Basketball On The Internet.

A FEW things need to happen for the Boomers to defy logic and play off for a medal at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016.

Elsewhere in these pages ("Aussies stand tall at Olympics") I've already explained why bracketing 5th-to-8th finishes by Australia are challenging but realistic, as opposed to the multitude of hurdles between "great effort'' and medalling.

That said (and read), I would never rule out the fighting qualities of our national team, its ability to occasionally over-achieve and the circumstances which could exist to make it possible.

There are obvious candidates for who should again be in the green-and-gold in four years' time, which also makes for a good launching point.

For starters, captain Matt Nielsen has announced London was his farewell, after adding those Olympics to his appearances in Athens and Beijing.

At 34, his decision is realistic and appropriate. He has been a great warrior and leader for his country, but even he would admit his performances in London made the call easier.

I would question too whether David Andersen, who would be 36 in Rio, will still be in consideration, although in London I really enjoyed seeing him step up.

It had been a long time coming.

I had the pleasure of meeting David when he was still a kid, winning some "outstanding junior" award in Melbourne for which a lot of journos from around Australia were flown in.

There were some camps or something associated with it and Andersen had been selected for something special. San Antonio Spurs general manager R.C. Buford, who was a scout back then, was there and, if my fragmenting memory isn't completly shot, so was Brett Brown, Andrew Gaze and, quite possibly, Luc Longley.

It doesn't much matter. The point is, that occasion created an extra awareness of Andersen for me and I had (and have) the utmost respect for him to have shown the courage to forsake an NBL career to back himself in Europe.

Bear in mind, he had a season at Wollongong, where Hawks coach Brendan Joyce planned to build a dynasty around him.

But Ando had bigger dreams to chase and headed off to an extraordinarily successful career in Europe, which was even briefly interrupted by a couple of NBA tours of duty.

Many of us have marvelled at his play in Euroleague games and perpetually have waited for him to showcase his undoubted talent for the Boomers.

To my mind, he rarely has reproduced the form which would make you think: "Yes, this is why he is our most successful export to European basketball,'' which, few would dispute, he is, or has been.

Whether he has deferred to Andrew Bogut or his European game hasn't translated into great international form for Australia is something often pondered in the past.

But at some point in that key first game against Brazil in London, Andersen stepped out of whatever shadow he has labored under and showed what he can do.

He came out of the tournament averaging 12 points and 6.0 boards and may still be in calculations for the next world championship in two years time.

Mark Worthington is 29 and David Barlow 28 and both would have to be questionable for Rio.

Wortho has been a fierce competitor but will be 33 and under challenge from a lot of talented fresh faces.

Barlow's numbers were nothing to write home about - "Dear mum and dad. Having a great time here in Tahiti. Sun is shining, beaches are heavenly and David Barlow averaged 1.8 points at 33 per cent in London'' ... see what I mean? - and his spot assuredly is under fire.

When you're at your second Olympics and you don't get in to a couple of games, your best work is doing defensive slides behind the team huddle and your body language is a little suspect, I would think you have serious work ahead to stay relevant.

Peter Crawford is an inspiration to us all but it would take a superhuman effort for him, with the slashing style he plays, to be in calculations leading up to Rio.

FROM Brett Brown's team in London, that leaves us with Patty Mills, 24, Adam Gibson, 25, Joe Ingles, 24, Brad Newley, 27, Matt Dellavedova, 22, Aaron Baynes, 25 and Aleks Maric, 27, as potential returnees.

Or, put it this way. Dellavedova, Mills and Ingles - three starters in London - should, most likely, be starters again in Rio.

That is a terrific jumping-off point, to know that this far in advance.

The two guys who surprised me the most in London were Dellavedova and Baynes and no, I don't mean just from the screen-roll-dunk play they worked pretty much against every team.

These guys were the London equivalent of the "Vlahov, Bradtke, Longley'' selections for Seoul in 1988; somewhat controversial at the time, absolutely borne out with time.

They grew with the tournament, although I felt Baynes was a little star-struck against the USA.

Eh. Small sin.

Baynes twice got into double digit points and averaged 7.5 at 66 per cent with 3.3 rebounds. Not a bad debut.

Dellavedova scored 7.3 points per game and his 4.5 assists led the Boomers.

The pair was impressive overall and in four years' time, expect them to have evolved into even more mature, exciting basketball players.

WHICH brings me to Patty and Joe.

How much had they grown as players from Beijing to London?

So what excitement might that mean in Rio?

Mills led the Olympics in scoring with 21.2 points per game, maintaining a tradition begun by Eddie Palubinskas in Montreal in 1976, and carried on at Olympics by Ian Davies and Andrew Gaze.

Ingles delivered 15 points at 51 per cent, 4.2 assists, 5.0 rebounds and also played defence with genuine intensity.

For mine, Jingles was Australia's best player and I very much see the NBA in his future. I think the only person who needed convincing he was ready was probably Ingles himself and I'm guessing he knows now that he belongs in The Show.

With teams largely set, their trades and drafts done, Ingles would benefit from a greater role with Barcelona this season before the NBA beats a path to his door.

THAT brings us to Newley and Aleks Maric, two others still successfully plying their trade in Europe and not out of the Rio equation by any measure.

Newley averaged 7.8 points at 46 per cent, 4.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists and did that playing about 21 minutes a game. 

Maric, who was so very important and impressive at the Worlds two years ago, had an Olympics he most likely would prefer to forget.

But little has been made of the injury he received on the eve of the Games in the lead-up program which did appear to hinder him.

He is a European-style of big man and obviously is more at home against those opponents than the running athletes of the USA. But hey, there's only one USA team and a whole lot of European and South American outfits to negotiate.

I wouldn't be writing Maric off as a Boomers international.

Or Gibbo, who also showed he is up to the challenge with his performances at the Worlds.

SO let's turn to look at who might be available for Rio and start at Andrew Bogut.

There's another starting-five spot covered, and, maybe - just maybe - he might make a smidgen of difference, do you think?

We have bigs all over the place - guys such as Nate Jawai, AJ Ogilvy, Daniel Kickert. Luke Nevill is only 26, Brock Motum is in college and 208cm.

Julian Khazzouh will keep the heat on too and so will Daniel Johnson who would be a nice option at 212cm and playing as a face-the-basket power forward.

Jawai is the one who still intrigues me, a talent who could be scary, although I understand there have been frustrations in the past with his level of commitment.

"Nate has been with us, back and forth (in the Boomers camps) and recently signed with Barcelona," Brown told me.

"He has to look at this program as one he will inherit from the Nielsens and Andersens.

"He is a talent and definitely offers something different and exciting.

"The emergence of a committed Nathan Jawai would be great for this program going forward."

Even as Brett was saying it, I was thinking - as you might be - the ball is certainly in Big Nate's court, but it is up to him to seize the opportunity he will be given.

LET'S review then.  

Barring accident, Dellavedova, Mills, Ingles and Bogut will nail down starting spots one, two, three and five in Rio.

The four is there to be seized. Baynes, Jawai, Johnson ... etcetera.

I would pick Newley, bringing back a triple-Olympian's smarts, and Maric backing up Bogut.

There's an abundance of emerging young talent who will put up their hands between now and Rio, if not between now and the Worlds.

Suffice to assume, come four years' time, we should again boast a highly-competitive team with, most likely, an upgrade on athleticism, experience and talent.

So what has to happen to medal in Rio?

Here are the three boxes which need to be ticked.

First - We need all of our best players healthy and available. Don't for a nano-second under-estimate how important that is. If Luc Longley is not out injured, perhaps the Boomers don't lose the Bronze Medal game to Lithuania in Atlanta by a paltry six points. 

Second - Like the first, this is one we have little control over but wouldn't it be perfect to be drawn in the same pool as the USA?

No fears about the quarter-final crossover game as the USA would be faced in the intrapool games. Mark it down as a loss and focus on winning three of the other four games.

Third - Unless the USA is our first intrapool game, this is a must-win. We are immediately behind the eightball when the Boomers drop the Games opener. Look what that four-point opening night loss to Brazil in London ended up meaning.

From there, winning the quarter-final is an obvious must, just as winning Oceania to qualify for Rio can also remain among the unwritten but obvious requirements.

IT IS all quite do-able and the Boomers did a quality job in London to set the foundation in place.

Yeah, I know, a lot of purists were lamenting some of Patty's more wayward shooting games and you can make a case.

But you take your lumps with your shooters. It's the way it has always been and the way it will always be.

Let's be frank. There have been many times LA Lakers fans and his teammates even would have cringed at Kobe's shot selection. But it is those same fans and teammates celebrating when he hits the game winner or simply dominates an opponent.

After Eddie Palubinskas shot 48 points in the overtime win over Mexico in 1976, do you think he may have had a few other games where fans and teammates had to grit their teeth at his shot choices?

You bet.

That's just the way it is.

As Patty himself said, he had missed three before Brown drew up the final 4.7-second play against Russia for him to take the game-winner.

For that matter, I felt Brown did a masterful job most of the way.

"For 20-30 minutes at the end of practices, we went through last-second plays," Mills said.

"The one Brett drew up (against Russia) was one we had practiced and knew."

Still, executing it to perfection was still a joy to behold.

Mills inbounded to Ingles who posted his man out from the block and held the ball just long enough.

Dellavedova set the screen, Mills popped out free at the top of the key, Ingles hit the pass, Mills hit the three.

Mills. Ingles, Dellavedova.

Now add Bogut and start thinking...hmm, maybe we can medal in Rio!