Remember not so long ago when the Internet was something Al Gore had yet to create, cell-phones were those huge clunky things only the wall-street brokers could afford, and our President only lied about BJs from interns?
Yes, that's right 1992. A magical year where the best-of-the-best proudly represented the USA in the summer Olympics. Not only jail-bait gymnasts who broke their legs for their country... but grown Americans. Professional athletes who donned the red, white and blue with pride. The Dream Team.
The magic that team captured has to be one of the best known to the world of sports. These athletes put aside their professional teams, their differences, their "off-season" and most importantly --- themselves.
In their struggle to represent America in the Olympics this team has done something no current basketball players seem to know how to. Play as a team.
The modern NBA has become a 1-man road show with lackluster efforts, no defense, and a "me-first" mentality that makes the Yankees go "D**n!"
(If you aren't sure what I'm talking about watch any game involving the "MVP" Kobe Bryant play.)
I'll save my laundry list of complaints against the NBA as a whole for another post. Today I'm talking about pride, about playing as a team. About something that has not been seen in Team USA since that legendary "dream team".
Last Olympics USA took bronze. Bronze, a flavor never previously known to American basketball players. After all we invented the sport, we should only be natural "heir-apparent" to all gold medals in the sport for at least 3 decades after the sport is introduced.
Now I know there are several foreign NBA players (although Steve Nash's Canada hardly counts) but, there are literally millions of up-and-coming college hoops programs that could have just as easily walked away with gold from last year's Olympic pool... why? Because they play as a team.
Because at the end of the day college players play for each other. They play for the coach, they play for that stupid blue devil, or awesome blue jayhawk. They play for pride, for their parents in the stands, for their chance to get out of the projects. College players would play for America.
Last Olympics the team consisted of mostly "b-line" players (notably because the headline players declined on account of being to full of themselves) and a few big time players.
AI (who's pass-button has been turned into another shoot button in all NBA games.) Tim Duncan, Dwayne Wade, and several other players who know how to put the "me" into team. (you switch the letters around)
Mike Krzyzewski, former assistant coach to the '92 squad, knows it will be a challenge to reverse the effects of 2004's Team USA dismal performance.
To counter these things he has assembled an all-star clan that could rival the pure fire-power of the '92 Dream team. Including Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd, and returner Dwayne Wade, he is locked and loaded with more bullets in the chamber than Team USA has had in a decade.
"I think it's the commitment we needed to make to put us in a position we'll have the best chance to win," Krzyzewski said in an ESPN interview. "Now we have to follow through and win."
Commitment is where these super-stars will likely fail. Kobe Bryant when he isn't raping women in hotel rooms is far too much of a primadonna to play nicely with the veterans. Kidd is a Gold-winning veteran, but has lost a step (and some commitment from the looks of last season). Dwayne Wade will likely see his first Social Security check come rolling in by the time he reaches Beijing, and Howard-- well a little short to be playing center... Even if it is an Olympic center.
Krzyzewski certainly has his work cut out for him this summer, but more importantly these all-stars have the hardest job of all...not on the court, because talent alone could win them a gold (and should) but in their own heads. Can they beat up that little "me-devil" that seems to be implanted in every kid the day they sign that fat NBA contract? Or are they just going to be another "in-your-dreams" team?
Yes, that's right 1992. A magical year where the best-of-the-best proudly represented the USA in the summer Olympics. Not only jail-bait gymnasts who broke their legs for their country... but grown Americans. Professional athletes who donned the red, white and blue with pride. The Dream Team.
The magic that team captured has to be one of the best known to the world of sports. These athletes put aside their professional teams, their differences, their "off-season" and most importantly --- themselves.
In their struggle to represent America in the Olympics this team has done something no current basketball players seem to know how to. Play as a team.
The modern NBA has become a 1-man road show with lackluster efforts, no defense, and a "me-first" mentality that makes the Yankees go "D**n!"
(If you aren't sure what I'm talking about watch any game involving the "MVP" Kobe Bryant play.)
I'll save my laundry list of complaints against the NBA as a whole for another post. Today I'm talking about pride, about playing as a team. About something that has not been seen in Team USA since that legendary "dream team".
Last Olympics USA took bronze. Bronze, a flavor never previously known to American basketball players. After all we invented the sport, we should only be natural "heir-apparent" to all gold medals in the sport for at least 3 decades after the sport is introduced.
Now I know there are several foreign NBA players (although Steve Nash's Canada hardly counts) but, there are literally millions of up-and-coming college hoops programs that could have just as easily walked away with gold from last year's Olympic pool... why? Because they play as a team.
Because at the end of the day college players play for each other. They play for the coach, they play for that stupid blue devil, or awesome blue jayhawk. They play for pride, for their parents in the stands, for their chance to get out of the projects. College players would play for America.
Last Olympics the team consisted of mostly "b-line" players (notably because the headline players declined on account of being to full of themselves) and a few big time players.
AI (who's pass-button has been turned into another shoot button in all NBA games.) Tim Duncan, Dwayne Wade, and several other players who know how to put the "me" into team. (you switch the letters around)
Mike Krzyzewski, former assistant coach to the '92 squad, knows it will be a challenge to reverse the effects of 2004's Team USA dismal performance.
To counter these things he has assembled an all-star clan that could rival the pure fire-power of the '92 Dream team. Including Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, Jason Kidd, and returner Dwayne Wade, he is locked and loaded with more bullets in the chamber than Team USA has had in a decade.
"I think it's the commitment we needed to make to put us in a position we'll have the best chance to win," Krzyzewski said in an ESPN interview. "Now we have to follow through and win."
Commitment is where these super-stars will likely fail. Kobe Bryant when he isn't raping women in hotel rooms is far too much of a primadonna to play nicely with the veterans. Kidd is a Gold-winning veteran, but has lost a step (and some commitment from the looks of last season). Dwayne Wade will likely see his first Social Security check come rolling in by the time he reaches Beijing, and Howard-- well a little short to be playing center... Even if it is an Olympic center.
Krzyzewski certainly has his work cut out for him this summer, but more importantly these all-stars have the hardest job of all...not on the court, because talent alone could win them a gold (and should) but in their own heads. Can they beat up that little "me-devil" that seems to be implanted in every kid the day they sign that fat NBA contract? Or are they just going to be another "in-your-dreams" team?
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