ESPN Poll: Dream Team 1992 vs. Current Olympic Squad (pay, foul, jerseys)

[Bondurant]

The Dream Team also benfitted from no competition. Other nations can play now (by the rules, not the street ball garbage) and sink 3 pointers.

I'm also a firm believer that good players would eclipse great players from previous generation. That Dream Team though had legendary talent. This team...not so sure.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by Greg1977

Nah, Stockton wasn't a man defender. He was gritty, had good hands, played passing lanes well, but Westbrook is far too explosive for Stockton to keep in front of him. The one thing that would work in Stockton's favor is that he could afford to gamble defensively with Ewing and Robinson behind him protecting the paint.

Disagree. Stockton was much more athletic and quick than people like to remember.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by Bondurant

The Dream Team also benfitted from no competition. Other nations can play now (by the rules, not the street ball garbage) and sink 3 pointers.

I'm also a firm believer that good players would eclipse great players from previous generation. That Dream Team though had legendary talent. This team...not so sure.

You are absolutely correct that it's tougher to win now. I have no doubts in my mind though that they'd shred the current global competition though not by 40pts like before.

I disagree that good players would eclipse great players from previous generations. One of the ESPN guys was talking about athleticism of todays players blah blah blah. That era had guys like Jordan, Nique and 6-9 freaks like Magic Johnson as a PG. Sorry, Lebron, Durant and Kobe are NOT more athletic than guys like say Jordan and Dominique....oh god I forgot about Olajuwon....bwah hah hah....he makes Dwight Howard look like a CLUMSY 17yo.

Yeah, name me one good current player matching up to an old great like Olajuwon.

[Greg1977]

Originally Posted by Mathguy

Disagree. Stockton was much more athletic and quick than people like to remember.

But not nearly quick and athletic enough to keep up with Westbrook in a one on one scenario. There wasn't a point guard in existence during Stockton's prime that was as explosive athletically as either Westbrook or Rose. He would have major issues trying to guard either one, if placed in a one-on-one situation.

Edit: I also think it depends on what era's defensive rules we're talking. This generation's pity-pat defensive rules would make it even harder for Stockton to defend someone like Westbrook. If it's under the defensive rules of the dream team era, Stockton would still have a tough time but at least he could hand-check and try to force Westbrook into defensive traps.

[jefffla01]

Subjective and arbritary polls like this always creates room for great debate.

This current olympic team is great---very athletic----no question is a dominant squad and is going to be extremely difficult to beat.

Yet for the majority of us who watched the Dream Team-----yikes----how can this olympic team beat them or feel they are possibly superior???

Sorry-----Lebron, Kobe, and Durant are great players, and deservedly will go down as among the NBA alltime elite. However better than Jordan, Bird, Magic, Barkley, Olajawon ect.....nah------aside from just the purely dynamic skill of the dream team, they possessed a fiercly competetive instinct----they knew they were the worlds best and told the rest of the world not to dream of beating them.

The Dream Team of 1992 was the best international team ever put together----cant imagine another one rivaling them----no disrespect to Kobe or Lebron.

[Nyc77]

Again I go with Dream team 2 from 1996
I think they can press them

[Greg1977]

Dream team 2 is rarely mentioned for some reason, but they had a hell of a squad too. Shaq, Robinson, Hakeem. How's that for a frontline? Barkley and Malone, still formidable players...shooters in Richmond and Miller, Pippen for all-around play and defense, Stockton, Penny as a do it all guard, Gary Payton in his prime.....THAT team would have given the 92 team a good run.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by Greg1977

Dream team 2 is rarely mentioned for some reason, but they had a hell of a squad too. Shaq, Robinson, Hakeem. How's that for a frontline? Barkley and Malone, still formidable players...shooters in Richmond and Miller, Pippen for all-around play and defense, Stockton, Penny as a do it all guard, Gary Payton in his prime.....THAT team would have given the 92 team a good run.

Agreed. You have many of the same guys so essentially a wash at the 3-4 slots. A definite edge at the center position as Ewing was no Shaq or Hakeem even at his peak. 2 slot edge goes to Jordan92 though.

Payton gets a slight edge at the PG.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by Greg1977

But not nearly quick and athletic enough to keep up with Westbrook in a one on one scenario. There wasn't a point guard in existence during Stockton's prime that was as explosive athletically as either Westbrook or Rose. He would have major issues trying to guard either one, if placed in a one-on-one situation.

Edit: I also think it depends on what era's defensive rules we're talking. This generation's pity-pat defensive rules would make it even harder for Stockton to defend someone like Westbrook. If it's under the defensive rules of the dream team era, Stockton would still have a tough time but at least he could hand-check and try to force Westbrook into defensive traps.

NO ONE is going to keep a guy like westbrook, rose guarded one on one.

The PG position was played differently at that era so it's hard to say since Stockton didn't usually see that type of player as they normally played at the 2-spot.

However, there were still some incredibly explosive guys in that era and I cannot just surrender a 5-time all-nba defender to be somehow abused by rose or westbrook. They are both bigtime scorers so nobody is going to contain them solo, I just think stockton would do a pretty decent job.

Not to mention I just play Jordan-Pippen-Barkley-Malone-Robinson and then let the you figure out whom westbrook is going to be posterized by at the other end. I'll take my chances putting Pippen on one of the speedies and letting them settle for long jumpshots with 5 feet of arm in their face.

[BajanYankee]

Good thread. I thought about starting the same thread after having this discussion with my brother.

I think this current crop of players is superior at the Guard/Swing Forward position. The Kobe/MJ matchup is a wash. Even at 34, I don't see anybody locking Kobe down. Durant, Anthony, LBJ and Westbrook is a lot of fire power. Chris Paul and Deron Williams could outplay John Stockton. Magic was past his prime in 1992. I think a very strong and physical Deron Williams would give him fits. Same thing goes for Larry Bird. He was well past his prime during the Barcelona games.

I'd take Lebron James in a matchup against Barkley, Jordan or Pippen. None of those guys are big or strong enough to guard him.

Malone, Robinson and Ewing are CLEARLY superior (skill wise) to this team's Bigs. But Love has got range and Howard has got, well...Howard has got....Howard has got....muscles? He can dunk really good.

I don't think the Dream Team would demolish this current team. From a historical perspective, yes, it's the greatest team, ever assembled, but that does not mean they would take to the court and demolish players in an era where basketball is more competitive, athletic, and the training more intense than it's ever been.