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.

Greg M. Cooper-US PRESSWIRE

Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers is in London for the 2012 Olympics working as a studio analyst for NBC.

Team USA is currently coached by Mike Krzyzewski who took over the team in 2006. This is likely to be Krzyzewski’s last Olympics and USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo will be in need of a replacement.

Rivers looks like he would be a great replacement to coach the team in 2016.

“To represent your country is the absolute best honor,” Rivers told Yahoo! Sports. “And if you ever get the opportunity, it would be hard to turn down.”

Rivers went on to say how it is a different situation for Krzyzewski who coaches in college rather than the NBA where it is a much shorter, less grueling schedule. Rivers does appear to be at least a little bit interested and being in London now may be an even greater sign of his interest.

What has made Coach K successful coaching the biggest names from the NBA is that they respect him and play hard for him. Not just any coach can handle the kind of stars that are on Team USA’s roster. Krzyzewski is a basketball icon though.

Rivers may not be on Krzyzewski’s level yet in that regard but he is widely respected by players in the league. He seems to really know how to connect with the younger generation too, something that will be important in selecting the next coach as the team will likely be comprised of players 23-years old and younger.

Where Rivers will trump Krzyzewski will be on the chalkboard. Rivers may be the best in the NBA right now at drawing up plays on offense. He’s been a master with the Celtics over the past five years and imagine what he could do with the best talent in the NBA.

Krsysewski’s success has come from his ability to motivate and bring players together. Krzyzewski is greatest when it comes to getting these NBA stars to compete on defense for 40 minutes.

One thing is for sure though that the 2016 USA Men’s Basketball team will look different than this one. Krzyzewski will no longer be the coach and quite possible every player except Anthony Davis may be gone.

Winning gold now seems like a very sure thing. In four years, it may not.

• The Boston Celtics have expressed interest in moving up into the lottery. The Celtics have the 21st and 22nd picks in the first round. Their number one target is reportedly Duke guard Austin Rivers, son of Celtics head coach Doc Rivers.
• The New Orleans Hornets also have Rivers atop their list for the No. 10 pick. This means that Boston would have to try and move into the top nine to take Rivers. The only teams who could conceivably move out of the top 10 are the Sacramento Kings or the Golden State Warriors although neither seems likely.
• Kings and Rockets trade talks for the No. 5 pick have intensified. The Rockets are looking to get the fifth pick to take Andre Drummond. Sacramento doesn’t seem to be sold on any player to draft except for Thomas Robinson. Once Robinson is drafted, if it is before No. 5, the Kings will likely pull the trigger on trading the fifth pick to Houston for a few of their first round picks and Kyle Lowry.
• The Charlotte Bobcats who have been shopping their No. 2 overall pick for awhile now have reportedly narrowed down the candidates to the Cavaliers and Rockets. The Rockets number one mission is to get pieces to send Orlando’s way for Dwight Howard. The Cavs have the 4th and 24th pick in the first round and any deal for the No. 2 pick with Charlotte would include both of those.
• This means the Thunder are 99% not trading James Harden. It never felt like it was really going to happen anyway.
• The player most teams seem to want to get at No. 2 is Bradley Beal, unless the pick stays with Charlotte in which case they’d likely pick Thomas Robinson. Beal will not drop past Washington at No. 3.
• If Beal is off the board at No. 3, the Wizards would still likely look for a shooter as opposed to picking Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. They went into the draft many believed having Harrison Barnes high on their board and would also possibly take Dion Waiters instead of MKG.
• The Portland Trailblazers really want Damian Lillard. They have the 6th and 11th overall picks. They have heard that Lillard will not be available at 11 so they may have to take him at 6.
• The Detroit Pistons will reportedly select John Henson at No. 9 if he is there. Drummond may drop to No. 9 but if he doesn’t, Detroit is probably going with Henson.
• The Thunder aren’t necessarily looking to pick a player at No. 28 that will play next year. That means they could be leaning toward Evan Fournier from France and also now Kostas Papanikolaou of Greece.