the dream team

[half]

i reckon it would've been the perfect team if the shaq attack and the human highlight reel were chosen instead of mullin and laettner (they don't even have cool nicknames)

 

[Matt23]

On that team, Christian Laettner was picked as the "token" college player.

 

[half]

shaq was out of college the same year, right?

i know the team already had 3 centres, but i doubt laettner got much playing time anyway

 

[thewizard1o1]

i have a feeling that the college player they pick is the best senior in college.....which may not be the best player.

 

[CanadianSteve]

i reckon it would've been the perfect team if the shaq attack and the human highlight reel were chosen instead of mullin and laettner (they don't even have cool nicknames)

Mullin was a great NBA player at the time, and he was picked because they wanted a great shooter to play agaisnst the European zone defenses. If by human highlight reel you mean Dominique Wilkens, he was in the running to be picked as one of the last picks, during that NBA season, but he tore his achilles tendon which put him out of the running. Clyde Drexler got the last spot instead. (Most of the team had been named before the NBA season.) I felt at the time that Isaiah thomas should have been on the team. There was a lot of talk that he wasn't picked because Jordan didn't like him, and because Isaiah led the Pistons in walking off the floor at the end of their playoff loss to the Bulls in 1991. But I still think he should have been on the team on merit.

As for Laettner, he was picked as the token college player. He had a better college career than Shaq, though Shaq obviously had more potential. Laettner had won 2 college championships, and he had played for the USA in previous "amateur" competitions. It didn't hurt that his college coach, Duke's Coach K, was an assistant on the Dream Team.

The Dream Team was probably the greatest sports team ever assembled. I saw the next "dream team" of NBA players, who played in the Worlds in Toronto in 94. That was a very good team, but didn't have the legendary quality of Jordan, Bird, Magic, Ewing, Barkley and the rest of the 92 team.

 

[MysteryGirl]

MANY MANY MANY of the people chosen for the dream team this year are choosing not to go because they are concerned about the lack of security and the threat of terrorist activity.

At this point in time, the team is changing almost on a daily basis.

Just last weak, a Brittish reporter got into the Olympic grounds completely undetected and walked around taking pictures and filming things for more than 3 hours.

I guess considering the recent death terrorist activities, I can't blame a lot of these highly paid professional atheletes who already live their dream life for not wanting to go to the Olympics.

It's a shame though.

Will be interesting to see how the team does anyway.

 

[El Coconuto]

Technically, the Americans aren't calling themselves the Dream Team anymore. They're known now as Team USA (how Hollywood do you get hey)

I have no problems with the original dream team. I thought every single selection was spot on. For those who don't know, the reason it was called the Dream Team was because it was the first competition where America sent away professionals. Prior to that, America only used college players in international tournaments. The Barcelona Olympics brought NBA players into the fray and hence all the media hype and such. Little history lesson there but I'm sure you all knew that anyways ;-) #-o

 

[MysteryGirl]

It was nice to finally be able to send our pro players in to compete with other country's pro players.

The best all time US Olympic team in a sporting even, however, was the 1980 US Hockey team. They were kids and not pro and they beat the Russians.

They just made a movie about it - "Miracle". I suppose it is a very "pro USA" movie but it's worth a watch if you can find it somewhere.

And yes - they do call it TEAM USA now (although many telecasters still call it the dreamteam). Just isn't the original - which I thought they picked very well.

 

[thewizard1o1]

What i find interesting is that 'Team USA' will be subject to testing for recreational drugs, just like the other athletes....will be interesting to see how AI and co get on for the two weeks

 

[MysteryGirl]

LMAO!

I reckon they should test pro athletes often for drugs and suspend them if they test positive. Actually if they test positive, they should have to pay for the testing of their team for a year.

 

[CanadianSteve]

It was nice to finally be able to send our pro players in to compete with other country's pro players.

The best all time US Olympic team in a sporting even, however, was the 1980 US Hockey team. They were kids and not pro and they beat the Russians.

They just made a movie about it - "Miracle". I suppose it is a very "pro USA" movie but it's worth a watch if you can find it somewhere.

And yes - they do call it TEAM USA now (although many telecasters still call it the dreamteam). Just isn't the original - which I thought they picked very well.

Most of my fellow Canadians won't say this, but I thought that USA hockey defeat of the Russians was 1 of the greatest sports upsets ever. They truly were an amateur team at a time when the Soviets were virtually a full-time pro team, who had shown they could beat the best Canadian NHLers of the time. The timing of the game, with the Cold War at its peak, made the game very special to Americans even though most were not big hockey fans. Things like that can't happen anymore with the professionalization of the Olympics. I suppose the closest thing now is when a small nation upsets a big power in a soccer WC.

By contrast with the hockey, the US used to routinely win Olympic gold in basketball even with their amateur teams of college players. Before 1988, they only lost 1 game in the Olympics, and that was stolen from them by officials in the 1972 final game. But when their '88 team was defeated, they could see they weren't able to beat the Russians and Yugos any more with college players, and the push to include NBA players began. Then, just as the NBA players were being included for the first time, the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia were breaking up politically, so that their basketball teams got weaker just as the US got stronger. The Dream Team would have won in '92 anyway, but the Soviets and Yugoslavs would have given them a better game if they hadn't split up politically.

 

[MysteryGirl]

Have you seen that movie, Steve?

 

[CanadianSteve]

Not yet, it's on DVD now so I'll probably see it soon.

 

[MysteryGirl]

Let me know what you think of it after you see it.
Obviously it has a different effect if you were American but still.....

I saw it in the theater and people were so into the movie that when they showed the scenes were we were playing hockey, the audience was cheering for the goals.

Herb Brooks is from MN and coached the University of Minnesota hockey team. He was also the coach of that Olympic team (if you didn't know). He died last summer in a car crash (fell asleep at the wheel).

Anyway - when you see the movie , just remember - like Fargo - we don't REALLY talk that way here.

Yah, sure...you betcha!

 

[Mr Saab]

The Dream Team was probably the greatest sports team ever assembled. I saw the next "dream team" of NBA players, who played in the Worlds in Toronto in 94. That was a very good team, but didn't have the legendary quality of Jordan, Bird, Magic, Ewing, Barkley and the rest of the 92 team.

the 1994 was a disgrace.
players like
Steve Smith
Washed up Dominque
Larry Johnson
Derrick Coleman
Shawn Kemp.

please...that team wouldnt TOUCH the original dream team in any area.

 

[bender]

i

The Dream Team was probably the greatest sports team ever assembled. I saw the next "dream team" of NBA players, who played in the Worlds in Toronto in 94. That was a very good team, but didn't have the legendary quality of Jordan, Bird, Magic, Ewing, Barkley and the rest of the 92 team.

'86 Kangaroos made them look like second rate citizens. 8)

 

[CanadianSteve]

The Dream Team was probably the greatest sports team ever assembled. I saw the next "dream team" of NBA players, who played in the Worlds in Toronto in 94. That was a very good team, but didn't have the legendary quality of Jordan, Bird, Magic, Ewing, Barkley and the rest of the 92 team.

the 1994 was a disgrace.
players like
Steve Smith
Washed up Dominque
Larry Johnson
Derrick Coleman
Shawn Kemp.

please...that team wouldnt TOUCH the original dream team in any area.

Well, the behaviour of Coleman and LJ was considerd a disgrace at the time. Kemp was awesome at the time, he became a disgrace later in his career. The 94 team had great talent, and could really play, much better than the recent Athens team. They also had some very solid citizens in 94, like Mark Price, Joe Dumars, Steve Smith (a gentleman and very underrated).

 

[CanadianSteve]

'86 Kangaroos made them look like second rate citizens. 8)

Please, we're talkinng about a world-wide sport, not one that's played by 3 countries. ;-)

 

[El Coconuto]

Just re-looking through this thread - Vince Carter wasn't around for the Barcelona Olympics so he couldn't have been chosen. Can you believe it has been a whole twelve years since then? Man, where has the time gone?

 

[Mr Saab]

The Dream Team was probably the greatest sports team ever assembled. Well, the behaviour of Coleman and LJ was considerd a disgrace at the time. Kemp was awesome at the time, he became a disgrace later in his career. The 94 team had great talent, and could really play, much better than the recent Athens team. They also had some very solid citizens in 94, like Mark Price, Joe Dumars, Steve Smith (a gentleman and very underrated).

Solid citizens maybe, but they still could NOT touch the talent of the 1992 Dream Team....EVER.