Hardcore Commentary on Professional Sports....from a Die-Hard Fan
Straight, No Chaser!
By Mark Thomas
The Dream Team vs. the Wannabes
Okay, it had to happen sooner or later, and I’ve gotten to the point where I can’t hold my tongue any longer. Let’s end the nonsense once and for all regarding a debate that should not be taking place: The Dream Team versus the wannabes!
First of all, I want to defend Kobe Bryant. When asked if he thought the 2012 Olympic basketball team could beat the Dream Team of 1992, he stated, "It'd be a tough one, but I think we'd pull it out." People! What was he supposed to say? He’s on the 2012 team! Was he supposed to say what we know to be the truth, that there is no way on the planet that the 2012 team could ever beat The Dream Team? The question was posed to Bryant two days later, he stuck to his guns saying, “The fact is, they have [Patrick] Ewing and [David] Robinson and those big guys, it's tough. If you're asking me, 'Can you beat them one game?' Hell yeah, we can beat them in one game. You didn't ask me if we could beat them in a seven-game series. In one game, we can beat them. No question about it.” He said what he should have said, so leave Kobe alone!
Take a look at the lineups, minus Christian Laettner.
Mark Thomas is a former New York City resident now living in North Carolina.
Okay, it had to happen sooner or later, and I’ve gotten to the point where I can’t hold my tongue any longer. Let’s end the nonsense once and for all regarding a debate that should not be taking place: The Dream Team versus the wannabes!
First of all, I want to defend Kobe Bryant. When asked if he thought the 2012 Olympic basketball team could beat the Dream Team of 1992, he stated, "It'd be a tough one, but I think we'd pull it out." People! What was he supposed to say? He’s on the 2012 team! Was he supposed to say what we know to be the truth, that there is no way on the planet that the 2012 team could ever beat The Dream Team? The question was posed to Bryant two days later, he stuck to his guns saying, “The fact is, they have [Patrick] Ewing and [David] Robinson and those big guys, it's tough. If you're asking me, 'Can you beat them one game?' Hell yeah, we can beat them in one game. You didn't ask me if we could beat them in a seven-game series. In one game, we can beat them. No question about it.” He said what he should have said, so leave Kobe alone!
Now, to the debate.
It not only saddens me, but it ticks me off that people would even mention these teams in the same breath. How dare they! There is no way on the planet that the Dream Team would lose to these thrown-together Olympic basketball teams.
Take a look at the lineups, minus Christian Laettner.
Dream Team Roster 2012 Roster
There is no balance to the 2012 roster. You have one center on the team, and he’s not even a post player! The best post-up player on the 2012 roster is Carmelo Anthony. On the 2012 team you have, as I said, one center, six forwards, and five guards. In essence, you have seven to eight players that play the same position. Even the lone power forward (Kevin Love) that they have is a jump shooter! When I watched the US play against Brazil, they were getting killed on the boards! They were out-rebounded 38-32, but Brazil had 32 defensive rebounds versus the USA’s 18. Yes, I know, they still won the game. If that’s all that matters to you, you might as well stop reading this now.
In order to compare this team to The Dream Team, there has to be complete domination from start to finish, not a 10-point deficit at the end of the first quarter. Team USA had a great second quarter and won the third and fourth quarter by a combine six points! Sorry, but that’s not domination. The Dream Team set a standard that no team has been able to match or surpass! Team USA is going to run into a team that will be able to exploit their weakness in the middle. The only weakness that has been and continues to be discussed, in relation to The Dream Team, is that their point guards were slow. “They may have a hard time staying in front of quicker guards” was the criticism, but where were they going to go if they beat Magic Johnson or John Stockton off the dribble? You had Patrick Ewing, (6th all-time in blocks), David Robinson (5th all-time in blocks), Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, and help defenders like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen lying in wait. If slow point guards were the Dream Team’s only weakness, then they had no weakness! This 2012 team is an outside jump-shooting, low percentage shot-taking cluster of unbalanced talent! Will they win? They should, but they won’t be anywhere near as dominant as the 1992 team. The Dream Team was comprised of 11 players, all of whom have been inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame, which completely destroyed every team it faced! That team would have been absolutely flawless if you replaced Laettner with Isaiah Thomas.
In other arguments, I hear people making individual comparisons of Team USA and the Dream Team. For example, “What Dream Team player would guard LeBron James?” Well, who on the 2012 team could guard Michael Jordan? Who on the 2012 team could guard Patrick Ewing? Who on the 2012 team could guard Barkley or Malone? Answer: None of these guys could guard the Dream Team players! With the exception of Kobe, the 2012 players are a bunch of ball-boys compared to the Dream Team!
Sound off, America and those living abroad. Let me hear what you have to say.
Mark Thomas is a former New York City resident now living in North Carolina.
I have a feeling many will have a hard time disagreeing with me!
ReplyDeleteGood job man. I totally agree with you. The Dream Team 92 had everyone for anytype of situation that was called on. This discussion was brought on because it's a slow time for news. Today's players, while talented, just cant match up to all of those hall of famers.
ReplyDeleteGood job man. I totally agree with you. The Dream Team 92 had everyone for anytype of situation that was called on. This discussion was brought on because it's a slow time for news. Today's players, while talented, just cant match up to all of those hall of famers.
ReplyDeleteElio, I appreciate the comment.
ReplyDelete