The U.S. gets Argentina Friday, and while the team has rolled thus far, the Argentines are a very solid team.
Led by Manu Ginobili of the Spurs, Argentina also features Luis Scola, Francisco Oberto, Andres Nocioni, and Carlos Delfino.
The first three are current NBA players; Delfino just signed with a Russian team after being in the NBA.
Scola. 6'9", is a teammate of Shane Battier's in Houston and really made a big difference for the Rockets this year. Like Ginobili, Oberto plays for the Spurs, but has had little impact so far. Nocioni, 6'7", averages 13.2 ppg for the Bulls and 4.2 rpg.
Argentina, though, cannot match the depth of the U.S. Their depth tops out at six or seven players. If they can't control the pace of the game, it's hard to see how they could win. But they are a tough team and it's foolish to say they can't win.
On the other hand, Ginobili is busy spreading the notion that Argentina has no chance, but you can rest assure he's not trying to sell his teammates on that notion.
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