paper tigers

The Dream Team -- the first American Olympic team to be comprised of professional players, and the harbinger for the globalization of basketball. Jordan, Magic, Bird, Stockton-Malone, Sir Charles, Pippen, Clyde, The Adimiral, and Ewing... these were the faces of NBA basketball as the sport transitioned into the realm of hyper-driven media. The success of this ensemble on the court and as an international marketing force foreshadowed the "superstar" generation that emerged to prominence in the decade's latter half.

NBA GMs began building teams around individual talents, superiorly-skilled superstars such as Shaq and Iverson becoming branded faces for entire franchises. This trend continuing into the early millennium as flashy players such as Kobe, Starbury, Steve Francis, T-Mac, etc. gained stardom under the premise that one premier player could carry a team on his shoulders. Many of these branded-superstars had great individual success --incomparable stats, all-star appearances, endorsements-- yet most were unable to have collective success, to consistently lift their franchises to postseason glory. This mentality culminating in the disappointment of the U.S. Men's Team earlier in the decade. With a roster full of world-class talent, America seemed dismayingly frail, placing 6th in the '02 World Championships and finishing bronze in the '04 Olympics. Our best players seemed disinterested in committing to play in the name of our country. Symbolically, the U.S. with all its great talent, became only paper tigers, lacking passion, lacking a heartbeat. We had become a reflection of our economy.

But a transition is happening. Redemption is surfacing. We begin with Kobe, post-Shaq. In the seasons after Shaq was traded, the Lakers were merely mediocre. And Kobe, despite all his tools and talents as the most exciting player in the league, was unable to reverse his team's decline. But in recent years, there have been a few significations that hold great redeeming potential. First was Mike D'antoni. The Dream Team although composed of megastars like Jordan, Bird and Magic, played team basketball. Something lost in the And 1 cross-you-over late-90s. With the continuing internationalization of the NBA, especially with Euro-bred players. Mike D'antoni along with Steve Nash returned Euro-tempo team ball back to America, a basketball concept American to begin. D'antoni composed teams that played in collaboration and with beautiful fluidity. Teams where each player didn't need superior individual skill to thrive, only play within the team's system. The other signification was the unparalleled influx of talent that entered the league starting around LeBron and Melo's draft class. We are currently experiencing a golden age of talent in the NBA. The vastness of talent entering the league is breathtaking.

How is this influx, this golden age in talent significant? It allows franchises to actively build around the team concept. To build for the future. Again, take Kobe and the current Laker squad for example. Kobe is thriving more than ever because of his supporting cast. But more importantly, he is thriving because he believes in the cast around him. Yes, the season is still young, and the Lakeshow was in similar waters last year before degenerating, but the Lakers from last year to now are symbolic of New Sincerity. They are still young, inexperienced, fragile, but full of potential. They have composed this current team from within, letting players mature and develop within the system. Contrastly, look at the Miami Heat and those tragically dreadful Knickerbockers. Instant gratification is a hollow end.

Thus, the superstar generation has redemption in front of it. All the arrogance and false billings that dismantled them early in their careers can be points of reference for a generation with talent-to-no-end. The superstars were necessary to help guide this generation, to expound their experiences and mistakes.

Like Ronny, we're all in the dance.