The Dream Team

[Snaggletiger]

In my mandatory 10 minutes of Finebaum on my way home yesterday, he was interviewing SI writer, Jack McCallum (sp?) about his book "The Dream Team".  On the 20th anniversary of that team, he decided to do a book on the experience as he covered them all those years ago.  Never has been and never will be a greater collection of talent and names that will last forever IMO.  Some on here in their 20's might not understand the significance of these names and how much they meant to basketball and sports in general. Even the "subs" are Hall of Famers.  Think about it (Just off memory)

Magic
Michael
Bird
Barkley
Karl Malone
John Stockton
Patrick Ewing
Clyde Drexler
David Robinson

Missing a few but you get the idea.  The intersting thing about the interview was how McCallum repeatedly said how Sir Charles was the biggest ambassador for the US over there.  He was literally the only member of that team who consistently went out and talked to people and made friends.  He did throw a nasty elbow in the first game that almost started a bench clearing brawl but McCallumm said Charles was the man from that point on.

In the interview, it brought back also just how damn good Barkley really was for a stretch.  He won the MVP the next year in 93' and was regarded as the second best player in the world after Jordan.  PF said that he and Barkley were talking a lot during that time period and Barkley told him one time that he was better than Jordan.  Don't know about better...different..and incredibly bad ass in his own way.  Just found the interview entertaining with a lot of Barkley talk.  I may pick up the book.
 

[AU_Tiger_2000]

SI had an excerpt from the book about a month ago.  Pretty good.  The excerpt was about a closed intrasquad scrimmage that was played in Monaco about a month before the Olympics started.  Stockton and Drexler were injured so they played 5 on 5 for the equivalent of an NBA half.  Apparently from the article there was a lot of trash talking going on.

Imagine, 9 of the best players of all time (and Laettner) playing balls out for bragging rights in a game with no fans, no TV, and on Italian referee.  Of course Jordan's team won, and apparently Magic Johnson still holds a grudge.

Based on the excerpt I would recommend the book.

[AU_Tiger_2000]

Magic
Michael
Bird
Barkley
Karl Malone
John Stockton
Patrick Ewing
Clyde Drexler
David Robinson

Chris Mullin
Christian Laettner
Scottie Pippen

According to Bill Simmons The Book of Basketball (excellent for NBA fans) after MJ and Magic Scottie was the first player they knew they had to have.  Barkley was on of the question marks for the people picking the team (I want to say Jerry Colangelo was chair of USA basketball) for fear that he would go crazy in Europe and kill someone in a barroom brawl.