The Not-So-Dream Team

What happened to the good old days? Like back in 1992, when Jeffrey Dahmer pleaded guilty to murder and when Jay Leno took over for Johnny Carson. \nOK, I won’t lie. I don’t really remember those events. I was only five years old. But there is one thing I do remember from that year: the “Dream Team.”. \nThe Dream Team was the U.S. Olympic basketball team made up of players like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, John Stockton, David Robinson, Clyde Drexler and Magic Johnson. \nThe Dream Team didn’t just win the 1992 Olympics – it dominated everyone that stepped on the floor with it. The other teams didn’t deserve to share the floor with the Dream Team, and they knew it.\nYou know you have the mental edge over a team when your opponents are asking for autographs during warm-ups.\nBut that was then, and this is now.\nNow the rest of the world has caught up. Now they can compete. Now they can win. And now, it’s time for us to do something about it.\nThe U.S. team is competing in the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship to try to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. This is the first time the U.S. has even had to qualify. Though things look pretty certain, the team shouldn’t even be in this situation.\nIt’s time for NBA players to man up and take responsibility for their downfall in international play. International rules favor the NBA players. The three-point line is closer and the goaltending rule is more lenient. We should at least be winning, if not dominating international play. \nBut the team’s lack of heart and patriotism has led players to back out because of minor injuries and to the U.S. forced put together a team of some good players – and some mediocre players.\nThis year, the U.S. is going to go for the gold with a Kobe, LeBron and Carmelo trio. But is it enough?\nThe “Miracle on Ice” at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y., proved that a team can beat talent. Even heart alone can beat talent. The best team doews not always win.\nThe American squad will arguably be the best team in the Olympics – if they make it that far. Some might call them the favorite. But before I can even say I have faith in them to win, they need to get off their high horse. They need to start respecting opponents and understanding that they won’t be handed a medal. \nEveryone is gunning for them. Think of the U.S. team as Adam Banks and the rest of the world as Wolf “the Dentist” Stansson. The world will do anything possible to get the win. Let’s just hope that it doesn’t take a beating for the U.S. team to realize this isn’t going to be a walk in the park. \nWe’ve lost enough, and we are losing at our own game. The fans have had enough. Let’s show the international sports community why it’s a privilege to play basketball in America.\nThis squad may not be the Dream Team, but it’s still time for them to step up and start dominating again. No game should come down to the wire, because I’m not so sure we have a Julie “the Cat” Gaffney ready to be the hero.