howard

Comment: Because the majority of the big men in the Olympics are perimeter oriented, you really don’t need more than one true center. Dwight Howard wasn’t a huge factor four years ago in Beijing and, at times, struggled to guard the 3-point shooters. Hopefully four years of experience will help Dwight adapt to the international game.

FORWARDS: LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Iguodala

Comment: Two years ago in Turkey, Kevin Durant showed the world what he can do in the FIBA World Championships. Now, it’s time for USA Basketball to recognize Durant as the centerpiece of the 2012 U.S. Olympic team. Durant has the perfect game to play against international competition. We know about his consistent outside shot (something LeBron and ‘Melo struggle with at times), but what the 6-foot-10 Durant presents is a mismatch at the forward position. He’s too big for small forwards and too quick for power forwards. Iguodala played well in the 2010 world championships, especially on defense. Iguodala can match up against guards or forwards, and his length and athleticism really bothered the great scorers from Europe. Love and Aldridge are better fits because they can knock down shots, which is extremely important in opening up the court for dribble penetration. Love and Aldridge can also play some center if needed, and in some instances Love or Aldridge are probably better options at center than Howard. This means the committee will have the tough choice to exclude Chris Bosh and Blake Griffin from the team. There will be a ton of pressure to add Griffin on the squad because of the excitement and hype he’ll bring to London, but it’ll depend on how many guards Coach K will carry on the roster.

GUARDS: Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Deron Williams

Comment: It will be hard to knock off any of these guards off the team, but if Kobe or Wade decide to pass on the Olympics, then Eric Gordon should be the next man up. Gordon played well in Turkey in 2010 and he has the game and built to play against the rugged competition. One key factor to watch is how Paul and Rose will keep defenses from zoning on them. Teams will gladly give up 3-point shots to CP3 and D-Rose to take away their dribble penetration. Rose was up-and-down at the 2010 worlds because he wasn’t too confident with his jump shot, something he has aggressively worked on the past four years. Coack K also has the option of playing Williams at shooting guard with Paul or Rose at the point, and won’t rule out moving Iguodala at guard to make room for another forward if Bryant and Wade are not available.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony celebrate a gold-medal winning performance in Beijing.

In the greatest gold-medal game in the history of men’s basketball in the Olympic Games, Kobe Bryant proved beyond any reasonable doubt that he is the best player in the world.

When Spain got within two points at 91-89 with about eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, the United States, a team loaded with a number of all-stars, called on No. 10 to close the game and all Kobe Bryant did was score 13 of his 20 points in the final quarter, including a dramatic four-point play that not only gave the United States an eight-point lead but it also resulted in Spanish stud Rudy Fernandez fouling out.

It seemed every time the Americans got in a tight spot, Kobe was there to pull them out of harm’s way. He made a fall-away shot in the paint. He hit a runner over Lakers teammate Pau Gasol. Buried a 3-pointer from the corner. And he converted all his free throws.

When it was all said and done, Team USA won its first gold medal in eight years as it defeated Spain, 118-107, in without question the most competitive gold-medal game in the Olympics.

Think about it.

In 1972, the U.S. lost to the Soviet Union but the game was marred with controversy. Besides, the U.S. did not send its best to compete in Munich. In 1988, the Russians won the gold but it came against college all-stars. Once NBA players started getting involved, none of the games were ever competitive until 2000 when Lithuania came within a 3-point shot of stunning the U.S. in the semifinals. In 2004, the U.S. sent a makeshift lineup and got crushed by Puerto Rico, Lithuania and Argentina.

Which brings us to 2008 in Beijing.

Spain scored 107 points! That would have been good enough to win gold in any Olympics. Team Espana matched the U.S. shot for shot and, had it not been for Kobe’s late heroics and Dwyane Wade’s game-high 27 points, the United States might be looking at another program-altering setback.

USA Basketball, under the leadership of manager Jerry Colangelo, sent its best (as long as they wore Nike gear) to Beijing. In the gold-medal game, Spain showed why it is a world power in hoops and the U.S. senior men’s national team needed to be at its best to defeat the talented Spaniards, which boasts NBA-caliber players. We all know about Gasol, Juan Carlos Navarro and Jose Calderon but the Olympics introduced us to the future of Spanish basketball in 23-year-old Rudy Fernandez and 17-year-old Ricky Rubio, who looks a little bit like Pete Maravich.

Should USA Basketball relax one bit in 2012 in London, Spain could take over as the No. 1 team in the world. So, I suggest to send this squad to London: Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Deron Williams, Greg Oden, Amare Stoudemire, Michael Redd, Dwyane Wade, Rodney Stuckey, Brandon Roy, Mike Miller.

Sorry, Chris Paul. I prefer point guards who can hit a wide-open 20-footer. Sorry, Carmelo Anthony. I’d rather have Amare. Dwight Howard needs to learn how to box out and stop relying solely on his hops before I’d invite him back. For now, Oden takes his spot.

Should LeBron, Kobe and Wade pass on the next Olympics, I would give Kevin Martin, Andre Iguodala and Michael Beasley a call. Let’s call this one: The Repeat Team.

China's Yao Ming battles Spain's Pau Gasol at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Pau Gasol and his Spanish teammates was put in an embarassing position of having to explain why they agreed to pose for an advertisement that reflected a racist tone.

The ad showed members of the Spanish team using their index fingers to stretch their eyes to make “slant eyes” as part of media day in preparation for the Beijing Olympics. Gasol and his teammates thought the gesture was innocent and was not meant to be demeaning. But after a London paper recently published the controversial photo, Spain’s men’s basketball team was thrusted into the spotlight and needed to defend its actions.

What adds fuel to this fiery issue is that Spain has been in this position before. The Associated Press reported that Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton was subjected to abuse at a Barcelona circuit in February, while former Spain coach Luis Aragones also used a racist remark about France striker Thierry Henry to motivate one of his players. Monkey chants rained down on England’s black players during an international friendly against Spain in a match played in Madrid in 2004, soon after Aragones’ outburst.

So, enter Pau Gasol. The Los Angeles Lakers center and one of the most revered and beloved athletes in Europe and around the world.

Gasol told Yahoo! Sports: “Some of us didn’t feel comfortable doing it just because to me it was a little clownish for our part to be doing that. But the sponsors insisted and insisted. I think it is just a bad idea I guess to do that, but it was never intended to be offensive or racist against anybody.

“I didn’t find it very funny. I didn’t find it offensive, either. I guess some guys didn’t mind. To me I don’t want to be that way, I guess, to be doing that stuff. If anybody feels offended by it we totally apologize for it. We never meant anything offensive by it.”

Good for Pau Gasol.

Whether his apology was by his own admission or Spain’s way of backpedaling, Gasol was a big enough man to step forward and state the obvious that the ad was done in poor taste and should have been pulled. Since he’s always front and center when it comes to Spanish basketball, Gasol wasted no time in diffusing the issue.

If this incident put a black eye on Team Espana, at least Gasol is doing his best in icing the injury and being the bigger man and admitting fault.

Spain's Rudy Fernandez should generate plenty of excitement to Blazers fans in 2008-09. CREDIT/FIBAEUROPE.COM

His name is Rodolfo Farres Fernandez but goes by one name on the back of his jersey: Rudy.

Rudy Fernandez is considered by many as the best player in Europe having starred for DKV Joventut in Badalona. At 6 foot 5, he is listed as a shooting guard but can easily play three positions. He doesn’t start for Spain’s Olympic basketball team but he impacts the game as soon as he checks in.

If Pau Gasol is the big engine of Team Espana then Rudy, 23, is the battery for the simple reason that he plays with boundless energy and brings electricity on the court with his unbelievable hops. Think Manu Ginobili but only much younger.

Rudy’s game is NBA ready. He has the NBA-like ability to finish near the rim and is not afraid of contact. He also plays with a little bit of an attitude, which is rare for a European-born player. His talents have been on full display in Beijing.

In Spain’s opening-game 81-66 victory over Greece, Rudy scored a team-leading 16 points off the bench. Against China, Rudy had 21 points and teamed with another young Spanish star, 17-year-old Ricky Rubio, to help Spain overcome a double-digit deficit and score an 85-75 victory in overtime.

Fernandez, whose sister (Marta) plays for the L.A. Sparks of the WNBA, was originally drafted by the Phoenix Suns in 2007 before his rights were traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. His contract from Joventut was bought out in order for him to play for the Blazers this season. Just what the Blazers needed. Another young stud to add to the team’s growing collection of young talent.

If the rest of the world doesn’t know who Rudy Fernandez is then the Beijing Olympics will serve as his springboard to stardom. Who knows? Instead of chants of “Kobe!…Kobe!…” in Beijing, you might hear chants of “Rudy!…Rudy!…”

The sport of basketball was the biggest winner in the game between the United States and China.

Many have suspected that the game, a 131-70 blowout in favor of the much deeper and talented U.S. squad, was witness by billions. That may be an exageration but the impact of the game will be felt in the coming years similar to what the 1992 Dream Team did to the explosion of basketball in Europe.

China is not a basketball power. At least not yet.

The Chinese Olympians, despite the presence of six-time NBA all-star center Yao Ming, was overmatched against the superior athletic talents of Team USA. China has the size to match the U.S. and other countries in the interior. It has Yao Ming (7-6), Yi Jianlian (6-11) and Wang Zhi Zhi (7-0). However, China’s depth in the frontcourt heavily outweighs its skilled perimeter players.

Sun Yue, drafted by the Lakers in the second round last June, is probably China’s best backcourt player. But you won’t mistaken Yue for Kobe Bryant.

Yao may be the face of the country’s burgeoning love for the sport but Kobe Bryant is the model for which the majority of the young Chinese players are going to pattern their game. Kobe’s jersey is the top-selling NBA jersey in China. He’s the player that drew the loudest ovation during the opening ceremonies. He’s the guy mobbed by fans when he entered the arena.

When the 2008 Olympics began, the NBA’s popularity in China was already in the millions. Now, the league and the sport just got bigger. A billion times bigger.

The 12 members of the U.S. men's Olympic basketball team from left to right: Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Tayshaun Prince, Carlos Boozer, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Michael Redd, Jason Kidd, Dwyane Wade, Deron Williams and Chris Paul. CREDIT/NIKE

Jerry Colangelo and USA Basketball is painting this wonderful picture of how the 12-man U.S. men’s national team was constructed but take a closer because the picture is revealing something else.

In a team photo, Dwight Howard – the Orlando Magic center who wears the adidas brand – is placed at the far left craddling a ball with his left hand conveniently covering the Nike logo on his shorts. Coach Mike Krzyzewski, the only one seated, has his left foot covering Howard’s sneakers, which probably does not say Brand Jordan or Air Zoom.

It’s not the first time an NBA player tried to hide a sponsor’s logo in the Olympics.

Remember the 1992 Dream Team. To avoid being seen wearing anything but his beloved Nike gear, Michael Jordan draped himself with the American flag. Charles Barkley did the same thing.

Colangelo, USA Basketball’s managing director who called the selection process for the 2008 Olympic team extremely difficult, said the team has good chemistry and balance.

Really?

Must be just coincidence that 11 of the 12 players on the squad are affiliated with Nike, which just happens to be the main sponsor for Team USA. Also, must be coincidence that the team has one pure shooter (Michael Redd), one true center (Howard) and a truck-load of one-on-one players.

Where’s the balance?

Chauncey Billups and Mike Miller, two of the NBA’s best snipers, should have earned spots on the Olympic team. One problem though. They both wear adidas.

Miller is easily a better fit for international ball than Carmelo Anthony or Dwyane Wade.

Anthony is the Dustin Diamond of USA Basketball. He gets a lot of air time despite having very little credential. Sure he puts up nice numbers on offense but he also brings a ton of heavy baggage. He’s an erratic shooter, can’t play defense and is not a good enough rebounder to play in the post where he’ll end up most of the time since Team USA has one power forward on the roster (Carlos Boozer).

Reports say Wade, who is coming off shoulder and knee surgeries and looked overweight during the NBA season, is healthy enough to play. That’s the good news. The bad news is where do you play Wade? Chris Paul needs the ball to be effective. Kobe Bryant and LeBron James need to ball to create offense. Jason Kidd needs the ball to run the break. So, where does that leave D-Wade, who also needs the ball to be effective.

When you don’t have long-range shooters in the game, guys like Paul, Kobe and LeBron will have a difficult time probing the middle of the defense because teams will pack the paint.

Good luck to Coach Mike Krzyzewski in figuring out how to fit all his square pegs into the round slots.

At least Phil Knight gave his stamp of approval on Team USA…or should we say Team Nike.

Swoosh!

The reigning MVP of the NBA takes center stage at the Beijing Olympics. Now, all he has to do is play like the best basketball player in the world and lead Team USA to the gold-medal stand.

Kobe would probably say, “no problem.”

The U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team looked impressive in last year’s Tournament of the Americas. They have looked unbeatable in five Olympic exhibition games. Dwyane Wade looks like the old D-Wade. LeBron James is in midseason form. And the three-headed monster at point guard in Jason Kidd, Chris Paul and Deron Williams seems to be working.

The Americans claim it is fully committed to team play and no one is above the team.

But somewhere down the road in Beijing, when pool competition ends and single-elimination medal round begins, there will come a time when Team USA will find itself leaning on Bryant to win a ballgame. It may come against Greece. It may happen against Argentina. It will definitely be needed against defending world champion Spain, which boasts a starting lineup of five NBA players.

In order for the United States to beat the best in the world, Kobe Bryant needs to play like an MVP. He knows it and he understands it. Remember, Kobe spent much of his childhood in Italy so he knows the European game and the passion of international competition. He’s probably more European than American. He plays with a cut-throat Euroleague mentality with a blacktop game to complement it.

No matter how much Team USA claims it has 12 go-to guys all playing as one, in reality, it has one true go-to guy when the stakes are at its highest. When Coach Mike Krzyzewski goes to his ace card, he will call upon the man wearing jersey No. 10 to deliver in crunch time.