Twentytwo,
I looked up the stats from the 1991-1992 season and it looks like Rex Chapman was injured that year. Good athlete and scorer. So he may or may not have been on the Cream Team.
I will tell you mine but first I will tell you what the All Black team would be. Ironically the best black center wouldn't be available just as the best white center wouldn't be eligible. Hakeem Olajuwon would have been the top center but he is Nigerian. The best white center at that time was Arvydas Sabonis who won a gold medal with the USSR in 1988 and beat David Robinson and the USA squad along the way. So Ewing and Robinson would have been the two centers. Shaq would have gotten consideration but he was a college guy and would have made Ewing look bad. At forward Malone and Barkley would stay. Both good power forwards. At the small forward spot, Scottie Pippen would start and would be used as a defensive stopper. At the two guard Michael Jordan would be the go to guy and would have to score more without Bird and Mullin being available. Clyde Drexler would get more playing time, and he could play the 2 or the 3. Magic Johnson would be the unquestioned floor leader and the team's main veteran. At the backup point guard to replace Stockton, Isaiah Thomas would get the nod. He can run the offense and is a good scorer. He might have problems with Jordan and may take too many shots. The last cut at point guard would be Tim Hardaway who could score, pass, and drive but he is not a veteran so Zeke gets the nod. To balance Isaiah's selfishness and deteriorating overall game the team goes with Joe Dumars to be its fifth guard. He also has championship experience and is a leader and is unselfish. Dumars is also a good shooter, a good defender and can play both shooting guard and point guard. Terry Porter was an option to play this role but they went with Dumars instead. To backup Pippen Team Dark Side looks to add offense to balance Pippen's defensive and set-up guy role. They choose Dominique Wilkins who is the exciting Human Highlight Film and is arguably the best pure scorer on the team outside of Jordan. His downsides are that he is one-dimensional, selfish, not a great defender, and not really a winner. He will be used primarily as the sixth man. He will hurt the black team if he starts to take too many bad shots. But his addition to the team assures that they will have two high scorers at wing position at all times (Jordan, Nique, or Clyde). The 1992 rookie of the year Larry Johnson is one of the last cuts at this position since even though he is a good athlete, a 20 point scorer, and a better rebounder than Nique, he is not as good of a scorer as Nique, has only one year of pro experience, and like Wilkins, he is not a good defender. For the last spot the black team decides to go with Dennis Rodman. They already had two great scorers at the 4 spot with Barkley and Karl Malone. Rodman gives them a premier defensive guy who can shut down power forwards and also lock down small forwards. He posses a winner's mentality and can guard all five positions on the court. He can also play some small forward if the team wants to go big, or center if the team wants to go small. While he only scored around 10 points a game in the 1991-1992 season, he doesn't need the ball to be effective, can bring the ball up the court, and can run the floor like a guard. Oh, and in 1991-1992 for the Pistons he averaged 18.7 rebounds. Two of the last cuts for Rodman's spot were James Worthy who can play both small forward and power forward but he was on the downside of his career, and he is not the athlete or scorer that Dominique is or the rebounder or defender that Rodman is. The team looked at Moses Malone but he is also on the downside of his career and is not as good of a rebounder at his age as Rodman and would probably not get many minutes at center behind Ewing and the Admiral.
All in all a very good team with good athletes and scorers. One downside is they perhaps have too many ball hogs. Another is a lack of great outside shooters. MJ is good but not the best, Magic is ok, Pippen and Barkley are below average and Clyde and Dominique are streaky and tend to get shot happy. Dumars is a premier shooter but that is about it. Isaiah can shoot, but he is more of a scorer and a worry is that he is mainly interested in getting shots for himself and not his teammates. Rodman can't hit a shot outside three feet, and Karl Malone lacks a refined post game. David Robinson is a beast inside but he is not a crunch time guy and you can get in his head. He is also more of a finesse guy than a classic overpowering center. Ewing has a good midrange jump shot but he is a black hole on offense and takes forever (and about 5 steps) to get off a shot in the post.
For the white team John Stockton is easily the starting point guard. Tough, gritty, a great shooter from anywhere, good ball handler, one of the best passers ever especially passing one handed, a hard-nosed defender, and the master of the pick and roll. An assassin. Not afraid to make the home run pass or take the last shot. At the back up point guard slot the Cream Team decides to go with Mark Price. Price is a great shooter and one of the top 3 point snipers in the NBA. He is also a very good passer and ball handler. He is the team leader of a very good Cavs squad and is a perfect backup point guard for this team. The Cream Team has a pg in Stockton that rivals Magic in the ability to pass and see the floor. Both Stockton and Price are better outside shooters than Thomas or Johnson. The last cut at point guard was John Paxon. Although didn't have standout stats he is a great three point shooter and is coming off his second straight NBA championship. He can handle the ball, operate in a strict offense, and hit clutch shots.
At shooting guard the white team takes 3 shooting guards. But first, here are the last two cuts here. Rex Chapman was considered here for his athleticism and scoring ability. However, he is too much of a gunner and was injured in the 1991-1992 season. Another late cut was Danny Ainge. Coming off a Finals appearance with Portland, Ainge is a great veteran influence who can hit from the outside, and can do some of everything. He plays at the two but can also play some point. On the downside, he is on the downslope of his career and somewhat streaky. Ainge does not excel enough in any one category to be picked. So the three shooting guards taken are Jeff Hornacek, Dan Majerle, and Craig Ehlo. Jeff Hornacek had a great year in 1992. He can score from anywhere and is a good passer. He can also be used as the third point guard. Behind him is Dan Majerle who is a better 3 point shooter than Hornacek and is a better defender. And at 6'6 with a good vertical "Thunder Dan" is a very good athlete and a perfect fit for the second team. The third shooting guard is Craig Ehlo who can do some of everything (and a little bit better in each area than Danny Ainge). He is a good counter to Scottie Pippen. He is a guy the Cream Team can use to help slow down Jordan along with Dan Majerle. Like Majerle, Craig Ehlo can also play some small forward. Ehlo is a perfect intangibles guy for this team. At small forward Larry Bird gets the starting nod. While on the downside of his career, Larry Bird can still do it all-- shoot, drive, pass, rebound, and handle the ball. Bird gives the Cream Team yet another versatile scorer who can hit the long ball. The best passing big man the game has ever seen, Larry Bird gets everyone involved, makes his teammates better and can control a game without scoring. Not only can he pass and start a fast break he can also play some power forward. He will be the team's go to guy in the clutch. When Bird gets in the zone watch out! Chris Mullin is the backup small forward. He had a great year in 1992. Mullin is a scoring machine, a good shooter and a crafty passer. He was also one of the Golden State Warriors top rebounders. Detlef Shrempf was left off the team as he is considered more of a Euro. At the power forward position the Cream Team decides to go with two savvy veterans in Kevin McHale and Tom Chambers. McHale, while being towards the end of his career can still rebound and bang inside. His long reach and shot blocking skills will disrupt Sir Charles (the original Prince Jimmy, err I mean King James) and the Mailman (if you need someone to deliver a ring you should go with FedEx instead). McHale still has those incredible post moves and is the team's best pure inside threat. Tom Chambers, while also being on the downside of his career, is still an effective scorer. He can also get the team some rebounds and make athletic moves in the paint. Chambers has a good blend of size, speed, power, and finesse and can effectively counter Malone and Barkley. One of the last guys cut for this position was Kurt Rambis. Although he only averaged a few points and rebounds for the Suns in 1992 he is a tough, hard-nosed player who can rebound, bang inside, and get garbage baskets. He also has some championship rings from his time with the LA Lakers. He would do some of the things that Rodman does for the Black Team, but the Cream Team decided on having only two power forwards and bringing three centers instead. The Cream Team has three veteran centers who along with McHale who can spend some time at the 5 spot, will help clog up the lane and put Jordan, Nique, and Clyde on their butts. Starting at center is Bill Laimbeer. Even though he is about to call it quits he can still rebound, take up space, and hit outside shots. His mental and physical toughness will be needed against the Dream Team's two 7 footers. Laimbeer has two rings from the Pistons and he knows what to do when Jordan comes flying down the lane. While not a shot blocker, Laimbeer is a good position defender and is a great offensive rebounder. And with him in the starting five the Cream Team can boast of four starters who can hit the three. Mark Eaton makes the team as a part of the thee headed center. His career is almost over but he is still 7'3 and can take up space. Never known to be a scorer, he should still be able to get a layup and a put back or two every game. Even at his advanced age he still averaged several rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game in the 1991-1992 season. The third center for the White Team is another defensive specialist, the New Jersey Net's Chris Dudley. Dudley averaged 9 rebounds and 2 blocks a game for the Nets in 1992. While he is not a very good scorer, and a horrific free throw shooter, he did go to Yale. So at the center spot you have three towering tough guys who have six fouls each, and can rebound and defend. Laimbeer is one of the game's best outside shooting big men, Eaton, one of the best shot blocking forces ever, and Dudley is a bigger, better version of Kurt Rambis, an effective counter to the Afromerican Team's Dennis Rodman and a perfect complement to the offensive-minded Tom Chambers. Plus you can't go wrong with a trio of centers from Yale, UCLA, and Notre Dame. A few other centers who were considered were Jon Koncak but he only averaged 3 points a game and his mid range shot and knowledge of Dominique Wilkin's game was not enough to offset Dudley's superior rebounding and shot blocking skills. Danny Schayes is a very solid center but is not the ouside threat of a Laimbeer or the defensive presence of Dudley or Eaton. Will Purdue was considered since he has two championship rings and went to Vandy. But even though the team could use a guy to bang inside he only averaged four points a game in 1992. On the plus side he plays with Pippen and Jordan and understands their games. Another cut here is Christian Laettner who is only a collegian and the Cream Team decided to go with a more veteran team. Plus he is a tweener, not really a pure four or a pure five. But Laettner was added to the bench as a thirteenth man/towel waver who wears a suit so that the Ivy League Dudley doesn't get too much of a big head and partly to placate the overeducated southerns who were mad that Will Purdue (Vanderbilt) and Jon Koncak (SMU) didn't make the team. Laettner also has a place on the bench because at least ONE white guy from Duke who played for Coach K and was picked on the top three had to be a part if the Cream Team somehow, and Danny Ferry was just not an option. lol
Overall, a great matchup. If the Cream Team's bigs (and Bird) was in their prime then the Cream Team would win hands down. As it stands the White Team has the superior shooters, and the Black Team has the superior slashers. The White centers are more defensive minded; the black centers are more offense oriented. If Bird and McHale played as they did in their vintage years, if Eaton was the shot blocking behemoth of the mid-eighties, and if Laimbeer was the same surly center from the Bad Boys championship teams then I like the Cream Team a whole lot. Still, if Ehlo and Majerle can slow down MJ, if the centers can clog the paint, if McHale is hitting on his post moves, and if the threes are falling then the Cream Team is the superior team.The Cream Team's game plan should be to hound Jordan with different defenders, keep Barkley and Malone off the glass, play Ewing straight up, get in Pippen's head, rough up Robinson, hit the threes while encouraging Nique, Thomas, and Drexler to take bad shots, play off Magic to force him to shoot, controlling the boards and getting back on D thus negating the fast break, and generally play unselfish basketball to counter the flashy ball hogs on the other team. Oh, and give the ball to Larry Bird in the clutch.