VALENCIA (Jeff Taylor's Eurovision) - There are less than three weeks to go before the start of the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

If you're not chomping at the bit to see the games, you should be.

I certainly am.

In Group C, in Bilbao, I'll watch Turkey, Finland, the Dominican Republic, Ukraine, New Zealand and my country, the United States.

Ukraine were the surprise package at EuroBasket 2013, Finland the surprise package of the past few years.

The Dominicans are seeing the fruits of their labor the past several summers.

Turkish basketball is on the rise. Their teams won gold medals at the U20 and U18 European Championships this year and maybe we'll see one or two of those players in Bilbao.

New Zealand is a nation of sportsmen who know how to play the game.

They never run away from a fight.

I'm especially eager to see the team from my home, America, run onto the floor in Bilbao.

I love it when a team has to show it can fight through adversity and the defending champions have had some in recent weeks.

Kevin Durant, LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin and Paul George were in the USA preliminary squad but have pulled out for different reasons.

George broke his leg in the USA Basketball Showcase while attempting to block a James Harden shot.

Durant withdrew on Thursday, citing exhaustion.

All the no-shows are terrific players.

We won't know how the absence of key players, especially Durant, will affect the USA until the action starts.

The USA may not only survive but thrive, or maybe they'll crash and burn.

If Derrick Rose makes the final squad, that will be something for Americans and all basketball fans to celebrate.

His past couple of seasons were ruined by knee injuries while playing in the NBA.

The World Cup could be the stage for him to prove he's back.

Be happy if Chandler Parsons makes it.

"I get goose bumps on my arms every time I put it on," Parsons said of the USA shirt.

"It's flattering. It's humbling."

So what if some stars are going to be missing.

No player is bigger than the team, and that includes Durant, the MVP of both the  2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2013-14 NBA campaign.

The excitement continues to build.

Jeff Taylor

FIBA

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