Group C consists of Brazil, Lithuania, Turkey, Greece, Australia and Qatar, and is headlined by a slew of promising young NBA players including Leandro Barbosa, Andrew Bogut and Anderson Varejao.
Games will be conducted in Hamamatsu, Japan from August 19th to 24th.
Read more about the 2006 FIBA World Championship tournament at the informative official website Fiba2006.com
Brazil
The Stars:
Anderson Varejao, 6-11, PF/C, Cleveland Cavaliers, 23 years old
Jonathan Givony
Coming off an NBA season that was more impressive than his 4.6 points and 4.9 rebounds in 16 minutes per game would indicate, Anderson Varejao will now be thrust into a much more prominent role on an athletic and talented Brazilian squad that many have pegged as dark horses to crash the advanced stages of the World Championships.
Already considered a huge steal relative to where he was drafted (early in the 2nd round of the 2004 draft), Varejao was an important rotation player for the Cleveland Cavaliers this season. He only got better and better as the season moved along after missing the first two months of the NBA calendar with an injury he picked up with the Brazilian national team over the summer. His averages in April of 8 points and 8.5 rebounds in 25 minutes per game more accurately reflect his value once he really got into peak form following the 30 or so games he missed early on.
In the NBA, Varejao is your consummate hustling role player who gets few touches and even fewer plays actually called for him. He makes his living by feeding off scraps, crashing the glass exceptionally hard, cutting to the basket, running the floor in transition and outquicking and outworking other players around the hoop.
Hes not the most skilled player youll find, showing an underdeveloped post game with his back to the basket and fairly poor touch around the rim. Most of his points in the half-court come in unconventional fashion; awkward spin-moves, quick and aggressive drives to draw fouls and an unpolished jump-hook shot that is bound to drop on the 2nd try if you dont put a body on him on the offensive glass. Hes simply a bundle of energy that is very tough to contain due to the ferociousness he plays with, showing great toughness, outstanding size, excellent length and plenty of athleticism to get the job done.
With that said, there is a certain sense that Varejao might have more in his arsenal than he is usually allowed to show with the Cavs as their 5th option when he is on the floor. His flair for the unexpected has shown us that he has some intriguing ball-handling and passing skills in the open court, although he is sometimes just as prone to throw a Jason Kidd style no-look pass into the 3rd row as he is to make a highlight reel caliber assist.
Brazil will need Varejaos creativity and tenacity, not to mention his excellent physical attributes, throughout the tournament to provide them with an added dimension that few teams in Japan can match up with. Staying out of foul troublesomething that has been an issue for him at timeswill be imperative to Brazils chances of success. Varejaos length and quickness coupled with his toughness make him an excellent defensive presence in the NBA, but averaging nearly 4 fouls per game in 18 minutes--like he did in the playoffs this yearis not going to cut it for them. It will be interesting to see whether hell be able to temper his enthusiasm a bit without taking too much away from the things he does best.
If Varejao can continue the excellent form hes brought to the Brazilian preparation games into the actual tournament, he might give the Cavs enough food for thought to potentially expand his role next year as heavy footed 31 year old Zydrunas Ilgauskas steady decline inevitably continues.
Leandro Barbosa, 6-3, PG/SG, Phoenix Suns, 23 years old
Jonathan Givony
Another role-playing NBA youngster who will be asked to be anything but that in Japan, Leandro Barbosas virtues are well known to fans who enjoyed watching the most entertaining team in the league this past season.
Possibly the quickest player from one end of the floor to the other in this Championship, no one will ever question the incredibly physical attributes of this gifted athlete. Barbosa is as explosive as they come, dynamite in the open court and capable of blowing by players in the half-court in the blink of an eye. Its not rare at all to see Barbosa establish himself as a one man fast break after a medium range in-bounds pass and completely beat the opposing team down the court, even with the ball in his hands. Pushing tempo and getting out in the open floor is where he is at his absolute best.
He is used mostly as instant offense off the bench for the Phoenix Suns, but will be expected to be do much more than that as the starting point guard for the Brazilian national team. With his teams next two biggest stars (Splitter and Varejao) not really known for their offensive prowess, Barbosa will also have to do plenty of what he is most well known forscore.
Barbosa established himself as one of the most dangerous perimeter shooters in the NBA this past season despite his awkward shooting mechanics, bringing the ball up and releasing it from well under his chin. He is absolutely money when given a split second to set his feet and get his shot off, to the tune of an astounding 44% accuracy from behind the arc this past season.
He is also very much capable of creating his own shot in the half-court, although he doesnt possess a very wide variety of crafty fakes and hesitation moves; instead relying on his explosive first step and strength to just power his way through the lane much like an NFL running back would. He has a great nose for finding the rim and is absolutely fearless attacking the basket, regularly finishing with contact--although his touch here can be lacking at times due to his tendency to over-improvise or get cute with the way he uses the glass. A new weapon weve seen more and more of is a very effective floater or runner he uses from 8-12 feet out.
Barbosas problems begin when his team asks him to do things that just arent in his repertoire, and therefore take away from what he does best. That is unfortunately exactly what Brazil will be forced to do with him designated as their floor general and the man expected to make everyone around him better. Barbosas decision making skills can be extremely questionable when hes asked to do too much with the ball in his hands, showing average court vision, poor shot selection, and severely decreased effectiveness when forced to go to his left hand. He is a fantastic shooter with his feet set, but quite a bit less efficient off the dribble.
Barbosa generally isnt the most technically skilled player in the world, but he is exceptional at the few things he does well. How much Brazil will be able to take advantage of his terrific strengths, while minimizing his glaring weaknesses--much like the Phoenix Suns dowill play a huge role in how far this team goes.
The Upside:
Tiago Splitter, 7-0, PF/C, Tau Vitoria, 21 years old
Dimitris Ritsonis
Already participating in his second World Championship, despite his young age, Tiago Splitter an example of a player who will not need a huge tournament to become better known in basketball circles. Most basketball fans around the globe should be familiar with his name by now, either through the constant success enjoyed by Tau Vitoria in the Euroleague, or when it comes to his excellent NBA potential, which has only been limited up until now by a non-existent buyout clause in his contract.
Splitter is a skilled big man, showing the type of fundamentals that only a few young centers can offer in International basketball at this point. He has great size and decent footwork, fine athletic ability, excellent rebound positioning, very good defensive technique and an excellent understanding of the pick and roll. He can play both frontcourt positions for the Brazilian national team and should compliment Anderson Varejao quite well, both in the half court and in transition, as he runs the floor particularly well. Defensively the two should be a menace; one a huge bundle of energy who uses his quickness and length tirelessly, and the other an incredibly intelligent and fundamentally sound defender who slides his feet as well as any big man around.
At Tau, playing alongside a superstar in Luis Scola, he is mostly a role player. Here in Japan with the National team of Brazil he has a chance to be more than that, though, and will probably be expected to shoulder some of the offensive load for a team that will cherish anything it can get out of him in the post.
This tournament should not present many surprises for Tiago, although it can be a significant sample of what we should be expecting from Brazil in the years to come, as they are a young and promising team. Splitter will be complementing Varejao in the post, focusing mainly on the defensive end, a well-known role for him, after his years in Tau. Therefore, Splitter, a player who has the ability to be a legit offensive option for them for some stretches, will be seeing a lot of playing time and will be asked to carry his share of offensive load and be a go-to player whenever asked.
A strong showing here in Japan in front of the many NBA scouts and executives who will be attending could really set the table for a high selection in next years draft.