Basketball: Team USA still odds-on favorite to win FIBA World Cup

Imagine if you threw a party and no one came. That’s the reality for the USA Basketball Men’s National Team, which will head to the FIBA World Cup in Beijing without many of the country’s best hoopsters after 33 players declined invitations to join the squad.

That list includes former MVPs James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Steph Curry, as well as perennial all-stars Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Kevin Love and Bradley Beal. Even J.J. Redick passed on spending his summer hoisting shots and setting screens for Team USA.

And yet, despite those absences, the Americans are still the odds-on favorite to win the tournament at -355. Rounding out the top three are Serbia at +450 and Spain at a distant +1600.

2019 FIBA World Cup odds

Is Team USA hooped?

Not quite. Head coach Gregg Popovich may be the most recognizable member of the team, but that doesn’t mean the U.S. is devoid of talent. Guards Kemba Walker and Donovan Mitchell can both drop 30 points in their sleep, and versatile, long-limbed forwards Harrison Barnes and Khris Middleton are capable of defending multiple positions and canning open threes.

Myles Turner will man the middle and can be expected to swat shots and stretch opposing defenses. His back-up, Brook Lopez, may seem like an unconventional choice, but he is the kind of big who has killed the U.S. in past international competitions. It may not be a Dream Team, but it is talented enough to give Japan and Turkey recurring nightmares.

Why doesn’t anyone want to wear the red, white and blue?

There are myriad reasons why America’s top stars have backed out this summer. Some, like Kevin Durant, are rehabbing from injury. Others have pressing family obligations that are keeping them stateside, like Beal, who wants to be close to home for the birth of his second child.

There is also the issue of perception. No one has come out and said it just yet, but the World Cup still doesn’t have the cachet of the Olympic tournament, which attracts a far larger global audience and generates more lucrative endorsement opportunities. America’s top stars will almost certainly show up for the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo, but they have little incentive to risk injury for a tournament that half the world already seems intent to ignore.

Who is the biggest threat to the U.S.?

The one team that could make the U.S. sweat is Serbia, which will be led by all-world center Nikola Jokić. Joker recorded 12 triple-doubles during the 2018-19 NBA season and has emerged as one of the game’s most creative and fearless facilitators. He’ll be joined by former Clippers guard Miloš Teodosić and Sacramento Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanović, both of whom will benefit from his pinpoint passes.

Does Canada have a shot?

It should, considering Canada produces more NBA talent than any nation outside of the U.S., but Canada’s most decorated players have opted to remain in the Great White North this summer.

Head coach Nick Nurse will take the court in Beijing without the services of R.J. Barrett, Jamal Murray, Andrew Wiggins, Tristan Thompson and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, all of whom would have given the Canucks a fighting chance. Taking their place is Melvin Ejim and a bunch of guys who aren’t even household names in their own households.

Cuts are coming

Team USA’s roster will be cut down to 12 players by August 17. The FIBA World Cup kicks off August 31 and runs until September 15.

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