ABOUT THE EXPERTS

Vassilis Skountis is the basketball writer for To VIMA newspaper (Athens), and is a broadcaster for Greece's Alpha network.

Fabio Malavazzi is a basketball analyst for ESPN International, and does NBA broadcasts carried in his native Brazil.

Leo Rautins is a former member of the Canadian national team now entering his eighth season as television analyst for the Toronto Raptors.

Xu Jicheng is a Senior Correspondent for Xinhua News Agency in China.

POOL A: Angola, Canada, Spain, Yugoslavia
POOL B: Brazil, Lebanon, Puerto Rico, Turkey
POOL C: Algeria, China, Germany, United States
POOL D: Argentina, New Zealand, Russia, Venezuela

ANGOLA

David Bane, Pacers.com: Playmaker Miguel Lutonda leads the way for this year’s team, connecting on 67 percent of his field goal attempts while averaging 15.7 points per contest in the African tournament. The 30-year old guard from Luanda drained a team high 21-22 from the free-throw line and also has long-range capabilities with 47 percent accuracy from the 3-point line ... Brothers Angelo and Edmar Victoriano round out the double-digit scorers for Angola at 10.5 and 11.1 respectively, and Edmar is the top returning rebounder for Angola ... The Angolans struggled from the line in the African competition, managing just 63 percent accuracy as a team. Jean-Jacques Conceicao, the center, is the most experienced player at age 37 and provided 8.9 points per game with his interior presence ... With an average age of 28, the Angolans have plenty of international experience. Angola also represented Africa in 1989,’91,’93, ’95, ’99 in international basketball competition.

WBC appearances: 3
Record vs. USA: 0-0
Bottom line: Experience is a factor, but it'll be difficult for Angola to get out of a tough pool.

CANADA

Rautins: When you look at the fact that they've lost Todd MacCulloch and Jamaal Magloire, Canada became a very small team, averaging 6-7 or 6-8 tops on the front line. Then they lost Steve Nash. That is just huge. Really, it's like taking Michael Jordan away from the Bulls ... Without the size up front or the All-Star talent at the point, the team will need good especially good performances from its wing players: Rowan Barrett, a former St. John's star, is a solid defensive player, contributes offensively and he's got experience. Dave Thomas, a former Michigan State player, is 6-7, plays excellent defense and gives them a bit better overall size at the wing position ... Prospoer Karangwa and Andy Kwiatkowski have been impressive as well, but again, both are around 6-7 and the big question there is experience ... Up front, Michael Meeks and Kevin Jobity will need to have a big-time tournament. They can both run the floor, but they have to have big games on the glass and in the post every game ... In this pool, Canada's going to have its hands full. Put it this way: They can't have any slip-ups.

WBC appearances: 11
Record vs. USA: 0-7
Bottom line: They have to play pretty much perfect basketball to have some success in this tournament.

SPAIN

Gasol

Kountis: A team with a lot of potential that could be a surprise. ... They obviously will look to Pau Gasol as their go-to guy, but they have others who will step up as well. ... Juan-Carlos Navarro, nicknamed "La Bomba" (the Bomber) is an explosive, quick shooting guard who can score in bunches. ... Spain also has good veteran inside players. Felipe and Alfonso Reyes give them a brother-tandem at the three and four spots, respectively. Felipe is more versatile, but Alfonso is strong and experienced. ... Spain will also draw strength from their coach, Javier Imbroda. He has them playing hard and uptempo. They're also a very opportunistic team under Imbroda, always looking to jump on their opponent's weaknesses. ... Spain will suffer greatly from the loss of point guard Raul Lopez to injury, though. Lopez is quick and versatile, and his direction will be missed by a team that will try to push it up the floor as often as possible.

WBC appearances: 7
Record vs. USA: 1-4
Bottom line: They'll ride Pau as far as he can take them, but they'll be missing Raul.

YUGOSLAVIA

Divac

Stojakovic

Kountis: Yugoslavia is the biggest power of European basketball. The self-described "Americans of Europe" are a very confident team. They are known for an arrogant style of play, and they're not scared of anyone. Kings swingman, and Yugoslav national, Peja Stojakovic recently stated that Yugoslavia can beat the U.S. in this year's WBC. It might be just a statement, but this team is focused and dedicated. And they have a long history of success. This team has the best shot of knocking off the U.S., although it would still be a big upset. ... New coach Svetislav Pesic is well-liked. Pesic is easy-going, and finds a good balance between his players. The Yugoslavs have had in-fighting before, but Pesic has managed to smooth things over. ... Dejan Bodiroga is slow, but he can play five positions. He's a very complete player. The 29-year-old played for Panathanikos in Greece, and now is with Barcelona. ... Marko Jaric is a 6-7 point guard who is expected to play for the Clippers this year. ... Of course, Stojakovic, Vlade Divac, and the two Sonics -- Predrag Drobnjak and Vlad Radmanovic -- will be big contributors as well. ... This is a versatile team that can do anything.

WBC appearances: 11
Record vs. USA: 5-4
Bottom line: The biggest threat to topple the mighty U.S.

BRAZIL

Malavazzi: While Brazil will greatly miss Nuggets rookie Nene Hilario, they still have some talented players who could step up in Hilario's absence. ... Marcelo Machado is a do-it-all player who averaged 28.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 6.1 apg for Fluminese during the recent Brazilian National Championship. ... Veteran Rogerio Klafke is a very good three-point shooter. Early in his career, Klafke was projected to be the next Oscar Schmidt. ... Working against Brazil, though, is its reputation as a weak defensive team. Coach Helio Rubens has been working to improve their defense, and if nothing else, the Brazilians are still capable of filling it up. ... Brazil has done well in recent competitions (they took the U.S. to overtime in the Goodwill Games in Australia where they earned the bronze medal), so if they can clamp down a little on defense, they could surprise some clubs.

WBC appearances: 13
Record vs. USA: 5-6
Bottom line: Defense is key, especially with Hilario out.

LEBANON

Conrad Brunner, Pacers.com: Coached by Carl John Neumann, who played for five teams in five ABA seasons, then three teams in two NBA seasons. Lebanon is perhaps the least likely team to be participating in the World Championships after pulling a stunning 75-72 upset of Korea in the semifinals of the Asian Basketball Championship. Though they lost 93-67 in a heated rematch with China - the teams had engaged in a major bench-clearing brawl after China won a preliminary meeting - the Lebanese team already had done enough to quality for the Worlds ... The big name here is Fadi El Katib, a 6-5 guard who averaged 22.5 points and shot .551 in the Asian tournament ... The center is 6-11 Joe Vogel, a naturalized Lebanese from the U.S. (Colorado State), who averaged 12.8 points and 10.4 rebounds in the qualifying tournament.

WBC appearances: 0
Record vs. USA: 0-0
Bottom line: Not expected to make much noise in the team's first-ever appearance at the WBC.

PUERTO RICO

Santiago

Malavazzi: Puerto Rico lost three key experienced players -- Tonito Colon, Eddie Cassiano and Sharif Fajardo -- to injury. This means that coach Julio Toro is now guiding a much younger team. But they're still dangerous. ... Jose "Piculin" Ortiz, a 6-11 center who, despite his age (38), is still a very effective player ... Point guard Carlos Arroyo and shooting guard Larry Ayuso have caused a lot of problems for opposing teams with their shooting and defensive quickness ... Also 7-1 center Daniel Santiago, formerly of the Phoenix Suns, will team with Ortiz to give Puerto Rico some size down low ... Basically, this is a team that will have to make adjustments due to injury, but if Toro can get them playing together, they could be dangerous in the early rounds.

WBC appearances: 9
Record vs. USA: 1-6
Bottom line: They have size, but how will they make up for lack of experience?

TURKEY

Turkoglu

Kountis: This is an enthusiastic, uptempo team that was the biggest surprise of the 2001 European Championships, when they made it to the finals on their home turf in Istanbul. ... The potential is there for this team to advance. They're a very ambitious team. Their departure was a big deal in Turkey, and the entire team dyed their hair blonde as a sign of unity. ... Ayden Ers does a very good job as coach. He does a great job of motivating his team, and knows how to play to their strengths ... Turkey is talented as well. Ibrahim Kutluay (Panathanikos in Greece) is expected to be the leader. He's a big, talented shooting guard. ... Mehmet Okur is their big man. The 6-11 center/forward was drafted by the Pistons ... And of course, there's Hedo Turkoglu, the Kings' rising NBA star. While he's best known in the U.S. for his play in Sacramento, possibly his defining moment came in the semifinals of the 2001 European Championships when he pulled a Willis Reed and led Turkey to a semifinals win over Germany despite being injured. His heroic performance sums up what this team is all about: drive, desire and passion.

WBC appearances: 0
Record vs. USA: 0-0
Bottom line: Blonde ambition might lead to Turkish delight.

ALGERIA

David Bane, Pacers.com: The Algerian National Team will represent its country for the first time ever in the 2002 World Basketball Championship after reaching the final game of the 21st African Championship for men ... Ali Bouziane, the second youngest player on the Algerian roster led the team in scoring. The 25-year old guard averaged 16.1 points per game in the African tournament that consisted of seven games ... Forward Mourad Boughedir is Algeria’s top rebounder at six boards a game. Boughedir is also the only other double-digit scorer at 10.4. Algeria averaged 72.7 points in the tournament and also struggled from the free-throw line with 59 percent accuracy ... The Algerians' key appears to be balance, as they have six players on the roster averaging between six and ten points ... Samir Mehennaoui is the most veteran player on the team at age 38.

WBC appearances: 0
Record vs. USA: 0-0
Bottom line: Algeria will have a rough go of it against the big guns in Pool C.

CHINA

Bateer

Xu: The best team in Asia will find the World Basketball Championships a tough challenge. ... All eyes will be on NBA top draft pick and 7-5 center Yao Ming, who should excel if his performance (13 points, 11 rebounds and six blocked shots) against the USA in an exhibition on Aug. 22 is any indication. ... The U.S.'s Michael Finley called playing against Ming an "eye-opening experience" and said that "he earned our respect." ... Ming will not be enough to carry a young squad with average strength and athleticism, however. ... Center Wang Zhizhi, who teams with Ming and 7-1 Mengke Bateer to form the "Great Wall," will not compete for China, a significant blow to the team's outside shooting. ... China will play a halfcourt game to take advantge of centers' height. ... Extreme long shot for a medal has never finished better than eighth place. ... Quarterfinals would be reasonable goal.

WBC appearances: 5
Record vs. USA: 0-3
Bottom line: Ming proves he's ready for prime time, but that his country is still a few years away.

GERMANY

Nowitzki

Kountis: Germany will obviously rely on Dirk Nowitzki, but then he's quite a player to rely on. If he's healthy, Dirk is quite possibly the top player in the tournament. He can carry this team a long way. ... The Germans have some other talented players as well. Former UNC and NBA forward Ademola Okulaja will provide strength and scoring inside. ... Shooting guard Marko Pesic is the son of Yugoslavian coach Svetislav Pesic. Marko is a good shooter who is accurate from three-point range. ... Patrick Femerling is a physical seven-footer who can play inside. ... For a long time, the opinion in Europe was that the Germans have big bodies, but no sense of play. But now they know how to play. They have international experience, and have earned a lot of respect. They should advance, but getting a medal will be tough.

WBC appearances: 2
Record vs. USA: 0-0
Bottom line: Dirk in uniform is enough to scare any opponent.

UNITED STATES

Finley

Pierce

Conrad Brunner, Pacers.com: Though Team USA is still the prohibitive gold medal favorite in the WBC, the potential for upset is strong. For the first time in international competition, the U.S. team will face a field that outnumbers them in terms of NBA players ... The U.S. roster has three 2002 NBA All-Stars (Jermaine O'Neal, Baron Davis and Paul Pierce) and three former All-Stars (Reggie Miller, Antonio Davis and Michael Finley). O'Neal, Davis, Shawn Marion and Andre Miller were teammates on the gold medal-winning U.S. team in the 2001 Goodwill Games, and that experience was enlightening for young players who had little previous exposure to international competition.

WBC appearances: 13
Bottom line: Still the favorite against the most skilled WBC competition yet.

ARGENTINA

Malavazzi: This is a very talented team that could make up for the country's failures in the 2002 World Cup of Soccer. Every single player on this team is playing in Europe or headed to the NBA, meaning coach Ruben Magnano has the luxury of going 12-deep. Simply put, Argentina is good enough to reach the semifinals or finals of this tournament, and after the U.S., have to be considered one of the favorites ... It all starts with Spurs rookie Emanuel Ginobili. The 6-6 Ginobili is the complete package. The former Italian league MVP averaged 19.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 4.3 spg for Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna last season ... Fellow Spurs rookie Luis Scola will give Argentina a great presence inside the paint, and the 6-9 forward can also score from the outside ... Point guard Pepe Sanchez is another player with NBA experience. Sanchez, who wasn't known as a great shooter in college or the pros, is a talented playmaker who will benefit from playing with shooters like Ginobili and Scola.

WBC appearances: 9
Record vs. USA: 2-6
Bottom line: Expectations are high, but this talented team should deliver.

NEW ZEALAND

Marks

Conrad Brunner, Pacers.com: This will be the first Worlds appearance for New Zealand since 1986 in Spain, which had been the country's only appearance ... Point guard Mark Dickel averaged 11.0 points and 5.7 assists in the Oceania Championship ... Forward Pero Cameron and guard Phil Jones each scored 19 in the clincher, an 89-78 victory over Australia, and they also tied for series scoring honors at 16.7 ... Forward Tony Rampton (12.0) and guard Dillon Boucher (10.0) were the team's leading rebounders. New Zealand had beaten Australia just once in 35 meetings before an 85-79 victory in the series opener ... Kirk Penney, who helped Wisconsin to a share of the Big Ten Conference title this year, was the first all-conference player to come from New Zealand ... Center Sean Marks became the first New Zealand native ever to play in an NBA game with Toronto in 1999 and averaged 4.6 points and 3.6 rebounds with Miami in 2001-02. Marks has been battling injuries but should be at full strength for the World Championships.

WBC appearances: 1
Record vs. USA: 0-0
Bottom line: Beating Australia was a coup in itself; anything else will be a bonus.

RUSSIA

Kirilenko

Kountis: You never know who is going to show up with the Russians. This is a team that is capable of making some big results, but they could be a disappointment as well. ... Andrei Kirilenko is their big star. He is a tall, athletic player who can do it all. ... Two other major contributors will be the Pachoutine brothers, Zakhar and Evgueni Pachoutine. Zakhar is a shooting guard, while Evgueni runs the point. Both are capable, athletic players who will help guide the Russian attack. ... Russia also has three or four players similar to Kirilenko, which makes them a dangerous club. ... Overall, this is a tall, athletic team that is the most traditional basketball power in Europe. But this team is an enigma. They're talented, but you just don't know who is going to show up.

WBC appearances: 2
Record vs. USA: 1-2
Bottom line: Never rule them out, but which team will show up?

VENEZUELA

Torres

Malavazzi: Venezuela is in a tough group -- with Argentina and Russia looking like the teams to beat -- so coach Jim Calvin's goal is probably to prepare his squad for Olympic qualifying tournaments next year ... This team still has some NBA-caliber talent on it, though. Rockets guard Oscar Torres had a surprisingly strong 2001-02 season, and gives Venezuela a go-to guy ... While he doesn't have Torres' explosivenss, Victor Diaz is another player who can fill it up, as his 23.6 ppg average for the national team proves ... Venezuela will also still be counting on former NBA player Carl Herrera, who still has talent, but at 36 might be hard-pressed to be the true inside threat this team needs.

WBC appearances: 1
Record vs. USA: 0-0
Bottom line: Could be a tough foe in qualifying, but advancing is tall order.