Jordan And Barkley Respond To Kobe’s Comments That The 2012 Olympic Team Would Beat The Dream Team
CBS SPorts – Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley, two key members of USA Basketball’s 1992 “Dream Team,” have smacked down an assertion by Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant that the 2012 USA Basketball team could beat the Barcelona gold medalists. Yahoo Sports notes that Bryant told reporters in Las Vegas that he thought his London Olympics teammates could “pull it out” against the 1992 squad. “Well, just from a basketball standpoint, they obviously have a lot more size than we do — you know, with [David] Robinson and [Patrick] Ewing and [Karl] Malone and those guys,” Bryant said. “But they were also — some of those wing players — were also a lot older, at kind of the end of their careers. We have just a bunch of young racehorses, guys that are eager to compete. “So I don’t know,” Bryant continued, the trace of a smile beginning to play its way across his face. “It’d be a tough one, but I think we’d pull it out.”
The Associated Press reports Jordan’s response.
Jordan told The Associated Press Thursday that he laughed – “I absolutely laughed” – when hearing Bryant’s comments that the squad training in Las Vegas could take Jordan and company.
Jordan said there’s “no comparison” which team is better.
“For him to compare those two teams is not one of the smarter things he ever could have done,” Jordan said prior playing in a celebrity golf tournament in Charlotte.
ESPN.com reported Barkley’s response, given to Philadelphia radio station 97.5, which was similar.
“Oh yeah, that’s no disrespect,” Barkley said. “I ain’t got to badmouth them. But like I said, their point guards weren’t going to beat us. That’s a no-brainer.”
“I just started laughing,” Barkley said. “How old is Kobe Bryant? He’s 34? And he’s calling us old? At the time, we were only like 28, 29. Michael Jordan and me were the same age. We were both 29. … Other than Kobe, LeBron (James) and Kevin Durant, I don’t think anybody else on that team makes our team.“
I know Kobe was just trying to talk up his own team. And I know that nobody on the planet earth except for Mo agrees with him. So I’m not gonna sit here and go through all the reasons why a team filled out with Tyson Chandler, Andre Iguodola, James Harden and Lamarcus Aldridge couldn’t hang with 11 Hall of Famers.
I just love the fact that Jordan and Barkley had no problem laughing in his face. Like a handful of the other superstars would have been polite and supportive of Team USA and would have spun it to say they are cheering on America to win a Gold Medal. Instead Jordan and Barkley are just like “These guys fucking suck.” Love it. Two of the most competitive monsters ever. I feel like you could throw the Dream Team on the court present day and they’d still be able to compete with these soft ass superstars of the NBA now. Lebron and Westbrook and Carmelo are more concerned with their pre and post game outfits and Dwight Howard is busy trying to force a trade to Team Canada. It would be the Greatest Basketball Team Of All Time vs some athletic prima donnas.
PS – Chris Mullin looks like someone spread cream cheese all over his body.
Thats what’s different. Players back then call a spade a spade and today players want to fuck each other… literally. for pleasure.
lol @ chris mullin comment
All I know is that the girls in London better keep their buttholes tight, Kobe is single and on his way over the pond.
Pretty sure I spent 5 hours at work today arguing with someone who actually agrees with Mo like I was in the Twilight Zone.
2012 > 1992 all day every day
mullin doesn’t even look like a real person, hilarious.
Mullin was the basis for the design of the engineers in Prometheus
UtahGiveMeTwo is under ten years old
@utahgivemetwo – if youre talking about downloading speed on the internet for porn then hell yes! if youre talking about USA Men’s Olympic Basketball Teams…well like i told Mo – you never go full-retard bro…..
I realize KFC does this for a living and I should expect him to be funny, but the random cream cheese comment was so….<insert whatever word you want>….freaking hysterical. A+
Prometheus comment about Mullin is so fuckin right on
Cream cheese was fire, but the Dwight Howard trade to team Canada line was solid gold. Also, KFC’s spot on with the point. Kobe thinks they’d pull it out?? Pull what out? Dream Team’s HIV infested dick after they anal rape them?
ESPN simulated 10,000 games between these two teams and 2012 won 46% of the time. It’s not a ridiculous discussion to have.
This might be a little too obscure… but Mullins looks just like Percy who bullied Roger Klotz in an episode of Doug.
http://dougfunniesjournal.tumblr.com/post/3357838883/episode-21-part-1-doug-saves-roger
mitch it is kind of hard to get a true sample to throw into a computer when players like blake griffin and dwight howard and predator have never gone against players like ewing robinson malone and charles in their prime. howard cries enough as it is… what happens when they play against players that can hit the same shots they can and push back on defense? ewing would remove the tape holding his dick to his thigh and promptly mollywop every one of them.
meant monkey not mitch sorry for that
Mo is an idiot. For proof you can reference any one of his blogs written during the Celtics v. 6ers series. And don’t get me started on his knowledge of football. Just a total stiff.
Either way, I’m rooting for 1992 because they had white guys on the team.
Love the D Howard to Team Canada line.. 92′ squad wins easy
monkey using a computer simulation to back up the argument might be the dumbest thing ever said on this site, and that’s including mo’s retarded blog about this
Rodney King played for team USA? Oh hold up that’s Karl Malone
Way to fuck up the flag hanging.
if you take the 2012 team over the dream team, then you just aren’t old enough to make any legit argument. it’s just that simple.
People who take the 2012 team over the dream team must not remember that the dream team had their own 6’9 265 monster that dunked on everyone viciously http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVnBIIlCJKo
92 team had 3 of the top 5 players of all time. They could have run these guys off the court with laetner at center. No it is a joke and it’s not worth the discussion
FWIS I just did a Best of 7 Simulation out of curiosity http://98ontheblack.com/2012/07/12/is-kobe-full-of-crap-the-dream-team-vs-the-2012-us-mens-olympic-team/
HOW ABOUT THIS BALL PLAYERS HAD SOME CLASS BACK THEN! FUCK KOBE AND THE LAKERS
People haven’t even mentioned John Stockton, Besides Lebron and Durant and kobe. Barkley is right, noone else is even on the team. the 1992 team was a perfect mix of talent.
this team is perfect mix of douchebags. minus Durant. Plus todays game is so soft.
1992 wasn’t the 60′s. I think it was the true golden era of the NBA.
You’re right, a computer simulation is no where near as precise as your gut feeling on the matter.
Monkey,
It’s not a gut feeling, its observing the talent on the field and using common sense. Something that monkeys seam to lack. Freaking Carmelo Anthony, the poor man’s Dominique. Didn’t see Wilkins in the Olympic team though.
“2012 would rout 1992…20 years of human evolution equals bigger, strong, faster, and more athletic basketball players… for christ sake, if you watch highlights from ’92, a behind the back pass was unbelievable!!..Half the ’92 team might not even be able to dunk a basketball, but today you got wade throwing 75 ft alley oops down the court to lebron who’s 3-ft above the rim….plain and simple, anybody who is saying ’92 team wins is old as fuk and probably havnt picked up a basketball in 10-20 years…end of demo”
This is what Bird had to say
Larry Bird on whether current Olympic team could beat dream team: “They probably could. I havent played in 20 years and we’re all old now”
If you’re going to call someone out for lack of intelligence, you should probably make sure you spell “seem” correctly. Also I’m not sure that Dominique Wilkins is your best argument. My point is that this would be an interesting game. Lebron and Durant would score quite easily on 92, while Jordan and Robinson/Ewing would do the same on the other end. It would by no means be a blowout.
@nycmsr – half the 92 team may not be able to dunk a basketball? if youre going to call people who think the 92 team would win old as fuck then its pretty clear you are dumb as fuck. good luck with tyson fucking chandler as your starting center….
@ezbreezy – listen maybe that was a little harsh, but its frustrating to hear that people don’t believe the game of basketball hasn’t gotten considerably better over the past 20 years…i realize athleticism isnt everything, but when you got guys like bird, magic, mullin, and stockton who cant get more than 2 inches off the ground, how the hell are they going to get their shots off against guys who are 6’9 with 35-40 inch verticals??? I have watched the ’92 highlight real from those olympics, and it made me feel old because the game looked so much slower than todays game. On a relative basis, ’92 team was definitely more dominate, but if that team got in a time portal and played in todays game, it wouldn’t be fair. In ’92 there was significantly less emphasis on sports nutrition and working out, they would be at a considerable disadvantage.
P.S- just for the record, i think Jordan would still be the best player on the court
so you list the 3 white guys who werent great athletes (but obviously great skill players) to make your point about athleticism? how about Jordan Pippen and Drexler? how were their verticals? or how about the size and strength of Ewing, Robinson, and Malone? basketball hasnt gotten “considerably better”, if anything its gotten worse with the current style of NBA basketball – isolation, insane traveling/palming not enforced, ticky tack defensive fouls every 10 seconds, ect. The athletes are slightly better but thats about it. oh and how brave of you to claim the greatest player ever in the middle of his prime would be the best basketball player on the court in that game! but i guess P90X and power bars give the edge to the 2012 team, right?
i mean how on earth did Larry Bird get a single shot off his entire career? cause opponents clearly put their best and most athletic defender on him night in and night out for nearly 13 years. its amazing him and his 2 inch vertical managed to get any shots off let alone score just under 22,000 points while having a FG% of 50.
im willing to bet EZ is some fat 40 year old white guy who has never even played the game…athleticism trumps size everyday and twice on sundays…you have no clue
Kinda like what if Super Man fought Mighty Mouse! Who cares! It’s basketball and anyone over 25 with more than $5,000 of net worth could care less. Masterbate elsewhere gaylords.
awww dont start crying bro, im 28 and i definitely played the game my whole life, and i cleary understand it better than you. now go watch your And1 mixtape dvds and be amazed at how awesome that windmill dunk is that actually counts for as many points as a mid-range jumper does
These games wouldn’t be as lopsided as people think. Kobe said they could hang. He didnt say they’d kill them. Ya the 92 team had way mroe size. But this team has speed and could play small ball. MJ covers Kobe, Paul/Westbrook covered by STockton or Magic? that woudl be a nightmare for 92 team. Put Pippen on LBJ, good matchup. Barkley on Durant? I think Durant lights him up (He migh tbe the best pure scorere I’ve ever seen) but ok lets say it’s a toss up. And then the 5 spot woudl probably be dominated by the 92 Team. But come on. Those aren’t HUGE misamatches. People just get way to nostalgic abtou the old timers. Also the rules and refereeing style woudl play a huge factor. And Kryzszewski is ten times the coach Nelson was.
westwool – Kobe is 34, Mj was 29 in 1992. As much as Westbrook/CP3 would have speed on Magic you think Magic being 6’9 on those shrimps might be a problem for them on the other end? If you think Durant is playing the 4 and lighting it up on the offensive end what do you think will happen to his stick figure body on D when Barkley or Malone take him to the block? and the 5 spot would “probably” go to the 92 team? umm you think? Chandler vs. Ewing and Robinson would be a massacre. its not nostalgia at all, i actually hated virtually everyone on the 92 team with a passion outside of Bird. its looking at the matchups and the current team has the advantage at the SF position and thats it
add on top of that the mindset of the 92 team was vicious. those guys were fucking dickhead maniacs who would literally punch their mothers in the face for a W. todays stars (outside of maybe Kobe and KG) are more concerned with their post game outfits, their shoe contracts, and being buddy buddy with their opponents than doing whatever it takes to obliterate their opponents. if this match up really happened i would fully expect barkley, malone, or ewing to send a guy from 2012 team off in a stretcher. not saying that for effect, i truly believe it.
I agree, the 92 team woudl win a 7 game series. Probably in 6. But lets not act liek Durant cant just drop 50 one game and win. It’s annoyign that people think 92 tteam woudl win 100% of the time. It’s ridiculous really. AND (and I HATE saying this) you didnt mention LBJ in your whoel analysis. Pippen was a great defender I give him that. But we just saw what LBJ is capable of. I dont know if theres a perimeter defender EVER that could get in front of LBJ wit a full head of steam. Let’s all admit that LBJ is a one of a kind freak athlete the likes of which we have never seen before. Your sayign LBJ and Durant can’t steal a game a piece?
One thikn LBJ never gets credit for is beign a physically tough mother fucker. The dude neevr gets hurt. He’s so physically imposing. And I fuckign hate that I am sittign here defendign how awesoem he is, trust me.
@weststool – he’d have a much better chance of being recognized for his toughness if he didnt flop like a faggot all the time and cry to the refs everytime his gets touched. obviously his durability is great, he never gets hurt (crossing fingers) but with all his flopping and crying its tough to look at him as “tough” in the same light you’d look at say a barkley, malone, ewing type player. physical specimen – yes. tough guy you should fear – no.