Kobe thinks 2012 Olympic squad could beat "The Dream Team"

Saw this on ESPN.

http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/...l-jordan-laughed-kobe-bryant-dream-team-boast

 

Depends on which rules they use.
If the touch foul flopping rules . . they might have a chance
esp the crap in the paint.

Rocket River

 

"said a smiling Jordan as he sat in a golf cart puffing on his cigar while waiting to tee off."

I can just imagine him doing that. Jordan is such a G.

 

Barkley/Malone and Robinson/Ewing would have destroyed the 2008 or 2012 big men.

 

Let's put aside the physicality and skills and just focus on toughness. Here's my ranking:

1) Jordan
2) Magic
3) Bird
4) Kobe
5) Barkley
6) Stockton
7) Malone
8) Ewing
9) Pippen
10) CP3
11) Drexler
12) Robinson

That's 2 guys from 2012 that make the top 12. This is not retrospective bias here. The Dream Team was full of ornery alpha males led by the most pathologically competitive player of all time. Can you imagine the '12 bigs (Chandler, Bosh, Griffin, Love, and Davis) going up against Barkley, Malone, Ewing? A couple of 'bows from Barkley and Malone and they would be done. People talk about the point guards of '12 as an advantage. Please. Stockton, as much as I hated him, was tough as nails. His dirty play would frustrate the hell out of Paul or Deron as it did back in the day.

 

THIS.:grin:

 

He's fricken smoking that Steve Francis ish...

Gettin used to the finer things

 

Indiana Pacers ‏@Pacers

Larry Bird on whether current Olympic team could beat Dream Team: "They probably could. I haven't played in 20 years and we're all old now."

Larry legend has spoken. :grin:

 

As usual, Kobe is right. The 92 team played basketball in an era when no one outside of America really knew what it was. The defenses they played against were invisible and a lot of the players were part time ballers, part time security guards. So don't look at the 42 pt margin and get your panties wet.

A lot of you are white and haven't ever played with brothers. Believing is all about visualization and taking advantage of matchups, then carrying it out with ruthless aggression. So '92 might know how to play basketball better, have more class, but '12 has the athletic advantage and some unconscious maw****ras in Durant and Paul. It will be similar to this year's Spurs-OKC matchup, with the old timers taking the lead initially but the raw power of guys like LeBron coupled with nasty defenders like Kobe, psycho shot makers in Durant and Love, a dirty thug in Westbrook, and a really speedy bench led by Deron will let '12 pull this one out.

 

:grin:
I guess golf is another game, Dream team can still play

 

If 2012 has CP3 on the floor, it would be because they are running an uptempo game. Obviously Paul couldnt cover Magic. But logicly, Lebron or Iggy or even Harden or Melo would be guarding Magic in any hypothetical. Just because they both played PG doesnt mean CP3 would automatically be guarding Magic. That is ridiculous to suggest because no coach would line up defensively in that manner. Would not happen. Lebron running the point today is a comparable example of that scenario. They dont have DJ Augustin or Jason Kidd or Steve Nash covering Lebron just because he is running the point and facilitating the offense do they? That Magic guarded by Chris Paul argument makes no sense and would never be seen.

 

Who on this team is just far superior athletically to:

Pippen- Elite athlete -age 26 (YOUNGER THAN LEBRON)
Jordan- Elite athlete -age 29 G.O.A.T
Drexler- Elite athlete -age 30 (just 2 years older than Melo & primed)
Robinson- Elite athlete -age 27 Freak athlete

As far as Westbrook being a "dirty thug", dude Malone & Barkley would knock him on his a$$ the 1st time he started flexing and dare him to say anything. Describing Deron Williams as "speedy" is a joke. Stockton is the best (toughest/nastiest) PG Utah ever had.

 

Ronny being a Kobe fan, dare you say something different than your idol.

 

So who would CP3 be guarding?

My point was that if 1992 has a lineup of Magic, Jordan, Pippen, Barkley, and Robinson, CP3 can't guard anyone....especially Magic. He's just too small. Same with Williams and Westbrook. All 3 of them would be on the bench.

 

Good talking, and who the hell is Muller? Chandler is just as good a shot blocker and rebounder as either of Ewing or Admiral. There is just only one true Center on the 2012 squad because the style of play in the current international basketball games dictates that you have fewer large, less mobile players and more hyper-athletic/scoring forward types like Carmelo and Blake Griffin. Of course the 2012 compilation of post players would get destroyed by the Dream Team post players who all turned out to be HOF players, but today's basketball is a very different type of game, with far fewer truly dominant post players in existence compared to when the Dream Team was around. How much greater would the Dream Team have been with a naturalized Hakeem Olajuwon on the roster or a young Shaq, or even Alonzo Mourning as opposed to the ridiculous selection of Christian "I suck at life and everything else" Laettner?

 

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!

You're Delusional. Chandler would get DOMINATED!

LMAO!!!!!!!:grin::grin::grin:

 

They really couldnt effectively guard anyone, but who honestly could keep up with CP3, Williams or Westbrook from the Dream Team? The one thing they are lacking is quick, strong PGs. Stockton, for as tough and dirty and nasty as he was, he does not have the speed to stay in front of any of them defensively. Magic could overpower all of them offensively, but even in his prime couldnt stay in front of a single one of them on the defensive end. My point overall is both teams would have strong advantages on the offensive end and glaring disadvantages on the defensive end.

 

It doesn't matter. 1992 has superior interior defense to mitigate Williams/Paul/Westbrook's penetrating abilities. If Williams/Paul/Westbrook are on the floor, their net effect is negative.

 

One on one the 2012 Defensive player of the year would get dominated??? Someone is delusional, but its not me. I admit that he is the only defensive stopper on the 2012 squad as far as big men go, but he is no slouch on the defensive end. Dont know how he would be dominated, he almost single-handedly propeled Dallas to the championship by introducing a badass defensive presence to that team for the first time. Overmatched by Ewing, Robinson, Barkley, Malone, all of which became HOF'ers...sure he would by himself, but as a defensive player and rebounder one on one, which are his only functions on Team USA, no he would not get dominated. Try again

 

Penetration leading to kickouts to open perimeter shooters everytime down the floor is not a negative effect. Penetrate to cause the defense to collapse downlow, leading to the kickout. Many offenses are built on this very principle, would be a very advantageous strategy for the 2012 squad