Dream Team vs 2012 Oly Team

Just to be clear, here are the teams

Dream Team: Jordan, Magic, Bird, Ewing, Barkley, Mullin, Drexler, Robinson, Stockton, Pippen, Malone and Laettner

2012 Team: LeBron, Kobe, Durant, Chandler, Westbrook, Williams, Iguola, Love, Harden, Paul, Griffin and Carmelo

It's easy to romanticize the 92 Dream Team.  They were dominant, at a time where our international teams had taken a beating.  

Looking at the rosters, the 2012 team may be more athletic.  But, I think the basketball IQ of the dream team is significantly higher.  Fundamentally, they were just a stronger team.  

I also think the 2012 team would struggle with the size of the Dream team.  They wouldn't really have an answer for Ewing and Robinson, much less Malone.

I'm thinking the 2012 team would pose some match-up issues at the beginning of a game, but the Dream team would compensate, pound it inside, and beat them with strength.

I think the mental toughness of the dream team is beyond reproach.  Any one of those guys can hit a shot when needed.  2012, let's see:  Melo - can't win big games (though he has made some game winning shots), Lebron - Until this year, faded in 4th Qtr (jury still out), Durant - real deal, Westbrook - would not even be in the category of elite players compared to the dream team, Kobe - on the downside of career, but probably the one player that would be on par with the Dream Team elite.  Everyone else on the team really aren't at the same level.  The Dream Team was made up of some the best ever at their respective positions.  You will be hard pressed to find that type of talent in the league at the same time ever again.

Just my $.02

This year's team doesn't have a dominant center.  They don't have a PG that holds a candle to EITHER Magic or Stockton.  The 3/4 positions are a toss up but the original team stretched the floor with better outside shooting.

That's just hating. Do you not recall his 28 consecutive points to close out Detroit in the 4th? Really he's been a great closer up until last year. But I digress.

I think the 92 team would win but we are forgetting one major point. The 92 team was the best of the league. The 2012 team is missing several important players. Dwight Howard is by far the best center in the game and yet he's off the roster due to injury. Dwayne Wade is also missing. That's something else to keep in mind.

But, the reference from Kobe was that he thought the 2012 Olympic team could beat the dream team.

Also, look again at the Dream team.  Only one of its members is not in the HOF - Christian Laetner.  Also, there were 3 other HOFers that didn't make the Dream Team - James Worthy, Isiah Thomas, and Dennis Rodman.

The 2012 team would have to many floppers on it (Paul, Griffin, LeBron, etc...and Wade if he were playing)

I believe the Dream Team woud be able to out think the 2012 team and be way more physical!  i would actually like to see that game if it were possible!

But they are playing international rules where flopping is much more prevalent.

I agree with your post entirely. 

After I saw Barkley's response, I struggled with this one.  The game has changed so much that the guys now are bigger and more athletic. 

There were no 6'8" guys who could move like Lebron does to the basket.  But there was Ewing who would stand like a brick wall and knew how to take a charge or how to take a youngster down to teach him a lesson.

Magic and Stockton would find the guy modern players leave open and bam. 

Barkley said there were only 3 players who would've made the team.  Lebron, Kobe, and Durant.  So who would they replace?

I say Laetner, Barkley, and Stockton.  What do you think?

No way, not Barkley... He led the team in ponts, rebounds and steals.  They would replace:

Laetner Yes, Stockton maybe, an lastly I hate to say it... Bird.  He was basically done in 92' 

Yep.  Bird was on fumes in 92.  His back was problematic, and he really didn't move very well.  

Jordan's reply:

http://www.nbcolympics.com/news-blogs/basketball/jordan-1992-dream-team-better-than-2012-usa-squad.html

"I heard Kobe say we were not athletic," said a smiling Jordan as he sat in a golf cart puffing on his cigar while waiting to tee off. "But we were smart. He said we were too old, but I was 29 and in the prime of my career. Pip (Scottie Pippen) was 26 or 27, (Charles) Barkley was 29, Patrick (Ewing) was 29 and Chris Mullin was 29. Almost everybody was still in their twenties."

and I agree with Laettner, Stocktona and Bird being the three switched for Kobe LeBron and Durant. (Maybe Drexler)

Yeah I'd also drop Drexler over Stockton.  None of those replacements is a true pass-first guard (actually no one on the 2012 team is... why don't they have Rondo?).

Magic wasn't playing full time on the Dream Team.  And he probably would've had even less minutes if they had any real competition.  Stockton was needed.

Drexler's stats in 91-92: 25 pts, 6.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists per game.  The glide had a great year in 92, definitely top of his game.  Stockton was recovering from a stress fracture by the time the games started.

Jordan has been such a great talent evaluator since going to the Bobcats that we should always trust everything he says.  Maybe if Kwame Brown was on this team he would change his mind.

I never enjoy discussions like this because we will never know what would happen.  They can't play each other, so it is all based on how we perceive the individual players and the competition level of that time period.

Look at Kevin Love's stats last year- they are almost the same as Charles Barkley's best season.  They are better if you look at Barkley's stats before the olympics.  Personally I would rather have Kevin Love on the team than Barkley because he has deep range on his shot.  They are similar players stat wise, but that is all we will ever know because they can't play against each other.

Coach K was an assistant.  It was Chuck Dailey.