Quote:
|
Originally Posted by ty
Honestly, I don't really understand the whole "We need role players" theory for Team USA. Who was a role player on the first Dream Team? Christian Laettner I guess? =/
|
Well for one thing, the level of competition was significantly lower in 1992; the foreign teams weren't nearly as used to playing against NBA level talent, and weren't as well prepared. In case you hadn't noticed, that has changed. The international teams are, if anything, better prepared now than the cut-and-paste approach used by Team USA in the past.
The "Dream Team" was so good because, in part, because in any given game, one or more of the superstars would give up some of their game. The people running Team USA seemed to've gotten the message. Hinrich and Battier are exactly what an international team needs--not pinheads like Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire.