End The "Dream Team"

Since its inception....I have always been in favor of the "Dream Team".  If other countries can send their professional players to the Olympics....we should too. 

But, the whole concept is being screwed.  No prominent American NBA players want anything to do with the Olympics.  Of course, unless they are played here. 

The best the USA has would include Shaq, Kobe, Garnett, Duncan, Iverson, Jermaine O'Neal, Jason Kidd and T-Mac.  Instead, Carlos Boozer is going to represent the red-white and blue. 

This is ridiculous.  Why even have basketball in the Olympics??  The whole concept has passed its prime.  Keep the Olympics to those sports no one cares about until the Games come around.  Track and field.  Swimming.  Diving.  Fencing.  Greco Roman wrestling.  Water polo.  Rowing. 

Why have tennis as an Olympic sport?  What is the difference in that and any other tournament??  Oh, aside from the paycheck.  No one gives a damn about Olympic soccer.  It is the World Cup that matters.

Which brings me to this.  Just have a World Cup for basketball.   I know we have the World Championships.  Well, expand that out and make it the "World Cup".  Make a huge deal out of it.  Get all the countries you can to participate.  The one neat thing about soccer's World Cup....is how it celebrates the game of soccer.  I hate soccer....yet I get a little caught up in it when the World Cup comes around. 

Baseball is attempting to have a World Cup....which would be brilliant if they could stage it in the offseason.  Yeah, I know......offseason is winter-time.  Well, aren't there enough domed stadiums in the USA to still have this??  Plus, you can still play ball in Miami, Phoenix and Los Angeles during the winter. 

Just have these NBAers play in a hoops World Cup.  And make sure everyone shows up.  Make it worth their while.  Then let the "amatuers" form every country battle in the Olympics.

Or else we'll start seeing guys on NBA's injured reserve on the "Dream Team".