It Should Be Tournament of the Americans : Basketball: “Dream Team” begins qualifying play against Cuba without Ewing, but with plenty in reserve.

Having lost a center and its myth of invulnerability in a week of training camp, the Dream Team opens actual competition today.

The U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team plays Cuba in the Tournament of the Americas. The United States will then play Canada and Panama on Monday and Tuesday, all without Patrick Ewing, who has a splint on his dislocated right thumb.

This leaves David Robinson, who is up to the task but has a splint on his left thumb after recent surgery.

Ewing was hurt in Thursday’s practice at UC San Diego. In Wednesday’s, the NBA superstars scrimmaged a team of collegians--and lost, 88-80.

“I would say to you that (Michael) Jordan was one for three,” said Coach Chuck Daly, noting it was only practice. “Thursday was a little different story.”

For you worrywarts, the pros turned around and waxed the college kids by 35 points.

Payback?

“You could use that term,” Daly said, laughing. “I just thought it was another scrimmage.”

Daly has yet to name a starting lineup, although he says Jordan is a good bet.

However, Daly has named Magic Johnson and Larry Bird co-captains.

“They’re the elder statesmen of our league,” Daly said. “They’ve basically taken the league where it is today. I went to Michael, who I thought ought to be in that triumvirate, and he was very happy for those people to do it. He just wants to enjoy himself, which he’s been doing.”

The Cubans were traditional Olympic powers before the growth of international basketball left them in the backwash.

They emerged from American zone tournaments in 1972, ’76 and ’80 and won a bronze medal at Munich, but haven’t qualified since.

The Cubans are all but anonymous here, because their players don’t play in U.S. colleges or pro leagues, as does Germany’s Detlef Schrempf; or in Europe, as does Brazil’s Oscar Schmidt.

Cuba finished fourth in the Pan American Games last year in Havana. The United States, which finished third, beat Cuba twice--the first time by only four points.

Lazaro Borrell, a 6-foot-8 forward who averaged 17 points and nine rebounds in the Pan American Games, returns. U.S. scouts say the athletic Cubans will press them full court but will average only 6-8 across the front line.

Moreover, none of Cuba’s 6-8 guys are as bulky as the 6-8, 256-pound Karl Malone or the 6-5, 255-pound Charles Barkley.

Or as the U.S. scouting report concluded: “I think we can post them up.”

Said Daly, generously: “I think their quickness should bother us, and we should hurt them with our size. It’s just important we don’t turn the ball over too much.”

USA Basketball bigwigs talked about getting another center, such as Brad Daugherty, to replace Ewing but decided against it, because it was hard to find a pro without off-season commitments.

Chris Webber, the 6-10 rising sophomore who led Michigan’s Fab Five to the NCAA championship game, was on hand, playing on the collegiate team, but the USA staff, advised that Ewing might be ready to go by mid-week, elected to start with 11 players.

Cuba has 12 “amateurs,” who will try to make it a game, rather than just another scrimmage.

Notes

Magic Johnson carried the American flag onto the floor in Saturday’s opening ceremony. “I was getting pimples, everything,” he said. “You always dream of what’s going to happen when you get a chance like this, but this was better by far than my expectations. I had goose bumps all over.” . . . Play started with Brazil defeating Puerto Rico, 95-72, in a meeting of Group B powers. Puerto Rico qualified for the 1988 Olympics and has U.S. collegians Jose Ortiz (Oregon State, No. 1 pick by Utah), Ramon Rivas (Temple) and Jerome Mincy (Alabama Birmingham). Brazil was led by Oscar Schmidt’s 24 points. . . . The United States is in Group A with Canada, Cuba, Argentina and Panama. Argentina beat Panama, 94-76, Saturday.