Kobe Dreaming? Part 3: On Guard

George | July 15, 2012 | 0 Comments

We have looked at the centers and forwards and so far the Dream Team holds the advantage. They have a clear advantage on the blocks but today’s Olympic squad carries a slight advantage at the Small Forward position with Lebron and Durant, only because of Bird’s bad back. The final piece of the puzzle are the guys who control the ball. Let’s take a look at the two guard positions. Again, the fairest way to evaluate the teams are to take the regular season stats to see where they stood/stand going in to the olympics.

Shooting Guards
1992 Team

Michael Jordan
6’6″ 200lbs
30.1 Pts
6.4 Reb
6.1 Asst

Clyde Drexler
6’7″ 220 lbs
25 Pts
6.6 Reb
6.7 Asst

2012 Team

Kobe Bryant
6’6″ 205 lbs
27.9 Pts
5.4 Reb
4.6 Asst

James Harden
6’5″ 220lbs
16.8 Pts
3.4 Reb
2.5 Asst

Prior to looking at these stats I didn’t consider how great of a margin the Dream Team had. I knew with Jordan they would have the advantage, but sometimes I forget how great Clyde the Glide was. He had the size and stats to compare with many of the greats, he just played in the shadow of Jordan. He still believes he was as good as Jordan when asked. He was a career 20 pts, 6 reb, 6 asst guard who won an NBA chamionship with Houston in ’95. Kobe has been a great player and still knows how to score but just isn’t Jordan. He would be the third scoring option with James and Durant on the floor. Unfortunately, Harden is a nice piece but that is it. He is a good change of pace, but in a mythical match-up he wouldn’t see the floor unless foul trouble forced him in to action.

Point Guards
1992 Team
John Stockton
6’1″ 175 lbs
15.8 pts
13.7 Asst
3.0 Stls

Magic Johnson
6’9″ 220 lbs
(1990-91 Stats)
19.4 Pts
12.5 Asst
7 Reb

2012 Team
Chris Paul
6’0″ 183 lbs
19.8 Pts
9.1 Asst
2.5 Stls

Russell Westbrook
6’3″ 187 lbs
23.6 Pts
5.5 Asst
4.6 Reb

Deron Williams
6’3″ 209
21.0 Pts
8.7 Asst
3.3 Reb

Going in to this discussion the Point Guard position was the only one that seemed clear cut for the 2012 team. You thought about little John Stockton and retired Magic Johnson. Yet, Stockton was bigger than Chris Paul, led the league in steals and assists, and could score, thus his hall of fame status! Magic is a whole different story. During the Olympics he averaged 5.5 assists per game and up until his last real season of competition (95-96 doesn’t count) he was as good as they come. He sat out ’91-’92, not because his skills had diminished, but due to his HIV status. The ’12 team has very talented trio and their advantage over the Dream Teamers would be their ability to score. Yet, on this team they would not be asked to score. It would be likely they wouldn’t have the ball in their hands coming down the court. Much like the ’92 team, the points role is diminished when surrounded by the likes of Jordan, Pippen, James, or Bryant. Jordan and Pippen averaged 5 assists a game during the Olympics. I have to give a push in this matchup because only one of these players will likely be on the court for a majority of the time. Also, their special skills are less needed when surrounded by such amazing talent.

1992 Team: 3
2012 Team: 1
Push: 1

After looking through the teams, I have to give the edge to the Dream Team. The true test would be the starting 5 and how they would match up against each other in an extended 7 games series. Obviously the teams wouldn’t sub in and out entire lineups but I like to separate the squads into two teams.
1992 Team
First Team
C Patrick Ewing
PF Charles Barkley
SF Scottie Pippen
SG Michael Jordan
PG Magic Johnson

Second Team
C David Robinson
PF Karl Malone
SF Chris Mullin
SG Clyde Drexler
PG John Stockton

Subs:
Larry Bird
Christian Laettner

2012 Team
First Team
C Tyson Chandler
SF Kevin Durant
SF LeBron James
SG Kobe Bryant
PG Chris Paul

Second Team
C Kevin Love
PF Anthony Davis
SF Carmelo Anthony
SG Deron Williams
PG Russell Westbrook

Subs:
Andre Iguodala
James Harden

The Dream Team has a clear advantage in a true team dynamic. The 2012 team doesn’t have a matchup advantage at any position. Bird is only a sub due to his back issues but he was still able to contribute over 8 pts a game in a diminished role. I assure you if this was an actual competition he would be starting, because he is arguably a top 5 player of all time and he played like he had something to prove, every night. Barkley was the leading scorer at over 18 a game and Jordan was the only player to start and play in all 8 Olympic games. Lebron would be matched up against a mix of Pippen and Jordan with the other person playing Bryant. The Dream Team would have an advantage from tip to final horn at the post and that would be enough to offset any scoring coming from Deron Williams and Westbrook. Even though I didn’t include Laettner and Davis in the matchups, due to their lack of NBA stats, they could both contribute if called upon. Davis will likely be seeing court time in this years Olympics, but against the likes of Robinson, Ewing, Malone, and Barkley he is just too inexperienced to make a real impact.

These types of discussions are always fun. Yet, I think people forget the greatness of players as we get farther away from their playing time, especially those not named Jordan, who seems to get better! In a 7 game series this matchup would go no more than 5 games. This doesn’t diminish today’s team but let’s make sure to educate our youthful sports fans. We aren’t comparing players from the black and white tv era to today, we are talking about players from the early 90′s that are just as athletic and capable as any player today.

To see the Center Comparisons go HERE
To see the Forward Comparisons go HERE