As much as the Dream Team are used as a reference point for what US National have done in the past and will do in the future, the Dream Team wasn't without controversy - from the selection, to the games, to the aftermath where teams that followed were only Dream Teams on paper, and "nightmares on the court".

Isiah Thomas Snubbed, twice: There were a lot of players overlooked for one reason or another - Dominique Wilkins, Akeem Olajuwon, and Kevin Johnson, but there were good reasons those players didn't make the team (only a scorer, not a citizen, too early) However, there was no bigger question mark than Isiah Thomas' snub. At that point, Isiah Thomas flat out deserved to be on the team. Period. No way did Stockton deserve to be on the Dream Team over Isiah Thomas, not at that point of their careers, it wasn't even close. On a team of iconic players, Isiah's name missing from the roster was a head-scratcher. His best years may have been behind him, but so were Magic and Birds. Not only was Isiah snubbed from the original ten, but the committee was allowed to atone for their obvious oversight when the final two players were named at a later date.  It just wasn't meant to be, Isiah wasn't named in the final two, and nothing short of a conspiracy was enough to convince the public.

Rumors flew that Michael Jordan secretly said he wouldn't play if Thomas was on the team, and for as great and legendary as Isiah Thomas is, well, that's Michael Jordan. Scottie Pippen didn't help to quell any of the rumors by labeling Zeke a cheap-shot artist and saying that he wouldn't play on the Olympic team if Thomas was one of the two players added to fill out the squad.

Isiah felt snubbed also: shortly after being left off the team, Isiah and his Detroit Pistons visited the Utah Jazz. Zeke let the Olympic Committee (and John Stockton) know what he felt about not being on the Dream Team - Isiah dropped 44pts.

Then, in December 1991, some say in retaliation for Isiah embarrassing Stockton, Karl Malone laid Isiah out as he drove into the lane. Thomas laid in the lane, covering his head, and bleeding. Thomas ended up needing 40 stitches over his left eye, had vision problems and headaches for two weeks thereafter.

From FoxSports.com - "These conspiracies are hard to ignore #9. Isiah Thomas is left off the 1992 Olympic Dream Team. Isiah Thomas should have been on the 1992 Olympic Dream Team. He should have been on the team even ahead of Michael Jordan. Jordan won Gold for the USA in 1984. Thomas didn't have that collegiate opportunity, because President Jimmy Carter pulled the plug on Thomas' chance when he stopped the United States from sending a team to Russia in 1980.

Wouldn't you think that a member of the 1980 team — and a two-time NBA champion still only 31 years old — would have been a rock-solid choice, especially considering the USA coach was Pistons head coach Chuck Daly? In this case, it might have been a conspiracy of one (Jordan) that left Thomas off."

Barkley's Angola Elbow: If there was one incident that was a blemish on Dream Team's otherwise pristine image, it was courtesy of, no surprise, Charles Barkley.  Barkley's elbowing of an Angolan player was played over and over (pretty tame stuff now), but was counter to what the Dream Team represented - they were going to beat you, but they would do it with class.  The maddening thing about it, the elbow was seemingly for absolutely no reason.  The Dream Team was cruising in their first Olympic game.  They were on a 30-0 run when on his way back on defense, after hitting a fastbreak left-handed layup, Barkley wound up and elbowed the Angolan player.  Immediately, a technical foul was assessed.

Not only was this the, but the ensuing technical free-throw stopped a run the Dream Team eventually ran to 46 straight points (instead the run was 46-1, which is still pretty good)

Dream Team Derivatives: The 1992 US Olympic Basketball Team, the "Dream Team" as they were dubbed, was formed packed with NBA superstars that were household names even in countries where basketball wasn't even a top-10 sport The Dream Team began as a phenomenon, filled with hall-of-fame household names that were not only fantastic ambassadors for the USA (except Charles Barkley) but respected legends that more often than not, were requested by their opponents to have their photos taken with them. Unfortunately, the name "Dream Team" has not been associated with such respect and class ever since that legendary team, and mot likely, never will. The 1992 was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, never will a team come together with such a call to action, nor will any team be filled with such iconic legends as Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Michael Jordan.  Not only that, but you had the constant smile of Magic Johnson, the quiet and workmanlike Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, David Robinson, John Stockton, Chris Mullin.  They all went about their business cleaning up not only on the court, but off it.  For amazing as the Dream Team was, what they did for basketball in their short amount of time would not be maintained by future derivatives.

Whether future Dream Teams come home with the gold or not, there so called Dream Teams certainly aren't comparable to the original squad.  What started out as a great idea, has become to  nothing more than unreachable expectations and a curse for US Basketball.

What I mean by this is there won't be any urgency.  Top players now are invited but deny the invitation because of marriages, security, minor injuries.  Add to that the world is getting better - evidenced by the influx of not just good NBA players - but NBA All-stars -- Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Yao Ming, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Andrei Kirilenko, Memo Okur and Peja Stojakovic...