FIBA World Championship preview

The 2010 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Championship begins on August 28 in Turkey, with the final taking place on September 12.

Australia is one of 24 nations competing at this year's tournament, with teams split into four groups of six. The top four teams from each group advance to the knockout stages.

Here are the contenders for this year's title.

USA
FIBA ranking: 2nd
Betting: $1.50 (favourites)
Group: B

Perennial underachievers the USA boast an all-NBA line-up at this year's tournament, headed by 2010 All-Star and Scoring Champion Kevin Durant.

Remarkably, it's been 16 years since the last time Team USA were crowed world champions.

But with Durant on board and a star-studded squad (by international, if not NBA, standards), the Americans are taking this year's event a little more seriously than usual and are the raging favourites to win the title.

The likes of LeBron James or Kobe Bryant won't be suiting up for the USA here, but with the talent at their disposal the absence of the NBA's biggest names really shouldn't matter.

They should coast through a group featuring Brazil, Croatia, Iran, Tunisia and Slovenia, and should have too much talent for Europe's big guns in the knock-out stages.

Spain
FIBA ranking: 3rd
Betting: $4.50
Group: D

The reigning champions from four years ago are also coming off a 2009 EuroBasket title, so confidence won't be an issue here.

Boasting one of the best defences in the world, the Spanish squad is largely based at home but does include NBA stars Rudy Fernandez (Portland Trail Blazers), Jose-Manuel Calderon (Toronto Raptors) and Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies).

The absence of three-time NBA All-Star and Los Angeles Lakers centre Pau Gasol is a real blow, but the Spaniards are still favoured to take a top-two finish.

They've been handed a relatively easy draw in Group D, alongside Canada, France, Lebanon, Lithuania and New Zealand.

Greece
FIBA ranking: 4th
Betting: $15
Group: C

Greece took out the silver medal at the world championships in 2006, defeating the star-studded USA on their road to the final.

They're without several of their 2006 stars this time around, with a squad that doesn't include any current NBA players.

With a new coach in Jonas Kazlauskas and a group of largely young players, experience could be an issue in the latter stages of the tournament.

They certainly have the talent to spring some surprises, but look unlikely to challenge for the gold this time around.

Serbia
FIBA ranking: 5th
Betting: $20
Group: A

Serbia finished second to Spain at last year's EuroBasket event, and will be a tough side for years to come after taking out a string of titles at youth level in the past three years.

With a tall, young squad (the average height of the squad is a towering 6'8, and most of Serbia's players are under 24), Serbia could be a dark horse here.

Led by seven-foot-tall NBA star Nenad Krstic – a club teammate of Kevin Durant at Oklahoma – the Serbs should cruise through the group stage and could challenge basketball's "big three" of the USA, Spain and Argentina.

Argentina
FIBA ranking: 1st
Betting: $21
Group: A

2004 Olympic gold medallists Argentina took over the FIBA No.1 ranking at the end of the 2008 Games, despite picking up the bronze medal at that event.

With four NBA stars in their squad (Milwaukee guard Carlos Delfino, Philadelphia's Andres Nocioni, Houston power forward Luis Scola and Washington centre Fabricio Oberto), the Argentines have plenty of talent at their disposal.

The absence of San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili will hurt, but unlike the Americans, Argentina's basketball team is generally greater than the sum of its parts.

Brazil
FIBA ranking: 14th
Betting: $26
Group: B

Two-time champions Brazil are aiming to return to the top tier of world basketball after a prolonged drought at the world championships, where they have failed to win a medal since 1978.

The South Americans suggested they may be on their way back with a gold medal at last years' FIBA Americans Championship.

They've got NBA star big men Adnerson Varejao (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Tiago Splitter (San Antonio Spurs) at centre and power forward, and are coached by Ruben Magnano – the man who led Argentina to the 2006 Olympic gold medal.

Brazil will face the USA in the group stage, along with Croatia, Iran, Tunisia and Slovenia, and should do enough to survive to the knockout rounds.

Australia
FIBA ranking: 11th
Betting: $151
Group: A

The Boomers are pushing for a return to basketball's top 10, but will have to do so without NBA stars Bogut and Nathan Jawai as well as veteran guard CJ Bruton.

The Aussies do have NBA players David Anderson and Patrick Mills in their line-up, plus European-based players Aleks Maric, Joe Ingles, Brad Newley, Matthew Nielsen, David Barlow, Mark Worthington, Aron Baynes and Steven Markovic.

That leaves just Adam Gibson (Gold Coast) and Damian Martin (Perth) as the NBL's only representatives in the national team.

Brett Brown, assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs, is the man in charge of a team with a healthy mix of youth and experience, with five players (Andersen, Worthington, Ingles, Newley and Barlow) all having played at the last tournament in 2006.

The Boomers face a tricky group stage with Jordan, Argentina, Germany, Serbia and Angola, but while their betting odds suggest a title run is unlikely, there's no reason why the Aussies can't survive their group.

The key will be securing a top-three finish in the group stage, with fourth place likely to face the USA in the first knockout round.