Notwithstanding the American squad's blowout loss to Italy and narrow win over Germany in the Training Tour, its unequaled collection of pure talent still makes it the favorite. The problems have arisen for the U.S. as it works to develop chemistry among players who are unfamiliar with one another while further adjusting to international rules and style.

Argentina, runner-up to the U.S. in the Americas qualifying tournament; Lithuania, champion of the European qualifying tournament; Serbia & Montenegro, the reigning world champions after winning gold in the 2002 World Basketball Championship.

Former NBA MVPs and team co-captains Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson will lead the U.S. squad. Jesse Garrabrant/NBAE

Sunday, Aug. 15: China vs. Spain (7:30 a.m. ET, CNBC); Argentina vs. Serbia & Montenegro (9:45 a.m. ET, CNBC)
Tuesday, Aug. 17: Spain vs. Argentina (1 p.m. ET)
Thursday, Aug. 19: Argentina vs. China (1 p.m. ET, MSNBC)
Saturday, Aug. 21: Spain vs. Serbia & Montenegro (4:15 a.m. ET, CNBC); Lithuania vs. United States (1 p.m. ET, NBC)
Monday, Aug. 23: Serbia & Montenegro vs. China (9:45 a.m. ET)

Saturday, Aug. 28: Bronze medal (1 p.m. ET, CNBC); Gold medal (2:15 p.m. ET, NBC)

The U.S. features two NBA MVPs in co-captains Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson, plus All-Stars Shawn Marion and Stephon Marbury and 2003-04 Rookie of the Year LeBron James. Internationally, All-Star center Yao Ming leads China, Pau Gasol stars for Spain and Manu Ginobili directs Argentina.

Lithuania's Sarunas Jasikevicius, former University of Maryland player who has won European-league titles in each of the last two seasons; Argentina's Andres Nocioni, an athletic forward who recently signed with the Chicago Bulls; Serbia & Montenegro's Dejan Bodiroga, a superstar in Europe over the last several years and MVP of the 2002 World Basketball Championship.

Quick guard Milos Vujanic of Serbia & Montenegro (whose NBA rights are held by the Suns) has long been considered a top prospect. Vujanic's young teammate Nenad Krstic will join the Nets frontcourt this season. NBA TV's Simone Sandri calls Lithuania's baby-faced Arvydas Macijauskas "the best pure shooter in the world, NBA included."

China's Yi Jianlian is a seven-foot teenage phenom who plays an athletic perimeter game. Australian Andrew Bogut is known to American college basketball fans as a rising sophomore at the University of Utah. Guard Rudy Fernandez has earned a spot on the Spanish Olympic squad at just 19 years of age.

Serbia & Montenegro is missing two mainstays on its national team -- Peja Stojakovic and Vlade Divac -- while the U.S. team that won the Olympic qualifying tournament last year has been decimated, retaining only three players (Duncan, Iverson, Richard Jefferson); gone are Ray Allen, Mike Bibby, Elton Brand, Vince Carter, Nick Collison, Jason Kidd, Kenyon Martin, Tracy McGrady and Jermaine O'Neal; Zydrunas Ilgauskas will not play for Lithuania due to his history of injuries; Raul Lopez, who is playing in NBA summer leagues for the Utah Jazz, will not play for Spain.

Harris coaching China: In February, Dallas Mavericks assistant Del Harris was tabbed to lead the Chinese national team, the squad's first-ever foreign head coach. "The long-range goal for the Chinese team is to be a serious competitor for a medal in 2008," Harris told NBA.com in a March interview. "We are loading the team to the younger element this year."

Greece looks to medal at home: It will be a tough proposition for Greece, which is missing top big men Jake Tsakalidis and Efthimios Rentzias, but as the only team playing with homecourt advantage throughout the tournament, it should get a huge boost from a supportive Athens crowd.

'Piculin' to call it a career: An international basketball legend, Puerto Rico's Jose Ortiz will appear in his fourth and final Olympic games at age 41. Ortiz became the first Puerto Rican to make the NBA when he was drafted by the Utah Jazz out of Oregon State in 1987, ultimately playing in 64 games over two seasons. He continued to play professionally in Europe but remained beloved in Puerto Rico, for which he has additionally played in five world championships. In 2003, the 40-year-old led the squad to a bronze-medal finish in the Olympic qualifying tournament to secure a berth in Athens.