Should Olympic basketball be under-23 like soccer?

This summer, the United States will send it’s best 12 best basketball players to London to represent our nation in the Olympic Games.

Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban hates the idea, and he’s not alone. This summer will be the 20th anniversary of the original Dream Team and for some the bloom is off the rose. The thrill of seeing our best destroy most countries — but have interesting games with a few other powers like Spain — has worn off.

So what if international basketball decided to do what soccer does and turn the Olympics into an under-23 tournament?

NBA commissioner David Stern is down with the idea, according to the Chicago Sun Times.

“My own view is that post-London, we should be thinking about what soccer does and make it 23 and under,” Stern said.

Soccer of course has the World Cup — a battle of nations where there is no restrictions, and it is an event far bigger than the Olympic soccer. International basketball under FIBA has a similar tournament , the World Championships, which the United States won in Turkey in 2010 behind Kevin Durant (that win earned the USA its Olympic berth). If the Olympics were under 23, the world championship would grow in stature.

The United States could field a quality team. Here is a rough sketch of what the Under 23 Team USA might look like:

Centers: Anthony Davis, Greg Monroe
Forwards: Blake Griffin, DeMarcus Cousins, Kenneth Faried, DeMar DeRozan
Guards: Brandon Jennings, John Wall, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Klay Thompson

I kind of like this idea. But it’s something that the rest of the world would have to agree to, and it’s also something that Nike, Adidas and other shoe and apparel manufacturers may not love as they enjoy having their biggest stars on a huge international stage like the Olympics.

Doing this would mean a guy like Derrick Rose would never win a medal (he’s injured for London and will be 27 next Olympics). But it might be something worth trying in Rio to see how it works. I like the idea of the world’s best young players going at it with something real on the line.