Lithuanian forward Mindaugus Zukauskas knows there are many formidable teams playing at EuroBasket 2005 and he is predicting the ones his side will find most difficult to overcome in their title defence are the ones with NBA stars.

None of the teams are like Team USA were at the Olympics, the side that beat Lithuania in the bronze medal game. That group consisted exclusively of NBA players.

But many of the teams do rely heavily on their NBA contingent.

"I daresay that the most dangerous teams for us all have basketball players from NBA," said Zukauskas, whose own team has no NBA players.

"All of them are very physically strong and fast."

Indeed, a lot of players from the elite league in North America are in Serbia & Montenegro.

The hosts can start five from the NBA, and bring one off the bench. They boast Nenad Krstic, Zeljko Rebraca, Vladimir Radmanovic, Marko Jaric and Darko Milicic. Among Russia's NBA representatives are superstar Andrei Kirilenko and Sergey Monya, while Germany's best player is Dirk Nowitzki.

Slovenia have the likes of Beno Udrih and Rasho Nesterovic - two back-ups with the NBA champions San Antonio Spurs - along with Bostjan Nachbar and Primoz Brezec.

France are frightening with the NBA talent in their roster, including Tony Parker, Mickael Pietrus, Boris Diaw and summer draft pick Mickael Gelabale, and both Turkey, with Mehmet Okur and Hedo Turkoglu, and Croatia, with Gordan Giricek and Zoran Planinic have NBA players.

Spain do not have Pau Gasol, arguably the best player at the Olympics last summer, but Jose Manuel Calderon gives them NBA representation as the gifted point guard signed for Toronto this summer.

"If we want to fight against NBA players, we have to puzzle them by playing very smart," Zukauskas said.

The challenge for Lithuania coach Antanas Sireika would appear be the issue of confidence. Several veterans of the team are not playing this summer, be it through retirements, NBA commitments or injuries.

The harshest blows have come from point guard Sarunas Jasikevicius, who is preparing for his rookie season in the NBA with the Indiana Pacers, and Arvydas Macijauskas, the excellent shooting guard of Tau Ceramica who will be a rookie with the New Orleans Hornets this season.

Macijauskas suffered a foot injury in the build-up to the EuroBasket and has been ruled out.

"We are the European Champions and we know we must fight to be called this again," Sireika said.

"Our men will fight valiantly and they will try not disappoint our supporters."