Dream Team v Redeem Team. Who'd win?

Before we begin, let's have a moment of silence for UGA LT Trinton Sturdivant, who will undergo season ending knee surgery. This is a big blow to UGA's season, but hopefully they can overcome. Champions have to rise up. Let's hope the Dawgs can.

Now then, ON TO the Dream Team v the Redeem team. I was breaking down the matchup of the two teams as a co-worker and I bemoaned the fact that Women's weightlifting is being shown on NBC, but not Men's basketball featuring the best collection of talent since 1992. We started to debate on whether or not this team is better than that team was. It seemed crazy at first, but you have to remember that the 1992 Dream Team was facing a bunch of bums and this team is facing fellow NBA players on other teams. (I still am a little disappointed that The Rat King can't get this team to beat teams until the 3rd Qtr. I mean I just don't get this. Kinda like how I don't get traffic, but I digress)

If you were to break down the rosters, the 1992 team is star-studded, but so is the 2008 team. The 1992 team is taller, but the 2008 is more athletic.
Let's look at the teams
1992
Barkley, Bird, Ewing, Magic, Jordan with Drexler, Laettner, Malone, Mullin, Pippen, Robinson and Stockton off the bench.
Barkley was in his prime, Bird was semi-retired, Ewing was destroyed by Hakeem two years later, Magic was HIV retired and Jordan was in his PRIME. On the Bench, Drexler was overrated, Laettner was on the team because...., Malone was a fantastic role player, Mullin could shoot I guess?, Pippen was a defensive stopper (as was Jordan for that matter. These two destroyed Toni Kukoch[spelling] in that one game), Robinson was never an aggresive player and Stockton was a good, solid (dirty) point guard.

Now then. Let's look at 2008
LeBron, Melo, Dwight Howard, JKidd, Kobe with Deron Williams, Michael Redd, Carlos Boozer, Dwyane[sic] Wade, Chris Bosh, CP3, Tayshaun Price.

LeBron is unstoppable right now, and he hasn't reached his prime yet. Just TRY and stop him in the open court. I hate to admit it, but he is ONLY going to get better. I like him when he is on Team USA, just not otherwise. Melo has embraced the role of Team USA for whatever reason. Just make sure he has a driver! Howard has a bit of the Robinson syndrome, but I think he could destroy any other Center alive today. yeah, I said it. JKidd has the international experience, and while he would have been perfect in 2004(age-wise) he holding the seat for CP3. As for Kobe, he is being asked to be a defensive stopper, something the Doberman/Mamba can do. As for the bench, DWill is a big physical point guard, who if these teams were playing, I'd start against Magic. He is physical enough not to be abused by Magic posting up. Redd can flat out fill the basket, and that is his role. Boozer is a wide body. Plus he's from Alaska. D-Wade. The 1996 team didn't have a D-Wade. A 6th man guard that can flat fill up the hoop and can't be stopped with a head of steam. Bosh is a Howard-lite and can defend anyone from a 4 to a 5, but might be better to be a 4 in the NBA, but can guard any world 5, if that makes sense. CP3 is going to be the best point guard in history when it is all said and done, and he is probably the best right now in the game. As for Tayshaun, he plays D and can shoot the 3, I am guessing that's why he's on the team.

OK, so let's look at how the two teams match up with one another.
First with the bench...
Drexler with Deron Williams. Both would be the backup combo guard. I never thought Drexler was all that good. I think he was on the team because he took the Blazers to the finals and lost to Chicago. DWill would body him up and break him down. I think Williams could post up The Glide and could neutralize him during the game. ADVANTAGE: 2008

Laettner v Boozer Both Duke Boys, but I can understandy why Boozer is on the team. It is 16 years later, and I STILL can't figure out why Laettner is there? Boozer would destroy Christian, much like booze has destroyed many christians over the years ADVANTAGE: 2008

Karl Malone v Dwyane [sic] Wade These two guys I think were the first ones off the bench for both teams, but both were/are vastly different players. Wade is a slasher while Malone could go 3-4-5 out there. Malone wasn't really called upon to score for this team if I recall, but as his career wore on, he became quite a scorer AND defender. Really a special player, but not sure if he was that in 1992 like Wade is (Finals MVP already) ADVANTAGE: WASH (They do stuff too differently to compaire them appropriately)

Mullin v Redd The two shooters. I would call this one a wash, but I am going to give it to Redd. I know Mullin, in his prime was something to behold, but to borrow a line from Isiah, if he was black, he wouldn't have been anything special. (I know that was in reference to Bird, but I think it also applies here.) ADVANTAGE: 2008

Pippen v Prince. The defensive stopper coming off the bench. Two guys asked to shelve their scoring potential for the good of the team. Pippen though was just a more talented player and he HAS to win this argument. ADVANTAGE: 1992

Robinson v Bosh. While my co-worker and I argued this one the most, at the end, he was right. Robinson wins this one, even though I think Bosh would try and beat him up. Robinson was once an MVP and he has a few rings. True the MVP came in a year without Jordan and the titles were after Jordan retired and thanks to Tim Duncan, but still that is WAY more success than Bosh will ever have. ADVANTAGE: 1992

Stockton v CP3. This one was close, but I think this was pre-Stockton becoming the Stockton everyone remembers from 1997 and 1998. So this was Pre-Prime for JS. I think we are also in the pre-prime for CP3. And I think CP3 is going to be head and shoulders above what JS ever was. I think CP3 is better RIGHT NOW than JS was. Maybe that is saying too much, but CP3 right now is better than Stockton-1992. ADVANTAGE:2008
So by just the bench, I have 4 for 2008, 2 for 1992 with one wash.

Starters. Magic v JKidd. Magic broke the mold for PGs and set the standard for PGs for all time. Some may have better stats, but he was the most dominant PG ever. Well until CP3 gets better than him. JKidd is just too old. He might have been able to D up Magic at one time, and DWill may have gotten my nod over JKidd in this matchup, but since the Rat King has started Kidd, I say...ADVANTAGE: 1992.

Ewing v Howard. I ALWAYS though Ewing was overrated and shrank in the big games. I think Howard would abuse him like Hakeem did in 1994/95, whenever that was. Howard is so much more athletic than Ewing ever was that Howard might even bring Ewing out to the wing only to run by him. ADVANTAGE: 2008

Bird v Melo. As much as Melo has embraced the role of Patriot and as much as Bird was hurting during the Olympics, I fear that Melo has peaked and an injured, over-the-hill Bird is better. Bird was just clutch. he would get into Melo's head and it would be over. ADVANTAGE: 1992

Barkley v LeBron. Barkley in his prime was unstoppable. LeBron is not yet in his prime and he is unstoppable. Just try and rake LeBron on a breakaway. He'll STILL finish on you. LBJ can do things that Barkley could only dream of, but Barkley would draw him down low and pound him into submission. Each player would score 35+ points in vastly different ways, but LeBron's running style might help his team a little more, whereas Barkley might force the team to slow down. But with Ewing, they would have done that anyways. ADVANTAGE: WASH

Finally.............Jordan v Kobe. Prime v Prime. These two players were told to just be the defensive stopper and don't worry about scoring, as the other players would take care of that. But if these two in their respective primes were matched up, I think the top would blow. No one else would touch the ball as Kobe would just want to top MJ, as he has tried to do his whole career, including with the 23+1=24 number. (He's ONE better. get it?). On the other side, MJ would NOT stand be trying to be outdone by some punk kid who think's he's ONE BETTER? We would see fallaways, drives to the basket.
It would be amazing. Jordan would go for 60 and Kobe would try and do 61. I don't even know how this would turn out. I would LOVE to have seen THIS MATCHUP Alone.
I can't even say who would win. Probably Jordan, but I can't discount Kobe's desire to outdo Jordan. He'd raise his game to a level we haven't seen. But then Jordan would do the same. I can't call a winner here.

Final tally 2008 with 5 advantages, 1992 with 4 and 3 washes, but the washes are so important (Malone/Wade, Barkley/James, Jordan/Kobe) especially Kobe/Jordan that you can't say who would win.
But it would be something to watch.