As a true basketball team, they’re perfectly constructed. Don’t sleep on this year’s Olympic team, though. They won’t be flashy, and you might or might not be watching. Dwyane Wade (L) v Patty Mills at Beijing 2008. Tayshaun Prince and Michael Redd were outstanding NBA players in their primes who probably wouldn’t make the Olympic team in any other year (except maybe the aforementioned 2000 squad). At this point, we’re basically splitting hairs, so this squad falls down the board a little bit because of the bench. “The Redeem Team” took on legendary status by re-establishing America’s basketball dominance in 2008, and it was undoubtedly a fantastic team. The 2004 squad was built for disaster, which came in the form of losses to Puerto Rico, Lithuania, and Argentina on the way to a bronze medal. To top it all off, coach Larry Brown probably could have done a better job getting everyone on the same page. James, Wade and Melo were young, however, and Duncan was never comfortable on a team that was more focused on individual stardom than playing the right way. Allen Iverson, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan, Lamar Odom that’s a solid squad. Okay, this one hurts, but we can get through it together.

2016 usa basketball team