Team USA: How Would Today's Redeem Team Match Up Against the Dream Team?
Let’s break it down position by position.
Point Guards
2010 Team: Chris Paul, Deron Williams
1992 Team: Magic Johnson, John Stockton
Outlook: The 1992 Dream Team has the edge on the point guard position with the greatest point guard in history in Magic Johnson and all-time assist leader John Stockton. The way Magic Johnson would lead the break would be unstoppable. He would have Paul and Williams on their heels the entire game.
Both Johnson and Stockton were crafty defenders and I think would contain Paul and Williams. Chris Paul and Deron Williams are both great point guards but they don’t match up to the legends.
Shooting Guards
2010 Team: Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Brandon Roy
1992 Team: Michael Jordan, Clyde Drexler
Outlook: I give the edge to the 2010 team just because the 1-2 punch of Kobe and Wade is unstoppable. Of course MJ is the greatest but there is a big drop off with Clyde Drexler. Wade is a much better second option when compared to Drexler, and Roy also adds more scoring ability.
What may be more interesting than the uber scoring talent is the defensive match-up of Kobe and Jordan. I could see both players making their MO to be the shutdown defender and leave the scoring for the other great players on the team.
Small Forwards
2010 Team: Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant
1992 Team: Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, Chris Mullin
Outlook: I give this category to the 2010 team. Although Larry Bird is one of the greatest players in NBA history, he was at the end of his career in 1992. Scottie and Mullin were glue pieces for the ’92 team, but were not true impact players. At this time, Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony are in their prime.
James is one of the most physical and athletic specimens that has ever been seen on a hardwood floor. Durant is also a rising star and a prolific scorer who is just entering his prime. I’d love to see the mid-post match-up of Melo and Scottie; just imagine the great passes, turn-around jumpers, and isolation plays.
Power Forwards
2010 Team: Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire
1992 Team: Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Christian Laettner
Outlook: The Dream Team has this category won by far. Karl Malone and Charles Barkley are two of the best power forwards in history. Charles Barkley led the ’92 Dream Team in scoring as well. Their physicality would destroy Bosh and Stoudemire.
This is the one category which is a landslide, and it favors the 1992 Dream Team. As aside note, Pau Gasol and Dirk Nowitzki are not in this list because they are not American.
Centers
2010 Team: Dwight Howard, Tim Duncan
1992 Team: Patrick Ewing, David Robinson
Outlook: I give the edge to the 1992 Dream Team on this one. This is a category of the professor and student. Patrick Ewing was hired by the Orlando Magic to teach Dwight Howard how to play in the post. Although Howard has improved, he’s still nothing like Ewing in his prime.
David Robinson is also the one who passed the torch to Tim Duncan in San Antonio. A lot of Duncan’s game can be credited to Robinson as well. At this time, Duncan is also on the decline of his career while Robinson was still a young and fresh talent.
Coaching
2010 Team: Mike Krzyzewski
1992 Team: Chuck Daily
Outlook: I give the edge to Coach K. He is a Hall of Fame coach, and one of the greatest coaches in all sports. He’s had success with his college team Duke, and won the gold medal in the 2008 Olympics.
So at the end of the day, I think the 2010 Team would prove to be a great challenge for the 1992 Team, but the original Dream Team still prevails. The current team has good guard play, but the ’92 squad has much more physicality. I think the key is Magic Johnson for the ’92 team. His awareness and basketball savvy is the oil that keeps the machine running smooth. He is able to get the ball wherever he wants on the court which is important on a team that is stacked at every position. I also think the 1992 team is a much better defensive team. In a matchup with no shortage of offense, it’s the team that plays defense that wins. It’s unfortunate that we can only dream of this match up because it would be the greatest sports match-up of all time.
This is just an opinion…so please Pardon My Bias.
