92 Dream Team Overrated: College All-stars Could Have Won Gold

[TAZORAC]

1992 Dream Team was overrated, and I'll go into further detail into to the specifics as to why depending on the replies. College All-Stars would have won Gold back then EASILY, the top 10 college teams would have been locks for medals, Duke's starting 5 and Michigan's starting 5 (played for champinship) would have won GOLD if you combined the 2 teams.

In 1992 the international competition was so bad that COLLEGE FRESHMAN all-stars would have been medal contenders.

The only reason a top regular college team would have had issues with top international teams like Croatia back then is because the college teams weren't deep enough.

Agree or Disagree?

[fourkicks44]

1992 Dream Team was overrated, and I'll go into further detail into to the specifics as to why depending on the replies. College All-Stars would have won Gold back then EASILY, the top 10 college teams would have been locks for medals, Duke's starting 5 and Michigan's starting 5 (played for champinship) would have won GOLD if you combined the 2 teams.

In 1992 the international competition was so bad that COLLEGE FRESHMAN all-stars would have been medal contenders.

The only reason a top regular college team would have had issues with top international teams like Croatia back then is because the college teams weren't deep enough.

Agree or Disagree?

So why is the Dream Team overrated? College kids could have won (in your opinion), but why does that dimminish the Dream Team?

[ClipperRevival]

Well, the best college players lost in the 1988 Olympics. That is where the idea of playing NBA players came from. And believe it or not, by the late 80's, the game was starting to go global and NBA teams were actively scouting internationally. Not like today but the seed was planted to search for international talent. And AFTER the 1992 Olympics, the game completely went global. But guys like Divac, Drazen, Sanu and Schrempf were already impactful, international talents by the late 80's.

Was 1988 a fluke and could college players have won in 1992? Maybe, maybe not. But looking at the international talent pool since then tells you that 18-22 year olds playing against grown men who play professionally isn't a fair deal.

[Sarcastic]

Lithuania or Croatia would have demolished the college all star team.

[Paul George 24]

1992 Dream Team was overrated, and I'll go into further detail into to the specifics as to why depending on the replies. College All-Stars would have won Gold back then EASILY, the top 10 college teams would have been locks for medals, Duke's starting 5 and Michigan's starting 5 (played for champinship) would have won GOLD if you combined the 2 teams.

In 1992 the international competition was so bad that COLLEGE FRESHMAN all-stars would have been medal contenders.

The only reason a top regular college team would have had issues with top international teams like Croatia back then is because the college teams weren't deep enough.

Agree or Disagree?
STILL THE GREATEST DREAM TEAM :banana:

[andgar923]

1992 Dream Team was overrated, and I'll go into further detail into to the specifics as to why depending on the replies. College All-Stars would have won Gold back then EASILY, the top 10 college teams would have been locks for medals, Duke's starting 5 and Michigan's starting 5 (played for champinship) would have won GOLD if you combined the 2 teams.

In 1992 the international competition was so bad that COLLEGE FRESHMAN all-stars would have been medal contenders.

The only reason a top regular college team would have had issues with top international teams like Croatia back then is because the college teams weren't deep enough.

Agree or Disagree?

Dude, do you even know your history?

Like it was just mentioned the main reason the Dream Team was created is because the college all stars LOST.

Hell, they had very close competitive games in 84 Olympics and NBA teams actually lost to international teams as well.

This notion that international players just suddenly became inmensly better is an insult to Americans. What it insinuates is that international players not just improved dramatically but that Americans did not.

International play has always been competitive.

[deja vu]

So the 1988 college all-stars lost to the Soviet Union but the 1992 college all-stars will win gold? Yeah right.

[TAZORAC]

1988 was somewhat a down year, it was a team loaded with guys destined to be NBA role players, besides David Robinson. At the time Dan Majerle and Robinson were the best players. Not only that, half those guys could have been replaced with better talent that year. In addition to that Russia barely won and wouldn't have won a 7 game serious against TEAM USA.

Team USA was clearly the better team in 88 with a roster that could have been even better..most of you don't know, but at least 6 guys on that team could have been replaced.

[LostCause]

Lithuania or Croatia would have demolished the college all star team.
Exactly

Once you accept that most of this board has no clue about anything basketball related pre-2008, these sorts of threads are to be expected

[fourkicks44]

Exactly

Once you accept that most of this board has no clue about anything basketball related pre-2008, these sorts of threads are to be expected

Wow this guy is great.

Speaking truth right there, son.

[GimmeThat]

it was probably a good moment for inner city kids to realize that not everyone was going to be destined to be a professional athlete, and there are many ways out

[Paul George 24]

1988 was somewhat a down year, it was a team loaded with guys destined to be NBA role players, besides David Robinson. At the time Dan Majerle and Robinson were the best players. Not only that, half those guys could have been replaced with better talent that year. In addition to that Russia barely won and wouldn't have won a 7 game serious against TEAM USA.

Team USA was clearly the better team in 88 with a roster that could have been even better..most of you don't know, but at least 6 guys on that team could have been replaced.
STOP DREAMING

[Showtime80']

Honestly the more posts I read in this forum the more I realize that the majority of people here were born after 2000!!!!

I remember people talking back in 1992 how in 20+ years basketball was going to have soccer world cup like tournament with 20+ teams filled with international superstars from every corner of the globe and guess what?!?! THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN AND WILL NEVER HAPPEN!!!

The competition in 1992 was surprisingly similar to the 2016 tournament with the GREATEST TEAM assembled in team USA and 5 other very good to solid teams in Croatia, Lithuania, Puerto Rico, Australia and former Soviets (United Team). Serbia was not allowed to compete because of the conflict that was developing in the region and would've also fielded a very good team. Had the political landscape from 1988 remained the same you would've had the 2 greatest European teams of the past 30 years in Yugoslavia and USSR.

This year is basically the same maybe a little WORSE with a BARELY GREAT team USA followed by 5 very good teams in Spain, Argentina, Australia, France and Lithuania. Nothing more nothing less. The top level talent for Spain and Argentina is aging rapidly too.

And for the original premise, a 1992 college team would've included players like:

Shaq
Mourning
Laettner
Hill
Penny Hardaway
Webber
Mashburn
Juwan Howard
Hurley
Jimmy Jackson
Eddie Jones
Malik Sealy
Robert Horry

I don't about you but that team would've been hell to deal with even with all the other veteran teams in the Olympics and it also further shows the absurd DECLINE in the USA NCAA Basketball system. Today's college basketball could only field a team as great as that fictional 1992 squad in their DREAMS!!!!

The ONLY reasons today's NBA has more international players is the fact that the money has become so attractive (was not the case in the 80's and early 90's) and the NBA basically SOFTENED THE RULES to mimic international style of play. But mainly the US feeder system in NCAA basketball has GONE DOWN THE CRAPPER in the last 20 years and has FORCED the scouting to look elsewhere for talent.

The 1980's and early 90's were the golden age for the NCAA and that translated to the NBA.

But honestly, what team in today's Olympic tournament gets within even 25+ of the 1992 Dream Team?!?! The answer is NONE!!!

[HurricaneKid]

The college all star team was STACKED in 92 with CWebb, Grant Hill, JKidd, Penny, Mourning, and on and on. That college team BEAT THE DREAM TEAM IN AN OFFICIATED SCRIMMAGE. So if you think they would have struggled with teams that the Dream Team devoured you are just mistaken. 88 was a terrible year for talent and lost a close game. It was another 8-10 years before the world really started catching up.

[Showtime80']

The world didn't catch up to ANYTHING Hurricane kid!!!

The US just sent SUBPAR teams in 2000 and 2004 with a very flawed makeup and also Kobe and Shaq didn't take part in those Olympics and that would've made A HUGE DIFFERENCE!!!

What the 1992 and 1996 US teams had that NO INTERNATIONAL TEAM FROM ANY ERA COULD MATCH was a deadly combination of high basketball IQ, athleticism, defense and OTHERWORDLY INSIDE PLAY with Shaq, Olajuwon, Ewing, Robinson, Barkley and Malone!!! GOOD NIGHT IRENE!!!

The international style of basketball has not changed much in the last 30 years while the NBA has dramatically altered theirs. Before those teams just couldn't handle the NBA guys physicality and power inside play and wouldn't be able to handle them now!

Hell the Spanish team gave the US team ALL THEY COULD HANDLE in 08 and 12 with the Gasol brothers MURDERING THEM in the paint. Can you imagine what Robinson, Ewing, Olajuwon, Shaq, Malone and Barkley would've done to them!?!?

[MintBerryCrunch]

Dumb logic. College all-stars could have won, but not dominated in nearly the same way.

[HurricaneKid]

The world didn't catch up to ANYTHING Hurricane kid!!!

The US just sent SUBPAR teams in 2000 and 2004 with a very flawed makeup and also Kobe and Shaq didn't take part in those Olympics and that would've made A HUGE DIFFERENCE!!!

What the 1992 and 1996 US teams had that NO INTERNATIONAL TEAM FROM ANY ERA COULD MATCH was a deadly combination of high basketball IQ, athleticism, defense and OTHERWORDLY INSIDE PLAY with Shaq, Olajuwon, Ewing, Robinson, Barkley and Malone!!! GOOD NIGHT IRENE!!!

The international style of basketball has not changed much in the last 30 years while the NBA has dramatically altered theirs. Before those teams just couldn't handle the NBA guys physicality and power inside play and wouldn't be able to handle them now!

Hell the Spanish team gave the US team ALL THEY COULD HANDLE in 08 and 12 with the Gasol brothers MURDERING THEM in the paint. Can you imagine what Robinson, Ewing, Olajuwon, Shaq, Malone and Barkley would've done to them!?!?

No one is saying the Dream Team was a bad team. Partly folks are saying that 92 college team would have been an INCREDIBLE squad. Partly people are bringing up that Bird was DONE, Magic was over the hill and would only start 9 more games in his career, Michael wasn't CLOSE to giving it his full attention, etc.

And Ewing and Shaq were HARDLY adept at guarding in space and would have struggled just as much with the Spain team you bring up. Barkley is 6'4" and wasn't guarding ANY C.

[Sarcastic]

The college all star team was STACKED in 92 with CWebb, Grant Hill, JKidd, Penny, Mourning, and on and on. That college team BEAT THE DREAM TEAM IN AN OFFICIATED SCRIMMAGE. So if you think they would have struggled with teams that the Dream Team devoured you are just mistaken. 88 was a terrible year for talent and lost a close game. It was another 8-10 years before the world really started catching up.


Chuck Daly admitted that he tanked that game on purpose, so that he would always have the team's attention. It was a brilliant ploy that worked wonders. Dream Team blew their doors off in the next scrimmage.

[HurricaneKid]

Chuck Daly admitted that he tanked that game on purpose, so that he would always have the team's attention. It was a brilliant ploy that worked wonders. Dream Team blew their doors off in the next scrimmage.

No he didn't. He sat MJ for longer than he would have otherwise but he never intended them to lose.

There is a REALLY good Lowe Post podcast on the matter a few weeks ago.

[Showtime80']

Do you know why the 92 and 96 teams wouldn't have struggled against Spain!?! Because unlike the 08 and 12 US teams, they would've CLOBBERED SPAIN ON THE INSIDE AT THE OFFENSIVE END!!!

Let the Gasol sisters shoot all the little open jumpers they want like Sabonis and Divac used to do, let's see how many fouls they collect before halftime at the other end against the physical onslaught of Ewing, Shaq and Malone (All in their primes I might ad) and a few elbows to the face and rib cage! Not to mention Jordan, Drexler, Pippen, Magic, Robinson and Barkley coming full steam ahead to dunk upside their heads in the paint.

08 and 12 Spain looses by A MININUM of 20 points against the 92 Dream Team. Terrible matchup for the Spaniards in ALL AREAS!

[Sarcastic]

No he didn't. He sat MJ for longer than he would have otherwise but he never intended them to lose.

There is a REALLY good Lowe Post podcast on the matter a few weeks ago.


https://youtu.be/yCJFI6ycA3k

[Dragonyeuw]

1992 Dream Team was overrated, and I'll go into further detail into to the specifics as to why depending on the replies. College All-Stars would have won Gold back then EASILY, the top 10 college teams would have been locks for medals, Duke's starting 5 and Michigan's starting 5 (played for champinship) would have won GOLD if you combined the 2 teams.

In 1992 the international competition was so bad that COLLEGE FRESHMAN all-stars would have been medal contenders.

The only reason a top regular college team would have had issues with top international teams like Croatia back then is because the college teams weren't deep enough.

Agree or Disagree?

The 88 team featured David Robinson, Danny Manning,Hersey Hawkins, Dan Majerle, Mitch Richmond, among others, all of whom were impactful NBA players within 2 years of that Olympics. And they lost....so no. The 92 team didn't *need* the very best( MJ, Drexler, Malone, Ewing, Robinson, Barkley, Pip etc etc) to win, but they needed more than top college talent.

[morbius]

1992 USA college team would have lost to Lithuania or Croatia. It was obvious during the late 80s that USA college teams cannot dominate. In world championship final in 1990 Yugoslavia completely dismantled USA team. USA managed to be competitive only during the first few minutes thanks to great play by Alonzo Mourning, but the wheels quickly came off and it was a total beat down.

If USA sent its college team in Rio, I would have them as favorites to win a medal, but not gold one. Even today, USA college team could compete well, but not dominate. That's why the NBA pros were brought in.

[HurricaneKid]

1992 USA college team would have lost to Lithuania or Croatia. It was obvious during the late 80s that USA college teams cannot dominate. In world championship final in 1990 Yugoslavia completely dismantled USA team. USA managed to be competitive only during the first few minutes thanks to great play by Alonzo Mourning, but the wheels quickly came off and it was a total beat down.

If USA sent its college team in Rio, I would have them as favorites to win a medal, but not gold one. Even today, USA college team could compete well, but not dominate. That's why the NBA pros were brought in.

ONE team didn't dominate. Does that mean that:

Shaq
Zo
CWebb
Laettner
Penny
Grant Hill
Jason Kidd
Glenn Robinson
Mashburn
Juwan Howard
Hurley
Jimmy Jackson
Robert Horry

Wouldn't have? Based on the fact that they BEAT the dream team... I doubt it.

[I know you are]

ONE team didn't dominate. Does that mean that:

Shaq
Zo
CWebb
Laettner
Penny
Grant Hill
Jason Kidd
Glenn Robinson
Mashburn
Juwan Howard
Hurley
Jimmy Jackson
Robert Horry

Wouldn't have? Based on the fact that they BEAT the dream team... I doubt it.

They beat a team that didn't have time to jell when that team's coach threw the game. When the Dream Team was focused and ready for the Olympics while Daly coached them properly, the college kids got beat badly just like all the international competition.

The scrimmage lost to the college players was a fix, part of Coach Chuck Daly’s plan to demonstrate to a team loaded with 11 future basketball Hall of Famers that they could lose in international competition.

“He threw the game,” Mike Krzyzewski, who assisted Daly, along with Wilkens and P. J. Carlesimo, said in the documentary. Daly calmly told Krzyzewski during the scrimmage, “We’re all right.”

(In 2008, Krzyzewski made similar remarks when he said, “Chuck wanted them to lose.”)

In the documentary, he said: “If you look at how much Jordan played and how he subbed the guys in, not picking up, not making any adjustments; he knew what he was doing.”

Asked why Daly did not confide his intentions to his assistants, Krzyzewski said: “We probably would have screwed it up.”

Before the news media filed in after the scrimmage, Daly ordered that the result be banished from the scoreboard. At their next, and final, scrimmage, the Dream Team trounced the collegians.

And Jordan played a lot more.
http://offthedribble.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/the-dream-teams-very-bad-day/?_r=0

[I know you are]

More about the follow up scrimmages against the college players:


The next day the teams had another scrimmage, and the Dream Team destroyed the college players. Here are some interesting quotes regarding that second scrimmage:

Chris Webber: We didn't score a point. Not one point. Not a point on a free throw, not a point in the game.

Grant Hill: The next day, we couldn't get the ball over half-court.

Bobby Hurley: The court shrank. There weren’t opportunities to run, and in the half court we had no offense. [...] They were so long and quick, you couldn’t go by them or create anything. They beat us by 30 points in that next scrimmage, and it could have been more than that. We had 3-4 scrimmages the rest of the week, and all of them had similar outcomes.

http://sports.stackexchange.com/questions/9035/has-a-college-team-ever-played-against-a-professional-team

[Showtime80']

Great quotes I know you are! Michael Jordan in the summer of 1992 was at his ABSOLUTE PEAK!!! You play him 35+ minutes in a 40 minute international game against ANYBODY IN HISTORY and your 99.9% assured of a win!

Besides that I agree with Hurricane, that 1992 college team would've been tough to handle! They may have been college kids but guys like Shaq, Mourning, Webber, Laettner, Jimmy Jackson and Jamaal Mashburn were FRIGGIN MEN!!! They all had immediate impacts when they entered the NBA.

The thing that people forget like I said earlier, the political climate in 1992 changed those Olympics, gone were the superpowers in Yugoslavia and Soviet Union and you were basically left with a few very good but not great teams like what you have in 2016 with Spain being the exception with the Gasol Brothers. Serbia was not allowed to compete and Croatia, Lithuania and Russia although solid would've probably struggled to compete against the college kids as well although the games would've probably been a lot closer.

[Showtime80']

The games that the world truly missed where NBA Dream Teams from 1988 and 1990 going up against USSR and Yugoslavia at their respective peaks. Those would've been VERY INTERESTING to see even though the US would've surely won.

Interestingly enough professional teams from 88 and 90 would've included A LOT of the same players from the 92 team except for maybe Pippen, Mullin, Stockton and of course Laettner. Dominique Wilkins, Isiah and James Worthy would've most likely taken those spots.

[r0drig0lac]

:facepalm

[TAZORAC]

The games that the world truly missed where NBA Dream Teams from 1988 and 1990 going up against USSR and Yugoslavia at their respective peaks. Those would've been VERY INTERESTING to see even though the US would've surely won.

Interestingly enough professional teams from 88 and 90 would've included A LOT of the same players from the 92 team except for maybe Pippen, Mullin, Stockton and of course Laettner. Dominique Wilkins, Isiah and James Worthy would've most likely taken those spots.

USSR and Yugoslavia never had a peak. The Eastern European basketball philosophy is basically get 1 or 2 ball handlers and big guys. Centers and PF'S

[andgar923]

If international teams were weaker back then, how is it that the USA Women's team lost?

USA women's team was STACKED, it was almost a Dream Team on its own filled with a number of WNBA HOFers and at least two players that tried out for NBA teams. :confusedshrug:

If international teams were weaker back then, how is it that they beat actual NBA teams?!?!

International teams simply didn't beat a bunch of players thrown in with a week's worth of practice, they beat actual NBA teams. :confusedshrug:

If international teams were weaker back then, how is it that they usually beat the 18 and under matchups? :confusedshrug:



So I don't get the excuses being made for the current era's issues.

According to some of you, the international teams got significant better, so going by that logic the American players have gotten worse... no?

International play did improve, but so have American players. So realistically things have maintained the same. The difference being the shift in international teams occurred. Teams that perhaps weren't as great back then, got better, while some got worse.

There's always been international NBA players, the main difference now is scouts are looking overseas more. It's not that the talent wasn't there before, they simply weren't scouted as heavily.

What DID happen is the style of play changed. The reason the Dream Team was able to beat teams by 50 points wasn't because the other teams weren't talented, the Dream Team simply played the correct style. They had a great inside outside game, with dominant big men, players that knew their roles and were great at it. Sure Stockton isn't as deadly a scorer or fancy like Westbrook, but he'll set up his teammates with perfect passes, set the tempo of the offense, make sure plays are ran properly, make sure people are in position, keep the ball moving, etc.

What we have been witnessing since the late 90s is a decline in proper team play and fundamentals. And that is why the Dream Team (or any team from the past vs today's) would beat any Olympic team assembled past the late 90s.

If a bunch of scrubs from France and Australia can give USA fits, Imagine what the mutaf*ckin DREAM TEAM would do?

Bu...bu...but... this isn't the best squad the US has to offer!!!!

Even then they should be still be beating other teams by at least 20 points, I don't care what team it is. But their style of play is the reason why they've been having so many issues.

[Showtime80']

Thank you thank you thank you andgar923!!!! Hell of a post!

Hit the nail right on the head. That's exactly why a team like Spain, which has never been near as talented as team USA has been able to hang with the past 2 US teams, they dominated inside play!!!

The volume 3 point shooting craze of the past few years is an amusing little gimmick mainly brought on by the absolute DISAPPEARANCE of true dominant low post players that can space the floor for others just by attracting double and triple teams and control the glass on the defensive end. Combine that with the softening of the rules for guards and you have a modern style of play in the NBA which greatly resembles what the international game has been doing for eternity. It would've proved FUTILE against the well-rounded dominant inside-outside teams of 1992 and 96.

People just can't accept the fact that you have BETTER GENERATIONS THAN OTHERS. Take my country Puerto Rico for example, our golden generation came in the mid 80's to early 90's with players like Piculin Ortiz, Jerome Mincy, Jimmy Carter, Ramon Ramos, Ramon Rivas, Mario Quijote Morales, Fico Lopez, Orlando Vega, Eddie Casiano, Raymon Gause, Edgar Leon etc...

Back in the early 90's you could've had a legit argument that after USA, USSR and Yugoslavia, Puerto Rico was the 4th-5th best team IN THE WORLD!!! A small island of 3+ million people in the Caribbean!!!

Where are we now?!? Haven't made the Olympic tournament since Athens in 2004, the national league is in the crapper and the only NBA talent level players we've had in the last 15 years are two shrimps in Carlos Arroyo and Jose Barea!!!

[SamuraiSWISH]

andgar923 killed it. So accurate. People just don't want to hear it.



Hit the nail right on the head. That's exactly why a team like Spain, which has never been near as talented as team USA has been able to hang with the past 2 US teams, they dominated inside play!!!

The volume 3 point shooting craze of the past few years is an amusing little gimmick mainly brought on by the absolute DISAPPEARANCE of true dominant low post players that can space the floor for others just by attracting double and triple teams and control the glass on the defensive end. Combine that with the softening of the rules for guards and you have a modern style of play in the NBA which greatly resembles what the international game has been doing for eternity. It would've proved FUTILE against the well-rounded dominant inside-outside teams of 1992 and 96.
:applause: