Divac: They are better, but not invincible

Having announced his decision to play for Yugoslavia at next summer's World Cup in Greece, Vlade Divac once again came into the focus of attention as the driving force of a Yugoslav dream team. We asked the Charlotte Hornets centre to assess USA's dream team IV, because he knows this team better than anyone else.
"I think at least two dream teams were better than the one elected to play in Athens. The only real dream team, worthy of the name, is the one that played at the Olympic games in Barcelona. The team that won the World Cup in Canada was not as good as the one which played in Atlanta. However, it was still better than the one coming to Greece because it had more experienced players", Divac said.

This is how Divac values each of the 10 dream team IV players elected so far:

Gary Payton - The best NBA point guard along with John Stockton, he is the heart and soul of the Seattle Supersonics.

Terell Rrandon - He is not a bad point guard, but he is also way out of Payton's league. There are more than a few NBA point guards better than him, I am not quite sure why he is on the team.

Allan Houston - An excellent shooter, the New York Knicks now rest their play-off hopes on him as Pat Ewing is out with injury for the rest of the season.

Grant Hill - Some people think he is the new Michael Jordan, but he isn't. Nevertheless, he is a fantastic player. Detroit would probably have the worst record in the NBA without him.

Glen Rice - My team mate is one of the greatest shooters I have ever seen. I played with and against many great players, but he is something else. Rice is virtually unstoppable when he gets going. He said he was happy to hear that I would be coming to Greece too, not knowing that he might later regret it...

Kevin Garnett - He is"simply&a great player. One would think that he has been an NBA player for ten years already. He is much like Toni Kukoc of Croatia, he can play in just about any position on the team. He is a brilliant forward.

Vin Baker - He is having a great season with the Sonics. Vin is Seattle's best player along with Gary Payton.

Chris Webber - A good player, but he is very inconsistent. I am not sure he deserves to be on the team.

Christian Laettner  - A very talented player, but also inconsistent. He will be a valuable asset because of his Barcelona experience with the real dream team.

Tom Gugliota - He is an excellent player. Leads Minnesota with Kevin Garnett.

Divac goes on to predict the final roster of the U.S. team and Yugoslavia's chances of beating dream team IV.

"Coach Rudi Tomjanovic still has to pick two more players to complete the team, but I have no idea who will be elected. Probably a centre, although I would personally like to see Kobe Bryant in Athens. He is the most exciting young player in the NBA".

Can the Americans be beaten?

"My gut feeling is that we can beat them, that is why I decided to play. I have a motive to give all I have for Yugoslavia one more time, especially if we are able to put together our best team. However, we must be realistic and admit that they are the best team. It will take something special to beat them, but they are not invincible".
What are our chances?

"I thought we had a 10 percent chance to beat the dream team that won gold in Atlanta. I think our chances of beating this lot are about 20 or 25 percent. That's reality, but you never know what can happen".

Are there any advantages for Yugoslavia?

"I think our centres could get the better of theirs. We are older and more experienced. We have been playing together as a team for ten years, they will play as a team for the first time ever in Greece. They are superior outside the paint, but our guards are very good too. It is important that we come with the best team we've got, so that the bench is also a force to be reckoned with. Savic missed the Atlanta final through injury, and they blew us away as soon as I fouled out. Referees have been instructed to follow European rules. There will be many Yugoslav fans, I believe all 20,000 fans will want us to win that night".

Have you spoken to Zoran Savic about his return to the national team?

"No, we've tried to get each other on the phone the past few days, but failed. I will speak to him very soon, I hope I can persuade him to change his mind and play one more time.

Aleksandar Djordjevic: It would be a dream come true...

Although he speaks to Divac on a regular basis, Sasa Djordjevic learned about Divac's decision and the idea of forming a Yugoslav dream team from Vreme. This is how he reacted.

"That would be a dream come true, the real thing. If this happens, I will play for Yugoslavia in Athens for the last time and retire along with Divac, Paspalj and Savic. I don't know how realistic all this is, but it would be really nice if we could get together and play one more time".

What are our chances of beating the USA?

The rest of the world wants to believe that someone can do it. If there is anyone who can do it, it's got to be us. We are good enough to have a go at them, we have the talent. Whether all that will be enough, I don't know. On the actual day, in one game, with our fans around - everything is possible".

The Atlanta game showed that we are on the right track?

"We played a great game in Atlanta for 30 minutes, without Savic too. They are all great players, stars in their NBA teams, but we will see how they play as a team. I am sure that they are not invincible because no one is. Except the one and only real dream team - the team which played in the 1992 Olympic games in Barcelona".

V.S.