Ibaka played just 15.1 minutes per game and averaged 8.0 points per game. After the Olympics, Ibaka said that he wasn’t sure if he would continue playing for Spain in the future.

Pau Gasol wants Ibaka to be a part of Spain’s basketball future.

“We hope Serge can be part of the national team for many years,” Gasol told the Los Angeles Times. “He brings so many special unique set of skills to the table.

“We were very talented and we were very deep. There’s so many other great players. Some days you’ll play a little more. Some days you’ll play better. Some days you won’t. But at the end of the day, what matters is the team success. He’s only 22 or 23. He has many years ahead of him. It’s good he has a desire and hunger. But he needs to understand the facts and circumstances of the moment and the needs long-term.”

Ibaka was playing behind the Gasol brothers for Spain who got the bulk of the minutes at the four and five positions. He was never going to overtake them in these Olympics and take any of their minutes. There were times when Spain elected to go with the veteran Felipe Reyes over Ibaka which could have been frustrating for him.

Gasol said he wasn’t sure if he would be playing in the 2016 Olympics in Rio and if he isn’t, then Spain will definitely have a huge need for Ibaka. Ibaka will be one of Spain’s stars by then and the experience playing in those Olympics should be much richer for him.

“I’m not going to play forever,” Gasol said. “Marc Gasol is not going to play forever.”

Ibaka just signed a 4-year, $49 million contract extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder meaning he will be on OKC by the time the next Olympics come around.

FIBA secretary-general Patrick Baumann and his group plan to propose the sport to have it included in the Olympics as early as 2016.

“Like volleyball has beach volleyball, swimming has synchronized swimming, we want three-on-three to be part of it,” Baumann told USA Today.

Baumann said that 3-on-3 would give more countries a chance to be represented in Olympic basketball and help grow popularity of the sport globally. Each country would be responsible for coming up with a way to rank their best 3-on-3 teams and have one represent them.

It’s hard to imagine NBA players would be participating in this. It seems more likely that this would be an Olympic sport where the U.S. always sent amateurs.

It would be interesting to see the kinds of rules that would be set too. Obviously it would be played half court but usually with 3-on-3, there aren’t officials. You call your own fouls and there is far less structure than what there is in every other Olympic sport we currently have.

It seems like this should be further away from happening than the next Olympics, but four years is a long time to get something done.

For fun, imagine the best USA team we could put together. LeBron-Durant-Howard with maybe Rose as a sub. Rubio-Gasol-Gasol would have a tough time getting the gold from that squad.

There has already been a lot of talk regarding the future of USA Basketball. We know that Mike Krzyzewski will not be the head coach although he plans to remain involved with the program to some extent. Doc Rivers, Gregg Popovich and Doug Collins are a few of the names rumored as possible replacements.

A lot of the players from the 2012 team are likely to not return in 2016. Kobe Bryant said that this was his last Olympics and a few others may not be back either. Four years is a long time and players like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul will all be in their 30’s in 2016.

There has also been some talk of the NBA implementing a 23-under age-limit for future United States basketball teams. It is unlikely though that will come into effect until 2020.

If we look at the 2012 roster, there are a few players who are good candidates to be on the team again in 2016: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kevin Love and Anthony Davis seem the most likely. LeBron and Anthony might be the old guys who decide to give it one more run in what would be their fourth Olympics.

That leaves at least five more roster spots assuming no one else returns. Derrick Rose and Blake Griffin are two of the youngest players who would have been playing on this team. They both missed these Olympics due to injury. If chronic injuries become a growing concern for either, they might not be options in 2016 either. Dwight Howard will still be young enough to be an option as well.

A couple of point guards from the Select Team seem like good options in Kyrie Irving and John Wall. Both were former No. 1 picks which often are invited to the team.

Some other hopefuls from the select team include Kawhi Leonard, Greg Monroe and Paul George. Rookies Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Bradley Beal and Harrison Barnes are likely to be candidates as well.

There is also a very high likelihood that there will be a few players to make the 2016 team that aren’t in the NBA just yet. Some names that come to mind are top recruits Nerlens Noel, Shabazz Muhammad and Jabari Parker.

It’s really hard to tell at this point what the roster may look like in four years but here is what I am projecting:

Point guards: Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose, Kyrie Irving
Shooting guards: James Harden, Paul George
Small forwards: Kevin Durant, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kawhi Leonard
Power forwards: Kevin Love, Blake Griffin
Centers: Anthony Davis, Greg Monroe

I think in 2016, we will make sure to send over a team that has more size than the 2012 team had. Love, Griffin, Davis and Monroe will be a good foursome to have banging down low. Of course, Durant can play a lot of the four as well.

Rose and Westbrook will probably start in the backcourt. Irving is going to be a monster by 2016 and Harden will be in the conversation for best shooting guard in the NBA with George right behind him.

MKG will be the Iguodala of the team. MKG is going to be a very well-liked player at this point and considered a kind of glue guy for this team.

Leonard seems like another guy who a lot of people are high on. He was impressive in his rookie season with San Antonio and is expected to increase his role with them going forward.

Durant led Team USA in 30 points that game, the most points ever scored by a United States player in a gold medal game. Durant set a U.S. record with 156 points in the 2012 Olympics as well.

Durant wants more gold though.

“We’ll see,” Durant told NBA.com when asked about if he plans to play in the 2016 Olympics. “You never know how these things are going to play out … Hopefully I get a chance to go to the next one.”

There has been talk about a new 23-under age-limit for Team USA and Olympic basketball although it is unlikely that will come into effect until 2020.

We also know that Mike Krzyzewksi will step down as the head coach of Team USA. Kobe Bryant also announced this will be his last Olympics.

Durant and two of his Thunder teammates, Russell Westbrook and James Harden, represented the U.S. this year. Those three are definitely frontrunners to be on the team again in 2016.

Durant would be on pace to become the all-time leading scorer in U.S. Olympic in 2016 if he plays. No. 1 and 2 on that list now are David Robinson and LeBron James, who each needed three Olympics to get to the top of that list.

“I felt like I did it right,” Durant said. “Out of college I had an opportunity to practice with these guys. Then I went into the Select Team process, and being one of the younger guys that was going to be looked at for years to come.

“Being one of the main guys on that 2010 team and then having this opportunity to come in here and compete for a gold medal, it was a long journey for me. Even though it was my first one, it was a long journey. I’m glad I got this opportunity and I’m glad I went through those situations and I’m just happy we got this gold.”