USA Men's Basketball & The Great Debate

Earlier this month while practicing in anticipation of this year's Summer Olympics in London, England, USA Men's Basketball team captain Kobe Bryant opened up a can of worms by saying the 2012 squad could take the 1992 Dream Team. "It would be a tough one but I think we could pull it off," Kobe told reporters in Las Vegas just days before the team took the court against the Dominican Republic. Those comments came much to the dismay of Michael Jordan and his former teammates who didn't hesitate to fire back with comments of their own.

While Jordan questioned Kobe's intelligence by saying, "For Bryant to compare those two teams is not one of the smarter things he ever could have done," it was Charles Bakley who really put the stake in the heart of Team USA by stating other than Kobe, LeBron, and Durant, the rest of the team wouldn't even make the '92 squad. And while I would make a case for Chris Paul who's already been touted as one of the greatest point-guards of all-time, I'd agree with Sir Charles. Regardless of whether or not Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were already past their prime when the two joined forces to bring home a gold medal in the summer of '92, the depth and size of the Dream Team would eat this 2012 team alive in the paint. The trio of Karl Malone, Charles Barkley and David Robinson would out-rebound this current squad and punk Tyson Chandler for his lunch money while Patrick Ewing filmed it. Insert a healthy Dwight Howard into the lineup, however, and this team might stand a chance in the rebound department.

With the Olympics yet to begin, Kobe's comments may have come a bit prematurely as it would take only two games for them to prove this 2012 team is no Dream Team. After winning easily against a John Calipari coached Dominican club by a final of 113-59, they'd have a close call against the Brazilians who almost made it a single-digit loss before eventually falling 80-69. After getting back on track with a 118-78 romp of an inexperienced Great Britain team, the Americans would have another scare, this time against Argentina with the U.S. escaping with only a six-point victory (86-80). Finishing their exhibition schedule against Spain who's ranked #2 in the world only behind the United States and is expected to be the toughest opponent coach K's squad will be up against this summer, Kobe Bryant and co. would have little trouble against his Laker teammate Pau Gasol who witnessed the Americans finish a perfect 5-0 after their 100-78 victory over the Spaniards despite playing on Spain's home turf.

It's no secret that the Dream Team which consisted of 11 Hall of Famers routed their opponents by an unheard of average of 44-points, but the competition back then wasn't as talented as it is now with the exception of a few countries. To the defense of Kobe, since 1992, the rest of the world has only improved on the game of basketball. Not to say the Dream Team wouldn't have won gold with ease in his day and age, but teams would have been a little bit more competitive. Something the Dream Team can't argue as the sport was basically looked upon as extraterrestrial outside of the U.S., as much of the world was still new to the game of basketball. Even Kobe said of team USA's competition, "Look, they are just as competitive as we are, they want to win, they believe that they can win - which is different from '92."

Having earned the distinction of arguably the greatest team ever assembled in the history of sports, MJ and the boys of the '92 squad in Barcelona have reason to be upset. But unless someone hires the dude who put the Tupac hologram together which performed during April's Coachella Music Festival, we'll never hear the end of it and will never truly see how a game played between the two teams would play out. One thing that's certain, however, is that all eyes will be on the Americans. Never has the pressure for a U.S. Men's Basketball team to bring home the gold been this high after Kobe's asinine comments. Hey Kobe, you're my boy and all, but lets see how this team fares during Olympic play before we begin comparing teams to the greatest of all-time, shall we?

Kobe, LeBron, Durant and the rest of the 2012 U.S. Men' Basketball squad will begin their quest for the gold medal on Sunday July 29 against San Antonio's Tony Parker and team France which can be seen on NBC.

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