Olympic Basketball: Was This Spain's Last Run?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A rather young Team USA was able to assert its basketball dominance over another Olympics, as they earned another gold medal Sunday. The team that earned second place and a silver medal might not have as much to look forward to, however, as the Spanish national team may be near the end of their reign.
Juan Carlos Navarro and Pau Gasol will be 36 when the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro roll around, Jose Calderon will be 30 and the rest of the team -- despite a likely return for Ricky Rubio -- isn't really able to match their experience on the world's biggest stages.
Their advancing ages don't mean that the Spaniards are ready to relinquish their spots on the national team, but Calderon told the London Free Press after Sunday's loss that it is a possibility.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The current iteration of the Spanish national team deserves to be proud of a lot of things too, considering they've taken silver medals home from the last two Olympics, two golds home from the last two EuroBasket competitions and another gold at the 2006 FIBA World Championships.
Whether they stick together or not is obviously still up in the air -- at least judging from Calderon's comments, it's a possibility -- but the Spanish national team has little to regret if this is the last run with their current core.
For more on the Olympics, check out SB Nation's London 2012 Olympics hub.