IF the Dream Team ever have nightmares, they are probably about losing to Lithuania and having to explain the loss to the slavering American public. They'll start by pointing out that the Lithuanians field Arvydas Sabonis, the runner-up for rookie of the year in the NBA last year and Sarunas Marciulionis a guard with the Sacramento Kings.
The American public will probably reply by asking if Shaquille O'Neal is really worth $115 million plus?
The sub plot to this, the Dream Team's second quadrennial romp through the Olympics, has been the tug of war played out for the services of the 7 foot 1 inch O'Neal. His team the Orlando Magic offered him $115 million over seven years. His suitors, the LA Lakers made themselves busy, selling off peripheral players, that they might restructure their salary budget and offer Shaguille O'Neal more.
For a man who has never won an NBA title and who scores less than 60 per cent of his shots from the free throw line that would be crazy money were it not for the marquee value which O'Neal provides.
The Lakers lack a major box office star at present. Literally and metaphorically they don't come much bigger then O'Neal.
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (islamic for Little Warrior O'Neal) burst onto the NBA scene aged 20 and prematurely out of Louisiana State University, his 300 lb frame hurtling him to instant prominence and a lucrative endorsement deal with Pepsi plus side careers in acting and rap music.
Last week's auction for his services won't have fazed O'Neal. He is well used to seeing wealthy men in suits struggle to match chequebooks to buy him. By the time he was leaving school, O'Neal had signed with aggressive agent Leonard Armato to a private, "total career management" programme.
As a teenager and undergraduate student, O'Neal was encouraged by Armato to take sports marketing courses and study the sort of packaging which surrounded commercial icons like Michael Jordan.
Armato and O'Neal opted for a unique course of action in terms of O'Neal's commercial development. Rather than sign up for various endorsement deals involving different corporate strategies, they wooed an array of companies who were willing to become part of the brand presence that was Shaquille O'Neal. In the quest for consistency of image companies became part of Team Shag rather than the other way around.
He was the number one pick in the 1992 NBA draft and in his rookie season he became the youngest ever participant in the NBA All Star game and was also named `rookie of the year'. The following season he was second in the league for scoring and led the Orlando Magic to their first ever playoff series.
Tonight, the man who is about to become the highest paid figure in the biggest earning sport mixes it with the Lithuanians, several of whom will just be awestruck to be standing on the same court as such a luminary. Sometimes the Olympic family embraces some very, very distant relatives.
