It might not be the original "Dream Team," but it's hardly just the Jazz, either.
Gathering for the first time as part of the team that will seek to re-establish the United States as the world's pre-eminent basketball power, Williams and Boozer joined the rest of their high-powered Team USA colleagues at the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday to begin the final phase of a journey they hope ends with a gold medal at the Beijing Olympics this summer.
"It's special," Williams said. "Just sitting there for the meeting, you know, realizing that this is the team that's going to go over there and win the gold, this is the team that's going to resurrect USA basketball and get us back to the top, where we belong."
The Americans held just one practice and some meetings before scattering again for a few weeks until their final Olympic preparations begin here next month.
But even in the space of a few hours, symbols of the team's quest emerged everywhere.
Not only did all four remaining members of the team that managed only a bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Games pointedly change their uniform numbers - Boozer to No. 4 from No. 7, which Williams now wears - but a video of Marvin Gaye's epic rendition of the national anthem at the 1983 NBA All-Star Game played in a loop on a big-screen television at courtside.
"Instead of having a fight song, or whatever, that's our song," coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
The Americans hope to hear it again on top of the medal stand in Beijing, a place they have not occupied at a major international tournament since the 2000 Sydney Games in Australia. Since then, the rest of the world has caught up, relegating them and their immense talent to some humbling finishes, such as that third place in Athens.
"In Athens, we weren't really a team," Boozer said.
Now, they insist, things are different.
Williams and Boozer are among 12 players selected largely for their willingness to play unselfishly and represent the country with dignity - something recent versions of Team USA were seen as having failed to do. What's more, they believe they're part of a group that's more versatile and better able to play the international style that focuses more on perimeter than post play.
"We have a chance to erase the memory of Athens," Boozer said. "We're very comfortable, we're more prepared, we resepect our opponents, we're enthusiastic, we're humble and we're looking forward to the challenge."
Howard is the only true center on the team, illustrating its emphasis on speed and versatility, but was limited in practice becauses of what Krzyzewski said was his continued recovery from a stress fracture in his sternum. Wade participated, however, in his first open workout since missing the final 21 games of the NBA season for the Miami Heat because of knee problems.
"You know when you give the ball up, you're giving it to another star," Boozer said.
Williams and Boozer will enjoy the best of both worlds, then - playing with each other, pro teammates for three years, as well as with a marquee lineup of new colleagues that figures to make their jobs easier than usual.
"There's not many mistakes to be made on this team, with the caliber of players we have," Williams said. "This team is just special . . . and I don't think the same thing that happened in '04 has a chance to happen here."
mcl@sltrib.com
