Which year 2000 and onward could Team USA have come closest to the Dream Team if the best players all went?

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Which year 2000 and onward could Team USA have come closest to the Dream Team if the best players all went? 

Post#1 » by ardee » Sat Jul 6, 2024 5:00 am

I think it would be 2016.

Steph Curry/Chris Paul/Kyrie Irving
James Harden/Russell Westbrook/Klay Thompson
Kevin Durant/Jimmy Butler
LeBron James/Kawhi Leonard
Anthony Davis/Draymond Green

Near peak LeBron is close to '92 MJ, then Steph is arguably better than anyone else on the '92 roster. Just tons of great great players at or near their peaks.

Imagine a death lineup of Steph-Kawhi-Durant-LeBron-Draymond.
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Re: Which year 2000 and onward could Team USA have come closest to the Dream Team if the best players all went? 

Post#2 » by Heej » Sat Jul 6, 2024 2:06 pm

I'll die on the hill that the full 2016 roster demolishes every team that existed. I'm sure 2028 or 2032 has some straight killer lineups with how the talent is looking coming in to the league. The current USA U17 crop is f***in nasty. Redeem Team possibly beats Dream Team as well imo although the bigs on the Dream Team were better while the Redeem Team had slightly better guard play with Peakish Kobe/CP/Wade along with better wings in Bron and Melo.
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Re: Which year 2000 and onward could Team USA have come closest to the Dream Team if the best players all went? 

Post#3 » by homecourtloss » Sat Jul 6, 2024 11:01 pm

ardee wrote:I think it would be 2016.

Steph Curry/Chris Paul/Kyrie Irving
James Harden/Russell Westbrook/Klay Thompson
Kevin Durant/Jimmy Butler
LeBron James/Kawhi Leonard
Anthony Davis/Draymond Green

Near peak LeBron is close to '92 MJ, then Steph is arguably better than anyone else on the '92 roster. Just tons of great great players at or near their peaks.

Imagine a death lineup of Steph-Kawhi-Durant-LeBron-Draymond.


There are several LeBron seasons ahead of 1992 Jordan’s, 2016 LeBron being one of them.

As of the question, many, many teams especially if we’re playing with a 3pt line.
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Re: Which year 2000 and onward could Team USA have come closest to the Dream Team if the best players all went? 

Post#4 » by falcolombardi » Sun Jul 7, 2024 4:56 am

That the question automatically dismisses 92 team losing tells you how mythologized it is lol

If you asked people which modern world cup winner would come closer to beating pele's brazil the obvious answer would be "every one" and so and so in every sport but basketball somehow

Seemingly the only sport that misteriously peaked in a specific 15 year period before everyone forgot how to play it
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Re: Which year 2000 and onward could Team USA have come closest to the Dream Team if the best players all went? 

Post#5 » by Buckets22 » Sun Jul 7, 2024 9:53 am

possible 2002 World Cup team:

C: Shaq, Duncan
PF: KG, Webber
SF: Vince, TMac, Pierce
SG: Kobe, Ray Allen, MJ
PG: Kidd, AI
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Re: Which year 2000 and onward could Team USA have come closest to the Dream Team if the best players all went? 

Post#6 » by ardee » Sun Jul 7, 2024 10:09 am

Heej wrote:I'll die on the hill that the full 2016 roster demolishes every team that existed. I'm sure 2028 or 2032 has some straight killer lineups with how the talent is looking coming in to the league. The current USA U17 crop is f***in nasty. Redeem Team possibly beats Dream Team as well imo although the bigs on the Dream Team were better while the Redeem Team had slightly better guard play with Peakish Kobe/CP/Wade along with better wings in Bron and Melo.


Would you have the 2016 roster any different than what I put together?

I agree that the combination of defense, length, passing and shooting with Steph/Kawhi/Durant/LeBron/Draymond is just unbelievable.

The Dream Team would likely run Magic/Jordan/Pippen/Malone/Robinson against them (nowhere to hide Barkley). They do have a big size advantage up front on paper, but I think LeBron can guard Malone full time with less offensive responsibilities, and despite the height disadvantage I'd trust Draymond on Robinson who isn't even the primary offensive threat for his team here. You also can't ask for anyone better than Kawhi on Jordan.

On the other end, Jordan would likely need to guard Steph, and Malone would have to be on LeBron since they can't put him on a better shooter.

Yeah, I think that 2016 team generates enough mismatches to win it.
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Re: Which year 2000 and onward could Team USA have come closest to the Dream Team if the best players all went? 

Post#7 » by CodeBreaker » Sun Jul 7, 2024 10:34 am

ardee wrote:Imagine a death lineup of Steph-Kawhi-Durant-LeBron-Draymond.

AD over Draymond

And you got a Warriors-like line up on steroids.
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Re: Which year 2000 and onward could Team USA have come closest to the Dream Team if the best players all went? 

Post#8 » by Heej » Sun Jul 14, 2024 2:37 pm

ardee wrote:
Heej wrote:I'll die on the hill that the full 2016 roster demolishes every team that existed. I'm sure 2028 or 2032 has some straight killer lineups with how the talent is looking coming in to the league. The current USA U17 crop is f***in nasty. Redeem Team possibly beats Dream Team as well imo although the bigs on the Dream Team were better while the Redeem Team had slightly better guard play with Peakish Kobe/CP/Wade along with better wings in Bron and Melo.


Would you have the 2016 roster any different than what I put together?

I agree that the combination of defense, length, passing and shooting with Steph/Kawhi/Durant/LeBron/Draymond is just unbelievable.

The Dream Team would likely run Magic/Jordan/Pippen/Malone/Robinson against them (nowhere to hide Barkley). They do have a big size advantage up front on paper, but I think LeBron can guard Malone full time with less offensive responsibilities, and despite the height disadvantage I'd trust Draymond on Robinson who isn't even the primary offensive threat for his team here. You also can't ask for anyone better than Kawhi on Jordan.

On the other end, Jordan would likely need to guard Steph, and Malone would have to be on LeBron since they can't put him on a better shooter.

Yeah, I think that 2016 team generates enough mismatches to win it.

Honestly only other change I would make is dropping Westbrook for another big man. Boogie, Lamarcus, and maybe even Andre Drummond could probably contribute more on that specific roster. But other than that it's what I picture when I think of the best hypothetical US Mens' team I've seen so far
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Re: Which year 2000 and onward could Team USA have come closest to the Dream Team if the best players all went? 

Post#9 » by SportsGuru08 » Fri Jul 26, 2024 12:57 am

ardee wrote:
Heej wrote:I'll die on the hill that the full 2016 roster demolishes every team that existed. I'm sure 2028 or 2032 has some straight killer lineups with how the talent is looking coming in to the league. The current USA U17 crop is f***in nasty. Redeem Team possibly beats Dream Team as well imo although the bigs on the Dream Team were better while the Redeem Team had slightly better guard play with Peakish Kobe/CP/Wade along with better wings in Bron and Melo.


Would you have the 2016 roster any different than what I put together?

I agree that the combination of defense, length, passing and shooting with Steph/Kawhi/Durant/LeBron/Draymond is just unbelievable.

The Dream Team would likely run Magic/Jordan/Pippen/Malone/Robinson against them (nowhere to hide Barkley). They do have a big size advantage up front on paper, but I think LeBron can guard Malone full time with less offensive responsibilities, and despite the height disadvantage I'd trust Draymond on Robinson who isn't even the primary offensive threat for his team here. You also can't ask for anyone better than Kawhi on Jordan.

On the other end, Jordan would likely need to guard Steph, and Malone would have to be on LeBron since they can't put him on a better shooter.

Yeah, I think that 2016 team generates enough mismatches to win it.



Pippen would guard LeBron, which puts Malone or Barkley on a non-threat like Draymond and turns Robinson into a rover on defense.

LeBron couldn't guard David West effectively. Malone and Barkley would make mince meat out of him.

Jordan usually torched taller defenders; if anything it was guys like Dumars, Maxwell, Payton, etc who gave him the most trouble at that end. Kawhi wouldn't be as much of a problem for him as you'd think. The reason he's so effective against guys like LeBron and Giannis is because neither of those guys has a reliable jumpshot.

Also, FIBA is much closer to 90s rules than modern rules, so that favors the Dream Team.
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Re: Which year 2000 and onward could Team USA have come closest to the Dream Team if the best players all went? 

Post#10 » by SportsGuru08 » Fri Jul 26, 2024 12:58 am

SportsGuru08 wrote:
ardee wrote:
Heej wrote:I'll die on the hill that the full 2016 roster demolishes every team that existed. I'm sure 2028 or 2032 has some straight killer lineups with how the talent is looking coming in to the league. The current USA U17 crop is f***in nasty. Redeem Team possibly beats Dream Team as well imo although the bigs on the Dream Team were better while the Redeem Team had slightly better guard play with Peakish Kobe/CP/Wade along with better wings in Bron and Melo.


Would you have the 2016 roster any different than what I put together?

I agree that the combination of defense, length, passing and shooting with Steph/Kawhi/Durant/LeBron/Draymond is just unbelievable.

The Dream Team would likely run Magic/Jordan/Pippen/Malone/Robinson against them (nowhere to hide Barkley). They do have a big size advantage up front on paper, but I think LeBron can guard Malone full time with less offensive responsibilities, and despite the height disadvantage I'd trust Draymond on Robinson who isn't even the primary offensive threat for his team here. You also can't ask for anyone better than Kawhi on Jordan.

On the other end, Jordan would likely need to guard Steph, and Malone would have to be on LeBron since they can't put him on a better shooter.

Yeah, I think that 2016 team generates enough mismatches to win it.



Pippen would guard LeBron, which puts Malone or Barkley on a non-threat like Draymond and turns Robinson into a rover on defense.

LeBron couldn't guard David West effectively. Malone and Barkley would make mince meat out of him.

The 2016 team doesn't have anywhere to hide Curry.

Jordan usually torched taller defenders; if anything it was guys like Dumars, Maxwell, Payton, etc who gave him the most trouble at that end. Kawhi wouldn't be as much of a problem for him as you'd think. The reason he's so effective against guys like LeBron and Giannis is because neither of those guys has a reliable jumpshot.

Also, FIBA is much closer to 90s rules than modern rules, so that favors the Dream Team.
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Re: Which year 2000 and onward could Team USA have come closest to the Dream Team if the best players all went? 

Post#11 » by Heej » Fri Jul 26, 2024 3:16 am

SportsGuru08 wrote:
SportsGuru08 wrote:
ardee wrote:
Would you have the 2016 roster any different than what I put together?

I agree that the combination of defense, length, passing and shooting with Steph/Kawhi/Durant/LeBron/Draymond is just unbelievable.

The Dream Team would likely run Magic/Jordan/Pippen/Malone/Robinson against them (nowhere to hide Barkley). They do have a big size advantage up front on paper, but I think LeBron can guard Malone full time with less offensive responsibilities, and despite the height disadvantage I'd trust Draymond on Robinson who isn't even the primary offensive threat for his team here. You also can't ask for anyone better than Kawhi on Jordan.

On the other end, Jordan would likely need to guard Steph, and Malone would have to be on LeBron since they can't put him on a better shooter.

Yeah, I think that 2016 team generates enough mismatches to win it.



Pippen would guard LeBron, which puts Malone or Barkley on a non-threat like Draymond and turns Robinson into a rover on defense.

LeBron couldn't guard David West effectively. Malone and Barkley would make mince meat out of him.

The 2016 team doesn't have anywhere to hide Curry.

Jordan usually torched taller defenders; if anything it was guys like Dumars, Maxwell, Payton, etc who gave him the most trouble at that end. Kawhi wouldn't be as much of a problem for him as you'd think. The reason he's so effective against guys like LeBron and Giannis is because neither of those guys has a reliable jumpshot.

Also, FIBA is much closer to 90s rules than modern rules, so that favors the Dream Team.

So much wrong in this post it's actually comical I'll keep this concise.

1. Pippen Malone Barkley get torched by Lebron KD and Kawhi far worse than vice versa

2. Robinson can't be a rover on defense if he's not guarding Draymond and curry would play the other 2 off the floor in pick and roll if they guarded Dray. None of those bigs are safe from curry.

3. 2016 Kawhi had the lateral quickness to stick wildly shifty point guards in his era, he'd be fine against Jordan LMAO. Also Jordan hated zone rules, which brings me to my last point:

4. You're disqualified from me ever considering you worth my time continuing this discussion with if you think fiba rules are closer to the 90s than they are now. FIBA has zone rules, the 90s had illegal defense rules :lol:

P.S. if your first reaction to that point is "b-b-b-but muh handchecking!" then it further reinforces what a waste of time further discussion would be. Only casuals are ignorant to the fact that everyone in the league armbars on drives now
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Re: Which year 2000 and onward could Team USA have come closest to the Dream Team if the best players all went? 

Post#12 » by tsherkin » Fri Jul 26, 2024 3:21 am

SportsGuru08 wrote:LeBron couldn't guard David West effectively.


Because he had one good series in 2014? That seems a bit of a stretch.
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Re: Which year 2000 and onward could Team USA have come closest to the Dream Team if the best players all went? 

Post#13 » by Morb » Fri Jul 26, 2024 1:28 pm

Holy 2003.
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