Filed under: Nuggets, FIBA, USA Basketball, FIBA World Championship

ISTANBUL — At a Team USA scrimmage two weeks ago at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, NBA stars Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul talked about how excited they are to play in the 2012 Olympics.

Let’s hope they have a team for which to play.

While it’s a long shot, it’s not out of the possibility Team USA might not even qualify for the 2012 Games in London.

If the Americans don’t win the World Championship, in which they face Croatia on Saturday’s opening day, they won’t get an automatic bid to the 2012 Olympics. That means they would have to go through a qualifying tournament in 2011.

No big deal, right? Team USA often has had to go through qualifying tournaments to make the Olympic field, most recently in 2007.

But there could be one big difference next summer if the Americans don’t take care of business this summer in Istanbul. An NBA lockout is very possible starting July 1, 2011. If such a lockout lingers, players under contract most likely wouldn’t be able to play in international events.

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