Olympics 2012: Michael Jordan, Dream Team Should Let USA Basketball Be Confident

Michael Jordan should have let Kobe Bryant say what he wanted to say about Team USA.

As we head closer to the start of the London 2012 Summer Olympics, the spirit of competition has clearly heated up. So when Kobe Bryant was recently asked who would win between the 1992 Dream Team and the 2012 Team USA, Bryant was quick to take the side of his own.

"It'd be a tough one,” Bryant explained. “But I think we'd pull it out.”

The fact that Bryant picked his own team right before they entered international play should come as a surprise to absolutely no one. He’s trying to build confidence among his team, and he’s trying to validate himself as the alpha dog in the upcoming tournament.

What I find to be the more outlandish fact was the way in which Michael Jordan responded.

“I absolutely laughed," Michael Jordan told the Associated Press. “For him to make that comparison, it’s one of those things where it creates conversation. I guess we’ll never know. I’d like to think that we had 11 Hall of Famers on that team and whenever they get 11 Hall of Famers, you call and ask me who had the better Dream Team.”

Jordan’s teammate in Chicago, Scottie Pippen, was quick to have his back.

”I think we could probably beat this team by 25,” Pippen said, citing a better-rounded team of attacking big men and defensive threats. “I’ll go out on a limb and say that.”

At this point, the rest of the team began to chime in as well.

“Our '92 team had too many winners, were too smart and too competitive to lose to Kobe and the 2012 team,” said legendary Lakers point guard, Magic Johnson. “I am excited to watch them though.”

And not one to avoid debates like these, Charles Barkley was soon to be heard from as well.

“Other than Kobe, LeBron and Kevin Durant, I don't think anybody else on that team makes our team.”

This could easily be interpreted as an overly outlandish response, considering the slight he gave to Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Russell Westbrook.

Bird, slightly more reasonable and lightening the mood, was sure to include his say in the manner as well.

“They probably could,” said Bird. “I haven’t played in 20 years and we’re all old now.”

But Jordan wasn’t done.

“Remember now, they learned from us. We didn’t learn from them,” added Jordan.

The idea of a younger talent challenging the biggest names in the sport is not unheard of. As recently as this week, the two most recent No. 1 picks both took indirect shots at Kobe Bryant.

First, Anthony Davis came out and said that the player that he is most looking forward to defending is Kobe Bryant.

“You know, there's a lot of guys who can't stop Kobe,” explained Davis. “So if I stop him, I'll be one of them guys who can say, 'I shut Kobe down.'"

Then, at a summer Olympics practice, Kyrie Irving challenged Kobe Bryant to a one-on-one.

These are both indications of deep respect and exhortation. Davis would not have said that he was proud to “shut down” Kobe Bryant if Bryant was considered the best, just as Irving wouldn’t have challenged Bryant if he didn’t think Bryant was the most premier player.

This is the exact reason why you heard Kobe Bryant say he thought that the 2012 Team USA could beat the Dream Team. He knew that the Dream Team was the crème-de-la-crème. In an effort to get his team hyped, he wanted to confirm that they were the best in the world. Just like Anthony Davis did. Just like Kyrie Irving did.

Unlike Jordan, Bryant handled this challenge with grace. Rather than stating that he could beat Irving, he challenged him $50K to the charity of his choice if he won. He even said that he would allow $25K if Irving was nervous.

Rather than running away from the issue and talking out of both sides of his mouth, Bryant looked to confirm his superiority and maintain a kindred competitive spirit among his temporary teammates.

What Michael Jordan failed to realize is that he is no longer playing. In fact, his only relevancy to the NBA last season was the fact that he owned the team with the worst winning percentage of all-time. Unless he drunkenly thought that the Charlotte Bobcats could beat Team USA, then he had no right to make a claim in this matter.

“So what, he knows I’m a bad mother[expletive]. I’m not really tripping,” added Bryant. “You didn’t ask me if we could beat them in a seven-game series. In one game, we can beat them. No question about it.”

That’s right, MJ. Shots fired. This is the exact reason why Bryant makes such a great leader for the Olympics team. He’s entirely unafraid, and will do what it takes to prove that his team is the best in the world. And best in the world in 2012 does not settle it for Kobe Bryant; he wants his team to be the best ever. And at this point in their respective careers, it’s better for basketball in our country if Michael Jordan just lets him do that.

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