Dream Team
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by Kwinger 00
Two weeks ago I caught the re-run of the intrasquad scrimmage from July 22. This has to be the year the U.S. returns to dominance in the GAME WE INVENTED. The game was fun to watch and came down to the wire. Kobe Bryant poured in 26 points, including the game winner with 6.6 seconds left, for the Team Blue win, 105-104. Of course Alex Rodriguez, er, LeBron James choked at the end, missing a floater at the buzzer, but at least he doesn't have long fingernails because of it.
The intrasquad scrimmage capped off a minicamp held by Coach K. The team meets again on August 14 to prepare for the qualifying tournament, which begins on August 22 in Las Vegas. Official cuts have not been made yet; they have until August 21 to reduce the number down to 12. However, of the 32 players on the U.S. roster, the following will not have much of a chance to make the roster because they did not participate in minicamp:
Gilbert Arenas
Bruce Bowen
Antawn Jamison
Adam Morrison
Luke Ridnour
Injuries:
Joe Johnson: Calf injury
Shawn Marion: Plantar fasciitis
Brad Miller: Plantar fasciitis
Greg Oden: Tonsillectomy
Lamar Odom: Shoulder
Chris Paul: Shoulder
Paul Pierce: Elbow
Dwyane Wade: Shoulder
Elton Brand: Ruptured Achilles
That leaves Coach K with 18 players to choose from:
Carmelo Anthony, Shane Battier, Chauncey Billups, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Kobe Bryant, Tyson Chandler, Kevin Durant, Kirk Hinrich, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Jason Kidd, Mike Miller, Tayshaun Prince, J.J. Redick, Michael Redd, Amare Stoudemire, and Deron Williams.
That means he picks Shane Battier, Kevin Durant, Tayshaun Prince, J.J. Redick, and Deron Williams to be cut (he excluded those who didn't participate in minicamp, which includes Boozer and Brand).
. . .
I decided to take a different approach. I looked at the stats and a highlight film of the greatest team ever assembled, the
They won by 43.8 ppg, averaged 117.3 ppg, shot 57.8 % from the field, and their closest game was 32 points which was the gold medal game against Croatia.
Recent teams, especially the 2004 Olympic team, had everyone seemingly playing the same style of game. Their were no compliments, just slashers and guys who have to have the ball in their hands.
What I've decided to do was to find someone on the 32-man roster that fits the style of game played by each of the players on the original (and only) Dream Team. In parentheses, I will pick someone from the 19 guys that are still in contention to earn a roster spot. Why not try to emulate the greatest team ever created? Coach K was on the 1992 staff, so he should have a pretty good idea of how it should work. Here we go...
Michael Jordan - Kobe Bryant (Kobe Bryant)
Contenders: None
This is a no-brainer. There aren't any other contenders for the role of M.J. LeBron doesn't have the killer instinct of Kobe. Kobe is the greatest player in the world, hands down. Next...
Magic Johnson - Jason Kidd (Jason Kidd)
Contenders: LeBron James
There isn't another player on the list that does all the little things and doesn't worry about how many shots he gets up. While I was watching the scrimmage, I couldn't believe that Kidd was dominating the game. He set the tempo, set guys up with ridiculous passes, didn't turn the ball over, and he didn't take a shot until his layup near the end of the game. While LeBron fits the Magic Johnson mold, he looks for his shot too much, which was the exact problem for the past couple U.S. teams. If he decided to play the point and set guys up, not worry about his shot, and limit mistakes, he would be perfect for the Magic role. Right now, I'm giving it to Kidd.
Charles Barkley - Dwight Howard (Dwight Howard)
Contenders: Stoudemire, Brand, Bosh, Boozer
Let's take a look at the stats from the scrimmage: 21 points, 9-9 fg, 9 rebounds - and he was going against 1st Team All-NBA Amare Stoudemire for the most part. In 1992, Barkley decided that he was going to prove to everyone that he was one of the best players in the world. He accomplished that. Howard has the same mindset and ability.
Karl Malone - Elton Brand (Elton Brand)
Contenders: Howard, Stoudemire, Boozer, Bosh
Malone was a bruiser inside who shot 64.5% from the field for the Dream Team, was third on the team in points (13.0 ppg), and was the leading rebounder (5.3 rpg). Brand and Stoudemire fit the mold perfectly. They have almost identical stats from last year, but I went with Brand over Stoudemire mainly on experience in the international game. Brand played in 1999 and 2002-03 and was a force at the 2006 World Championships averaging 8.9 ppg in 17.4 mpg.
Chris Mullin - Michael Redd (Michael Redd)
Contenders: Morrison, M. Miller, Johnson, Redick
Left-handed, not afraid to shoot (10 threes in 20 minutes in scrimmage), able to hit from anywhere, 6'7" 215, and extremely white. That is the exact description of Michael Redd, except for the extremely white part and the haircut.
Clyde Drexler - Dwyane Wade (Carmelo Anthony)
Contenders: Prince, Pierce, Odom, Jamison, James, Marion, Durant
Wade would be the best imitator of Drexler. He loves to run the floor with reckless abandon, finish near the rim, and doesn't shoot a lot of threes because of his driving ability. He attracts defenders from the perimeter to help with his drives which enables him to kick out to guys like Redd or Mike Miller for open threes. Unfortunately, he is still recovering from shoulder surgery and will not be able to play. Therefore, Carmelo will try to fill the same role. Although he is fully capable, he isn't as good of a fit as Wade.
Patrick Ewing - Amare Stoudemire (Amare Stoudemire)
Contenders: Chandler, Oden, Brand, Howard, B. Miller, Boozer
This was a tough position to call. I wanted to go with Chandler, just because he is much more of a force on defense and is a tremendous rebounder on both ends. He doesn't score very well, but with a team with Howard, Brand, Kobe, LeBron, and Carmelo, there aren't a lot of shots left. It is tough to keep him on the bench though. Tough call...
Scottie Pippen - Shawn Marion (LeBron James)
Contenders: Wade, Odom, Carmelo, Bosh, Bowen, Jamison, Prince
Shawn Marion's wingspan creates a lot of problems on defense. He also has the ability to stroke from outside, although his form is a disaster. He runs well, rebounds well, can create off of his driving ability, and finishes well. However, he is out with plantar fasciitis. While Marion's defensive game is more similar to Pippen, LeBron's offensive game is a better match for him. He does a lot of little things on offense, probably shoots more than he should, but then Jordan thought Pippen shot too much.
David Robinson - Chris Bosh (Chris Bosh)
Contenders: Boozer, Chandler, Brand, Howard, Stoudemire, Oden
Robinson was a freak of an athlete - he was chisled and ran like a deer (Jay Bilas reference from draft night about a big man prospect). He loved to rebound and run the floor. Bosh is the same way. He had 13 points and 12 boards in 22 minutes in the scrimmage, and in the 2006 World Championships, he had 6.8ppg and 4.0 rpg, while shooting 65.4% from the field. He's tall and slender like "The Admiral," and would fit Robinson's role perfectly.
Larry Bird - Joe Johnson (Mike Miller)
Contenders: Morrison, Redick, Redd
Joe Johnson is an excellent shooter and knows how to find the open spots in the fast-paced style that the Dream Team used from his days in Phoenix. It was tempting to put Morrison in because of his comparisons to Bird, but he's not even close to being able to participate at this level yet. Johnson is out with a calf injury, so Mike Miller gets his place. I was impressed with Miller's assertiveness in the scrimmage. He was out to prove something to the coaching staff. He put up a lot of shots, but they were good shots, and he was probably the one that should've been shooting them. He'll fit in nicely.
John Stockton - Chris Paul (Chauncey Billips)
Contenders: Ridnour, Hinrich, Williams, Kidd
Paul would be a tremendous addition to the team. He lead the 2006 team in assists with 4.9 apg and is a complete player. He is out with a shoulder injury, so Billips gets the nod. He played well during the scrimmage handing out seven assists in 19 minutes of play. He plays at a slower pace, much like Stockton, can hit the open three like Stockton, and will stab you in the heart at the end of the game with his clutch play - like Stockton. Let's just hope he doesn't wear really short shorts.
Christian Laettner - Tyson Chandler (Kevin Durant)
Contenders: Battier, Durant, Morrison, Redick, Prince, Bowen, B. Miller, Oden
I could pick someone from Duke like Battier or Redick to fill the last spot, even though they probably don't deserve it (like Laettner). I went with Chandler though. It would be hard to leave him off the team. If the shooters are struggling, I would go with a big line-up and let Chandler's defense take over.
. . .
There were some tough omissions from my orgiginal team. Durant played really well, scoring 22 on 9-14 shooting. The thing about his game that scares me is his inability to pass the ball. He just doesn't pass - ever. That's tough, especially with the talent of an Olympic team. Oden would be a good addition if he was at full strength. Unfortunately, nobody knows if that will ever happen. Boozer is tough inside and could beat out Chandler. Deron Williams struggled with turnovers a little bit, but could beat out Billips.
Here are my picks to make the roster:
Kobe, Howard, Durant, Stoudemire, Redd, Carmelo, Chandler, Kidd, Miller, Bosh, James, and Billips.
That means Shane Battier, Carlos Boozer, Kirk Hinrich, Tayshaun Prince, J.J. Redick, and Deron Williams will be cut.
There will never be another Dream Team. They assembled the greatest team because of the players' experience and understanding of thier individual roles. I don't know if a team of today's all-stars is capable of that, but we can hope that they are...
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