Group D consists of Italy, Slovenia, Puerto Rico, Senegal, China, and the US, and is headlined by no less than 15 current and a number of future NBA players competing in just one group.
Games will be conducted in Sapporo, Japan from August 19th to 24th.
Read more about the 2006 FIBA World Championship tournament at the informative official website Fiba2006.com
Puerto Rico
The Star:
Carlos Arroyo, 6-2, Point Guard, Orlando Magic, 27 years old
Jonathan Givony
Coming into this championship right in the prime of his career and straight off playing some of the best basketball in his career after being traded from the Detroit Pistons, Carlos Arroyo will shoulder the burden of the scoring and ball-handling load for an always pesky and talented team from one of the most passionate basketball countries in the world.
The Puerto Ricans will go as far as their headstrong point guard will lead them, as Arroyo is capable of absolutely erupting at times to bury nearly any opponent. He is also prone to devastating bouts of inconsistency and unpredictability that can make him go from an incredibly productive consummate lead guard to the hapless, disorganized undersized shooting guard that went undrafted almost instantaneously.
Confidence has never been a problem for this often electrifying shot-creator, for better or for worse. For him, every shot he takes is a good one, and there is no such thing as a tough situation that a little nifty dribbling and wild floater cant get him out of.
Arroyo excels at using his outstanding ball-handling skills to keep defenders on their heels all game long. He is a master at using screens to get by his man and either pull-up for a sweet mid-range jumper or find the open man creatively spotting up on the wing.
His in-between game is probably the best attribute he brings to the table, showing a terrific knack for getting his shot off in awkward situations either from 14-16 feet out off the dribble or making his way to the basket and kissing it high off the glass. Arroyo is equally adept at driving either left or right and controls the ball on the move as if hes handling it on a string.
His court vision is average and he is prone to severe mental lapses in which he will seemingly implode and just heave up difficult shots with multiple hands in his face or run into bricks walls uncontrollably, but when he is on, there isnt a player at this championship who can stop him from getting his shot off. In the NBA Arroyo struggles at times to finish around the basket due to his lack of size, length, strength and explosiveness, but at the International level this becomes less of a concern due to the lesser emphasis on athletic shot-blockers.
His biggest weakness by far has to be his perimeter shot, though, noticeably lacking range once he steps out of his 15-17 foot comfort zone in which he is a threat to pull up and knock down shots with absolutely no hesitation whatsoever. How honest he can keep defenses from sagging off him in anticipation of the drive could play a large role in whether or not Puerto Rico can make it to the next stage.
Most NBA coaches wont stand for how dominant he is offensively with the ball in his hands, but the Puerto Rican national team simply has no choice but to give him the rock and just hope for the best.
The Puerto Ricans will go as far as their headstrong point guard will lead them, as Arroyo is capable of absolutely erupting at times to bury nearly any opponent. He is also prone to devastating bouts of inconsistency and unpredictability that can make him go from an incredibly productive consummate lead guard to the hapless, disorganized undersized shooting guard that went undrafted almost instantaneously.
Confidence has never been a problem for this often electrifying shot-creator, for better or for worse. For him, every shot he takes is a good one, and there is no such thing as a tough situation that a little nifty dribbling and wild floater cant get him out of.
Arroyo excels at using his outstanding ball-handling skills to keep defenders on their heels all game long. He is a master at using screens to get by his man and either pull-up for a sweet mid-range jumper or find the open man creatively spotting up on the wing.
His in-between game is probably the best attribute he brings to the table, showing a terrific knack for getting his shot off in awkward situations either from 14-16 feet out off the dribble or making his way to the basket and kissing it high off the glass. Arroyo is equally adept at driving either left or right and controls the ball on the move as if hes handling it on a string.
His court vision is average and he is prone to severe mental lapses in which he will seemingly implode and just heave up difficult shots with multiple hands in his face or run into bricks walls uncontrollably, but when he is on, there isnt a player at this championship who can stop him from getting his shot off. In the NBA Arroyo struggles at times to finish around the basket due to his lack of size, length, strength and explosiveness, but at the International level this becomes less of a concern due to the lesser emphasis on athletic shot-blockers.
His biggest weakness by far has to be his perimeter shot, though, noticeably lacking range once he steps out of his 15-17 foot comfort zone in which he is a threat to pull up and knock down shots with absolutely no hesitation whatsoever. How honest he can keep defenses from sagging off him in anticipation of the drive could play a large role in whether or not Puerto Rico can make it to the next stage.
Most NBA coaches wont stand for how dominant he is offensively with the ball in his hands, but the Puerto Rican national team simply has no choice but to give him the rock and just hope for the best.