The Dream Team?

Yo, I come from a town that has zero professional sports teams. None. Do you know what that shit is like as a kid? With that in mind, college sports are GOD and professional sports are 2nd tier to me. I mean dont get me wrong, Vicklanta is going to the super bowl this year, and I am going to be hyped because i called that shit early, but I could give a fuck about pro sports other than NFL. Especially NBA. NBA basketball can eat a fat one.

In Atlanta, there is zero support for the NBA team here. I mean, with a stunning 28W-54L season, a losing road and home record, and the only good player Jason Terry hitting right around 40% of his shots, our team needs some serious fucking draft if they want to even think about cracking the top half of their division. The only way they could sell season tix last year was to package them with popular teams who came here. Go Hawks!

But my beef is not with the Hawks. My beef is with the NBA Dream Team. In the old days, only college ballers were allowed to compete in the Olympic Games for basketball. Although the scores were somewhat pitiful early on, the USA won straight gold from 1936-1976. skipped 1980. lost one in 1988. Then all the rules changed....just when another country (namely Russia) had taken out the USA's historical run on gold, we switched up the rules so that all players, professional and college, could play in the olympics.

Check out this roster for the 1992 dream team: Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Earvin Johnson, Michael Jordan, Christian Laettner, Karl Malone, Chris Mullin, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, and John Stockton. Now I dont know shit about NBA, but I do know that these guys were the fucking all stars in 1992.

Fast forward to present day Olympics games. 2004 Olympics being held in the original homeland, the mecca of Olympic sports, athens greece. The world is in a fray, war torn, and threat of terrorist activity on the rise in foreign countries. Big name events are all considered targets...especially with the olympics violent history of kidnappings, bombings, etc. 12 years prior, NBA stars werent even asked to compete in the worlds greatest games. If you ask me, admitting the NBA into the olympics was the worst move ever.

Sure, it was awesome that the entire country supported the baddest ass players from the NBA. I think its a sick team and its awesome that they kicked everyones ass. But with even a hint of danger, which of course is all suspect, NBA players are dropping like flies from the Olympics.

Here is a list of the original 2004 Paycheck Players team: Ray Allen, Tim Duncan, Jason Kidd, Tracy McGrady, Mike Bibby, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Jermaine O'Neal. Of these nine, only 2 are left...AI and Duncan. Since then, all other players have dropped out for one excuse or another. Citing terrorist concerns is a fucking cop out and they know it. How fucking greedy are these guys that they cant do something for honor instead of the dollar? After more rounds of invites, even more NBA players declined the nomination. Shaq, Richard Hamilton, Ben Wallace, KG, Vince Carter...the list goes on and on. story1 story2

The Notorious BIG once said: "Either you're slingin' crack-rock, or you've got a wicked jump-shot. Nobody wants to work for it anymore. There's no honor in taking that after school job at Mickey Dee's, honor's in the dollar, kid."

I have no idea how this is pertinent, but the point is, the idea of a dream team died in the 90s. There is no honor in backing down from a challenge so you can eek out a few more mil in the safe confines of the USA. Go to the olympic games and show the world we can still ball like the bad boys of old. pussies.