PG - Patty Mills
SG - Matthew Dellavedova
SF - Andrew Gaze
PF - Mark Bradtke
C - Luc Longley

Bench - Andrew Bogut, Phil Smyth, Larry Sengstock, Shane Heal, Andrew Vlahov.

Coach - Adrian Hurley

Gonna give this some serious thought. I think you have to use as the benchmark how the player was ranked/regarded internationally , and not their performances in the NBL. You could argue that Sengstock had more of in impact in the early years ( his peak) of the NBL than Bradke , but Bradke was clearly the more competitive player internationally in either the 4 or the 5 in his prime than Larry was.

There is the argument that pre Dream team , the international stage was weaker, but if you look at what happened once the OS players , particularly the euros started to arrive in the NBA, the best euro players were starting five in NBA Championship teams. So a player like Smyth, who was ranked as one of the best 3 PGs in the tournament at several world championships and olympics has to be (IMHO) seen to be a better choice than a player who domestically may be argued as been as good or better ( eg a Grace or Lisch if they weren't naturalized ). If Sengstock had been rated as one of the best 5s at a few international tourney then you would have to consider him as at least at the same level as a Longley.

SG has to be between Gaze,Palubinskas, Ian Davies 9 actually player SF) and Mills , Heal's international form ( and euro history) doesn't rate internationally against those 4.

Bogut Longley and Bradke take out the pure big men spots with Ray Borner looking good as well.

Coach - Adrian Hurley

PG P Smyth, Bench Deledova, Mills
SG A Gaze, Bench Palubinskas, (Mills)
SF Ian Davies Bench - any 2 of -(Sam Mackinnon, Tony Ronaldson, Andrew Vlahof)
PF Bradke, Bench, M Nielsen
C Bogut, Bench Luc Longley,

next best Cj Bruton, S Heal, Ray Borner, David Andersen, Joe Ingles, C Anstey

I don't think that Adrian would actually start with that five, but I'm certain he would complain about the team make up, although Anstey and Andersen may have made his first 12.

Dellavedova apologies ,

Very Old, it depends on the playing style who you'd include.

If you want slow (and often boring) then include Phil Smyth and Tony Ronaldson. The number of times I wanted to throw something at the TV when Smyth had the ball ....

Personally, I'd rather go with
Delly, Mills
Gaze, Heal, Palubinskas
Sammy Mac, Davies
Bradtke, Neilson
Longley, Bogut (before injuries), Anstey

I really want to include Vlahov for his aggression, but I don't know who to drop.

Davies and Palubinskas MUST be in the team for their shooting. The outside shooting this team could deliver is awesome!

Hoopie

It was 1980-2016(type error when I said 1984), Palubinskas didn't go to Moscow. I thought long and hard about Ian Davies/Brad Newley for the bench small forward spot. I picked a 12-man squad. Ian Davies offered a lot of offence, but reason in my view I went for Vlahov/Sam Mckinnon was there defence was so good. Vlahov is very physical and Mckinnon is so athletic. I admit I never saw Ian Davies, I know he was an awesome shooter/offence game(Gaze like), I just don't know enough about his defence to select him. As we saw in Rio in the finals stages, good defence/rebounding is very important. Mckinnon didn't offer much on offence but his D/rebounding was very good and Vlahov was a beast like a Charles Barkley. Vlahov is a SF at international level not really a PF, and I picked him as that. Matt Neilsen is a utility PF/C, he can play both that's why I went for him over Anstey in my squad.

You've persuaded me. Love the thread, mate.