2016 Olympic Power Rankings

[CoachZ2]

Don't waste your energy, check out his other posts. As well as last years Eurobasket. Classic Serb hater. So don't take it seriously. He even called Mindozas traitor to his country for saying anything remotely bad about Lith Just a fun fella to hang around.

 

[G&B2]

Dude, you have there a slight case of power underestimation / overestimation in both cases of Serbia and Lithuania. Don't mean to start any flames, but some reality check is in order. At least for a statement that Serbia cannot fight for a medal.

It clear can, but the possibility is not much, because the front line is too weak.

 

[G&B2]

Don't waste your energy, check out his other posts. As well as last years Eurobasket. Classic Serb hater. So don't take it seriously. He even called Mindozas traitor to his country for saying anything remotely bad about Lith Just a fun fella to hang around.

What is the relationship between me and Mindozas? Better Test really, and I'm not the enemy Serbia, between its always say that the Balkan country has a great basketball school.

 

[vuxsa2]

Well you're obviously wrong, but anyone has a right of opinion. Our frontcourt is actually stronger than last year, way stronger. Maybe we're not as good as Spain, but it doesn't come down only to frontcourt match-up, but a whole team match-up. And we have the strongest team from this generation so far, with all the key players ready and fit to play (maybe just Bjelica a bit off, but this can come to it's place).

So, not listening to Coach Z in this post D) I'll explain to you once again - leaving Serbia out of medal contenders just on a claim that our frontcourt is week (?!) would keep you low in my list of bookies .

 

[CoachZ2]

Well you're obviously wrong, but anyone has a right of opinion. Our frontcourt is actually stronger than last year, way stronger. Maybe we're not as good as Spain, but it doesn't come down only to frontcourt match-up, but a whole team match-up. And we have the strongest team from this generation so far, with all the key players ready and fit to play (maybe just Bjelica a bit off, but this can come to it's place).

So, not listening to Coach Z in this post D) I'll explain to you once again - leaving Serbia out of medal contenders just on a claim that our frontcourt is week (?!) would keep you low in my list of bookies .

Also France frontcourt is Lauvergne, Diaw, Moerman, Tillie, Pietrus, Gelabale. If that is intimidating, I don't know Even if Gobert joins the team. Spain has the strongest frontcourt outside USA. We have a lot of flexibility, Bjelica, Jokic, Raduljica, Kalinic, Macvan can all play and most of them play multiple positions.

 

[G&B2]

Well you're obviously wrong, but anyone has a right of opinion. Our frontcourt is actually stronger than last year, way stronger. Maybe we're not as good as Spain, but it doesn't come down only to frontcourt match-up, but a whole team match-up. And we have the strongest team from this generation so far, with all the key players ready and fit to play (maybe just Bjelica a bit off, but this can come to it's place).

So, not listening to Coach Z in this post D) I'll explain to you once again - leaving Serbia out of medal contenders just on a claim that our frontcourt is week (?!) would keep you low in my list of bookies .

Yes, we all have our own opinion. Maybe Serbia and has a better front-line players, but they are not the national team.
Jokic has made progress in qualifying and played great, but in Rio is another caliber front-line players.

Even in qualifying will be have problems such as Italy with Croatia, if for Latvia to plays Pozringis and Bertrans.

 

[Shawshank2]

G&B

stopped men you are looking weird... Serbia is more talented team overall than Lithuania.Serbia is definetely top5 Olympic 2016 team and definetely medal contender.But for example if i could choose play againt Spain/France/Serbia i choose play Serbia.We have good record againt Teodosics Serbia.But that doesnt mean they are not medal condenders,i just feel those youngs serbians sometimes chokes like last semifinal.France and Spain chokes very very rarely with that experience and leadership they gets from long time leaders.

My top 4 ranking would be in this exact order:

1.Usa 2.France 3.Spain.4.Serbia

 

[vuxsa2]

He he, not worth continuing this conversation with you. I will take that you did not actually watch Serbia play before I assume that you're simply trashing our team.

Enjoy mate!

 

[vuxsa2]

G&B

stopped men you are looking weird... Serbia is more talented team overall than Lithuania.Serbia is definetely top5 Olympic 2016 team and definetely medal contender.But for example if i could choose play againt Spain/France/Serbia i choose play Serbia.We have good record againt Teodosics Serbia.But that doesnt mean they are not medal condenders,i just feel those youngs serbians sometimes chokes like last semifinal.France and Spain chokes very very rarely with that experience and leadership they gets from long time leaders.

My ranking would be in this exact order:

1.Usa 2.France 3.Spain.4.Serbia

I wouldn't even consider us chokers also. We don't have that bad semifinal record from 2009 onward (emerging of this generation, or Teodosic Serbia as you put it). We didn't choke against Turks in 2010, we lost a game on the edge of the knife under some heavy home-court refereeing. In 2014 we won and last year...ok maybe we choke there a little , but one in all honesty must admit that we burnt out our fuel reserve in a group of death. What this generation of ours needs to learn though is that bronze is as valid medal as any. So if we again lose semis, we should find enough fighting spirit...

 

[G&B2]

G&B

stopped men you are looking weird... Serbia is more talented team overall than Lithuania.Serbia is definetely top5 Olympic 2016 team and definetely medal contender.But for example if i could choose play againt Spain/France/Serbia i choose play Serbia.We have good record againt Teodosics Serbia.But that doesnt mean they are not medal condenders,i just feel those youngs serbians sometimes chokes like last semifinal.France and Spain chokes very very rarely with that experience and leadership they gets from long time leaders.

My top 4 ranking would be in this exact order:

1.Usa 2.France 3.Spain.4.Serbia

Well, I shall be with his view that Serbia is more talent for Lithuania to be a proof rather than the word, the last 20 years shows that the most important all fights between Lithuania and Serbia wins Lithuania

Teodosić maybe have more talent than Kalnietis, but Kalnietis not for the first time proved that it can play better than Teodosić (2010, 2015)

 

[blogazzz2]

Almost agree:

Tier 1. United States

Tier 2. Spain, France, Serbia

Tier 3 Australia, Lithuania, Croatia,

Tier 4 Argentina, Brazil

Tier 5 China, Nigeria, Venezuela

And there is my predictions for the tournament

 

[Modis2]

1: USA
2: France
3: Spain
4: Serbia
5: Lithuania
6: Croatia
7: Brazil
8: Australia
9: Argentina
10: Venezuela
11: Nigeria
12: China

 

[raph2]

Hard to predict how well France will perform without knowing who will be in the list.

For me, Serbia, Spain and USA are clear favorites. I don't necessary think this USA team has a guaranteed win in Rio though. We still got to see them playing team bball. They have the talent in offense, but who will do the dirty work ?
For me, France and Lithuania are biggest candidates for doing an upset - Lit's are almost always on the podium in the end -, but the spanish and serbs have better team bball, and usa obviously have the better athletes.

Also, Brazil will play at home, and their fans can be really crazy. Their team is not necessary as deep as other big nations, but i would not overlook them.

There will be some surprises (in group B for sure, but in the 1/4 as well). I dont know what to think of a rather old Argentina (i am being nice) with many players who will retire after these Olympics. Their group is not so easy, and i could easily see them facing USA in 1/4 for a nice jubile.
Croatia could be a nice (and big) surprise even if they don't seem as deep as other top teams. They qualified nicely and their mental proved to be a real strenght. And like France did with Parker and Batum generations, they are starting to mix their own golden generations. We still need to see their final list too.

France has zero margin in this tournament. Our biggest strenght would be to have a good mix of euroleague and nba players. I hope Collet don't call back Fournier, we dont need him (except if he wants to add a scorer from the bench, but he is really soft).

 

[Hepcat2]

Argentina - I do not believe, as a very old team
Serbia - hardly can fight for a medal, because it has a weak 3-4-5 positions, compared to the USA, Spain, Lithuania, France

Dude, you have there a slight case of power underestimation / overestimation in both cases of Serbia and Lithuania. Don't mean to start any flames, but some reality check is in order. At least for a statement that Serbia cannot fight for a medal.

Don't waste your energy, check out his other posts. As well as last years Eurobasket. Classic Serb hater. So don't take it seriously.

There's no reason to be so touchy about G&B's ranking though. He still has Serbia at 5-8 and while that may be on the low side, it's still a reasonable assessment. None of us Lithuanian posters have taken any exception to ratings of Lithuania as low as #8.

 

[CoachZ2]

There's no reason to be so touchy about G&B's ranking though. He still has Serbia at 5-8 and while that may be on the low side, it's still a reasonable assessment. None of us Lithuanian posters have taken any exception to ratings of Lithuania as low as #8.

I have no problem with rankings. Everyone has an opinion. Still some of them you value, others don't. I just tried to tell my Serbian compatriot not to waste energy trying to explain himself to D&G. He has shown quite a lot of hostility towards Serbian posters, teams, players etc. before. This is the reason why. Especially during the Eurobasket 2015 time. That was just pitiful. Of course, still he has the right to his opinion. I can think that the world is flat, still doesn't mean that people should take me seriously because of that Right?

 

[R1ou2]

There's no reason to be so touchy about G&B's ranking though. He still has Serbia at 5-8 and while that may be on the low side, it's still a reasonable assessment. None of us Lithuanian posters have taken any exception to ratings of Lithuania as low as #8.

Still 5-8 is a bit of impossible meaning they will lose the first knockout to Argentina/Nigeria/Brazil/Croatia(possible 3rd teams) or even Spain if something goes wrong and then Spaniards decide to finish 3rd in order to avoid US.Lithuania will need to face France/Serbia at the first knockout and to be honest in terms of quality Lithuania is back.



P.S. It will be interesting to see the FIBA-Joke rankings after the tournament.From the little I have checked,Serbia Brazil and France will be only benefited as they missed the Olympics of 2008.Argentina and Lithuania will potentially lose if they don't finish 3/4 respectively.Greece and Russia will lose the most.Turkey in top 7

 

[madmax2]

I personally can see Serbia losing their QF match vs any team from Group B - they are no longer that mentally unshakeable team from the 90's and early 00's, when you would expect to see them in a final of any big tournament. As for my beloved Lithuania, we've been quite steady in the last few tournaments, mainly thanks to our cohesion and team spirit of course, but talent wise we have huge gaping holes in PG and SG positions and in modern basketball there's only so much you can do without world class perimeter player...

 

[G&B2]

I have no problem with rankings. Everyone has an opinion. Still some of them you value, others don't. I just tried to tell my Serbian compatriot not to waste energy trying to explain himself to D&G. He has shown quite a lot of hostility towards Serbian posters, teams, players etc. before. This is the reason why. Especially during the Eurobasket 2015 time. That was just pitiful. Of course, still he has the right to his opinion. I can think that the world is flat, still doesn't mean that people should take me seriously because of that Right?

I do not know, how much I will sometimes have to repeat, that I nothing have against Serbia, and even on the contrary I very respect Serbia basketballs school.

Before EC-2015 when I predicted victory Lithuania against Serbia,and when it happened I was guilty of that as so think.

For the grievances that so I thought then and now, is unable to offend you

 

[G&B2]

I personally can see Serbia losing their QF match vs any team from Group B - they are no longer that mentally unshakeable team from the 90's and early 00's, when you would expect to see them in a final of any big tournament. As for my beloved Lithuania, we've been quite steady in the last few tournaments, mainly thanks to our cohesion and team spirit of course, but talent wise we have huge gaping holes in PG and SG positions and in modern basketball there's only so much you can do without world class perimeter player...

I recall that the EC 2013 silver medal winning pay entirely lost PG, and now is a much better situation in all positions.

 

[unnamed2]

My Power Rankings list:

1. USA
2. Spain
3. France
4. Australia
5. Lithuania
6. Serbia
7. Argentina (7th to 9th place are all very equal)
8. Brazil
9. Croatia
10. Nigeria
11. Venezuela
12. China