Is this the Dream Team? Yawn… say the crowds

They slumped forward, they slumped backward. They drank water, they tried on headphones and listened to different translations of their insight. To their credit, none of the players was seen yawning. They arrived 15 minutes late and left 10 minutes early, and no one even considered complaining that the session only took 40 minutes.

"These guys are a lot different from the ’96 guys," said Gary Payton, the only holdover from the men’s basketball team that won the gold medal at the Atlanta Olympics. "They are younger guys, more athletic guys."

They are not like the 1992 team, a star-studded crew that included Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. That team inspired awe. They are not like the 1996 team, a veteran-laden cast that included Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller and Shaquille O’Neal. That team at least knew how to lighten the atmosphere.

This team features the likes of Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Antonio McDyess, Ray Allen and Allan Houston. The US team begins Olympic play on Sunday night against China. Other preliminary round opponents are Italy, Lithuania, New Zealand and France.

Many of the best teams from the rest of the world, including Yugoslavia, Australia and Canada, are grouped together in the other bracket. The Americans might not have a compelling game until the Olympics are almost over. "People that love basketball are in for a treat," assistant coach Larry Brown said. "These guys play the right way." Problem is, the world wants something more.