If Team USA had a dream team in the 1980's. Here's my lineup.

[Lebron23]

C: Kareem Abdul Jabbar, F: Moses Malone, F:Larry Bird, G: Michael Jordan, G: Magic Johnson. Bench C Robert Parish, F: Kevin Mchale, F: James Worthy, G: Julius Erving, G: Isiah Thomas, F: Alex English, G: Adrian Dantley.

[Lebowski]

I would pick the same as you, but maybe add Chuck and DJ?

Sorry Chief, gotta let you go then :cry:! And AD.

So then its 80's Dream Team vs 92's Dream Team, who wins?

[Phoenix]

I would pick the same as you, but maybe add Chuck and DJ?

Sorry Chief, gotta let you go then :cry:! And AD.

So then its 80's Dream Team vs 92's Dream Team, who wins?

The 80s team and fairly easily. Kareem and Moses in the middle? The peak versions of Magic and Bird, not the past prime shells they were in 92? An ascending MJ? Peak Isiah? That lineup of high scoring forwards?

[bizil]

I would roll with: (guys who had at least 5 All Star type seasons in the 80's to reward some longevity)

PG- Magic
PG- Isiah

SG- MJ
SG- Gervin
SG- Moncrief

SF- Bird
SF- Doc
SF- Nique

PF- Barkley
PF- McHale

C- Cap
C- Moses

[HoopsNY]

smh...once again Hakeem is underrated. How does Parish get the nod but not Hakeem?

[Axe]

How bout drexler

[light]

C: Kareem Abdul Jabbar, F: Moses Malone, F:Larry Bird, G: Michael Jordan, G: Magic Johnson. Bench C Robert Parish, F: Kevin Mchale, F: James Worthy, G: Julius Erving, G: Isiah Thomas, F: Alex English, G: Adrian Dantley.

English and Dantley would not be on that team.

Nique and Barkley would.

[HoopsNY]

English and Dantley would not be on that team.

Nique and Barkley would.

Agreed

[FKAri]

The 80s team and fairly easily. Kareem and Moses in the middle? The peak versions of Magic and Bird, not the past prime shells they were in 92? An ascending MJ? Peak Isiah? That lineup of high scoring forwards?

Pick a year. It's way too easy to pick and choose any version of these guys across a 10 year span. I suggest we do 82. Thus providing a 10 year gap from the 92 team to allow for a more differentiated roster.

[bizil]

smh...once again Hakeem is underrated. How does Parish get the nod but not Hakeem?

Because Dream wasn't a US citizen in the 80's. He didn't become a US citizen until the 90's. That's why he wasn't on the '92 Dream Team. But he was on the 96 Olympic squad because he was a US citizen at that point!

[bizil]

The US wasn't playing in the Olympics in the 1980. But if we say '84 the pros could eligible, I would roll with: (would play after the 83-84 season)

PG- Magic
PG- Zeke

SG - Gervin
SG- Moncrief
SG- Toney

SF- Doc
SF- King
SF- English

PF- Bird (PF was his primary position in 83-84 because Kev was 6th man of the year off the bench)
PF- McHale


C- Moses
C- Kareem

For '88 (after 87-88 season)

PG- Magic
PG- Zeke

SG- MJ
SG- Drexler
SG- Ellis

SF- Bird
SF- Nique
SF- Worthy

PF- Barkley
PF- McHale

C- Ewing
C- Kareem (obviously past his prime. But will be his goodbye on the international stage. More of Lifetime Achievement pick)

[WhiteKyrie]

88, 96, and 2004 teams would've been absurd if all major players played, while all being in their absolute primes.

[Lebron23]

smh...once again Hakeem is underrated. How does Parish get the nod but not Hakeem?

Not yet a US Citizen.

[Phoenix]

Pick a year. It's way too easy to pick and choose any version of these guys across a 10 year span. I suggest we do 82. Thus providing a 10 year gap from the 92 team to allow for a more differentiated roster.

Yeah you're right, I thought about that after the fact. All those guys were at different stages through the decade so it's not like you're going to end up with a situation where you get 80 Kareem, 83 Moses, 86 Bird, 87 Magic, 88 MJ all on one squad. I would go with 87 though. Kareem and Moses were still enough of a force to hold down the middle, but you got Magic and Bird at their apex with 87 MJ being a full realized superstar at that point. Plus guys like Isiah and Mchale being on top of their games. Dr. J was 37 so he'd probably be more an honorary choice but you'd have to include him for the same reasons you had Magic and Bird on the 92 team.

For the purposes of int'l ball, having the 87 versions of Bird and Magic on top of their game is IMO more important than having 82 Kareem and Moses at the level they were, because 87 Kareem and Moses would still be enough to hold down the middle. Or you could go a few years earlier like 85 but then you're talking about MJ being a rookie ( though he had already proved his mettle in the 84 Olympics).

[HoopsNY]

Because Dream wasn't a US citizen in the 80's. He didn't become a US citizen until the 90's. That's why he wasn't on the '92 Dream Team. But he was on the 96 Olympic squad because he was a US citizen at that point!

Very good point. I completely forgot about that.

[Phoenix]

For '88 (after 87-88 season)

PG- Magic
PG- Zeke

SG- MJ
SG- Drexler
SG- Ellis

SF- Bird
SF- Nique
SF- Worthy

PF- Barkley
PF- McHale

C- Ewing
C- Kareem (obviously past his prime. But will be his goodbye on the international stage. More of Lifetime Achievement pick)

Yeah I'd roll with something like that too. I said 87 but the picks would mostly be the same. That's an insane lineup for the forwards.