Must Watch: NBA TV's 'Dream Team' Documentary

There wasn't a definitive documentary about the most important basketball team ever created. HBO was rumored to be working on a documentary about 'The Dream Team', but nothing materialized.

ESPN's '30 for 30' documentary series raised the bar for sports documentaries. Bill Simmons once said in a podcast that he wanted to make a 'Dream Team' documentary, but the rights to the video from the 1992 Olympics were too expensive.

NBA TV stepped up to the plate and is debuting their documentary The Dream Team tonight at 9pm EST. I have viewed parts of the movie which is certain to be an instant classic. It contains never-before-seen video of a scrimmage that you will never believe the outcome. I list a few of the intriguing moments you will see tonight and post a video of the movie trailer.

The most talked about moment in The Dream Team will be the video of the Dream Team losing a scrimmage to a group of college all-stars. The college team consisted of Grant Hill, Chris Webber, Bobby Hurley, and other talent that ended up in the NBA. The 62-54 defeat wasn't an official loss and mostly forgotten about because of the team's complete domination in the 1992 Olympics.

The long-awaited footage of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson going head-to-head in a scrimmage is also one of the film's highlights. The MJ/Magic practice footage was one of the reasons why Bill Simmons wanted to include this topic in his '30 for 30' series. Karl Malone commented on the competitive nature of MJ and Magic when he appeared on 'The Dan Patrick Show' this afternoon. He was asked who were the two most competitive guys on The Dream Team? Malone answered, "Michael and Magic. They were never on the same team during scrimmage and coach (Chuck) Daly didn't have to worry about us playing hard."

The exclusion of Isiah Thomas is explained. Everyone believed that Jordan made sure that Thomas wasn't on the team because of the Detroit Pistons team snubbing the Chicago Bulls after losing in the previous season's Eastern Conference Finals. The call seemed to be made by the commissioner's office. They didn't like the unsportsmanlike conduct that Thomas was a part of in the Finals. It was clear that Scottie Pippen and Jordan didn't care for him, which could have helped the commissioner's office come to their decision.

Other topics include the forgotten fact that Charles Barkley was the team's leading scorer, the opposing teams treating Team USA like The Beatles, and how Larry Bird and Magic officially passed the torch to Jordan during the Olympics.

Here is a trailer for NBA TV's The Dream Team.

The Dream Team is a must watch for any basketball fan. You will feel nostalgic and see the team in a new light. That team did more for the international growth of the sport than any other team. In the last 20 years, European teams have challenged Team USA and have even beaten them in international competition.

McGrady Would Be Nice Fit For Bulls

The Chicago Bulls are rumored to be interested in signing Tracy McGrady. The 31-year old has been on the shelf with injuries over the last few seasons, but has shown the ability to score points in a hurry in the past. Would he accept a bench role for a chance to make it out of the first-round of the playoffs? Would he accept a a one-year, incentive based, low salary deal? Those questions are yet to be answered, but I believe he would be a nice fit on the young Bulls team.

The Bulls have been very active this off-season and they are making a push to be contenders this season. They have had the moniker of "team on the rise" over the last three seasons, but with the addition of Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, and Ronnie Brewer, they are becoming a very deep team. Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah had career years last season and they are yet to hit their prime. The Bulls know that the window for this team is a few seasons, but that could change with key injuries.

McGrady, who is still younger than his body seems to be, could mentor some of the players on the team and help them mature. He has been a leader on some very good teams, but has always fell short of making it out of the first-round. The only season in which his team made is past the first-round, was when he was injured and couldn't play. The risk of signing McGrady would be his knee. He had microfracture surgery and it usually takes two years for a player to regain his prior form or it never comes back at all. Amar'e Stoudamire had the surgery two seasons ago and he came out in 2009-10 and had a very productive year. He is a success story, but with that story come many others that aren't as positive. Chris Webber had the surgery and even though he was solid when coming back, he was never the same. Age could be to blame in Webber's case, but having the microfracture surgery couldn't have helped.

Signing a player who has a history of injuries is very risky. It usually doesn't work out and with the guaranteed contracts in the NBA, it's a chance that many GMs don't want to take. The one example of an injury-plagued player bouncing back later in his career is Grant Hill. He basically had his ankle completely reconstructed and had various other injuries when he was with the Orlando Magic. He signed a very cheap deal to resurrect his career with the Phoenix Suns and he has had a second-life with the team. I hope McGrady has the same luck, because he was such a phenomenal scorer during his prime, it would be a shame that an injury could shorten his career.