Christian Leattner Carmelo Anthony
David Robinson Kobe Bryant
Patrick Ewing Tyson Chandler
Larry Bird Anthony Davis
Scottie Pippen Kevin Durant
Michael Jordan James Harden
Clyde Drexler Andre Igoudala
Karl Malone Lebron James
John Stockton Kevin Love
Chris Mullen Chris Paul
Charles Barkley Russell Westbrook
Magic Johnson Deron Williams
1st of all, Is this really a debate?? 2nd of all...Is this even a debate. Every player on the 1992 Dream team is an eventual hall of famer, if they already aren't in the HOF. I can see 4 maybe 5 hall of famers on the 2012 team.
Size wise, 1992 takes the cake easily with Leattner, Ewing and Robinson all 7 feet tall. Then you have the bruiser Barkley, who is a little shorter but 250 pounds of Get the F*%$ Out of The Way. Tyson Chandler, Kevin Love and experience-less Anthony Davis are not as impressive by any means. The one area where the 2012 team is stronger is the 3 spot. With Lebron and Durantula, they are just too athletic for the likes of Bird, Pippen or Mullen.
But then you think about JORDAN(wiki info), coming off his second straight 30ppg MVP season, repeat champion, and most dominant player in the league then. Jordan would take up most of the defensive time and would easily free up Clyde the Glide or Malone(King of the pick and roll) in pick and roll situations.
The newest generation of Point guard isn't even a point guard anymore, the more successful, talked about PGs are the ones who do most of the scoring for the team, Chris Paul, Westbrook and WIlliams, all very good at scoring but inconsistent with passing or sharing...Wait isn't that important for the point guard to do, share?... Bring into the conversation, the two best point guards of the 1992 generation, Stockton and Magic, who were poetic with their moves and passes. It was an art form to pass like Magic did. I just don't see an instance where this years Olympic team can beat the 1992 Dream Team. Im my eyes, there will only ever be 1 Dream Team.
Is there a possible group of 2012 players that could beat the Dream Team(1992 obviously), I will give it a shot to assemble the best of 2012 and You can let me know how I did:
Rajon Rondo (not because I'm a homer, but because his court vision is unreal)
Steve Nash (not sure if he can play for USA or not, He is Canadien eh)
Chris Paul
Dwyane Wade
Kobe Bryant
Lebron James
Kevin Durant
LaMarcus Aldridge
Blake Griffin
Dwight Howard
Andrew Bynum
Roy Hibbert
I can't think of anyone else. I still can't see this team beating the "old team" but It would be closer. Hands down the 1992 Olympics team would beat this years olympics team 19 out of 20 times. The 20th game being the one they hand over because they feel bad.
Now that I am entering the "Cruster" phase of my life I remember when a dream team was that; a dream. A dream that amateurs had of making a team to compete for the love of sport and country. Athletes stayed in college to maintain amateur status and eligibility for such a team. Hoops at the Olympics (hockey too for that matter to name a couple) had all the excitement of March madness rather than just another night at the NBA. But as medal counts became more important than sport, money got its foot in the door and perverted the Olympics to its core. My Dream would be to bring back the amateur qualifications for the Olympics and that "Man, I did love this game. I'd have played for food money. It was the game... The sounds, the smells..." (shoeless joe jackson, field of dreams)attitude.
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