US Olympic Squad Still A ‘Dream Team’
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By DERON SNYDER
USA Basketball has announced its preliminary 20-man roster for the 2012 Olympics, and once again, it’s quite an impressive list. Among the players with a shot at representing the United States in London are Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard.
We’ve come a long way since the 2002 World Championships and 2004 Olympics, when the U.S. turned in disappointing performances — finishing sixth and third, respectively — for the first international losses with NBA players. The entire system was overhauled, with former Phoenix Suns executive Jerry Colangelo being named USA Basketball chairman, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski being named coach and prospective players being asked for three-year commitments.
The result was an immediate return to the United States’ self-proclaimed rightful place, No. 1, taking gold in the 2008 Olympics and first place in the 2010 World Championships. But few, if any, observers had the nerve to mention “Dream Team.”
Until now. Colangelo said the 2012 squad is a fair comparison.
